10 reasons Red Sox are back in postseason

The Boston Red Sox were widely favored to win the American League East in 2016, so this latest division championship isn’t exactly a stunner. Besides, what is that they say about the joy being in the journey?

Once the Red Sox got rolling, they were close to unstoppable. In the past six weeks, they’ve had the best record (31-14), best offense (5.8 runs per game) and best bullpen (2.64 ERA) in the Majors.

Starting pitching? They’ve had some of that, too. Since the turnaround, Boston leads the big leagues in innings and strikeouts, and it has a solid 3.60 ERA — third-lowest in the game.

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No American League team will enter the postseason feeling better about its chances. Top to bottom, the Red Sox are expertly constructed and smartly managed; a nearly perfect blend of youth and experience.

Nevertheless, it wasn’t exactly the ride Red Sox fans expected, and isn’t that the fun part?

For instance:

1. John Farrell is still the Red Sox manager. Guess what? He’s very good at his job.

Almost no one on earth has had a better past 12 months. At this time last season, Farrell was undergoing cancer treatment, locked in a fight way bigger than baseball.

And there was his job security. The Red Sox had finished last in the AL East in back-to-back seasons, and Farrell had a new boss in president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski — a boss who didn’t hire him.

Dombrowski was impressed with Farrell from Day 1, and now Farrell might end up being the AL Manager of the Year Award winner. That’s not the ultimate prize he’s hoping for this fall, but it would be significant.

Red Sox managers never really have job security. That’s the nature of the beast in a city in which every game matters.

Never mind that Farrell is a model for every other manager in terms of communication, running a game and getting the best from his players. He has proven again how good he is at his job. Yes, he has better players, but that’s always part of the equation.

2. Hanley Ramirez was a reborn baseball player in 2016.

One of the first things Dombrowski did upon arriving at Fenway Park was to reach out to Ramirez, whom he’d known since their days together with the Marlins. Dombrowski talked to Ramirez as an old friend, and as someone who trusted him to get in shape and to buy into a move to first base.

At 32, Ramirez …

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