The Red Sox September collapse will go down in MLB history as the largest ever. The nine game lead at the start of September was squandered, and the Sox played their way out of the playoffs. I mean, all of September I was waiting for this team to wake up and start winning again, but they never did.

I thought Boston was supposed to be the “City of Champions,” winning a title in all four major sports in the last seven years. Boston fans, especially both I and the fans in my generation, have been spoiled, no doubt about it. My generation hasn’t really experienced what it’s really like to be a Boston sports fan. My generation associates Boston sports with winning, but that hasn’t always been the case.

One of the worst sports outcomes in my lifetime was Aaron Boone’s walk-off home run for the Yankees in ‘03, sending the Sox home. That wound was quickly healed in ’04 when the Sox won the World Series. Plus, I was in fourth grade in 2003, so how bad could it have hurt?

Then came the most tragic Boston sporting event in my lifetime: the Patriots failing to win the Super Bowl against the Giants after an undefeated season. I don’t think that will ever heal, but the Pats continue to succeed, and that success helps me move on.

The Bruins blew a 3-0 lead twice to the Flyers in 2010, but somehow that got swept under the rug and is now forgotten, thanks to their Stanley Cup victory this year.

Every sports fan knows that this run in Boston can’t last forever, but no one expected that the Red Sox would miss the playoffs this year, let alone blow a nine game lead. It makes me wonder: is this the beginning of the end?

I don’t watch too many baseball games in their entirety, and Wednesday night was no exception. I get ESPN alerts, which sends me texts every time a run is scored, so I was at least updated.

It was simple: if the Red Sox won, they would live to play another day. If the Red Sox lost and the Rays won, the season was over.

I was relieved when I received a text about Pedroia’s homerun that gave them a 3-2 lead, and right before then Mark Teixeira gave the Yankees a 6-0 lead. So at the very least, we were looking at a game in St. Petersburg (where the Rays play), and at best we were going to win the wild card. At least, that’s what I thought.

During the rain delay, the Sox went into the clubhouse and watched the Rays score six runs in the eighth inning, making the score 7-6 Yankees. This fateful moment was when I started actually watching both games.

I began to get a little skeptical. I mean, I was rooting for the Yankees and actually thought they were going to come through for us? I’m not blaming this on the Yankees, but think about it. We needed our hated rivals to do us a favor, so can you blame me for doubting them?

But hey, it was still 7-6, right? The Rays needed one more run with only one inning left; the Yanks could get three outs, and then it would be in our own hands.

With two outs and two strikes, Dan Johnson, batting a league low .108, who had only nine hits all year, sent one over the right field wall, and there they were, 7-7. Joe Maddon put in a pinch-hitter at 9 for 83 this year, who sent the game to extra innings and extended the Rays season. Disgusted, I changed the channel.

Then the Sox got more signs that they weren’t destined for the playoffs. Trying to add an insurance run, Scutaro was thrown out at home in the eighth inning. In the ninth inning, Ortiz hit one in front of the plate with runners on the corners, and then Lavarnway hit a double play with the bases loaded, ending the inning.

It was still 3-2 though; they could have squeaked it out. They were 76-0 when leading going into the bottom of the ninth this year. We got this, I thought. I went back to the Yankees-Rays game.

Make that one out. Greg Golson got caught in no-man’s land and was tagged out at third base. I didn’t want to watch the Yankees choke anymore, so I went back to the Sox.

Papelbon was on the mound. He overpowered the first two batters but gave up a double. If you didn’t know it was over by then, you should have called me; I could feel a pit forming in my stomach.

Back to the Yankee’s game.

I saw that Evan Longoria was up for the Rays. I watched him take a big swing and miss, thinking, “He was trying to end it right there.” I changed back to the Sox.

I watched Robert Andino send a liner out to left, and Crawford couldn’t make the play. 4-3 Orioles. I stared at the stunned Red Sox, then changed the channel.

Three minutes later, Longoria sent a line drive to the smallest and shortest part of the park. The ball just barely went over the wall. Game. Set. Match. Season over.

The Rays completed two comebacks: one with their 8-7 win against the Yankees, and the other overcoming a nine game deficit in the wildcard. With Longoria’s walk-off home-run, the Rays had won the wildcard and knocked the Sox out of the playoffs.

The Red Sox made history, but not in the way I’m used to. It was a new feeling for my generation of Boston sports fans, but the older generation can tell you that it’s all too familiar.

You give your hearts to the Boston sports teams and watch as they provide you with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Is this the start of the end? Has the luck finally run out?

To be honest, it doesn’t look good. The Pats defense is anemic, and Tom won’t always be here. The Celtics may be the team affected the most by a lockout because all they’ll do is get older. The B’s are defending Stanley Cup champs, yet no one thinks they’ll do much of anything this year. Boston, it’s been a good run, but that run may be coming to end sooner than any of us hoped.