The end goal is so close to being realized, the Red Sox can nearly taste it. But there is still work to be done.

Tim Wallach is the newest name to emerge on the Mariners’ managerial search list, as the Dodgers’ third-base coach confirmed to MLB.com on Tuesday that he will meet with Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik this week.

It was home sweet home on Tuesday for the Red Sox, and for the Cardinals it was a day to ponder how historic a World Series comeback might be on the final workout day on the Road to the World Series.

The Orioles’ historic defensive season, in which they committed a Major League record-low 54 errors, culminated with an impressive showing in Tuesday night’s unveiling of the 2013 Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners.

Xander Bogaerts has been the jewel of the Red Sox farm system for quite a while, a big reason they were willing to part ways with Jose Iglesias before the non-waiver Trade Deadline, and with Stephen Drew eligible for free agency this offseason, there’s a good chance Bogaerts will be the Opening Day shortstop as early as 2014.

The first time the Red Sox ended years of frustration by returning to the World Series was the first time they’d meet the Cardinals with a title on the line. Before the 1946 World Series began, it had been 28 years since the Sox played in the Fall Classic — the longest wait in years without an appearance of the 86-year championship drought that ended in 2004 against St. Louis.

If John Lackey’s relief outing in Game 4 of the World Series cast any doubt over his availability for the now potentially Series-clinching Game 6 at Fenway Park, Lackey made certain to immediately and unequivocally cast it aside. “Oh,” Lackey said in Game 4’s aftermath, “I’ll be there.”

The Cubs interviewed Eric Wedge on Tuesday at Wrigley Field for the vacant manager’s job, and are waiting for the World Series to end to talk to Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo.

The Red Sox managed to win Games 4 and 5 of the World Series without right fielder Shane Victorino, who has been an invaluable piece of the team all season.

For a while this postseason, it was a daily decision for manager John Farrell of who to play behind the plate: Jarrod Saltalamacchia or David Ross.

The last time there was a Game 6 of the World Series at Fenway Park, it was one of the most memorable nights in baseball history.

When the Red Sox take the field for Game 6 of the World Series on Wednesday night at Fenway Park, there might not be any player with more pent-up energy than first baseman Mike Napoli.

It’s a sign of Jose Abreu’s potential to generate numbers like Paul Konerko and Magglio Ordonez — if not Frank Thomas and Miguel Cabrera — that White Sox general manager Rick Hahn identified in marking him a must-have player, ultimately signing the slugger to a six-year contract worth $68 million.

For the first time since 1975, a baseball season will end at Fenway Park, and isn’t that perfect? This 101-year-old hardball cathedral is arguably the sport’s most sacred ground, with its timeless beauty and dignity along with an assortment of nooks, crannies and, perhaps, a ghost or two.

So the St. Louis Cardinals have their backs against the wall? Big deal. The Cards have had their backs against the wall so often that this has become an accustomed posture for them. They’ve been there, overcome that.

As tempting as it must be for Red Sox fans to try to plan their week around a World Series parade, word to the wise is do not make your trip to the party store just yet.

It took him 16 years to reach this stage, and Carlos Beltran is not ready to leave just yet. Down 3-2 in the World Series, the Cardinals will enter a hostile environment in Boston, needing to win back-to-back games for their 12th championship and Beltran’s first. “We’re looking forward to that, honestly,” Beltran said of heading into Fenway Park for Games 6 and 7.