As soon as they pulled the trigger on the blockbuster that sent their best hitter and three others to Los Angeles in a trade without an immediate benefit, Red Sox management publicly acknowledged what it deemed to be impossible this season. There would be no playoff push, no late recovery, no season-salvaging rally.

But don’t be mistaken. It’s still quite possible this team could do some things.

Unfortunately for Boston, though, they’re all related to resetting standards of futility that have stood for years, decades and — in some cases — all time on Yawkey Way.

It’s a distinct possibility that after an historically bad September in 2011, the final full month of the 2012 campaign could leave the Sox with an historically bad season on several levels, not the least of which would be wins and losses — where a 9-20 August leaves them seemingly destined to finish as the franchise’s worst in at least 15 years.

And that’s hardly the only damning possibility. Here’s a look at some other dubious distinctions, and how close these Red Sox are to resetting team history:

The 1987 Red Sox posted a .412 winning percentage in games decided by two runs or less, worst for the club since 1966. Before Saturday, Boston was at .426 (26-35) in such contests, and that pace puts them ahead of only 15 teams in the club’s 112 seasons since 1901. (Incidentally, looking at the same numbers, it’s not hard to see why Baltimore is contending this season: The Orioles are on pace for the best record in AL history for games decided by one or two runs.)

Boston hasn’t finished under .500 at home since 1997, when it was 39-42. With only 11 games to go, the Sox are 32-38 in Fenway. Not only is that more home losses than they had in any season under Terry Francona, and second worst in the AL through Friday, it also meant they needed to go 9-2 the rest of the way to avoid a losing mark.

Only 23 teams in AL history have failed to win an extra-inning game at home. Only four have ever gone winless despite at least six opportunities. The Sox are 0-6.

Before this year, the Red Sox had never lost a game in which they had at least 12 runs and 18 hits. They’ve done it twice in 2012. Additionally, the Sox lost only once when plating at least a dozen from 1934-2011 — that coming in 1970.

Since 1955, the Sox had surrendered at least 18 runs in a game at least twice in the same season only once (1980). With Friday’s 20-2 loss at Oakland, the club equaled that 32-year mark.

According to baseball-reference.com’s methodology, 1952 was the last season the Red Sox didn’t have a player worth at least four wins over the average replacement (WAR). Entering September at 3.5, current leader Dustin Pedroia will need a good final month to get there.

Not since 1931 have Red Sox batters walked in less than 7.7 percent of their trips to the plate. That ‘31 team had a 6.9 percent walk rate — though this club could supplant it yet, taking a rate of 7.1 percent into Saturday.

The 1992 and 1976 clubs are the only Sox teams since Carlton Fisk was a rookie to own an on-base percentage worse than .325. That’s where the 2012 group began this month. The ‘92 team finished at .321, the current low point since the ‘72 team’s .318.

The 2005 team is the only Sox staff since 1983 without a starting pitcher who had a sub-4 ERA.Clay Buchholz enters the weekend at 4.50 — making this a likely reprise of the year Matt Clement was Boston’s ace.

Including 27 players totaling 34 stints, Boston has already used the disabled list more than it has in any season since at least 1971. According to STATS, that’s the most by any team since 1987, and more than any Sox team since at least 1971. Of those players, 13 have been to the All-Star game.

The 1997 Red Sox were the last to finish below .500 for a season, going 78-84. If the Red Sox don’t go 19-10 after Friday, they’ll become just the seventh Boston squad since the 1967 Impossible Dream season to finish as losers.

The last Red Sox team to lose at least 90 games was the 1966 team.Bobby Valentine’s group would have to stay in free fall for this to happen, considering they’d need to go 10-19 from Saturday forward (and thereby lose 39 of 58 after July). But with experimentation well underway, and an eye already peeking ahead to 2013, that’s hardly impossible.

@Body Copy tagline diamond:.

Reports have suggested Red Sox players were trying to get Bobby Valentine fired during a July powwow with ownership. If true, it’s obviously failed so far — and if any of them were hoping Mike Scioscia would be available this offseason if Boston decides to ax Valentine, they may have now failed to get the Angels’ manager fired, too.

Boston is rivaled only by Los Angeles as far as disappointing teams in the AL this season, with the Angels’ offseason (and in-season) investments leaving them just fifth in the wild-card standings at the start of September. And despite his claims to the contrary, some believe owner Arte Moreno could get rid of Scioscia if the team doesn’t reach the postseason.

If that’s true, the Sox had an opportunity to urge it along. And blew it. The Angels were a bad team in August — except when playing the Sox, having beat Boston in all six meetings and otherwise gone 7-15. Ultimately, that season sweep could save Scioscia’s job this winter, when the Sox could be looking for someone of just his ilk.

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STAT OF THE WEEK: The Red Sox led the AL in hits (290) and doubles (70) in August, are were fourth in runs scored (139) — yet finished the month 9-20. A staff ERA of 5.61 will do that.

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Dave D’Onofrio covers Boston sports for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail address is ddonof13@gmail.com. Twitter: @davedonofrio