Posted on 08/18/2006 8:27:35 AM PDT by Airborne1986
It's now or never for the New York Yankees.
The Yankees open a five-game series at Fenway Park on Friday with their alter egos in the American League East, the Boston Red Sox. Just 1 1/2 games will separate the two teams when that series begins.
Since the All-Star break, the Sox have slipped considerably, going 16-17 with problems surfacing with their starting pitching, relief corps and hitting (with the exception of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez). The Yankees, meanwhile, seem to have righted themselves after a long year of struggles with injuries and under-producing pitchers such as Randy Johnson. New York has gone 20-12 since the break to move past Boston into first place, a five-game reversal in 31 games.
Yet even with the additions of Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle and the improved pitching of Johnson, the Yankees won't separate themselves from the Red Sox if they don't make a move during this series, because Boston may be the most resilient team in the American League, if not in all of baseball. ...
For all the Red Sox difficulties of late, especially with their pitching, they could be tied for the division lead by Saturday morning if everything goes right and if they continue to play at home the way they have thus far.
That would give the Red Sox the advantage in the series and for the rest of the season. They would have their top three pitchers — Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling and David Wells — going in the final three games against the Yankees, with a chance to turn the tables on them just when much of the world felt New York was ready to assert itself and pull away.
....
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Ping
Ping
I actually took a vacation day today so I could watch this game. LOL!
Nerve-wracking. But..for all lifelong Red Sox fans..this is a normal state of affairs. We're used to it (hand draped across forehead in melancholy fashion)...:)
Boston sucks and we are going to whip their ass PING!
The Red Sox will be crushed by Tuesday. The Yankees lead leaving this series will be insurmountable.
The Red Sox series cost us (Detroit) a top notch second baseman and batter, probably for the rest of the season. Grrrr
I heard this ping in the ether!
Not to antagonize Red Sox Nation, but isn't it the Yankees who have had to hang tough? They lost their two corner outfielders and until buying Abreu at WalMart, had to patch together a line up with the likes of Bubba Crosby. I don't say this as a yankee fan for if Saddam Hussein had a baseball team I'd root for them against the Yankees, but in the interests of accuracy.
It has been the Yankees that have hung around all season with the glut of injuries, yet Boston could not take advangage. Talk about spin!
I was at that game. Great catch!! Wrist or shoulder?
LOL!!!
Seperated shoulder but he still held the ball and made the out.
Don't forget the Hillary Curse is still in effect! LOL!
Nice picture. As I recall, that celebration was short-lived. Just like the clip of Fisk hitting the home run in Game 6 in '75 against the Reds. I can't watch that without thinking about what happened the next day.
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