SHOWDOWN IN BEANTOWN
Yanks, Sox headed for winner-take-all 3-game set at Fenway




By: Russ Rose
Special to Yankees Talk Shop
September 28, 2005

Somewhere up there the baseball gods must be smiling and very pleased with themselves. They knew all along how the race for the East Division crown was going to be played out. It is the only way it can be played out. Once again, the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will cross swords in a three-game, heavyweight fight scheduled for this weekend at Fenway Park. When the dust and smoke clears Sunday night one of these teams will be king of the mountain. The other will, in all likelihood, be going home for the winter.

Nearly six months ago on a cool spring day at Yankee Stadium these two teams opened the season against each other. The Yankees won that game and the next to lead the East Division. The next time the Yankees would see the lead would be on July 18th when they took a one day, meager one-half game lead over the Red Sox. In between the Yankees and Red Sox have had their share of ups and downs. One day these clubs could look like invincible world beaters and the next day they looked like they couldn’t beat their single-A teams.

For the Yankees their Achilles heel has been the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In 2004 the Yankees beat the Rays 15 out of 19 games, and figured they would do it again this year. However, the Devil Rays didn’t want to play along. Lou Pinella and his boys turned things around on the Bombers beating the New Yorkers 11 out of 19 games this year. The only saving of face was when the Yankees swept the Rays in their park in the last series of the year between the two clubs. If the Yankees finish out of the money this year, after George Steinbrenner spent over $200 million to assemble this club, you can point to the head-to-head meetings between New York and Tampa Bay as one of the main reasons for failure.

With the Boston Red Sox, they’ve had their fair share of drama too. First of all, they started the season without their 2004 playoff inspirational leader Curt Schilling. Schilling who came over to the Red Sox last year etched his name forever in the annals of Red Sox lore when he pitched in the ALCS and the World Series while nursing a bum right ankle. That ankle had a tendon come off the bone, and it had to be sutured or reattached before every start so Schilling could be available to pitch. Who can ever forget all those close up shots of the bloody sock? If you missed it you can see that same sock on your next visit to Cooperstown. However, Schilling’s heroics had a price as Curt spent about a third of the season on the disabled list. When he came back he wasn’t exactly the Curt Schilling of old. He has been very beatable.

Additionally, Boston has had thorns in their sides too. The Toronto Blue Jays, whom the Sox are currently battling at home, have a 10-6 season advantage on the defending champs. They split a day-night doubleheader on Tuesday, which prevented the Sox from taking a one-game lead over the Yankees. If they lose out they can point to Toronto as a turning point.

Injuries have also plagued both teams throughout the year. The Yankees starting rotation on opening day was Randy Johnson, Mike Mussina, Jaret Wright, Carl Pavano and Kevin Brown. Only Randy Johnson hasn’t spent time on the disabled list. Pavano is still there and Kevin Brown’s tenure with the Yankees is finished. He is sitting home on the 60-day list, effectively ending his season and career with New York. Jaret Wright, who spent months on the DL with right shoulder problems recently came back, but has been ineffective. So much so he is being passed over for his final regular season start and replaced by mid-season pick up Aaron Small (last pitched for Florida). Small is 9-0 as a starter. He, along with Shawn Chacon (picked up from Colorado) has been a huge surprise for the Yankees.

The Boston Red Sox have had an overhaul too. On opening day their pitching staff consisted of Schilling, David Wells, Bronson Arroyo, Tim Wakefield, Matt Clement, Wade Miller, Mike Timlin, Alan Embree, John Halama, Blaine Neal, Keith Foulke, Matt Mantei and Mike Myers. Gone are Neal, Mantei, Embree, Miller and Foulke. Needless to say the overall pitching for both clubs has left a lot to be desired. The Yankees staff has a team ERA of 4.51 and the Sox sport a 4.74. Not exactly a stat to make opposing batters shake in their cleats.

Neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox have been dominant this year. Because of their inconsistent play the Red Sox allowed the Yankees to climb back into the playoff picture. A month ago it looked like the Yankees would have to settle for playing for the wildcard berth. Now they’re neck-and-neck with the Sox vying for the division championship. Needless to say, the Yankees and their fans would like nothing better than to take some of the bad taste out of their mouths stemming from last years ALCS collapse by not only beating the Sox out of the division championship, but sending them home period. What better way to do it than at Fenway Park in front of the entire Red Sox nation?

The Red Sox, on the other hand, would like nothing better than to beat their arch-rivals to show the Yankees last year wasn’t a fluke. They don’t want to be known as a team that’s one-and-done. They’d like to successfully defend their first championship in 86 years by winning another one. But, in order to do that, they know they have to go through the Yankees first. Both teams have the motivation to beat the other. If they don’t have the arms, then they have the bats. It’s going to be a wild weekend in Beantown. It’s the Yankees versus the Red Sox. It’s the only way it could be played out.



PLAY BALL!



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