Red Sox manager Alex Cora and Yankees manager Aaron Boone faced each other on the field for the first time May 1st 2001 (I may be wrong.. I had to dig for a while to find it..), when the Dodgers lost to the Reds 7-6, on a three for four performance by Boone including a home run off Eric Gagne, the beginning of history between them as they face off for the first time as managers in the post season. Cora was with the Dodgers in ’04 and Boone sat that season out, injured, so neither figured in the last post-season meeting between the Sox and Yanks. But they will figure tonight, along with the brilliant and impossibly thin figure of Chris Sale on the bump for the home team Boston Red Sox, and J.A. Happ getting the start for the visiting New York Yankees.
This year’s story was the Sox outscoring the Bombers 116 to 102 heads-up, and Boston winning 10 to the Yankees 9. Perhaps most important is that in the height of the race in August, the Sox swept the Yanks four games at Fenway 28-13 including winning the last game in extras, where after putting their proverbial foot down, and won 108 games, never having to look back. The Yankees knocked off the A’s in their play-in game, and managed to win 100 games in the reggalar, third place behind Boston and defending World Champion Houston’s 103 win tally. The Yanks also slugged the most home runs ever in a season (267), while Boston ran away with runs (876) (yanks were 2nd at 851) hits (1509) and doubles (355): +56 for hits on the Cubbies.. Talk about two awesome offenses.
Houston posted a major’s-best 3.3 RA/G, and it’s not even close. What is most remarkable, and you really should go look this up, is that they did it with only 22 pitchers for the season. The Sox and Yanks were both above league average, but think about that Houston rotation and pen. Twenty two pitchers for a whole season? With a staff ERA of 3.11?
Anyway, now it is on to the two best teams in the Beast with a combined 208 regular season wins facing off for the short race to three wins. Line-ups when I have them. It’s important enough to say it again: this the first post-season meeting between these two arch rivals since the epic series of 2004. Wasn’t that something to behold? Comment away.
Yankees
1 McCutchen, Andrew 7 (LF) #26
2 Judge, Aaron 9 (RF) #99
3 Hicks, Aaron 8 (CF) #31
4 Stanton, Giancarlo (DH) #27
5 Voit, Luke 3 (1B) #45
6 Gregorius, Didi 6 (SS) #18
7 Andujar, Miguel 5 (3B) #41
8 Sanchez, Gary 2 (C) #24
9 Torres, Gleybar 4 (2B) #25
P Happ, J.A. (LHP) 2.69 ERA #34
Red Sox
1 Betts, Mookie 9 (RF) #50
2 Benintendi, Andrew 7 (LF) #16
3 Pearce, Steve 3 (1B) #25
4 Martinez, J.D. (DH) # 28
5 Bogaerts, Xander 6 (SS) #2
6 Nunez, Eduardo 5 (3B) #36
7 Kinsler, Ian 4 (2B) #5
8 Leon, Sandy 2 (C) #3
9 Bradley Jr., Jackie 8 (CF) #19
P Sale, Chris, (LHP) #41
12 replies on “It’s Been A Long Time Since I Rock and Rolled: Yanks-Sox ALDS Gamer I”
I approach this week with more eagerness than dread but a fair amount of both. I anticipate the highest of highs and lowest of lows, with the ultimate result leaving me feeling unreasonably good about life or unpleasantly surly for weeks. Eager to see how the many young budding stars on the yanks rise (or not) to the moment. Say a prayer for our corner defense and starting rotation and let’s get it on!
I’ve not been this anxious in a long time.
count the ringzzzz*
*but only the last 14 years of ringzzzz
Oh yeah, it’s on.
go yanks! boston sux.
I’ve got the lineups in place. Let’s do it.
I used to be so much better at this.
Still, feels good after all these years.
this thing is gonna go 9 hours. it’s back to old school yanks-sox. umpire pretty generous zone but the yanks still work 25 pitches. sale looked vulnerable there but pretty impressive to get out of it. hitting every edge. really impressive.
so the good news is i can stream the sicario sequel tonight.
Terrible night for Stanton and Happ. Everyone else on the yanks showed up pretty well. I am not as upset after this game as I thought I would be. If they let Price beat them I will be in deep depression. The porcello move was important and I imagine is being lauded in Sox circles. But the Yankees had plenty of opportunities and just could not get the one big timely hit. Also, Judge and Martinez are studs.
And yf, I already rented sicario II for my redeye flight to London on Sunday/Monday…
The Sox greatest weakness (IMO) was exposed (I’m looking at you, bullpen!). Sandy Leon must have been spent after almost four innings of tracking down, stabbing and battling those deliveries.
Last night, at least, Happ was not the Sox killer he was supposed to be. Yanks’ exceeded their 2018 strike out to homer ratio by more than double with almost half the outs never put in play.
The bullpens were crucial. Sox tried mightily to fumble it. Yanks bullpen kept them in it.
Old news, now. On to tonight.
The yanks pen is substantially better than the sox pen. The starting rotations are fairly equal IMO. With the Yankees lineup healthy for nearly the first time all season, I think they have the edge. Our terrible corner D and defensive catching could always cost a few runs of course. But even after last night I felt pretty good. Of course, if we get the Mr.Hyde version of severino on Monday then all bets are off.