NEW YORK – The referee is watching off to the side, just a curious onlooker.
One fighter, in this case the Yankees, are delivering the shots. Dropping lefts, rights, hooks, uppercuts and a few haymakers.
The other fighter, in this case the Red Sox, are covering up and backing away, trying to avoid the damage, but cannot. They are taking blows not only to the body (as they did on Friday night), but blows to the head. Boston is stumbling, staggering and right now is unable to punch back.
Damage keeps on coming and they are up against the ropes and appear to be closing in on ending this regular season fight. This is a stunning development considering that going into Thursday night, the Yankees were 0-8 against Boston and the question that was up in the air was whether they would even beat their long time rivals. “The Rivalry” was so one sided back on June 11 when the Yankees were the ones on the ropes leaving Fenway Park after being swept, as the Red Sox were hitting them with all of the punches as if it were a heavyweight fighting a lightweight.
Now, things have changed. Over performance and structural functionality during those first three months by Boston has been replaced by injury, regression to the mean and under performance. Meanwhile, the Yankees have finally translated their play against the Red Sox to the way they have played against the rest of the American League.
To give an illustration, before the series started, had the Yankees gone just 4-4 in the 2009 installment of “The Rivalry” instead of a disgusting 0-8, the 2 1/2 game lead they had going into the series would have been 10 1/2. For whatever reason, these teams, so evenly matched on the surface have not been played the same when facing their other league peers. This would give credence to the fact that the 0-8 record was somewhat of a fluke.
All you heard was about Boston’s superior depth of pitching, allowing them to go as much as seven deep. Early in the season that made for a good storyline, but now with John Smoltz, (whom the Yankees forced the Red Sox to release on Friday after pounding him into submission) Brad Penny (ineffective), Daisuke Matsuzaka (injury and ineffective), Tim Wakefield (injury) and Clay Buchholz (ineffective) playing the role of unreliable number five starters, this is creating a serious problem. This is before you count the age and declining production coming from David Ortiz, Jason Varitek and JD Drew. Injuries to Jason Bay and Mike Lowell have slowed down their hot starts to 2009. Add in the shortstop position which can be referred to as “The Black Hole” and all of it adds up to a volcano set to erupt and destroy their season as they play the role of “Dead Team Walking”.
The Yankees however, have no such problems. With the best record in baseball, their lineup healthy and producing along with their pitching staff giving a quality performance nearly every time out (while still holding their breath whenever Sergio Mitre is pitching), they are poised to run away with AL East and settle in to an easy ride to October.
Obviously, injuries are the only thing that can derail this train. However, assuming that does not play a role, nothing looks to be stopping them. When you have CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett give the type of performances they have given over the first two games of the series )15 1/3 innings, three hits, zero runs, 15 strikeouts) sprinkled in with the work of the bullpen (12 2/3 innings, two runs, 15 strikeouts), that is a difficult combination to beat. All of this is before climbing Mount Everest, also known as the New York offense.
After debating all year where the Yankees and Red Sox stood, it is becoming obvious that there is a difference between the two teams. The pendulum has shifted back to the New York side while Boston attempts to regroup and try to regain footing.
In the mean time, the days are passing and with Boston losing and the Yankees winning, the gap continues to grow. Over the last six days, the Yankees have gained five games in the standings. Sunday night, they look to make it six.
Where the Red Sox appeared to be winning this fight on points in the early rounds, the Yankees never went down. Like Muhammad Ali used when he fought George Foreman in Zaire, they were able to utilize the “rope-a-dope” strategy. Now, they have landed a few surprise haymakers of their own and are ready to send them to the canvas.
Another win tomorrow night, might just put them down. The Red Sox may not be able to answer the ten count.
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