Red Sox 6, Yankees 4

 

What a weird game! The Red Sox scored six runs in the first inning, and then that was it for the rest of the game. The Yankees crept back in, slowly riding up like cheap underwear - a run here, another run there - but in the end, Crochet, Matz, Whitlock, and Chapman (sounds like a law firm!) held on and won the game.    

Crochet gave up three runs on five hits, but got a dozen strikeouts over six innings. In the top of the ninth, Chapman got the side out - three up and three down - on eleven pitches, striking out the last batter.

So the good news is we won. We live to struggle for another day. Seattle won again today, too, and in so doing took first place in the AL West and left the Wild Card race. The Houston Astros have entered the conversation and trail the Sox by one game for the Wild Card standings - the Yanks are first, Sox second, 'Stros third.

Not that it really matters, but Boston is 1½ behind New York in the AL East, and 5½ behind Toronto. Winning the Division isn't a realistic goal at this point, probably never was, and there's no prize for second place. All that matters is getting a Wild Card slot.

Boston has a day off tomorrow and then we host the A's (70-80) for three. We need to sweep that series, because that's as easy as it gets for the rest of the season. Twelve more games to go, and it's imperative that we lose one less game down that stretch than the Astros, who have Texas (79-71) and Seattle (82-68) to contend with, and then six games against sub-.500 teams.

But anyway, congratulations, Boston, for avoiding the sweep and beating the Yankees. Here's to seeing you rat bastards in the Wild Card series.