Sox Take Two

Doug Mientkiewicz/Kenny Lofton; Photo: Newsday//Paul J. Bereswill

In Boston over the weekend, the Yankees failed to clinch the AL East title and managed to lose two games to the Red Sox. In yesterday's series finale, Kevin Brown managed only two outs in his start, giving up 6 hits and 4 runs in the first inning. His Boston counterpart, Curt Shilling, only allowed 1 hit and 2 runs in seven innings of work. Boston won the game 11-4 (box score).

Not everything went so smoothly though. As is becoming the norm in this series, tempers rose during the game, resulting in ejections and bench clearing. First came Kenny Lofton and Doug Mientkiewicz in the third inning. The two had some issues as Lofton grounded out and Mientkiewicz supposedly didn't get out of Lofton's way quickly enough. Then, in the 8th, Pedro Astacio threw the ball behind Lofton, which got him ejected. In retaliation, Brad Halsey threw a ball high and tight to Dave Roberts, which got him and Joe Torre ejected. The benches cleared and words were exchanged, but there were no fisticuffs.

With the season series now over, the Red Sox have won 11 of the 19 games between the two teams. Despite that advantage, the Yankees have a 3.5 game lead for the Pennant. With a week left in the regular season, the elimination number for the Yankees is 4 games.

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By tien mao on September 27, 2004 1:54 PM

Comments [rss]

Justin

Not all New Yorkers are Yankee fans. And in a Boston-Yankees matchup I'm always pullin' for the BoSox.

But Boston is Boston. They haven't proven anything yet, except that they haven't self-destructed in September for 2 years in a row.

i love the hypocrisy

i love that in the previous weekend, the new yorkers were all about bragging about the new york dominance of boston in baseball and as a city???!!! now, since the sox just did the same to them, the talk is splitting hairs about the term "pennant race." Typical new yorkers shying away from the negative.

Justin

Fair enough point, but I wouldn't use the NYTimes as a sports' authority.

So what do we call the little triangular flag that winners of each league fly now? The League Championship Flag? Also, you herar players and coaches talk about how important it is to win their division, not one of six pennants.

I love the wild card and interleague play, but am I too old school to say there hasn't been a pennant race since 1968 (or 1994)?

Gothamist Kyle

From today's MMQB:

Just for the record, in the last two years, Boston and New York have played 45 times. You'll never guess the series result. Red Sox 23, Yanks 22.

tien

oh yes, and the ny times calls the rangers in a pennant race and there were many mentions of the pennant race in this si article. doesn't seem like only one to me.

tien

i'm going to contend that there is a pennant race for each division. i could have clarified to say they have the lead in the al east. i can't find you a difinitve definition of pennant, but about.com seems to be calling them pennant races too.

Justin

The Yankees do not have a 3 1/2 game lead for the Pennant. The Pennant goes to the winner of each league, who then meet in the World Series.

haha

yeah you damn yank-chode-eaters! i saw all the crap about new york as a city being better than boston, which was totally ridiculous and simply subjective. i just hate how new york fans are so beside themselves with superiority complexes, like YOU are the reason the Yankees have won. Well, where have you been the past 4 years? the boston fans have stuck by the sox for all this period of drought and we always believe that we will win the world series this year. i don't say, "YANKEES SUCK", because it's a stupid phrase, but I don't respect the yankees as a team. they feel like they deserve to win just because of their famous predecessors. fuck that man. I hope the yankees get swept by the twins in the first round. with a stupid pitcher who punches a wall after a loss, that'll be phat as hell.