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By: Patrick Viveiros
Tomorrow will mark another monumental day in the history of the great rivalry between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. Thursday, August 28, 2008, will mark the last match-up between the Yankees and Red Sox at the world renowned Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY. The marquee that faces I-87 and hangs from the Stadium will read Yankees vs. Red Sox for the last time ever.
Both teams are well aware that only one of them will be making it to October this year. The Tampa Rays own a 3.5 game lead over the Red Sox in the division currently, and a 9.5 game lead over the Yankees. The Red Sox lead in the Wild Card standings by 2.5 games over the Minnesota Twins, meanwhile the Yankees remain 6 games back for the Wild Card.
The clock is ticking, with only 15 games left this year at the original House that Ruth Built and 31 games left all together this season, the Yankees know it is crunch time, yet they are still underperforming.
In last night’s game Alex Rodriguez game up to bat with runners in scoring position twice late in the game and failed to provide the team with a crucial hit. Fans booed A-Rod as he trotted back to the dugout after grounding into an inning ending bases loaded double-play with the Yankees trailing 7-3, and booed him again when he struck out to end the game in the ninth inning. Rodriguez finished a fashionable 0-5, grounding into 2 double plays and even had a throwing error that cost the Yankees two runs to top off an all around HORRIBLE night for A-Rod and the New York Yankees as they lost the game 7-3.
As for the fans Rodriguez had this to say when asked by Yankees beat reporter Bryan Hoch, “They were loud. No one is more frustrated than me. Everyone is desperate for wins, and on a night like tonight, I was booing myself."
Well A-Rod booing yourself isn’t going to help you out at all. It’s time to stop crying and man-up and dig deep for that something extra. Stop letting all of these emotions build and just do the talking with the bat, the Yankees don’t want you booing yourself, they want you hitting the ball and to focus on winning baseball games, TEAM FIRST.
As for tomorrow, the starting pitching match-up should be interesting as Jon Lester of the Red Sox, and Mike Mussina of the Yankees will face-off in a game for the history books. (I wish I only had tickets to the game, or a press pass for that matter).
Mike Mussina has had his struggles against the Red Sox this season. In 3 starts against the Red Sox he owns a 1-2 record, along with a 5.53 ERA. However, in his last start against the Red Sox in New York on July 5th he pitched 6 innings of shutout baseball, eventually paving the way to his then 11th win of the year.
Lester is coming off his worst outing of the year after pitching 2.1 innings Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays. Lester allowed 8 hits and let up a season high 7 earned runs. In 4 starts in July Lester allowed only 7 earned runs, 2 of those starts came against the Yankees and in both of those starts he earned the win.
In his first start against the Yankees on July 3rd in New York, he pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 8 batters. On July 27th against the Yankees in Boston, he pitched 7 innings and allowed 2 earned runs, striking out 8. It appears Lester has owned the Yankees in recent history, but for Yankees fans like me, let’s hope that is not the case.
As the final days of Yankee Stadium begin to inch forward with no turning back, the Yankees have got to start winning ballgames, period. After 13 consecutive years of making the playoffs it would be a travesty to let ‘the old ballpark’ go to waste without a grand send-off like a 27th World Series Championship. Through all the hardships this team has faced all year, between the injuries to the pitching staff and starting line-up, it’s not hard to believe that the Yankees are not playoff ready this season. They have fought and battled all year, unless some of that old Yankee magic starts to stir-up, then maybe, just maybe the Yankees will be playing in October.
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