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The week in baseball: The Yankees are on fire!

Bombers have the best record in baseball

By
NOAH FITZGERALD,

Published Monday, August 17, 2009, 12:07 PM
Updated Monday, August 17, 2009, 12:34 PM

 

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Alex Rodriguez celebrates a walk off home run against the Boston Red Sox.

It’s official, the Yankees have the best record in baseball. Since the All-Star break, the Yanks have ripped through the American League and topped the AL East Division as they hold more than a five game lead above the Boston Red Sox.

The Sox may have dominated the Yankees early on this season (winning 8-0 over the Bronx Bombers), but the Yankees came in and swept the last series at Yankee Stadium. It looks like the Yanks will make it to the postseason, while the Mets pack for an October vacation. The Yankees became the team they were expected to be, and the Mets were never quite the team that we saw on paper before the season started.

In this tale of two boroughs, the Yanks are still the aristocrats and the Mets are still the peasants, but at least one will represent New York during the business end of the season.

The Yankees entered the Red Sox series on top, but with the stigma of a few smack downs at the hands of their rivals earlier this season. The difference this time around was the confidence levels of both teams had shifted, and the Red Sox are beat up and worn down.

All-Star outfielder Jason Bay is day-to-day with a hammy strain, J.D. Drew was day-to-day with a strained groin, Tim Wakefield was out with a lower back strain, Mike Lowell was day-to-day with a strain as well, and Daisuke Matsuzaka was out with a bad shoulder. Ouch. So the Yanks already had the advantage going into game one, especially considering they were batting against replacement starter and over-the-hill star John Smoltz.

That was a cheap shot. Smoltz is one of the most illustrious pitchers in baseball history. He deserves respect with a 212-152 record in his 20-year career, but after the first game of the series versus the Yankees, he’s likely done as a starter.

The Atlanta Braves realized they were losing a starter after sending him in as relief beginning the 2001 season (though he had returned as a starter here and there through the years), but the Sox wanted to give him a shot.

In game one the Yankees blew him out of the water and off the rotation for the season with a nine hit, eight-run night in the Yankees 13-4 win. It was a brutal night for the Sox and their manager, Terry Francona, said that it was “an unforgiving lineup in an unforgiving ballpark.” The Yanks lit up the ballpark with homerun off the bats of Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira, Jorge Posada, and Melky Cabrera to back Joba Chamberlain in his eight win of the season. So long Smoltz, but who the heck is going to replace you?

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1 Comment

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Posted by Louise101 on Dec 04, 2009, 10:32 AM EST
The Yankees have achieved a level of success in the world of baseball that is so gaudy, so well known, and so storied picking a handful of players to call their all time best is no easy task. They should be always competitive enough to keep pace with the others. I used to attend their games even their tickets get sold out. Luckily I found Ticketwood.com, now I’ll before compare prices before getting tickets. Go Yankees!! http://www.ticketwood.com/mlb/NewYork-Yankees-Tickets/index.php
 


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