“You May Ask Yourself, Well, How Did I Get Here?” Yanks Blow Out Sox 10-2.

Crystal Ball. Actor Billy Crystal is clearly gleeful watching the Yankees’ beat down of the Sox at Yankee Stadium. Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

There was a time in the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry when it didn’t matter what the record was of the team chasing the front runner, admittedly usually the Red Sox chasing the Yankees. Fans could expect tough, gritty, sometimes violent no holds barred action. It was contentious and delicious and full of passion. Times have changed. These are your 1966 Boston Red Sox kids, a team that finished 72-90. Welcome to your cold bowl of porridge.

"The Sox last stand in the Bronx, in which all they had left was to be the Lucy to the Yankee’s Charlie Brown, to pull the football away just as the Yankees closed in on a game winning field goal, was to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as a team, take the Yankees’ best shot and remain standing. Boston took the Yankees’ best shot in the second inning, got knocked to the mat and never got up."

After a 15-pitch first inning Clay Buchholz looked like he could have been a likely leader to hold the Yankees in check. The Red Sox had Yankee starter CC Sabathia on the ropes in the top of second. Another good sign. Mauro Gomez stood on third base with just one out  but Boston squandered the opportunity and the Bombers got out of the inning without giving up a run.

The bottom of the second inning was an series of back-to-backs. Unfortunately for Buchholz and the Sox it didn’t include back-to-back strikeouts. On the first pitch in the bottom of the second inning Robinson Cano took Buchholz deep to put the Yankees up 1-0. Nick Swisher singled and Curtis Granderson homered to make it 3-0. The next batter, Russell Martin, hit another homer. Buchholz walked Eric Chavez and Derek Jeter.  Ichiro Suzuki lined to right field to load the bases. Alex Rodriguez lined out to left field to Daniel Nava to score Chavez.

Buchholz was done after 1 2/3 innings and the game was effectively over but the damage was not quite done. One would expect that Mark Teixeira, who had missed 30 of the Yankees last 31 games with a strained calf, to have some timing and power issues. After an Alfredo Aceves 89-mph fastball had cleared the right field fence to make it 9-0 New York, that question was settled. The route was complete. Game, set match. The lamb had been vanquished by the lion.

"Whatever hope against hope, do or die magic Sox fans had hoped for went up in flames during the second inning’s incendiary fireball that fueled a New York team that looked as hot as the sun and left in it’s wake once again a charred and smoking Sox team."

The Orioles lost in Tampa Bay as the streaking As beat the Rangers 4-3 last night to win their fourth straight and pull even with the Birds in the AL wild card race. For the Red Sox last night was simply more of the same.

Same  as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was 
Same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was
– Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads