That's right. Mastery. Tracing the tracks of their tears from so many years, the Sox have traveled to the House That Ruth Built and whipped the Yankees two more times this weekend. Yesterday's 12-inning, 3-2 Boston victory means the Sons of Tito are a gaudy 5-1 over the Pinstripe People in these back-to-back weekends.
The Yankees are scuffling. The team with the highest payroll in baseball history ($185 million) can't buy a hit. The team with five guys who drove in 100 runs last year can't cross home plate. Even the Yankee bullpen, always better than Boston's, took a back seat to the Red Sox' relief corps yesterday. It is as if the hardball gods have conspired to reward the long-suffering Sox fans by making the Yankees the object of abject frustration.
Derek Jeter is 0 for his last 21, officially the longest slump of his big league career. Alex Rodriguez has finally wandered north of the Mendoza Line, but he was booed in the first inning when he hit a feeble comebacker to Bronson Arroyo. The Yankees are 8-10, tied for third place in the American League East with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and four games behind the Red Sox in the loss column.
George Steinbrenner was not at the ballyard yesterday. He's reportedly in his bunker in Tampa, but the Yankee world awaits an explosion from the owner at any moment. The venerable Gotham tabloids are killing the Yanks, and Bronx fans have been booing when not insulting the locals with mock cheers. They're beginning to think Jose Contreras is an embedded Red Sox.
Yesterday the Sox were able to beat the Yankees on a day when Boston batters went 0 for 19 with runners in scoring position. The Sox beat the Yanks on three sacrifice flies. The Boston bullpen outpitched Mariano Rivera & Co.
"Their whole game, every facet of their game, has been almost flawless," said Rodriguez (did we mention that the Sox tried to get A-Rod over the winter?). "It was in Boston and it's been here. They've executed very well. Their bullpen has been one of their strengths. We're playing a good team over there in Boston and they're playing with a lot of energy."
