All in all, a pretty good week for the Red Sox here in the Apple. Last night's 5-3 victory gave them two out of three in the Bronx and the Sox flew home in sole possession of first place in the American League East.
They also witnessed a play that could significantly tip the balance of power in the division. Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui fractured his left wrist in the first inning last night and will be lost to the Pinstripes for several months, possibly for the rest of the year.
''It's crushing," said Johnny Damon, who is only 1 for 16 in four games against the Red Sox. ''We've lost both of our corner outfielders [Gary Sheffield is on the disabled list with a bruised hand] and the production of those guys can't be replaced."
''It's shocking," added veteran Bernie Williams. ''He's so steady, you take him for granted, but we've got to face the reality now that we're not going to have him."
Ever seen the Joe Theismann video? Theismann's football career ended when his leg snapped as he was sacked by Lawrence Taylor on ''Monday Night Football" in 1985. Footage of the moment is as graphic as some of the stuff produced by Quentin Tarantino.
We saw the baseball equivalent when Matsui charged in from left field on a shallow pop by Mark Loretta. Matsui extended his gloved left hand as he hit the turf in an effort to make the catch. He did not make the catch and his left arm snapped back in grotesque fashion.
Think this man is tough? Matsui had played 518 consecutive major league games (a record for the start of a career) since joining the Yankees in 2003. Going back to his days in Japan, he played in 1,768 consecutive games. And after breaking his wrist in this painful fashion, he barely grimaced. He looked like a cowboy in one of those old movies -- taking a shot of whiskey to dull the pain while they cut a bullet out of his leg after a gunfight.
''I could see the swelling," said Damon. ''I knew it was bad."
Yankees trainer Gene Monahan rushed to the scene and walked off the field with Matsui, holding the outfielder's limp arm. It looked like Monahan was holding a dead fish. Had this happened to a Patriots player during a Sunday at Gillette Stadium, the team would have announced the player had the wind knocked out of him and might return for the second half. But there was no hiding the severity of Matsui's injury. He will undergo surgery today and he might never be the same player.
