Their only close call was a moose on the loose

They're already in the playoffs. This is not something you'll hear from Theo Epstein, Larry Lucchino, or Terry Francona, but the Sox are back in the October hunt after a one-year hiatus and everything for the next two months is viewed through the prism of postseason prospects.

The Sox have the best record in baseball. They own a seven-game lead in the American League East. They were declared big winners at the trading deadline and are favorites to represent the AL in the World Series (particularly in light of the sudden free fall in Detroit).

Your team has the majors' best bullpen. Your team has enough offense and a respectable bench. Your team has two 13-game winners and Josh Beckett yesterday became baseball's fourth 14-game winner in a 9-2 rubber-match victory over the Mariners.

After purging the demons of Safeco Field Saturday night, the Sox jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first and you knew it was over. Beckett, who has dazzling stuff most days, fanned nine Seattle batters in the afternoon glare. He'd be your guy for the first game of the playoffs. He's especially tough when staked to a lead. Meanwhile, Theo has shortened the game for Francona and friends and the troika of Hideki Okajima, Eric Gagne, and Jonathan Papelbon is going to make teams want to get ahead of the Sox in the first six innings.

The only close call for the Sox came when Coco Crisp (two doubles in the first two innings, great catch in the seventh, sac fly in the eighth) was almost flattened by the Seattle mascot in the fifth inning. Crisp was headed out to his position in center field when the Mariner Moose -- driving an all-terrain vehicle at a high speed to The Beach Boys' "I Get Around" -- roared along the track in front of the Sox' dugout and almost pancaked the Boston speedster. Ichiro better watch out the next time the Mariners come to Fenway. Sox chairman Tom Werner already has vowed revenge and again will don the Wally suit to go after the Seattle superstar.

"I didn't see it, but I heard it was like a 'Naked Gun' movie," said Francona. "I got enough to think about -- lefthanders, righthanders -- let alone a [expletive] moose on a [expletive] motorcycle."