Sept. 15:

1912 Smokey Joe Wood ties Walter Johnson's league record w/ his 16th straight win. BOX 2, STB 1
1935 300 homers: Jimmie Foxx (just 4 years, 2 months and 16 days since #100
1947 MLB debut: Chuck Stobbs
1950 Ted Williams returns to BOX after 7/11 ASG injury
1961 Yaz hits walk-off HR in btm 10th off of (starting pitcher) Milt Pappas. BOX 3, BAL 2
1963 Carl Yastrzemski hiting streak at 16, his best. 20-for-55, 4 2B, 8 R, 2 RBI (!). .364/.500/.436
1966 1,000 hits: Carl Yastrzemski: 893 games
1974 Luis Tiant's worst start: 2 IP, 5 H, 9 R, 9 ER, 5 BB, 4 K. Game Score: 9. He allows his first grand slam. Gorman Thomas hit it. 2103 IP before Thomas's swing
2000 DET-BOX use 42 players in 7-6 DET win
2016 BOX 7, NYY 5. BOX scores 5 runs in the bottom of the 9th to win (after scoring 1 in the bottom of the 8th)

I'm in pants pissing mode cause the Yanks won't stop winning. Except when they do, but then they rip off five in a row again.

Yeah, other than the Indian series they haven't lost consecutive games in nearly a month and I think we can forgive them those games. The good news for the Sox is that we are still playing well enough to force the Yankees to keep winning and with the three game lead really even a modest stumble, 3 out of 4, by the Yanks probably finishes it.

I'll relax when we get there. vi mentioned in one of the threads that the next week is huge. The Yankees are home and we have tough road series against Tampa and Baltimore who give us trouble.

Tonight is not helping my mood.

I love the Red Sox, but I've got good news and bad news:

1) Because of the 2nd Wild Card slot, they are going to make the playoffs no matter what the Yankees do.
2) Boston just isn't that good, especially compared to their competition in most playoff scenarios. If Chris Sale is not The Man, this is a .500 team.

This is why I love this team. No matter what happens they keeping fighting.

Sale right now is not The Man in the midst of his career-typical late season decline. When they slip to the second wild card, it may actually be a blessing if he's not in line to pitch the play-in game.

All due credit for resiliency through 15.

They win a Sale start even when he can't produce a Quality Start effort!

Had 'em all the way.

ONCE AGAIN I go to bed thinking I'll wake up to see the division lead erode, only to find that I'm sadly f. mistaken.

This is getting to be a habit.

I do think the offensive talent on the team is greater than their overall performance.

Sept. 16:

1903 PIT and BOX agree to a postseason world series
1903 BOX 14, CLE 7: BOX scores in each of the 8 innings they bat in
1965 Dave Moorehead throws no-hitter. BOX 2, CLE 0. 1 walk, 8 K (Rocky Colavito walks)
1966 WPA's favorite Yaz game: WPA 0.966. 3-for-5, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 Run, 3 RBI, 1 GIDP. Box 5, Cal 4
1972 MLB debut: Dwight Evans
1976 WPA's worst Carlton Fisk game: -0.404
1992 BOS 2, MIL 1 (15). Walk-off error
2005 Tim Wakefield walks leadoff batter. Never does it again: 150 GS left. Only time in his last 223 GS he does it
2005 Manny Ramirez receives walk-off HBP from Keiichi Yaub of A's. Btm 12th, 1 out, score 2-2

I've always thought that trading sub-AA prospects for established performance is always a good bet, I don't think Dombrowski was clairvoyant about Pomeranz, I simply think he was on the right side of the come-line. The thing that impresses me is the decision between Devers and Moncada.

One thing about Dombrowski's history is that for all the trades he has made of prospects over the years he hasn't given away much in the way of talent. Someone (probably Speier) did an analysis of his trading history and the end result has been big wins all around for his teams. Not perfection, but very good. Dude knows what he is doing.

If Chris Sale is not The Man, this is a .500 team.

[eye roll]

Wow. Just wow. This ####### team just keeps finding a way.

And another day checked off the schedule.

The thing about last night that allows for a bit of an exhale is even if we lose two in a row we will be in sole possession of first place leaving Baltimore. This series has worried me for awhile. We have a bad track record with these guys.

The thing about last night that allows for a bit of an exhale is even if we lose two in a row we will be in sole possession of first place leaving Baltimore. This series has worried me for awhile. We have a bad track record with these guys.

Meanwhile in the Bronx we're getting three previews of the play-in game (based on current standings). The AL team that has the most tenuous playoff status is playing the team they'll eventually need to beat if they want the playoffs to last more than one game. That's not an easy path for NY, even at home.

The worst part of the near-term schedule for Boston, where they had Tampa Bay on the road while NY had Baltimore at home, is in the past. The current set of series is much more even.

Well I'll nitpick that it's not in the past yet. Still two more games but even a split leaves us two games up with as you say pretty comparable schedules.

If the Wild Card game is Twins at Yankees would it just be easier to call it a walk over like Olympic boxing?

Yeah really. Maybe having a one-game situation means they don't conform to same rule of non-competitiveness the Twins have brought to playoff series vs. NYY?

In their last 4 LDSs against the Yankees, the Twins were 2-12, and were oustcored 69-36.