I know you have very little confidence in the bullpen, but doesn't the 13-3 record in extras speak really well of them especially? Even if they are shaky sometimes, they appear to be much deeper than their counterparts with the opposition.

But come on, if we're going to extra innings could we maybe just go 10 innings for once?

Great game. It was really fun to watch. It really felt like pennant race baseball.

(and, ya neva know, they gained a game on Cleveland for the #1 position...)

vi - I'll freely admit that any practical evidence says that this bullpen has been outstanding. I won't argue that. I just feel skepticism that it's sustainable. Man Kelly was good last night though.

Nate - It really was. 32 at bats w/RISP. That's insane.

They got 24 team strikeouts, the most I could find with lazy searches was 26. This a grinding-don't-blink team, the MFY are on a 7-3 run and can't dent the RS lead.

362 days since Slick Rick's gem against Baltimore last year. That was a huge performance.

I know you have very little confidence in the bullpen, but doesn't the 13-3 record in extras speak really well of them especially? Even if they are shaky sometimes, they appear to be much deeper than their counterparts with the opposition.

The Yankees' problem with their bullpen isn't any lack of depth, and they also have a great K/9 ratio.. It's that their two biggest stars often can't find home plate at the wrong time. That's what accounts for all those discarded Maalox bottles in the Yankee Stadium bleachers.

Chapman's averaging 4.1 BB/9 and Betances 6.7. By contrast, Kimbrel's ratio is 2.0 and no Red Sox pitcher who gets used more than once in a blue moon averages more than 3.9. Combine that with the Red Sox hitters' greater ability to make contact, and you'll see why they're 13-3 in extra inning games while the Yankees are 16-25 in games decided by a run. The Yankees' big Pythagorean lead consists largely of garbage time blowouts against losing teams' worst starters,** but they're not going to run into pitchers like that in the postseason. If Severino and Gray can keep pitching lights out and Tanaka can regain his mojo, they've got a chance to advance past the DS, but I'm a lot more confident of next year's team than I am of next month's, regardless of who wins the division.

** They've now outscored the Orioles alone by 150 to 82, an average winning margin of nearly 4 runs a game

Sept. 17:

1899 in Chicago, the new American Association of Baseball Clubs formed. Cap Anson, Chris Von Der Ahe amng participants
1957 pinch hit homer by Ted WIlliams begins 16 straight PAs without at out by him (ends 9/24)
2001 BOX suspends Carl Everett for 4 games after shouting match w/ mngr Joe Kerrigan & being late for workout

Ah the Joe Kerrigan error I mean era. Those were the days.

In Boston, of course, 'error' and 'era' are pronounced alike. Just like 'relief pitching' and 'pants pissing.'

Why are Sox fans kings of self-flagellation?

Three trophies in 13 years. No franchise has more. So every time I turn around, everyone says "oh no, 2011".

I was a Red Sox fan since age 6 when Yaz won the triple crown. But I've mostly jumped ship after 2007. I felt admirable rooting for a team that deserved more than it had received, along with its fan base. But now... sorry guys. I root for Theo these days. A surprise parade in Chicago this fall will mean Teddy's face gets replaced on Rushmore with boy wonder.

That was kind of my point, this isn't 2011. They may not hold off the Yankees but they aren't going to blow it completely I don't think.

Sept. 20:

1947 Last SH in Ted Williams career; 1st one since 7-18-40, thus his only one in last 8,750+ PA
1947 2nd of two times Ted Williams hits 2 triples in a game
1949 John Henry, Red Sox owner, born
1960 Carroll Hardy pinch hits for Ted Williams. BOX players. He hits into DP.
1968 Mickey Mantle's last HR. Off Jim Lonbrog: BOX 4, NYY 3
1972 Dwight Evans's 1st career HR
1988 Wade Boggs becomes 1st 20th century player to get 200 hits in 6 straight seasons. In your face, Al Simmons!
2007 last game: Shea Hillenbrand
2012 TBR 7, BOX 4- TBR with 6 runs in bottom of the 9th. BJ Upton with 3-run walk-off home run. Only 1 out recorded in the inning

MLB broke the record for home runs in a season, previously set in 2000. In both years, the Sox have hit fewer than their average of recent decades. And yet with a winning record both seasons.

vi - I'll freely admit that any practical evidence says that this bullpen has been outstanding. I won't argue that. I just feel skepticism that it's sustainable. Man Kelly was good last night though.

The bullpen is now:

Billy* Kimbrel
Addison Reed
Carson Smith
Joe Kelly
David Price
Matt Barnes
Brandon Workman
Who Cares

I mean, really, when these guys are on they're insane and unfair and awesome.

(And this is a bullpen still without either Steven Wright or Tyler Thornburg.)

* Heard a story from a Primate from last night's game. Some drunk guy was heckling Kimbrel in the bullpen, then asked the Primate what Kimbrel's first name was. The Primate said "Billy". The drunk guy then started berating Billy Kimbrel, to the amusement of the guys in the bullpen. Man, I soooo want that to stick. Good ol' Billy Kimbrel.

Is it time to start talking magic numbers? I believe it is 8 for an AL East tie, and 9 to win the division.

If the Sox and Yankees finish with the same record, there would be a one-game playoff, unlike aught-five.

** Edited to fix mistake Jose noticed

You have that backwards; 9 to win and 8 to tie.

Just a game a day, keep it rolling. Truthfully though we have to keep playing well because I don't think the Yankees are going to lose 3 more games this year. 7-4 will get us home and that is feasible;

@BAL
@CIN 3
TOR 3
HOU 4

The good news is that as frustrating as this has been for us it has to be worse for the Bombers. To play as well as they have and pick up no ground has to be frustrating.

Who Cares needs to be Austin Maddox and honestly I trust him more than Barnes right now. Last night notwithstanding Barnes does nothing for me.

Kelly has looked FANTASTIC his last couple of outings. There seems to be a plan of attack rather than "throw it hard and hope for the best."

BTW, that's 2 straight times Kimbrel was used in a tie game on the road.

Who Cares needs to be Austin Maddox and honestly I trust him more than Barnes right now. Last night notwithstanding Barnes does nothing for me.

Agreed. Maddox has been better than I'd thought he'd be. "Who Cares" was really intended not as a reflection of their ability as much as a recognition that we shouldn't care about the quality once we get that far down the depth chart.

Kelly has looked FANTASTIC his last couple of outings. There seems to be a plan of attack rather than "throw it hard and hope for the best."

Location is better, and IMO he's making better use of the changeup. You get a guy trying to keep up with 99 MPH, then 100 MPH, then 102 MPH, and then you drop an 87 on him. It's like Bugs Bunny. Insane and unfair and awesome.

The good news is that as frustrating as this has been for us it has to be worse for the Bombers. To play as well as they have and pick up no ground has to be frustrating.

I mentioned this earlier in Omnichatter, but if you want to know what Yankees fans are feeling at this point (not that you should care), check out where the Indians were on September 1st in this particular year's pennant race, how they played in September, and where they were when the race ended 4 weeks later.

Of course the most nerve wracking part of the chase is the prospect of a one-and-out in the wild card game. In 2015 that didn't matter so much, because that Yankees team was held together with bailing wire, but this year's team actually might have a legitimate shot at advancing (maybe 1 in 3) if they can make it past that sudden death game. I'm just glad that Girardi's reshuffled his rotation so that Severino will be available for either a shootout with the Red Sox or the wild card game the next day. Most of their starters have been pitching OK lately, but Severino's the only one who can take the game through 7 innings.