Today is no doubt a happy day for Yankees fans everywhere. Yesterday we completed a 5 game (in 4 days) sweep of the Boston Red Sox in Fenway Park. It's incredible and I have a hard time believing it. I think the Yankees (players, manager, coaches, organization) deserve a congrats for this. I mean, it's the regular season, yes. And the end goal is to win the World Series, yes. But, you can't miss the importance (or freaking coolness) of this. You have to enjoy the moment. And if we do happen to make the playoffs and win it all... it is likely that people will look back at this series with importance. So, thanks and congrats guys.

Of course, we of YanksBlog.com are walking around with an extra bounce in our steps this morning, but I thought I'd highlight some of the happiness from around the Yankees blogosphere:

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No matter what happens, Scott Proctor deserves credit for his performance this year. Not everyone can be Mariano Rivera - you need those guys who go out there, pitch regularly, get some outs and keep their ERA below 4. This year, Proctor has been one of those guys. While watching yesterday's game, his numbers flashed across the screen and his ERA was 3.47 and I thought "when did it get down that far?" The last time I looked (which was apparently July), it was over 4. But, Scott is 5-3 in 81.2 innings over 64 games with a 3.53 ERA. 73 K and 28 BB.

He's been an important part of this bullpen and he's outpitched big free agent signing Kyle Farnsworth. Of course, Ron Villone deserves credit, as well. But, I'm more happy for Proctor just because of the way he was criticized by many Yankees fans, writers, etc. Happy for him and I hope he can keep doing it. But, if he can't, you can't take what he's done this year for us away from him.

MLB.com has a pretty glowing article about Melky Cabrera's season so far and some history on the young man. There are some interesting points in the article so it's worth a look, especially since it gives us a quick look into how the rest of the clubhouse reacts to him.


More than anything, I'm glad to hear that the veterans of the team are being pro-active and taking the kids aside and trying to help them better themselves. Hopefully, that way, we can see the same professionalism and character in the future that we've come to expect from Bernie, Mariano and Jeter.

Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Fenway Park for Game 5 of the "Big Series."

I live and work in Boston, and as you have undoubtedly heard: The mood has grown increasingly somber in "the hub" over the last 72 hours. Sit back with the beverage of your choice, and enjoy the game!!

The facts: Lidle vs. Wells. Neither Posada nor Giambi in the lineup.

We join in progress:

Top 2nd, 0-0
Alex pops to Pena in right, slamming his bat down
Robinson SAFE!!! with a 2b
This is a huge strike zone today
Craig out on a deep fly ball
(An overcast sky and Bernie shows a good eye)
Bernie grounds out to Loretta

Bottom 2nd:
In case you're wondering, my boss is on vacation, it's an MLB TV festival!!
Lowell with a big fly...foul!!!
Lowell K's swinging
Wily Mo K's swinging...Lidle tries to channel Maddux
Javy L. harmlessly pops to Lidle...nice inning

Top 3rd:
Sal K's on a sweeping curve
Green grounds to short
Melky grounds to short
Wells has an 86mph fastball and a 72mph curve...I don't believe that this will take him very far today.

Bot 3rd:
Cora K's on a ball in the dirt, Sal guns him at 1st
Crisp pops to Melky...Lidle's confidence grows with every pitch
Loretta flies to Melky, who makes the out on the medium-run...nice inning again!!
(In fairness to Crisp, the expectations placed on him this year were massively unrealistic, i.e., to fully replace Damon)

Top 4th:
Jetes smashes a curve past Lowell, 1B
Boston announcers showing Jetes huge respect...how couldn't you??
Bobby A. walks (shocking, I know)
Come on Alex...he promptly hits into a DP, Jetes to third
Cano grounds out

(I remain a believer in Alex, he will make us forget his relative struggles)

Bot 4th
After 2 excellent pitches, Lidle covers 1st and gets the throw from Craig...nice, Ortiz is out
Ramirez walks...but like Ortiz, Lidle dealt with him in a very crafty manner
Mirabelli grounds to Wilson who gets Manny at 2d, no DP
Lidle walks Lowell
Pena walks on a curve inside...
Conference on the mound...
Unit in the dugout...looking stern as usual
YES...Javy Lopez grounds to Cano, bases loaded comes up empty for the Red Sox.

Top 5:
Full count to Craig, he grounds to short
Bernie bounces out to short
Sal grounds to Lowell but almost beats out the throw...I'm kidding...

Bot 5:
Between Lidle and Wells, there's enough junk being thrown to top off a landfill
Cora reaches out for a curve just over Craig's glove, a single
Crisp sac bunts Cora to 2nd...
Alex makes a diving stop on Loretta, nails him at 1st, Cora to 3rd.
Torre decides to IBB Ortiz.
Kapler in for Manny???!!!?!
Alex stabs a sharp grounder and beats Cora to third...
Well done all around!

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It looked like the Red Sox would salvage a game from the series on Sunday night. Curt Schilling pitched effectively for seven innings and left with the lead 5-3. However, he was replaced by Mike Timlin and the Yankees rallied.

The Yankees loaded the bases with no outs as Damon, Jeter and Abreu got on. Francona then brought in his ace rookie closer Jonathan Papelbon. Giambi almost took him deep but the ball was caught on the warning track in right for the first out. However, a run scored to make the score 5-4. A-Rod worked a walk to reload the bases and Robinson Cano was next. Papelbon got tough and struck out Cano and then Posada to end the inning and preserve a one run lead for Boston. Scott Proctor retired Boston without allowing a run in the eighth and Papelbon came out to close the game in the top of the ninth.

Melky Cabrera led off with a double up the gap in right center. Papelbon got tough again and struck out Bernie Williams and Johnny Damon. Cabrera had moved to third on a passed ball. It was up to the captain and DJ came through as he fought off a pitch and blooped it to right to score Cabrera and tie the game.

In the bottom of the ninth, Rivera came on and faced David Ortiz to lead off the inning. He got him to ground to first but Giambi let the ball play him and it bounced over his glove and into right field. Ortiz hustled it into a double. Ramirez was intentionally walked. Youkillis attempted to sacrifce but Rivera forced Ortiz at third for the first out. With Lowell batting Posada committed a passed ball and the runners moved up. Lowell was also walked intentionally and the Yankees moved the infield and outfield in. Rivera got really tough and after missing to pinch hitter Eric HInske with a cutter inside he blew him away with three straight fastballs for the second out. Mirabelli then grounded back to the mound to end the inning.

In the tenth, the Yankees scored three runs aided by home runs from Giambi and a two run shot from Posada. Rivera closed out Boston in the bottom of the tenth only allowing a two out single to Mark Loretta and was credited with the win to move his record to 5-5.

Boston had taken an early two run lead off of Mussina in the first inning and they connected on four consecutive hits from Loretta, Ortiz, Ramirez and Youkilis. After the second inning the rain came and the game was delayed for fifty seven minutes.

In the fourth, Jason Giambi connected for his first homer of the night a three run shot off Schilling. The Red Sox tied the game when Doug Mirabelli blooped a single to right to score a run. Ortiz homered in the fifth to put the Red Sox up 4-3 and they added another run in the seventh to make it 5-3.

The win for the Yankees extends their lead over Boston to 5 1/2 games with the series finale tomorrow afternoon. Cory Lidle faces David Wells with the Yankees looking for a five game sweep.

After struggling badly in his return to Fenway earlier in the season, it now looks like Johnny Damon wants to play against the Red Sox everyday. The CF went 3-6 for the third straight game against his former team and helped the Yanks clinch a series victory over the Red Sox as they defeated their rivals 13-5. The Yankees have won all three games so far in this series, have scored at least 12 runs in each of the three games and have outscored the Sox 39-19 overall (19 runs in three games is not a small number so the fact that the Yanks still have outscored them by 20 is pretty amazing). The Yankees now lead the Red Sox by a season-high 4.5 games and the Red Sox are starting to look desperate, as they are also 4 games behind the White Sox for the wild card.

The Yankees scored first in the 2nd on Bernie Williams' solo shot to right, and scored again in that inning on a double by Damon that scored Melky Cabrera. Randy Johnson looked good through 3, not allowing a hit until the 4th. However, that first hit was a three-run homer by Manny Ramirez that tied the game at 3. The Red Sox would go ahead later in that inning on a base hit by Willy Mo Pena.

Boston's glory would end there. A-Rod tied the game with a base hit in the 5th and Jorge Posada scored Jason Giambi on a fielder's choice to put the Yanks up 5-4. David Ortiz tied the game at 5 with a sac fly in the bottom of the inning, but the Unit settled down. When he left the game after 7, his line was an acceptable 4 runs on 5 hits. The Yankees went ahead for good in the 6th with consecutive bases loaded walks by Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano that put the Yanks up by a score of 7-5. Jorge Posada followed that up with a triple to that gap/corner/whatever you want to call it at the wall out in centerfield, clearing the bases and putting the bombers ahead 10-5. Cano would add 3 more with a round-tripper in the 8th to put the Yanks up 13-5. Jaret Wright pitched out of the bullpen after his short performance on Thursday and gave us a scoreless 8th and T.J. Beam pitched a scoreless ninth to close it out.

Even with the 13 runs scored, Cano and Damon were the only Yankees with more than one hit. The Yankees' patience and the Red Sox inability to hit the strike zone is what doomed the Sox as the Yankees drew a total of 13 walks in the game (9 by Josh Beckett).

Robinson Cano has been showing more power since coming off the DL. His home run yesterday was his third since coming back after hitting only five the first three months of the season. He also has his average up to .330 and could compete for the batting title along with his middle infield partner Derek Jeter once he has the required amount of at-bats to be eligible.

I wonder what the record is for the most runs scored in a five-game series. Anyway, tonight's game should feature the best pitching matchup in the series, with Mike Mussina going up against Curt Schilling. The Yankees can really pound the Red Sox into submission if we take the next two, as it would put the lead at 6.5 games. Of course if the Sox take the next two however, the lead is down to 2.5, so the next two games are still huge even with the Yankees taking the first three. Game starts at 8 E.T. and will be on ESPN.

After looking horrible on Thursday afternoon against Baltimore, the Yankees rebounded by scoring twenty-six runs to sweep the day-night doubleheader from the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday. The two wins put the Yankees up by 3 1/2 games in the AL East.

In the opener Chien Ming-Wang struggled but was able to pitch effectively with runners on base and held Boston to three runs in six innings. Johnny Damon was the hitting star with a triple to lead off the game and a two run homer to give the Yankees the lead. Bobby Abreu had four hits and Cano also added to the offense as the Yankees beat the Red Sox 12-4 in the afternoon game. Jason Johnson started for the Red Sox and for the most part was ineffective. After the game he was designated for assigment.

The nightcap turned out to be a slugfest. The game took 4 hours and 45 minutes and became the record for the longest nine inning game in baseball history.

The Red Sox scored a run in the first on a double from Ortiz and a single by Manny Ramirez. However, the Yankees came right back in the second scoring five runs to take the lead at 5-1. Sidney Ponson could not hold the lead and gave it right back in the next two innings. Johnny Damon hit his 20th homer of the season and second of the day to put the Yankees back up but Boston came right back to tie the score at 7.

Ron Villone relieved but was ineffective due to overuse. The Red Sox took the lead 10-7 and were able to hold it until the seventh inning. The Yankees batted around and scored seven runs in the inning. The highlight of the inning was a two out bases clearing double from Derek Jeter to give the Yankes the lead at 11-10. The Bombers added three more runs and batted around during the inning.

Mariano Rivera was the seventh Yankee pitcher and closed out the win for the Yankees. He did allow a home run to David Ortiz and Ramirez reached on an error from A-Rod. The Rodriguez error was his 22nd of the season.

The series resumes on Saturday afternoon with the FOX game of the week. Randy Johnson takes the mound for New York vs. Josh Beckett for Boston.

According to Greenwich Time, we've signed Frank Menechino to a minor league deal.

Via Steve.

I was going to recap yesterday's game but it's just too painful to remember. It was sloppy. Sloppy pitching, sloppy hitting, sloppy fielding - man, it just stunk to watch the game. Jaret Wright couldn't get on track and the bullpen, including Octavio Dotel, came in and poured gasoline on the fire. The only pitching bright spot was the first appearance of Brian Bruney who came in for the 9th and struck out the side. In the end, the Yankees ended up splitting the 4 game set against a team that they are clearly better than. It's especially hard to take when Detroit was kicking Boston around.

Here's the thing; in a season where we've needed pitching, more often than not, Jaret Wright has actually come through. Yes, it's been often painful to watch but there is something to be said for giving your team 5 solid innings of work and while it taxes the bullpen (i.e. Scott Proctor), he's given the Yankees good chances to win. Of course, just when you start thinking you can count on the guy, he goes out and serves up a stinker. It's maddening...but here's a possible silver lining. After each of his bad outings, he's always been very capable in the next start so that bodes well for his next game (against the Red Sox). I might be reaching here...but after that game, it's all you can do. Also, if any of you get a chance, check out Patrick's post with the full matchups for the Boston series and post your thoughts on how you think things are going to play out.

For those wondering who Brian Bruney is and why he was on the team, here's the lowdown. Corey Lidle was put on the bereavement list after his 98-year-old grandmother died earlier this week. According to the MLB rulebook, a player on the bereavement list cannot play for at least three days, but has to see action after seven. which makes Lidle still eligible for his start on Monday against the Red Sox. Bruney was called up to take Lidle's spot on the roster. He's gone 1-1 with three saves and a 3.14 ERA in 11 relief appearances at Columbus and Steve L. over at WasWatching checked him out earlier this season when the Yankees signed him.

Finally, a hearty congrats to my favorite prospect, Tyler Clippard who pitched the first no-hitter in Trenton Thunder history. His numbers are actually even better than his ERA indicates. Take a look at the numbers after June 9 when his ERA was 5.29. My boy is becoming a man...I'm so proud!

Today at 1:05 ET, we'll begin a 5 game series with Boston in Fenway. 3 games is stressful enough, 4 is even worse. But, 5? You know what they always say, "these games could determine the outcome of the division." We've got 2 today and then 1 for the next 3 days.

We could end today up 3.5. We could end today down .5. We could end the series up 6.5 (a boy can dream) or we could end it down 3.5. Predictions? At the end of the day, I'd be happy winning the series and gaining a game in the standings.

Here is how the probable starters match up (first numbers are for this season, second numbers are career in Fenway):

Game 1
Chien-Ming Wang (13-5, 3.84 ERA/0-2, 6.62 ERA)
Jason Johnson (3-11, 6.26 ERA/4-5, 5.99 ERA)

Game 2
Sidney Ponson (4-5, 5.82 ERA/2-4, 6.46 ERA)
Jon Lester (6-2, 4.09 ERA/4-1, 3.73 ERA)

Game 3
Randy Johnson (13-9, 4.92 ERA/7-2, 4.89 ERA)
Josh Beckett (13-7, 5.02 ERA/6-3, 4.13 ERA)

Game 4
Mike Mussina (13-5, 3.54 ERA/10-7, 3.48 ERA)
Curt Schilling (14-5, 3.83 ERA/24-8, 4.10 ERA)

Game 5
Cory Lidle (9-9, 4.64 ERA/1-0, 5.11 ERA)
David Wells (2-2, 6.06 ERA/20-12, 4.54 ERA)