Thursday, June 09, 2011

Sox take first two from Yankees

This are the saddest of possible words:

"Red Sox-Yankees series in June"

Really, when was the last time things went well for New York? 1998? And before that? 1927?

When I was growing up, a Red Sox-Yankees June series was always reason to hide your eyes. Boston didn't just beat New York; the Sox crushed the Yankees by 14-3 or 11-2 whatever. The one memory I have from 1977 is maybe the most famous game in the history of NBC's Saturday Game of the Week: the game when the Yankees jumped out to a 2-0 first-inning lead, which would have been more had a two-out trap by Bernie Carbo not been called a catch--whereupon the Red Sox outscored the Yankees 10-2 the rest of the way, in a game that included Billy Martin challenging Reggie Jackson to a fistfight in the dugout.

My most vivid June memory from 1978 was an intentional walk (I'm guessing to the lefty Yaz, or maybe Lynn) to load the bases for Carlton Fisk. I knew what was coming, and in some sense Fisk's bases-clearing double off the top of the Monster was worse than if he had hit the ball six feet higher for a home run.

That Red Sox lineup: Burleson, Remy, Yaz, Rice, Fisk, Boomer, Lynn, Dewey, and Hobson. Yaz, Rice and Fisk all made the Hall of Fame. Dewey Evans should have. Lynn would have, barring his injuries; in some sense he was Boston's Don Mattingly (early huge success, one MVP, one other shoulda-been MVP (Lynn 1979, Mattingly 1986), then a series of debilitating what-might-have-been aches and pains).

Hobson--31 home runs from the nine hole.

June kills me.

So come on, CC. Once more into the breach.

1 comment:

SunDevilJoe said...

Yes, it seems as though the Yankees store up all of their miscues, base running blunders and bad (pitching) performances for the SAWX. Joel Sherman (NYPost)put it best today:

"On nights like last night, when the Yankees needed Burnett most and he gave them the least, it was yet another reminder he is a heartbreaker."


Puleeez, just one game!