Maxbialystock

A contrarian thought: if you look at the box score, it was a pure and simple game with the right pitcher winning. Cole pitched in the rain as much as Eovaldi and Sawamura did, but he only gave up 1 run (on a ground out) on 4 singles and 1 double. He struck out 11, including JDM 3 times and Devers twice. The Yankees tied it in the 5th on a long double by Allen and a single by LeMahieu and went ahead in the 6th on two dingers, by Sanchez and Torres, given up by Sawamura. The travesty part was of course playing in all that rain and puddles, but MLB has been doing a lot of that in recent years. It was made worse by knowing that the Yankees refused to start the game at 7:15 when it wasn't raining and did start at 8:05 when it was. It's possible those 50 minutes helped some of the fans get beered up so that by the 6th one of the Yankees fans decided to throw a ball at Verdugo. Terrible, but also not without precedent. As for the calls by the umpires, especially the one at home plate, I thought they were about right on balls and strikes and especially (by the 1b ump) on Vazquez's checked swing. It's a judgment call and I've seen plenty of strikes called on "checked" swings like his. Plus, he did that on an 0-2 count against Cole, so he was toast even if he gets a ball called on that pitch. Beyond any question Cole was the dominant force in that game, which is about par for him.

Good summary.

Good question. The Yankees delayed the start, but the umpires and MLB determine whether it will continue.

That too. Guns R US. In his The British Army Coming--the first volume of his trilogy on the American Revolution--he points out two anomalies of the British who had become Americans in the late 18th century. One was that most of them could read, and another was that most had rifles.

It's gotten better in DC, but is still bad in certain sections.

3-1 Yankees, all entirely because the umpires are cheating the Red Sox. How unfair.

I know, it's awful how the umpires are out to cheat the Red Sox. Or maybe they're awful because you have that magical rectangle on the screen which gives you a false impression of reality.

Yankees call. Not MLB.

Exactly what the WEEI guys are saying.

Meanwhile, the monsoon continues.

Vazquez was out, whether on that pitch or the next. The whining by the Sox in the dugout is unmerited. Home plate ump is not a chump and in fact has a solid reputation. You want bush league, look at the Yankees fans in the stands.

So far Hernandez at shortstop has caught one more fly out than Duran has.

They absolutely are not cheating, not when the rules say the home team makes the call on starting the game.

Devers, like JDM, a second miserable AB/K.

JDM is lost in Yonkers and needs to get back to the Bronx. Two absolutely miserable back to back K's.

Duran scores the game's first run!

Interesting. Both hits were off of first pitches.

WEEI guys blaming Dalbec, but my take is that catching that would have caused an injury.

Rain coming down hard according to WEEI guys, who can't resist talking about the stupidity of the no rain rain delay called by the Yankees.

WEEI guys say the home team makes the call on starting the game. After that, I think it's the umps who make the call on rain delays during the game.

OK. Sure looks like the good Eovaldi. Forget that K of Stanton, who stinks this year. I liked getting LeMahieu out after he fouled off all those pitches.

Raining. Yankees started the game 50 minutes late when there was no rain. The WEEI guys are right: the Yankees are really, really stupid. They have their ace on the mound and the chances are good he won't get 5 innings.

Good pitching tops good hitting almost every time. Cole looks good tonight, and JDM and Devers were helpless/hopeless. Credit to Verdugo on the fly to LF to move Hernandez to 3b. So now let's see which Eovaldi takes the mound tonight.

Horrible, terrible at bat by JDM. Good tag up by Hernandez.

No chance of that. Eovaldi isn't that good, and the Yankees have their very best bats in the lineup tonight. I just hope Eovaldi can get to the 2d and maybe even the 3d inning without giving up more than 5 runs.