5GoldGlovesOF,75

I do think the Dead Sox can bounce back and win as many as they lose in these last six games. But it won't be as easy as most think, because the current bullpen will still have to pitch to the OMs: Mullins, Mountcastle, Mancini and MHayes -- who have no pressure -- and then the MLB's best hitter in Juan Soto (with JD or Schwarber in LF, and the other probably on the bench in the NL park; though it shouldn't take an analytics dept. to remember that Schwarber set HR records in Washington this season, and that he's a better bet than the rookie Dalbec). Yanks will go 4-2 minimum to lock up home field, but Jays will also go 4-2 (a lock to sweep the O's at home). If yellow-and-powder-blueless Boston can somehow manage to go 3-3, a playoff for a WC with Toronto looms...

Cora is taking a lot of heat for mishandling the bullpen last night. But 1) his "All-Star" reliever has been quivering jello since signing an extension; 2) his actual best reliever is on the IL; 3) Cora didn't throw a single pitch in that game.

If New York sweeps tonight I totally expect them to confidently win their last two series and host the Wild Card game. ERod is a decent pitcher, but never seems to step up big in moments like these. What's the more likely scenario: he is lights out for seven shutout innings, or goes to full counts on every batter, puts the Sox in an early 3-0 hole, and is gone before the 5th?

Some players and even owners actually grow up as baseball fans and understand the connection. Others are just successful businessmen or great athletes who know little about sports history, mainly because they were busy making money or playing every sport instead of watching them (or horrors, reading about them). Those guys -- who often have options about which sport to pursue as a career -- may be in it for more personal rewards...

Great post. What could be better drama: a final Sox-Yanks September series that could make or break either club. I just need to help you correct one line: "The Yankees, expected to be DOMINANT -- a 100+ win runaway pennant train this year -- were anything but..." Both NY and Boston sport competitive albeit flawed nines, so no doubt FOX is planning on showing Garrett Whitlock videos during every commercial to promote the series. Right now young Boston fans are practicing chants and making banners to mock New York: "RULE 5 DRAFT!" Hopefully, GW will be well-healed in time to star in the Wild Card game. What, you thought all the networks would just show replays of '04 ARod slapping the ball out of Bronson Arroyo's glove, then holding his arms up to the cameras like a Little Leaguer who got caught cheating? I know, that's all they ever show... along with Ortiz walkoffs, Roberts stealing, Schilling's bloody sock, Damon and Bellhorn homers, Tony Clark striking out, the grounder to Pokey Reese (last out of the ALCS), Mueller's single between Rivera's legs, and of course, Fenway's standing O for a smiling Mariano in '05.

And yet, this year at age 28, Mookie already passed Hall of Famer Jim Rice's career WAR. Is there any doubt that Betts -- just entering his prime -- has earned a "top of the market salary"?

The narrative changes, though, if you ignore actual numbers and just use "top of the market salary". Everyone -- including Mookie's mom -- knew Betts was a better all-around player than Harper or Machado, so why would anyone begrudge him for asking and expecting a better contract? Does Devers deserve to make as much as Arenado or Rendon going forward? Does Bogaerts deserve to be paid as much as Lindor; if not, X is certainly worth as much as Correa, Seager or Story sign for... isn't he?

Weighing in: I loved Sale in '17 and '18 -- how can you not -- but admit I was ambivalent when he signed the extension. I wondered why a guy who was so underpaid through 2018 would blow off his shot at free agency in his prime, but I also wanted to trust that Red Sox management knew his health concerns were minor enough to lock him up. I was all in on Eovaldi, and thought he was the perfect investment -- a guy with a world of potential putting it all together, and in the postseason, no less. I stressed that someone else would swoop in with more years and dollars, and we'd have to watch Nate win Cy Youngs for a rival. As for offers to Mookie, once I heard John Henry's words in an interview after 2019, I assumed Betts was as good as gone. When JH said, "Mookie has to decide whether he wants to play the rest of his career in Boston," I took it as face-value that he actually didn't... I didn't interpret Henry as bitter or giving ultimatums (for example: if Mookie really wants to stay in Boston, then he'd better take what we're willing to pay him).

I know some will blast this, but I think Bloom will trade one of Dalbec or Casas soon. Both may be future stars or future busts, but because of that there's also a chance at least one may never fetch more in return trade value this coming winter. I also don't see Bloom spending boatloads on free agents this offseason, so a big trade seems more likely.

Nothing personal, because I always like to see the stats you post, but the first thing I thought about when I saw Tampa and Toronto #2 and #3 in runs scored is that they get to bat against Boston pitchers 19 games each. The next thing I thought is they get to hit balls at Boston fielders 19 games each.

Still irksome. If the Sox are lucky enough to make it to the ALCS vs. Houston, and Marwin bats against them, Barnes better blow him away. ... having images of that Nazi with the knife at the end of Saving Private Ryan, the guy Tom Hanks released from execution...

None of the lasts were anywhere nearly as rock bottom as 2020. That "team" could've easily lost 100 games in a full season. Then again, if Mayer makes it big, maybe someday we'll consider it a mere three-month inconvenience that was ultimately worth it...

Marwin blasted a grand salami for Houston last night. Of course he already has more homers (3) in seven games for the Astros than he did in 77 games in Boston. He must hate baked beans.

Some fans still can't get over the playoffs of 1836, when the Texans looked so good dominating the Indian Territories, and then ran out of bullets in the do-or-die finals vs. Mexico.

It's ironic reading those scenarios and thinking that for fans born around the turn of the century, modern Red Sox fans are type A and Yankee fans are type B...

Great stats aligned. If the Red Sox can win the WC game and get into a playoff series, Cora's weapon of choice won't be Whitlock, but Houck. I'd still rather have Betts than Moncada (bWAR: Mookie 4.6, Yoan 4.0), but I'll take Verdugo over Benintendi (bWAR: Dugie 2.6, Beni 2.7). On the mound, Miley and Kimbrel have dropped off the second half. The bronze plaque that runs the White Sox can win it all if someone can somehow convince him to use Kopech like Andrew Miller of the mid-teens.

A LOT of us would have settled for the last-place 2020 Sox to get back in contention and play meaningful games in September. As a longtime fan, that's what I hope for every year. Summers are always better when the Red Sox still have a legitimate shot -- and that's not an elitist statement because after more than half a century of rooting, I'll never say -- like some people a few hours south of Boston -- that the season's a failure if my team doesn't win the final game (what a miserable way to go through life).

Casas, Winckowski and Ronaldo H. promoted to Triple A... which one makes the majors first? Probably Josh, in a '22 pitching crunch (twinbill?), when another young arm gets used and is unavailable.

I heard an interesting interview with Pedro Martinez, who noted that Sox fans should consider ourselves lucky that we are seeing "Hall of Fame" production out of Bogaerts and Devers on the same side of the infield at the same time together. Offensively, comparing their numbers since 2019 to other contemporary left-side combos and even all-time great combos, Pedro may not be exaggerating.

WAR, for the most part, seems to slight relief pitchers over any other players, including starting pitchers (I think because of the number of batters faced and retired). As for Rivera's status as an all-timer, there was never a doubt when he was active that Mariano (not Jeter) was the single difference that elevated NY over Boston in an era when the rivalry peaked. The Sox -- or any other team -- just couldn't replicate a pitcher who automatically shortened so many games for 16 seasons.

LaRussa is (in)famous for modernizing late-inning usage of the 9th-inning closer and regular set-up men -- Eck, after lefty Rick Honeycutt and right Gene Nelson (depending on best match-ups). Joe Torre then took the blueprint and won more pennants and World Series in New York, with Mo Rivera, lefty Mike Stanton and righty Jeff Nelson. The problem that teams and fans have dealt with for over 20 years now is that everyone else felt the need to develop their own automatic 7th-8th-9th guys -- and few, if any -- were ever as dependable as those headlined by Hall of Famers (an interesting study would be to compare the amount of "blown saves" in the bigs pre-Eck -- when one guy who was on was allowed to finish -- and post-Eck -- when so many more fickle relievers were used every night). Rivera was always the one reason the Yankees were always a little better than the Red Sox for a decade. The fact that the Sandman was the deciding factor in so many pennant races and title chases for 16 seasons -- when he was basically the best player in baseball at his position -- makes it befitting he was the first unanimous HOFer.

The reason the Yankees have been vastly overrated the past few years is that they feature below-average players at two vital defensive positions: shortstop and catcher. Clubs can bash their way to the postseason, but will be inevitably exposed if inferior at two key positions. Maybe the Red Sox can advance with Devers and Bogaerts, who both won in the past. It remains to be seen if Toronto isn't ultimately sabotaged by Bichette, who leads the majors in errors at shortstop.

Your entire analysis of your team was erudite until this fallback excuse. Any intelligent Yankee fan has seen enough of the articles (there was one just the other day) of the MLB's unreleased reports of New York's complicity -- right there along with Houston, Boston, LA and all the teams that lost -- in the sign-stealing culture. Maybe Marwin Gonzalez was a fraud leading '17 Houston in RBIs, but isn't about time to admit that guys like Correa 6.7 WAR and Altuve 28 HRS this year are just superior big leaguers?

Cora does his best with what he's given for a roster. Robles is good now, and maybe he'll be lightning in a bottle through October, but if he morphs back into Gagne circa '07 in a crucial moment, it won't be Cora's fault.

His name is Tony and he currently manages a first-place team in Chicago. His prototype's name is Dennis and he currently analyzes salad, moss, shoes and bridge pieces on NESN. Before those guys, a relief ace or fireman (they weren't called closers) regularly came into games before the 9th and most were good to the last out.