5GoldGlovesOF,75

Leadoff home run to Romania. Three-run shot by Duran to take the lead. Timely HRs and instantaneous runs... seem like a mirage...

My list of non-Red Sox with .250 averages with men on base doesn't show anything clutch -- they all fail to get hits 3 out of every 4 at bats. The one positive they all have in common, however, is the longball. Raleigh, Schwarber, Suarez, Ward all have 30, 40, to almost 50 home runs this year... or at least 50 percent more to twice as many than any Red Sox batter. This all came from someone describing the Yankees batting order as "terrific." We all know they only have one truly terrifying batter... but what they do have are EIGHT guys with 16 or more homers. The Red Sox have three. The pair of Yankees who hit two HRs apiece last night are batting .247 and .239. Two of the other Yankees with 18 and 17 HRs -- Volpe and Wells -- are batting .208 and .207. They're not good nor clutch, but when they make contact and it goes over the fence, it just seems that way. The scoreboard might even reflect multiple instant runs...

A month ago, nearing the deadline, a few Boston talking heads were in favor of trading Tolle for Ryan. Their reasoning was that if Tolle's ceiling is a #2 starter (because Boston hasn't developed a #1 for decades), then why not give him up for a guy like Ryan, who is already a proven #2. But this winter that probably makes no sense, since Tolle is a step away from the '26 rotation, and may even become a #2 himself by next season for MLB minimum wage and six years younger than Ryan.

Maybe we change it for last night: Showman Umpire Beats Roman Empire -- for some brutal non-JUDGEmental calls (what's a rookie to do, except hack at crap and try to foul one off so he can hope for an actual strike to swing at). As for the Yankees, did you know when they don't homer they are a below average offense? At least based on team hit totals in the ballpark; the average MLB team has 1,081 hits, including 150 HRs. If you subtract the home runs, the average team has 931 other hits. The Yanks only have 885... Good thing they play half their games where a pop-up to right field counts as four bases. I agree with most of the word you used to describe their batting order, but only in the Bronx, where opposing pitchers are terrified that a pinstriper will drop his back shoulder and get under one.

And then we won't have to hear imbedded Yankee David Cone or none of his ESPN blowhards in the booth -- after Anthony is totally hosed on two blown calls -- say, "Got the benefit of the call" and "Wells deserves credit for making that pitch look like a strike"... ... instead of just telling the truth and saying, "That pitch was not a strike, the ump missed that one."

I didn't use the C word. But here's a hint to one solution: BA w Men On Base: Raleigh .254, Suarez .252, Schwarber .250, Ward .250, Caminero .242. I'm not suggesting acquiring any of these guys specifically. But what do they all have in common besides the stat that they make outs every 3-out-of-4 ABs with men on base -- which is basically worse than every one of our regulars in the current batting order?

The Red Sox offense is 2nd in the AL in runs per game and RBIs, 3rd in hits, batting average and on base percentage, and 4th in slugging and OPS. But seriously, with men on base, when you need a hit... who do you really trust? BA w Men On Base: Romy .327, Bregman .310, Duran .302, Story .299, Anthony .297, Lowe .280 (w NL stats), Ref .270, Narvaez .261, Ceddanne .259, Abreu .256, Hamilton .230, KC .198, Yoshida .133, Wong .059. Eaton and Garcia, batting 5th in the same week after getting called up from the minors: .000. Story has been fairly consistent, but still leads the club in strikeouts. Romy's success is based on hitting lefties and Lowe's is based on righties. Duran has had a bad August after a good July, and Anthony has a high K-rate (from veteran umps forcing rookie swings after calling strikes on pitches clearly out of the zone). That leaves Bregman, our man with a plan. Early in counts he looks for a pitch he call pull in the air, but if he gets behind, he knows he can lace an oppo liner any time he wants. He may still be ineligible for the batting crown (time missed on the IL), but only three AL hitters have averages higher than his .305. And so we mix and match. Has any other manager started so many "openers" in his batting order, with the specific intent of pinch-hitting for them later when it counts?

Eye-witness report from Woo: The Good -- Sogard played SS like a big leaguer, with two diving backhand stops and throws from the hole to gun down batters at first. He also turned two DPs, and lined two hits. The Bad -- KC played CF and wiped out trying to charge a pop-up that fell in... And the Campbell -- but then Kristian drilled a 421-foot home run to center; wind was blowing out, as usual, but the hit was a rising liner.

If-then-and-then: If that's true, then AC has serious input on trade targets to pursue -- and then should be included among personalities (along with stiffs) involved in negotiations with prospective trade partners.

I noticed half the line-up didn't wait around to flail at Fried Friday night. Only two batters had hits off him. But we know Cora, so expect his righty batting order back in there tonight. (or should I say: Cora knows the analytics dept, and their line-up he's obligated to follow)

Just got word from the local athletic dept: those HRs by Stanton and Story would've been homers in only one other ballpark in town -- the Little League field that Park Street cuts off and shortens along the right field fence.

Millionths it is. Judge is definitely one in a million -- video images of him in every Red Sox-Yankee game on FOX or ESPN.

Lowe is high. In three Red Sox games he has three hits -- all for extra bases (he pinch-hit in another game and walked and scored). Lowe's hits are all clutch -- because he keeps repeating them: a two-run homer to send one game into extra innings, a game-winning double Thursday that beat the Yankees, and another double last night, after which he scored the winning run. He also hit a game-tying sacrifice fly in NY. His Boston slugging percentage is .800, or .125 one-thousandths better than the Yankee DH who leads the majors...

Kudos to Sox pitchers, who blank the Yanks, despite half the Boston batters swinging at pitches underground all night... tied a record with a .000 BABUG (batting average on balls underground). I've never been more wrong about a Red Sox offseason acquisition than Chapman. If he's not Boston's '25 MVP, he's definitely been the most consistent star. Also, happy for Bello -- and for Red Sox Nation, because he's the second-best starter. And welcome to The Show, Password Jerry Garcia: "Well, the first days are the hardest days, don't you worry anymore"

Holy-- you're Cora! No wonder your posts are always so optimistic (compared to the rest of us, anyway). My kid called Wong at C because Bello likes him, and I agreed because tomorrow is a day game after a night game, and Carlos catches Crochet. Two things I don't think any of us called: Eaton at DH, and Word in CF -- but they both make sense if AC's looking for a right-handed Hammy to cause more havoc tonight, and keep Duran and his poor arm in LF (remember, Cora praised Garcia's outfield D in Spring Training).

Even if he's only an athletic supporter, he'll still get to sit at the cool table with all the jocks.

orange? Go Red Cones!

I just hope we didn't rush our minor league home run leader from the past two seasons to the Bronx too soon. He might ruin Yankee fans for life.

And everyone saw how much of an instant difference he made with his -- I'm not calling it a batflip, more like a mic drop. Here's an email I got this AM from a Yankee fan: "I was looking forward to Chapman vs. Judge, Bellinger and Stanton in a one-run ninth, but Roman Anthony launched an absolute rocket over the short porch into the long porch."

With lefties Fried and Rodon scheduled tonight and Sunday, still expect AC will start Ceddanne at 2B, Romy at 1B, and an outfield of Anthony-Duran-Password (maybe switch the corners, since Roman is already used to the bleacher preachers in RF).

And a second baseman who can catch a throw from a catcher, and won't get picked off 3rd base talking to a coach. Then maybe our best outfielder can just play outfield.

I have been arguing for two years with posters who keep saying he's a good second baseman. The next time Hamilton cleanly catches any throw from a catcher at 2B will be the first.

Story... TOUCH the ball!

The pitiful part is he cranked one foul the pitch before it. Smart pitchers don't come back with the same slop the batter is looking for...

Big mouth poster, shut down your keyboard.