ESPN.com- Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira hit back-to-back homers in the eighth inning Sunday night, and the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 to finish their first four-game home sweep of their bitter rival in 24 years. Victor Martinez hit a two-run homer off Phil Coke (4-3) in the top of the eighth, snapping Boston's 31-inning scoreless streak and making it 2-1.Daniel Bard (0-1) retired the first two hitters in the bottom half before Damon drove a 98-mph fastball over the right-field fence, bringing the fourth consecutive sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium to its feet.The fans didn't have a chance to sit down, either, before Teixeira went deep to right two pitches later and untied it. It was the sixth time Damon and Teixeira have hit consecutive homers, the most ever for a pair of Yankees in one season.
The crowd began chanting "Sweep! Sweep!" after Nick Swisher added a two-run single off Hideki Okajima later in the inning, which made it an easy night for Mariano Rivera.
They've done it again. The f**king Yankees have done it again. Take a short trip back to August 15, 2006. Alex Gonzalez was the starting shortstop. Wily Mo Pena was still wondering how to hit a curve ball. My God, Matt Clement was our their fifth starter! Despite all that, the Sox were only a mere 1.5 games back of the Yankees before a monumental 5-game showdown at Fenway Park. After five grueling, gut-wrenching days the Yankees left town with a 6.5 game lead. The Sox were never the same. The offense was hampered by injuries. The pitching staff fell apart. They missed the playoffs AND finished by Canadia's finest, the Blue Jays.
Well after the late-inning heroics by Johnny Damon and Mark Teixiera tonight, the 2009 season is looking very similar to the season in 2006. This series was absolutely abominable. The Red Sox offense apparently never left Tampa. In the series Red Sox hitters were 3-for-38 with runners in scoring position (they had 21 opportunities alone in game one and let Joba work out of jam after jam) and went a remarkable 30 innings without touching home plate. The bullpen was worked more than Malaysian sweat shop baby, pitching 15.1 innings while giving up 14 runs in the process.
The Red Sox have now fallen to 0-9 against winning teams since the All-Star break. The Victor Martinez trade hasn't provided the spark that Theo has created in past trading deadlines. If the Red Sox have any fight left in them, now is the time to show it. The rest of August is make or break for the season, with series against the Tigers, White Sox, and a 3-game stint against the Yankees at Fenway Park.
Terry and company have the next seven games to get themselves back on track, but it's not going to be easy with a starting rotation that features two aces and three number 5 guys. And this not scoring with runners in scoring position shit needs to end too. I can't tell you how many times I saw guys make first-pitch outs with runners on base. Take a pitch or two. They have to get back to working these starting pitchers and stretching out their bullpen.
Whatever they do, the Sox need to do it at home tomorrow against Detroit. I'm not sure how much longer I can have this sour taste in my mouth. I don't want to have to deal with the nauseating Yankee propaganda for any longer than I have to.
If I can find any solace from this weekend it's that I could watch these four games without the constant bullshit spewing from New York Mike's mouth. Mike spent the weekend in Atlantic City for a wedding and actually passed up tickets to the 15-inning instant classic on Friday. The things you do for your girlfriend....But sure enough in the bottom of the ninth inning with Mariano Rivera on the mound (New York Mike's favorite player post the A-Roid scandal) I hear a knock on my door. "How about them f**king Yankees? F**k the Red Sox!"
Yup. That pretty much sums up the weekend.
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