However, since 2001, they lead the AL in HBP by a massive margin. They hit 825, the next are the rays, with 728. The avg of the other 13 teams is 622, so Boston hits 33% more hitters than your avg non-boston AL team. But boston has no problem w/ control. They have the 5th best walk rate and third fewest wild pitches over that same span. So they hit more batters than everyone else, but don’t have any other control issues. hm… what possible explanation could there be for that….?

As usual, Yanks offense was great. The pitching is much less of a sure thing. I am convinced that AJ pulled out this decent (not great) performance only to guarantee that he can throw a clunker in Game 2 of the playoffs against the Sox.

I think finally winning a series against the Sox was just the psychological sustenance needed. We can contain them. Yes, we can, as Bob the Builder says.

I enjoyed watching Jete chastise Swish. That’s how I perceived it watching Jete’s annoyed expression. Maybe they were talking about chateaubriand.

The Granderson catch was sick.

Hope Tex isn’t hurt too badly. That pitch hit him in a bad spot.
Nice to finally take a series from those fuggers.

Praise Jesus. Good looking kid. Looks strong in the batters box. Looks like a Major League hitter. Just a matter of time before he hits like one.

[9] good call, and I feel your frustration with the midge. but think about it, ms. october. any strike thrown to the midge is high on him. For the Yanks to make him swing at a low pitch, they’d have to roll it.

Red Sox fans, despite the very good state of the team (and really, Boston sports in general) seem to engage in some serious glass half-full thinking.

Also, at least in these comments, they police those who DO become a bit unreasonable:

“exbo wrote:
‘That last pitch that Gonzalez took was a ball. The Red Sox and Yankees play in a league of their own. MLB wants a good pennant race, so the Yankees got the call all night long.‘

There it is.

Right up there with ‘The Tuck Rule game and the Patriots’ upset of the Rams in the Super Bowl happened because after 9/11 they wanted to instill a feeling of patriotism!’

One still hears that one today, especially from bitter Raider fans.

Living in an often random and senseless universe, where the unpredictable can happen at any moment, must be a scary thing to some people. Conspiracy theories are the convenient fillers-in of mysterious gaps, if not the comforting delusions for dashed expectations.

No, the real truth of last night is that the Red Sox were ordered by the Illuminati to take it easy on the heretofore hapless AJ Burnett, who’s really George Herbert Walker Bush’s illegitimate son. That makes him Dubya’s kid half-brother, a 33rd Degree Freemason and future Grand Goblin of the Knights Templar.

Back helicopters were see circling Fenway last evening, just in case the Red Sox got any funny ideas.”

http://tinyurl.com/3z22ly4

Also:

[2] “when i think of hughes i think 7 runs, five innings. when i think of AJ i think 5 runs, 7 innings…..hahahahahaha.”

Hahaha indeed!

i agree with you on the hit batsmen jon. the red sox have no qualms with hitting batters and it is a dangerous mindset.

although i am enjoying the win, i do have to bitch about the following:
– why do pitchers keeping throwing pony high heat? he loves that pitch, he is able to drive that pitch, and fenway is especially handy for him when it comes to that pitch. they yanks have to stay away from throwing pony high fastballs, make him hit something else!!
– also, although loogan did well last night, i hope joe’s binder is telling him that most of the red sox lefties do not have bad splits against a lefty. i would hope if the yanks play the sox in the alcs that girardi will go with the best pitcher in a given inning rather than a lefty just because a lefty is at-bat.

And Bard focusing, in typical Red Sox fashion, on a pitch he’d like to think was a strike to Martin? The pitch in question was a BALL and it wasn’t even that close.

Mo didn’t get squeezed either, btw – the balls he threw were called balls, and the strikes were called strikes.

Pitchfx says the above, but you could see it with your own eyes. I was positive the last pitch to AG was a strike.

Watching the replay, playing “spot the non-white person,” my favorite Fenway game. Admittedly, I’ve missed a shot or two, but I swear, I haven’t even seen an Asian person tonight. Ah, Boston.

I tol’ you all that AJ was gonna have a great game! ;>)

oh, this is a beautiful line. i could not watch the man pitch tonight, as i am a working man, but reading this i could see perfectly his curve ball. filth indeed.

AJ over phil?…anyone, anyone?……AJ every time for me.
somehow hughes is just way worse right now.

when i think of hughes i think 7 runs, five innings. when i think of AJ i think 5 runs, 7 innings…..hahahahahaha.

i even wanna see him pitch well with everything on the line just to redeem himself!

CC, garcia, nova, colon. (the final three are interchangeable for me…we got good chances when all of them take the mound.)

go yankees.

bg

that’s my postseason rotation.