After a 9-1 start to the season, Domingo German has now had 2 bad starts in a row. Last night at Yankee Stadium, he went just 3 2/3rds innings, allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, although he did strike 8 batters out.
This time, instead of being a very brief starter, as he has been used recently, Chad Green had to be the emergency reliever. He finished the 4th inning, and pitched the 5th. It took both Tommy Kahnle and Adam Ottavino to finish off the 6th. Jonathan Holder pitched the 7th, Zack Britton the 8th, and Aroldis Chapman the 9th. And yet, while that makeshift bullpen allowed 5 hits and 2 walks, there were no further runs.
Just as they did the night before, Yankees fell behind 1-0 in the 2nd inning before taking the lead. This time, it was in the bottom of the 2nd, and singles by Gio Urshela and DJ LeMahieu brought home 3 runs between them.
With Luke Voit aboard in the 5th, Gary Sanchez hit another home run. This one seen his 18th of the season, a 403-foot blast ton the opposite field, proving that he's back against more than just the Baltimore Orioles.
The bullpen kept things quiet from that point onward. Yankees 5, Red Sox 3. WP: Green (1-2, because the starter did not go 5 innings). SV: Chapman (17). LP: Rick Porcello (4-5). The Yankees have now taken 2 straight from the Red Sox, despite, on both occasions, falling behind and not having their starting pitcher go 5 innings.
The Yankees remain in 1st place, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays, and 9 1/2 ahead of The Scum. In the all-important loss column, it's 2 and 10 games, respectively.
Is this reason for complacency? Not by a long shot. This was only the 57th game of the season, and we know what the Red Sox -- both management and players -- are capable of. We cannot presume that they are out of the race for good, as long as there's still a mathematical chance.
The series concludes tonight, in the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball showcase, with CC Sabathia going for his 250th career win against David Price.
Three games against the Sox, 3 night games. TV wants its prime time ratings, never mind what the fans want -- and, weather-wise, it looks like it's going to be a nice day. Whether it will be a nice night remains to be seen, and since when is any day with a Yankees-Red Sox game "nice"?
The result, as we have seen, can be very nice. But the game? Rarely.
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Days until the next Women's World Cup kicks off: 5, this Friday, in France. The U.S. team is 3-time and defending Champions.
Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 6, this Saturday night at 7:30, against the Philadelphia Union, at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania. They beat Real Salt Lake 4-0 last night.
Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": See the previous answer. The next game against New York City FC will be on Sunday night, July 14, at Red Bull Arena. The next game against the New England Revolution will be on Saturday night, August 17, at Red Bull Arena. The next game against D.C. United will be on Wednesday night, August 21, at Audi Field in Washington. The next game against the Union will be on Sunday night, September 22, at Red Bul Arena.
Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 16, on Tuesday, June 18, against the South American nation of Guyana, at the brand-new Allianz Field in St. Paul, home of Minnesota United, in the opener of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series (after the current one) begins: 27, on Saturday, June 29. Under 4 weeks. This is the 2-game series at the London Stadium, home base of the 2012 Olympics, and home field of soccer team West Ham United.
Days until Arsenal play again: 43. A little over 6 weeks. Following their debacle on Wednesday night, losing the UEFA Europa League Final 4-1 to fellow Londoners Chelsea, the Gunners' next game will be in America.
Days until Arsenal play in America: 43. On July 15, they will visit the Denver suburbs to play the Colorado Rapids. On July 17, they will visit the Los Angeles suburbs to play Bayern Munich. On July 20, they will visit Charlotte to play AS Roma. And on July 23, they will visit the Redskins' stadium in the Washington suburbs to play Real Madrid.
Days until the next North London Derby: Unknown, as both Premier League matches, and a League Cup match, have been played this season. The next season starts on August 10, which is 69 days from now. Under 10 weeks. But the PL never puts a Derby on the opening weekend. The Gunners and Spurs usually play each other in N5 in October or November, and then in N17 in February or March.
Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 90, on August 31, home to the University of Massachusetts. Under 13 weeks.
Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown, because the 2019 schedule hasn't been released yet. Usually, the next season begins on the 1st Friday in September, which would be September 6, which would be 96 days. It has been announced that East Brunswick and its arch-rivals, Old Bridge, will no longer play each other on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, many of the local Thanksgiving rivalries have been moved back to the opening night, September 6. Whenever the Big Green play the Purple Bastards, it will be under a new head coach, because Bob Molarz, in charge for the last 6 seasons, has resigned.
Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: Unknown. Traditionally, a new NHL season begins on the 1st Thursday in October, which would be October 3, which is 123 days from now. A shade over 4 months. The new schedule is usually released around June 20 or so. We shall see.
Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: Unknown. But the Devils never open against either the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum; the New York Islanders; or the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth.
Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 181, on Saturday, November 30, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. A little under 6 months.
Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 199, on December 18, 2019. Under 7 months.
Day until the premiere of the final Star Wars film, Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker: 201, on December 20, 2019.
Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 233, on January 21, 2020. Under 8 months.
Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 418, on July 24, 2020. A little over a year, or under 14 months.
Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 520, on November 3, 2020. Under a year and a half, or about 17 months.
Days until a fully-Democratic-controlled Congress can convene, and the Republicans can do nothing about it: 581, on January 3, 2021. About a year and a half, or about 18 months.
Days until Liberation Day: 598, at noon on January 20, 2021. Under 2 years, or under 20 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.
Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Beijing, China: 978, on February 4, 2022. Under 3 years, or just over 32 months.
Days until the next World Cup is scheduled to kick off: 1,268, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. A little over 3 1/2 years, or under 42 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.