BOSTON — They needed to be perfect. If you’ve followed the American League this season, you knew that wasn’t possible in the second half for the ’82 Red Sox.
Boston, which once held a five-game lead in the division on June 23, entered their game against the New York Yankees seven games behind the Milwaukee Brewers with seven games to play. The Red Sox had to win out and the Crew and O’s had to vanish from the face of the Earth, and not just from yesterday’s schedule as the Crew and O’s had the day off.
Thanks to an epic beat down from their long-time nemesis, the Red Sox’s quest for an AL East title came to a screeching hawlt with a 10-3 loss at Fenway.
After a promising start in which they took a one-game lead into the All-Star break, the Red Sox have gone 39-35 and this week are playing for nothing but pride. This isn’t too surprising. For a franchise that hasn’t won a World Series since 1918, that’s often all Boston plays for. It may be another generation or two before the Red Sox win a World Series. I’m guessing somewhere around 2018.
Let’s not pile on the freshly dead, though, as the Crew still needs to take care of the Sox in Boston for these next three games. Brewers fans hope the Tigers take care of the O’s in Detroit as the Orioles, who had yesterday off as well, sit two games behind in the AL East.
Tonight’s game starts at 6:30 p.m. CT with Doc Medich taking the hill for the Crew against Chuck Rainey, whom the Brewers have owned this season. (See also: Game preview.)