The Bitter Rivals Thread

[KenFougere]

My early highlights so far:

Sox 6 game win streak AND

Giancarlo Stanton booed in Yankee Stadium debut following five-strikeout performance

For some fans, Stanton's honeymoon period lasted part of a game -

[KenFougere]

Posted by Michael Acquaviva on Friday, April 8, 2016

[KenFougere]

MLB projection predicts a Red Sox-Yankees dogfight in the AL East

How close will it be between these two blood rivals? Very close, says SportsLine

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/s...n-the-al-east/

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[KenFougere]

The Red Sox are 8-1, marking the best start in the franchise’s 118-year history.

Five of Boston’s wins this season have been in come-from-behind fashion.

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[KenFougere]

Giancarlo Stanton booed again at Yankee Stadium after making the wrong kind of history

Stanton became the first player to strike out five times with zero hits in multiple games in one season!

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Just a shame . . .

[KenFougere]

Sox rout Yanks 14-1 for 9th win in a row

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Mookie Betts hit a grand slam on a monster night, leading Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox over the New York 14-1 Tuesday for their ninth straight victory.

Betts went 4 for 4, scoring five runs and driving in four. His third career slam capped a nine-run burst in the sixth inning that turned the first matchup of the season between the AL East rivals into a rout.

[KenFougere]

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J. D. Martinez continues to swing a hot bat for the Red Sox. The team's biggest offseason acquisition is now hitting .283 with three homers and 14 RBI, putting him well on pace for another season surpassing 30 home runs and 100 RBI.

[KenFougere]

Not many teams have started hot as the 2018 Red Sox

The 16-2 Red Sox are in elite company

The Red Sox are fresh off a dominating sweep of the AL West leaders, which means they've now ripped off seven wins in a row. Overall, the Sox are off to a blistering 16-2 start, and that's backed up by a plus-66 run differential. They lead the majors in runs scored, and they rank second in ERA. That Boston has achieved all this while being banged up is particularly impressive.

What sticks out is, of course, that 16-2 record (it would be 17-1 if not for that blown lead against the Rays on Opening Day). As you would expect, this puts the Sox in elite company. Here's a rundown of the teams since 1900 that have won at least 16 of their first 18 games ...

1. 1911 Tigers (16-2)
2. 1918 Giants (17-1)
3. 1955 Dodgers (16-2)
4. 1981 Athletics (17-1)
5. 1984 Tigers (16-2)
6. 1987 Brewers (17-1)

While extremes of this sort are always surprising, that the Red Sox are very good isn't much of a shock. The rival Yankees may have won the winter, but coming into the season, the Red Sox are picked to prevail in the AL East. After all, the Sox won the division the last two seasons despite having somewhat disappointing seasons from Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, Andrew Benintendi, and Jackie Bradley. It's not out of bounds to assume that all of those players will be better in 2018. As well, the Sox addressed a huge hole with the signing of J.D. Martinez, and David Price almost can't help but be more healthy and more effective this year.

All of that would still hold if the Red Sox were, say, 9-9 right now. Instead, they're on a 144-win pace. No, that won't keep up, but they've already moved the needle insofar as their playoff odds are concerned. Speaking of which, some Projection Models presently forecasts the Red Sox for a hefty 104 wins. As well, the system gives the Sox a 78.7 percent chance of winning the AL East and a 98.2 percent chance of making the postseason by any means.

Things are going well for the 2018 Red Sox, you see.

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[KenFougere]

Another 3 home run game for Mookie Betts. He became the first player in MLB history with four three-homer games before turning 26.

Betts snapped a tie with Hall of Famer Ted Williams for most three-homer games in franchise history.

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[KenFougere]

That Red Sox - Yankees London showdown is on for next season.

https://nyp.st/2rjXisK

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[KenFougere]

Big 'bitter-rivals' series starts Tuesday between the Red Sox and Yankees.

Uh oh. A lot of people not hailing from the northeastern part of the U.S. won't like a certain aspect of this baseball season. Sure, it's still technically early, but we're coming up on 40 games and that's a pretty meaningful sample of baseball. It's entirely possible the two best teams in baseball are the Yankees and Red Sox.

As noted, that doesn't sit well with a lot of baseball fans, but those are also two gigantic, nation-wide fan bases and it is honestly pretty damn good for the sport. We're bound to see plenty of those two teams the rest of the way on national TV and we might even get a playoff series between the two Bitter-Rivals. Remember how phenomenal the 2003 and 2004 ALCS (plural!) were? Might we get one of those in 2018?

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[epaddon]

3-2 Yankees in first game, even though it wasn't a pretty win. Red Sox got both runs thanks to defensive miscues and Yankees ran themselves out of two innings with bad baserunning decisions but Chapman got the last out to keep Betts in the on-deck circle.

[KenFougere]

3-2 Yankees in the first game, even though it wasn't a pretty win. Red Sox got both runs thanks to defensive miscues and Yankees ran themselves out of two innings with bad baserunning decisions but Chapman got the last out to keep Betts in the on-deck circle.

Good game. I just wish the Sox had both their aces pitching in this series. But they'll be meeting a dozen more times this season.

[epaddon]

Unbelievable comeback win but the more they keep doing it, maybe it's not so unbelievable after all! Jonathan Holder, who bailed them out in the Top 8th is the same guy who a few weeks ago looked awful and inept against the Orioles. But that's kind of showing how this team is starting to exude a vibe like the 98 Yankees, which was finding different ways to win and with different people in a balanced roster rising to the occasion.

[KenFougere]

Unbelievable comeback win but the more they keep doing it, maybe it's not so unbelievable after all! Jonathan Holder, who bailed them out in the Top 8th is the same guy who a few weeks ago looked awful and inept against the Orioles. But that's kind of showing how this team is starting to exude a vibe like the 98 Yankees, which was finding different ways to win and with different people in a balanced roster rising to the occasion.

I agree they look like the Sox did during their 17-2 start. Should be one hell of AL East race!