Yankees Blast Red Sox, 9-1

In the opening act of a 3-game series at Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox desperately needed a victory not just for their own sanity, but to protect their lead in the AL Wild Card race. Instead, they ran into a buzzsaw known as "the Bronx Bombers" and the Yankees clinched a tie for the best record in the American League with a 9-1 victory.

The easiest way to measure why this blowout occured is to look at the performances of today's starting pitchers. Freddy Garcia had an out-of-body experience for the Yanks, tossing six shutout innings and never really running into any trouble with a once-potent Red Sox lineup. Today's victory moved Garcia's record up to 12-8 and lowered his ERA to 3.62.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox "ace" was anything but that, as Jon Lester didn't even last three innings. Lester allowed 8 runs on 8 hits, including 6 runs off 6 consecutive hits in the 2nd inning. Lester is now 15-9 on the season, with a 3.49 ERA.

While the biggest hit of the game was Derek Jeter's 3-run homerun in the second inning, the true offensive star of the game was September call-up Jesus Montero. The designated hitter went 3-for-4, with a double, a homerun and 4 RBI's. Before he struck out looking to end the eighth inning, Montero had reached base on 8 consecutive plate appearances (six hits and two walks).

The weekend series will wrap up tomorrow with a split doubleheader. Game 1 will begin at 1:05pm, with AJ Burnett taking on Tim Wakefield. The nightcap will begin around 6:30pm, as Ivan Nova will face John Lackey.