Last night’s win over Boston was huge, especially with more Showalter magic down in Baltimore.** The playoff-like atmosphere for the Yankees at Fenway was clear — Joe Girardi used six different relievers to get the last 10 outs of the Yanks’ 5-4 win and brought in Rafael Soriano for a four-out save. It was just Soriano’s fourth four-out save in 40 chances this season, and it was a nailbiter after he allowed a leadoff home run to Jarrod Saltalamacchia in the ninth that cut the lead to 5-4.
**Take 45 seconds out of your day and watch this incredible heads-up play by Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado last night. The kid’s 20 years old. Remarkable.
The Yankees prevailed in what sportscaster were calling a must-win game — and it was. But at this point in the season, tied for the division lead with 20 games to go, every game is must-win. That’s doubly true this season, when no fewer than seven AL teams are fighting tooth and nail for four playoff spots. So let’s set the scene for what should be a fascinating and frenetic final two weeks of the season.
