Red Sox pound Yanks

Usually when the pressure has been on the Boston Red Sox this season, they have wilted like a bad Tim Wakefield knuckleball.

This past weekend the Sox showed the New York Yankees they no longer were going to take any you-know-what from New York and proved that they no longer feared those rival Yankees.

Boston ended up outscoring the Yankees 20-3 in their first two games including an 11-0 shutout on Saturday afternoon.

The Yanks rebounded on Sunday winning 3-1, but the message that came from the Bronx was loud and clear; the Red Sox will not go quietly.

The offensive onslaught began early Friday evening, when the Red Sox came out firing early with a barrage of singles giving them a 4-0 lead after only two innings.

That would be all Pedro Martinez would need, allowing one run in six strong innings. Boston ended up cruising to a 9-3 win, thanks to a bases clearing double by Johnny Damon in the third inning chasing Andy Pettitte from the game.

Saturday's game was almost a mirror image of Friday's contest as Boston routed their former ace Roger Clemens in an 11-0 win.

This day it was Wakefield and his floating, dancing and utterly frustrating knuckleball that exasperated New York.

Wakefield held the Yanks scoreless through seven innings while only allowing four hits. Several key homeruns paced the Red Sox attack throughout the game including round trippers from Nomar Garciaparra, Kevin Millar and Todd Walker.

After the game, the Yankees lead in the American League East was whittled to 1-1/2 games, a remarkable feat considering the lead was seven games on August 20th.

Even with the Red Sox tough loss on Sunday 3-1, September seems bright.

Boston only trails the Yanks by 2-1/2 games and lead the Wild Card race over Seattle by a game and a half.

Their schedule is light, with 14 games with Tampa Bay and Baltimore still remaining.

More importantly the team looks like its finally coming together, with the bullpen finally seeming to settle down.

Still, what holds they key in Boston is how the team handles the stretch drive and the inevitable questions of when the annual swoon may take place.

If 2003 is in fact the year the Red Sox exorcise their demons, September will, in fact, decide if they are still playing in October.