Ted Would Have Liked This

So much for that Yankee momentum.

The Red Sox came up big on Saturday afternoon, as Josh Beckett gave the Sox another quality start over the Yankees and became the Majors' first 19-game winner. The awful night last night was put in the rear view mirror as the Red Sox whacked New York, 10-1 at Fenway. It speaks volumes of the guts and determination of this Red Sox team, that a devastating loss the night before wouldn't derail them from their ultimate goal of winning the East and going into October and getting another crown.

In a so-called matchup of Cy Young Award candidates (Beckett is by far a stronger one), it was all Sox. Beckett pitched seven strong innings, allowing just a home run to Derek Jeter in the first. He dominated the rest of the way, allowing just two hits. Chien Ming-Wang may have the same number of wins (18) going into this game, but he isn't in the same class with Beckett, as he got hit for five runs in 5 2/3 innings.

David Ortiz doubled in two runs and Jacoby Ellsbury had two hits and drove in three after replacing Kevin Youkilis, who was hit on the wrist with a pitch and had to leave the game. (X-rays were negative on Youk, and he is day-to-day.)

BTW, to all those who were patting themselves on the back about how the Yankees hit the Sox two best relievers on Friday night: did you happen to notice that the Sox whacked New York's two best starting pitchers in back-to-back games? Pettitte and Wang are both good pitchers, but they aren't aces. An ace is something the Yankees clearly don't have.

It was a big win for the Red Sox, as they needed to bounce back right away after the terrible loss last night. They won their 90th game of the season and restored their AL East lead to 5 1/2 games. And the Magic Number drops to the number of the legend featured here. He was "The Kid," "The Splendid Splinter," "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived."

Ted.