Friday was a great day for Major League Baseball, as it finalized its postseason expansion agreement with the Players Association. Beginning this season, two additional Wild Card teams will join the postseason festivities; one in each league.

Under the new format, the two Wild Card winners will face off in a one-game playoff round, with the winning team advancing to the Division Series against one of the three division champions in its league.

In the world of sports where fans and media alike often complain that changes are simply unnecessary, it appears nothing is being protested in this scenario.

Increasing the amount of franchises that compete in October will no doubt turn out to be an excellent move by MLB. And there are plenty of reasons why.

Let’s start with the obvious. We love drama in sports. We love buzzerbeaters in basketball, last second scores that determine the outcome of football games, and walkoff home runs in baseball. It’s always been that way and it should remain so.

There are times when that drama is amplified, and that includes when there are postseason implications at stake; playoff positioning, homefield advantage, and most importantly — championships.

A one game do-or-die setting provides more intensity, suspense, and entertainment than any other point during a sports season. We see it every year with the NFL playoffs and its ultimate conclusion, the most watched event annually, the Super Bowl. When Game 7 is necessary in the basketball or baseball postseason — although this would be Game 5 in MLB’s Division Series — more people tune in than at any other point during the year.

This also shows for a month-long span beginning every March, once the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament gets going.

Bottom line is that one game determining the final fate of two great teams is excellent for sports, and that is exactly what baseball is guaranteeing to display at least twice every year beginning in 2012. It will be a heavyweight fight where one side will ultimately have to out-will the other.

Another way that MLB benefits by bringing in two more Wild Card teams is derived through a newfound importance upon a team winning their division.

It used to be ‘Just get in and hope to get hot.’ Teams will no longer be able to fall back on that with the new system in place. Clinching a Wild Card berth will drastically decrease a team’s chances at winning the World Series, since the probability of making it out of the Wild Card round will essentially be 50-50 in a one game situation.

Now no team who believes that they are legitimate championship contenders will be complacent and use the Wild Card spots as a safety net. They will not want to risk their entire season on one game, because as everyone knows, anything can happen and the better team or team with a pitching advantage will not always win.

Finally, the regular season will become a lot more interesting in the long run. Before the Wild Card came into effect in 1995, teams who were not completely terrible but aware that they had no chance at winning their division, folded and became pathetic all the way up to the final days of the regular season. But from 1995 on, these teams have gained new hope, and five Wild Card teams have gone on to win the World Series – the 1997 and 2003 Florida Marlins, the 2002 Anaheim Angels, the 2004 Boston Red Sox, and just recently, the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals.

The level of competition will begin to rise yet again, as there will be one last chance for new teams to make it to the playoffs. Having more teams be relevant towards the end of the season makes for much more exciting baseball than in years past.

MLB actually got this one right, and everyone will see after the All Star break passes. If you thought you’ve seen it all, just sit back and watch.

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Major League Baseball made the expansion of its postseason format official on Friday by granting each of its leagues an additional Wild Card berth beginning this season. The move — which had been a hot topic going back to last season — means that ten teams will now participate in the always-incredible drama that is: October baseball.

This marks the sport’s first playoff expansion since 1994, when the first original Wild Card teams were added to the mix. However, due to the strike that cancelled the postseason that year, the change did not actually take place until the 1995 playoffs. The Players Association was required to sign off on the proposition before any changes were made, and it did so painlessly.

“I greatly appreciate the MLBPA’s cooperation in putting the new postseason format in place this year,” said Commissioner Bud Selig on Friday. “The enthusiasm for the 10-team structure among our clubs, fans and partners has been overwhelming.”

In the new system, the Wild Card winners in each league will face off in a one game playoff on Friday, October 5, opening postseason play. As long as weather does not become an issue, all four Division Series will begin over the following two days.

“I’m excited, because it leans more heavily on the integrity of a season than the other system and I think everybody felt the same way,” said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. “Hopefully, it leans on that integrity a little more heavily and I think that’s a good thing.”

The winner of the Wild Card round will also have an unusual advantage in this year’s Division Series. Because the 2012 regular season schedule was created before this agreement was finalized, time constraints did not allow for the customary two travel days that would be necessary in a five game Division Series.

The Division Series has always gone with a 2-2-1 format that favors the higher seed. However, since two getaway days won’t be possible, the league will go to a 2-3 arrangement that has the lower seed – one of two inevitably being a Wild Card team – hosting the first two games.

With the Division Series being a best three out of five, as opposed to four out of seven in the League Championship Series and the World Series, it is possible that a Wild Card team could advance to the LCS by playing just one road game beforehand.

MLB ensures that it will construct a schedule that never allows for this unfair competitive advantage to occur again, beginning in 2013. The LCS and World Series will continue to remain best four out of seven series with 2-3-2 formats.

Five Wild Card winners have hoisted the World Series trophy since baseball first allowed two more teams to crash the postseason party nearly 20 years ago — the 1997 and 2003 Florida Marlins, 2002 Anaheim Angels, 2004 Boston Red Sox, and just recently, the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals, who had a storybook ending after trailing the Atlanta Braves by 10.5 games in the Wild Card standings as late as August 25.

All it takes is a chance. St. Louis clinched the Wild Card and its opportunity to compete in the postseason on the final day of the 2011 season. New manager Mike Matheny believes that adding two more teams will be great for the sport.

“Everybody remembers day 162 last year and how exciting that was,” said Matheny. “We all see the benefit of how the Wild Card played out.

“There were a lot of people against it at the time and it proved to make some very meaningful games for some teams who otherwise wouldn’t have had anything going on. It will be fun to watch how it all plays out.”

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Looks like Manny Ramirez’s playing days aren’t over just yet. The 39-year-old veteran outfielder, who immediately retired at the beginning of last season following his second known positive test for performance enhancing drugs over his career, signed a minor league deal worth $500,000 with the Oakland Athletics on Monday.

Ramirez had one hit in just seventeen at-bats and five games with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011 before calling it quits. He was well aware that with this being his second violation of MLB’s drug policy that he would have been required to miss 100 games, and therefore, decided to apparently walk away from the game on April 8.

At MLB’s winter meetings this past December, word got out that Ramirez had applied for reinstatement back into the league. The Commissioner’s Office granted it to him and decided to cut the original suspension he faced in half, down to 50 games, after considering the fact that he essentially sat out the majority of last season anyway, which was a punishment in itself.

Not many teams showed interest in Ramirez, but the A’s figured there would be no harm in giving him a low-cost minor league contract and an opportunity to make the Major League club. Oakland expects Ramirez to join the team at their spring training facility in Arizona this Friday. Manager Bob Melvin certainly supported the signing.

“I watched some video of him and saw the swing. It didn’t look any different, and it looked like he was in good shape,” said Melvin on Tuesday. “He’ll be ready to go with the position players, and we’ll see what he has to offer.”

Ramirez is easily regarded as one of the greatest offensive players of both his generation and of the entire modern era. Since beginning his career with the Cleveland Indians in 1993, the 12-time All Star, 9-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and 2004 World Series MVP has hit .312, driven in 1,831 runs, and ranks 14^th on the all-time home run list with 555 long balls.

“He is one of the best right-handed hitters I’ve ever seen,” said A’s general manager Billy Beane. “This is a guy who combines power with on-base percentage along with a high batting average. He’s a unique player.”

Ramirez is best known for his time in Boston with the Red Sox from 2001 to part of 2008, where he played a key role in the team breaking its 86-year World Series drought with a sweep over the St. Louis Cardinals in 2004, along with its 2007 World Series sweep of the Colorado Rockies.

The Red Sox front office and Ramirez no longer saw eye-to-eye by 2008, and he was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He remained in L.A. until he was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 2010. He would sign with the Rays the following year. Despite all of the bouncing around during the latter part of his career, Ramirez believes he can still be a productive Major League player.

“I’m feeling really good, mostly on a spiritual level. I’m very confident with the shape I’m in heading to spring training,” said Ramirez in an interview on a Dominican radio station. “There were three teams interested, but I left God to decide, and that’s why I signed with the Oakland A’s. I’m only coming back because I always loved baseball, ever since I was little kid. I have a passion for the sport, and I know I can still play.”

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The Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander would not be denied in 2011 – no matter what arguments the nonbelievers made against the 28-year-old flame-throwing right hander’s chances of winning the American League MVP, it’s only fitting that he still came out with the award on Monday.

“If you had told me at the beginning of the year I would be a shoe-in for the Cy Young, I would have been excited and ecstatic. I would’ve never even thought about the MVP,” said Verlander after learning that he had won the vote. The baseball writers gave Verlander 13 of the 28 first place votes, and he won with a total accumulation of 280 points, according to mlb.com.

The next closest player to him was Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who finished with 242 total points. As far as individual accomplishments for a starting pitcher are concerned, Verlander achieved practically all of them this year. He led the majors in both wins with a regular season record of 24-5 and 250 strikeouts.

He also led the American League with a 2.40 E.R.A., which effectively won him the league’s pitching triple crown. Let’s not forget that he threw a no-hitter in Toronto against the Blue Jays on May 7, the second of his career. The only thing really missing was a perfect game, which anyone could easily overlook.

All of these triumphs by Verlander earned him the Cy Young award last week. There was only one question to be answered: could this man actually be the league’s most valuable player? No starting pitcher had won the award since Roger Clemens with the Red Sox in 1986, and no pitcher had won it since Athletics Hall of Fame closer Dennis Eckersley in 1992.

The debate lingered for months due to a number of peculiar circumstances. Verlander is not a position player and was not out there every day going to battle with his teammates over the course of a six month, 162 game regular season.

However, Verlander was nothing but absolutely dominating and overpowering nearly every single time he towed the rubber for Detroit. He may have only played in thirty-four regular season games, but he provided an old-school ace-like mentality supported by the most lively arm in the league, almost stating, ‘I’m the best and I know it, so here it comes.’

If there were any pitcher to fear in 2011, it was Verlander. His MVP campaign was strengthened by the fact that the Red Sox suffered the most monumental collapse in history, missing the postseason after blowing what was a nine game lead in the Wild Card on September 3. Ellsbury, was viewed as the favorite for the award until the end of September.

He posted career high numbers: he had an average of .321, 119 runs scored, 212 hits, 105 in RBI, and 32 home runs. Other players who gained much consideration for the award included Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson and Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista.

Granderson hit 41 home runs, drove in 119 runs, and led New York to the best record in baseball, but his .262 average was likely too low for the baseball writers to accept. Bautista batted .302 and led the majors with 43 home runs, but Toronto only finished at .500 with an 81-81 record.

Since no A.L. position player was able to run away with the award, Verlander began to gain a significant amount of interest as a potential winner.  The conversation will not end here, as many will discuss whether or not the proper decision was made. Nonetheless, Verlander had a pitcher’s dream season in 2011, and no one can take that or his MVP award away from him.

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And they’re off – MLB has entered its final month of a long season, but there is still much to be decided in the final stretch. The division, wildcard, and pennant races are yet to be determined. With less than 20 games to play, teams are focused in on magic numbers to clinch a playoff spot. The stats of all the following teams/players come prior to Monday’s action:

AL East: The New York Yankees lead a tough division and are only 3 ½ up on the Boston Red Sox. The Bronx Bombers and Boston are one and two in runs scored, homeruns and RBI’s in the league respectively. The Yankees pitching staff is led by ace CC Sabathia and surprising rookie Ivan Nova.

The Red Sox are led by Jon Lester and Josh Beckett. Beckett is having a great bounce back season and holds an ERA of 2.49. These two will battle to the end of the regular season to see who gets home field advantage in the playoffs.

AL Central: Cy Young and even possible MVP candidate, Justin Verlander has been nothing but spectacular for the Detroit Tigers. He has been the reason the Tigers have built a 10 ½ game lead in the central. He leads the AL in ERA with a 2.44, in inning pitched with 229 and strikeouts with 232.

Verlander also has a no-hitter to his credit this season and a record of 22-9. If the Detroit pitching staff can somehow catch up with Verlander then they could make some noise in the playoffs.

AL West: The tightest division in all of baseball is between the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim. The Rangers lead the Angels by only 2 ½ games. Texas is all offense and improved their bullpen at the trade deadline by acquiring Mike Adams and Koji Uehara.

Los Angeles offense is anemic but their starting pitchers are keeping them in it. Led by Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana they are trying to carry their teams hitting into the postseason.

AL Wildcard:  The race is really on with the Tampa Bay Rays climbing back in it after sweeping the weekend series against the Boston Red Sox. They sit only 3 ½ games back and the Sox are worried. Red Sox David Ortiz said, “Hell yeah, you’ve got to worry.” Boston was chosen by many to represent the American League in the World Series.

Let’s see if they can even hold off the Rays for a playoff spot. The two kick off a four game series starting Thursday  at Fenway.

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Philadelphia Phillies (National League)

The Phillies are the best team in baseball at a winning record of 55-32. This is unsurprising, especially when one considers that the fact that the Phillies were arguably the best team in baseball coming into the season, due to there acquisition of Cliff Lee during the off-season.

What is surprising about the Phillies thus far is how the team has managed to keep the best record in baseball, despite the fair share of injuries the team has succumbed to since June 23rd.

Since June 23rd, when Jose Contreras went on the disabled list with a right forearm strain, the Phillies have had pitchers, Joe Blanton, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson and Roy Oswalt all placed on the disabled list.

While Contreras, Blanton, Madson and Oswalt were only placed on the 15-day disabled list, Lidge’s injury will surely be more costly.  Lidge is expected to miss at least 60 days with what’s described as a right rotator cuff strain and right elbow pain.

Additionally, joining the list of Phillies pitchers who have been injured recently is Center Fielder Shane Victorino.  Thankfully for the Phillies’ Victorino injury is the least concerning; he is listed as day-to-day due to a jammed right thumb. Victorino is not expected to miss any time.

New York Yankees (American League)

It is very surprising that the Yankees own the second best record in baseball behind the Phillies at 51-33. Arguably, out of these 6 teams with the best overall records in baseball, it is the Yankees who have been the team most marred by injuries.

The Yankees have lost their captain and shortstop Derek Jeter, starting pitchers Phil Hughes and Bartolo Colon, and bullpen pitchers Pedro Feliciano, Rafael Soriano and Joba Chamberlain all to the disabled list.

Additionally, two other notable players on the Yankees roster that have suffered injuries are bullpen closer Mariano Rivera, and third baseman Eric Chavez.

Out of all these Yankee Players, the most severe injury suffered is Joba Chamberlain’s. Chamberlain was diagnosed with a ligament tear in his right elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery on June 21st.

While Chamberlain had his fair share of struggles in the years past, this year he looked to be an integral part of the Yankees Bullpen. There is no doubt this will be a costly injury.

Besides Chamberlin, the other Yankee players to suffer severe injuries, includes, Phil Hughes, who had right shoulder inflammation, Rafael Soriano, who had right elbow inflammation, and Eric Chavez, who had a bone bruise on his foot; all three were placed on the 60-day disabled list.

The lesser injuries for the Yankees, but still ones they have impressively managed to play through, are Derek Jeter’s injury and Bartolo Colon’s injury.

Despite being the target of naysayers who have said he is getting too old, Jeter looked to be finding his old hitting form before he went on the disabled list. Colon looked to be having a come back year with a impressive record 6-3 after being absent from the league for the past two seasons.

Jeter and Colon were both put on the 15-day disabled list. While Colon is expected to return soon, Jeter has already returned.

The most recent Yankee to have injury problems is the all-important Mariano Rivera who is luckily listed as day-to-day at this point.

What is unsurprising about the Yankees is the fact that they are one of the best teams in baseball. It is unsurprising that the Yankees are one of the best teams because they have many superstars on their roster.

Despite their roster getting older and costly injuries almost every year, the Yankees always seem to be a juggernaut; year after year they somehow find a way to make the playoffs.

Ultimately, it should not be surprising that the Yankees are in the position they are in despite the injuries they have had been faced with. The Yankees have only missed the postseason once since 1996. Unsurprisingly, like usual the Yankees appear to be on their way to the postseason.

Boston Red Sox (American League)

The Red Sox are the third best team in baseball with a record 50-35. Despite not being as banged up as their archrivals (the Yankees), the team has still succumbed to its fair share of Injuries, which make their record surprising.

The notable pitchers on the Red Sox who have been injured this season, includes a laundry list of starting pitchers in John Lackey, Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka, as well as bullpen pitcher Bobby Jenks.

Josh Beckett also missed 12 days with an illness but was not placed on the disabled list.

Additionally, position players Carl Crawford (center Fielder), Kevin Youkillis (third baseman), Jed Lowrie (shortstop) and Marco Scutaro (shortstop) have been injured as well.

Youkillis suffered the least significant injury on the Red Sox; he is luckily listed as day-to-day.

The most severe injury for Red Sox has been Matsuzaka’s.  Matsuzaka, who is out with what is described as a sprained right elbow, underwent Tommy John surgery on June 10th. Matsuzaka will not pitch for the remainder of the season.

Fortunately for the Red Sox most of their injuries have been to a lesser extent than Matsuzaka’s injury. Even so, despite this fortune it does not mean that these injuries have not or will not prove costly.

Lackey, Jenks and Scutaro are already back, after being placed on the 15-day disabled list earlier this season. Currently Buchholz, Crawford and Lowrie are all on the 15-day disabled list.

Wednesday it was revealed that John Lester will join Buchholz, Crawford and Lowrie on the 15-day disabled list. For the Red Sox sake, hopefully this current rash of injuries proves to not be costly.

More than injuries though, what makes the Red Sox record the most surprising is the fact they got off to a terrible start.

On April 15th the Red Sox were bottom dwellers of not just the American League East but also the entire League; at the time the Red Sox owned both the worst record in their division and the worst record in the majors at 2-10.

Since that day, the Red Sox have climbed out of the doldrums of being the worst in baseball, and have been arguably the best team.

The Red Sox are currently in great position in the American League. With the second best record behind the Yankees in the American League the Red Sox would make the playoff if it started today.

Despite their injuries and their awful start, it should be unsurprising that the Red Sox are in this position.

Like the Yankees, the Red Sox have a plethora of superstars this year and have been one of baseball’s juggernauts since the late 1990’s. The key to their success has been their ability to  to find a way to make the postseason.

Atlanta Braves (National League)

The Braves hold the fourth best record in baseball at 51-36. The Braves record is surprising because they have found a win despite their roster being one filled with many role players and very few superstars.

Arguably, the only two superstars on the Braves, includes a young and talented starting pitcher, Tommy Hanson, and the young and a talented right-fielder, Jason Heyward.

The Braves have several veteran players. These veterans include, Eric Hinske, Derek Lowe, Alex Gonzalez, Julio Lugo, Tim Hudson and Chipper Jones. Despite these players being past the prime of their careers, they are all valuable to a team have a lot younger players.

These players are no slouches either. During their careers all have had their fair share of success and brilliance.

What is also surprising is the fact that the Braves have been able to have success this season despite having a new manager. Last year it was Bobby Cox who was able lead the team to the post season; this season the coach is Fredi Gonzalez.

Despite Cox leaving it seems to be the same old Braves. It should be unsurprising that the Braves are doing as well as they are, because like the Yankees and Red Sox, they always find a way to play well and eventually make the postseason.

The Braves franchise owns one of the longest consecutive postseason streaks in league history at 14 consecutive years (1991-2005). Unsurprisingly, the Braves might be back to their winning ways.

San Francisco Giants (National League)

The Giants hold the fifth best record in baseball at 48-39. It should be unsurprising that the Giants are one of the best teams considering the fact that they won the World Series last season.

What makes the Giants record so surprising is how they’ve managed to compete despite injuries. So far for the Giants, most of the players on their roster who have been injured were all integral pieces of their World Series run last year.

These injuries the Giants have been faced with includes, the all-important and talented young catcher, Buster Posey who is out for the rest of the season and Jonathan Sanchez who was placed on the 15-day disabled list. Sanchez was an integral piece to the starting pitching staff last postseason.

The Giants have also lost starting second baseman Freddy Sanchez, backup second basemen Mike Fontenot, and third baseman Mark DeRosa to the 15-day disabled list.

At the end of the day, if a team is the defending champions like the Giants are, they should always be considered as a team that has a chance to win the World Series; this year is no different.

The Giants might be considered a surprise this year, because, like last year, their roster seems to be made up of a misfit cast of characters that other teams let go. This cast seems to work well for the Giants as they are a real contender and one of the best teams in baseball.

Tampa Bay Rays (American League)

The Rays hold the sixth best record in baseball at 47-39. What is surprising about the Rays is how successful they have been this year, despite getting rid of many important pieces of their roster that propelled them to the best record in the American League Eastern Division last season.

This past off-season, the Rays let both Rafael Soriano and Joaquin Benoit, who were key members of their bullpen last season, test the free agent market. Both Soriano and Benoit signed with new teams.

Also leaving this past off-season was the always-integral Carl Crawford (center fielder) and Carlos Pena (first baseman), as well as the talented young pitcher Matt Garza.

Crawford left as a free agent to the Red Sox during the off-season, while Pena left as a free agent to the Cubs. Matt Garza was traded to the Cubs during the off-season.

Despite these losses it is unsurprising that the Rays are one of the best teams in baseball and have one of the best coaches in Joe Maddon.

Additionally it should be unsurprising that the Rays are one of the best in baseball because they still have a lot of young talent in players such as, Evan Longoria, James Shields, and David Price.

The Rays also have a key veteran in Johnny Damon who has won a world series with both the Red Sox and Yankees.

Ultimately, over the past three seasons, the Rays have been as good as the Yankees and Red Sox; therefore, it should be no surprise that the Rays are one of the best teams in baseball.

Prediction

My prediction for the World Series this year is probably the same as most peoples. I predict the Phillies and Red Sox will square off in the World Series, in what would be almost a toss up in terms of pitching.

Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee would be better than Beckett and Lester, but not by much. Beckett and Lester could potentially win out in pitchers duals versus Halladay and Lee because the offensive bats backing them up are outstanding.

The Phillies bats are good, but I just don’t think they are anywhere near what the Red Sox Bats are.

All in all I think the series goes to seven games. If it does in fact go to a game seven the Phillies have the advantage. If there is a game seven I believe the Phillies will win.

To have a game seven and be able to throw out either Halladay or Lee on the mound is a huge advantage. Additionally, for any game seven, especially the World Series, all hand are on deck in terms of pitching; meaning, If Lee didn’t start a game seven he would surely come out of the bullpen for the Phillies. The same would go for Halladay if he didn’t start; he would come out of the bullpen and pitch.

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For the Yankees, last week’s three game series against the Red Sox was as disastrous on the field as it was off.  The Yankees got pulverized all three games due to bad at-bats and bad pitching.

The first game in the Bronx, on Tuesday night, started with three runs for the Red Sox in the first inning. Also, unfortunately for the Yankees, Teixeira was hit in the leg by a pitch thrown by Lester. Teixeira left the game, and the Yankees were left without any offense: his early departure was likened to a bad omen that the worst was yet to come.  The Red Sox continued to pitch and hit better than the Yankees and mounted a 6-3 lead by the start of the sixth inning. Usually, this wouldn’t have been much cause for concern, but due to a bullpen that has been marred by injuries and an offence that was greatly weakened by Teixeira’s absence, things looked ultimately hopeless for the Yankees. The Red Sox went on to win 6-4, despite a valiant but futile attempt by the Yankees, who scored one final run in the 9^th inning.

The second game, on Wednesday night, started very much like the first game with the Red Sox jumping ahead with a 3-0 lead in the first, thanks to a two run homer by Ortiz, who had also homered in Tuesday night’s game. Essentially, the Red Sox continued to out-bat and out-pitch the Yankees while Burnett struggled on the mound. The Yankees offense wasn’t able to compensate for his mistakes, and the Red Sox pulled out a win for the second straight night in a row, with a walloping 11-6 victory.

After being defeated for two consecutive games on their own field, the Yankees had an opportunity to pull out a much-needed win during game 3 of the series.  The news that Yankees bullpen pitcher, Joba Chamberlain, is sitting out for the rest of the season due to an upcoming Tommy John surgery on a torn elbow ligament was announced right before the start of the game. This news did little to settle fans nerves. Additionally, a three-hour rain delay stymied the start of the game. Once the game got underway the Yankees actually put two runs up in the first inning, thanks to a home run by Curtis Granderson. Unlike the first two games, the Yankees kept the game close, but when the Red Sox offense blew open a huge lead in the 7^th, scoring 7 runs, the Yankees offense could not keep up. The Sox swept the Yanks 8-3 in what felt like a crushing blow to the chin.

The cherry on top of the Red Sox’s three game sweep was the fact that they have now won six straight games in the Bronx this season. They are clearly one of the best teams in baseball, both offensively and defensively as well having quality pitching. New York’s beloved Yankees have a lot of kinks to work out, and weak spots to fill, if they are going to stand up to power-house team like the Red Sox in the post-season.

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