Craig Breslow explains the stat executives really look at
The Red Sox needed this.
Not only did Saturday night bring Alex Cora's team an 8-4 win over the Yankees, but it also marked a moment in time where some of these Sox realized how good it can be ... How good they can be.
Case in point, Justin Slaten.
"Everybody was screaming on both sides. It's just a really surreal feeling honestly," said rookie reliever, who retired both Alex Verdugo and Giancarlo Stanton with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. “I had to kind of come in after I was done and just take a minute and kind of think like, ‘Wow, that’s the first time pitching in a game like that.’ All games matter, but it just felt like these last two and the one tomorrow just mean a little bit more."
It does mean a bit more. Why? Not necessarily because of the standings since this has become much more about chasing a Wild Card spot (which the Sox are 2 1/2 games out of) than the first-place Yankees (who own a 13-game lead over third-place Boston).
It means more because such wins represent significant leaps forward for a young team trying to figure out how to break out of their one-step forward, one-step back existence.
The definition that might have come with a bench-clearing brawl some fans were clamoring for after Alex Verdugo's home run trot Friday night was never likely. They are far too friendly with the player in question, and also currently a bit too of the youthful living-in-the-moment mindset to jump into that pool.
But there is a difference-making element lurking this weekend, which the Red Sox got a taste of during a game that saw the home team burst out with five runs in the first two innings against New York starter Carlos Rodon on a flurry of doubles from Tyler O'Neill, Rafael Devers, Jarren Duran and Jamie Westbrook.
They showed what they can do against the iron of Major League Baseball. First, it was two of three vs. the powerful Phillies. And now they have a chance to do the same against the club with the best record in all of baseball.
For a young team like these Red Sox still trying to navigate a flurry of forks in the road, such feathers in caps mean a lot.
"We're young," Cora said after his team bumped up to one game over .500. “We’re going to lose some games, we’re going to win some games. It's a good brand of baseball. It's fun. The offense, when we’re clicking, it’s fun to watch. We’re going to put pressure on the opposition.”
Cora understands the importance of such games, as did another veteran - closer Kenley Jansen.
It was Jansen who called down to his manager in the eighth inning, making it clear he was ready for his first four-out save of the season. And when things got a bit dicey in the eighth inning, sure enough, the closer was called upon to get that shut down the Yankees' rally.
"The big man called in the middle of the eighth," Cora explained. “He made the call, I didn’t make the call. He made it and said, ‘I’m in.’ So it was a fun game, and we’ve got a chance to win the series (Sunday)."
A win Sunday would mark just the fourth time this season the Yankees lost a series. For the New Yorkers, such a moment wouldn't represent too much significance. But as the voice of the Fenway crowd Saturday night suggested, the same can't be said for the Red Sox.
For a team desperately searching for its identity, this sort of home-stand punctuation would go a long way to making a much-needed mark.
"This is the best rivalry ever in the game. I’m grateful to have played in both rivalries. The Dodgers and the Giants, also, but you can't compare this one," Jansen said. "This is so much different. It's unbelievable. It was fun going out there, and the atmosphere was great."