KANSAS CITY – Jason Giambi insists the only thing the Yankees can worry about is what they can control. It’s a cliché, but true when it comes to the final six weeks of a season in which the Yankees lead the Red Sox by three games in the AL East before last night’s games.
However, Giambi and every other Yankee know that starting last night, the Red Sox would spend the next two weeks playing AL West powerhouses Oakland and Seattle.
“You look to take care of yourself and we have to stop giving games away,” Giambi said before the Yankees opened a three-game series against the AL Central-leading Royals at Kauffman Stadium last night. “We control our own destiny, but it does give you a warm and fuzzy feeling knowing they are playing the West, because it’s not an easy schedule. The West is stacked and is as good as any division in baseball.”
The Yankees have six games left with the Red Sox – three in Fenway Aug. 29-31 – and three in The Bronx, Sept. 5-7. Most likely the AL East title, something the Yankees have won the last five years will be decided by how those six games turn out. However, while the Red Sox are facing the pitching-rich A’s and the balanced Mariners, the Yankees play the Royals and Orioles.
Given a choice, any team would take the Yankees’ slate over the Bosox’s. Still, there wasn’t a player in the Yankee clubhouse yesterday who admitted Boston’s schedule was a chance for the Yankees to bury their AL East rival.
“It would be nice to add to the lead this month, but you follow it closer once September hits,” Roger Clemens said.
Players have different takes on scoreboard watching. But even the ones who don’t stare at the board from the bench or bullpen can’t avoid knowing what the Red Sox are doing on a nightly basis.
“If you watch television, you can’t help it,” Sterling Hitchcock said. “The next two weeks, with the teams they are playing, can have a big effect on the wild card [winner].”
Bernie Williams ignores the scoreboard during the game, but admits he takes a look when he gets home.
“Not during the game, but obviously you see the highlight shows,” Williams said. “It’s interesting to know how other teams in your division are doing, especially with the race so close. You have to know when to re-focus.”
On the surface, it sounds simple. If the Red Sox get beat up, the Yankees can push their lead to six or seven games. But the Yankees, who started last night’s action with the best record in the AL, have been inconsistent lately. So, it’s no guarantee that if the Red Sox stumble, the Yankees can take advantage of it. This past weekend, the Orioles took three of four in Fenway and the Yankees lost two of three to the Mariners at home.
“I don’t know what it means,” Torre said of the Red Sox’s supposed brutal stretch. “We can’t be distracted by watching the scoreboard. We have to pay attention what’s going on in the field. The last couple of weeks, record-wise we have been around .500 and picked up some ground. But from the other side, I don’t know how to look at the last couple of weeks. We have played well, but unfortunately the bottom line doesn’t show that. It’s so hard to predict. Look at Boston, they have a great home record and Baltimore wins three of four.”
THE RACE FOR FIRST
The Yankees held a three-game lead over the Red Sox going into last night’s games, but the schedule the rest of the way favors the Bombers, mainly because Boston still has 14 games with the Mariners and A’s. Here’s how the remaining games break down for each team:
Yankees
Team Games Record Pct.
Kansas City 6 62-54 .534
Baltimore 15 57-59 .491
Chicago (AL) 6 62-55 .530
Red Sox 6 68-49 .581
Toronto 3 58-59 .496
Detroit 3 30-85 .261
Tampa Bay 6 45-71 .388
Totals 45 382-432 .469
Red Sox
Team Games Record Pct.
Oakland 7 67-50 .573
Seattle 7 71-46 .607
Toronto 2 58-59 .496
Yankees 6 70-45 .609
Philadelphia 1 64-53 .547
Chicago (AL) 5 62-55 .530
Baltimore 7 57-59 .491
Tampa Bay 7 45-71 .388
Cleveland 3 50-68 .424
Totals 45 544-506 .518
