It was a perfect homestand for the Boston Red Sox as they swept away the Baltimore Orioles (4 games), Minnesota Twins (2 games) and their hated rivals to the south, the New York Yankees (4 games).
The first two wins against the Yankees didn’t come too easily though as they had to fight back from a few deficits but were able to get the job done due to some timely hitting and great work out of the bullpen. Last night’s win though was just a little more special.
Justin Masterson and Andy Pettitte both were throwing pretty well but things changed drastically in the 5th when Jacoby Ellsbury stole home off of Pettitte. The steal of home left Pettitte and the Yankees rattled and they were never able to quite recover from it.
Ellsbury decided on the previous pitch that he was going to give it a bid. He was actually joking around with third-base coach DeMarlo Hale, telling him he could do it.
“I saw bases loaded with J.D. up, if I go I have to make it,” said Ellsbury. “I took the chance and fortunately I made it.”
“Guys were fired up,” he said. “That usually happens when I steal a base, steal second. But nothing like stealing home. It was pretty exciting for me when I was running down the line from third to home. Everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. That’s probably another reason I tripped up a little bit.”
Ellsbury electrifies baseball world [ProJo Sox Blog]
a scream for help [Full Count]
Red Sox Complete Sweep Of Yanks [Hartford Courant]
Red Sox clean up vs. Yankees [Boston Herald]
Red Sox speed to series sweep [Boston Globe]
J.D. Drew departs [Boston Herald]
Opting for cheers instead of chores [Boston Globe]
Red Sox-Yankees marathons can cause hangover [Boston Herald]
Heist was the height of cool [Boston Globe]
Hunter Jones, Michael Bowden ’pen good tale [Boston Herald]
They got thrown into fire [Boston Globe]
Manny Delcarmen’s fast start clicks on the radar [Boston Herald]
More pitches for Papelbon [Boston Globe]
Jacoby Ellsbury’s steal enthralls fans [Boston Herald]
Ellsbury steals home as Red Sox complete sweep of Yankees [Providence Journal]
Bowden Helps Out The Bullpen [Hartford Courant]
Masterson admires Pettitte’s ‘character’ as much as his pitching ability [Providence Journal]
Bowden excels in one-game stint with Boston bullpen [Providence Journal]
What this weekend revealed about the Red Sox and Yankees [Tony Massarotti Blog]
How to make a Red Sox 50th birthday cake [Wicked Good Sports]
For more slices of Boston Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Providence Journal websites.
And if you must see what the enemy papers are saying you can check out the NY Post, NY Daily News, Newsday and Lo Hud websites.
