Red Sox Take Charge of AL East, Expose Yankees in Sweep

Boston now has a 9.5 game lead in the division, the largest lead in baseball.

BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 5: Andrew Benintendi #16 of the Boston Red Sox reacts with teammates after hitting the game winning walk off single during the tenth inning of a game against the New York Yankees on August 5, 2018 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 5: Andrew Benintendi #16 of the Boston Red Sox reacts with teammates after hitting the game winning walk off single during the tenth inning of a game against the New York Yankees on August 5, 2018 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
Getty Images

The Yankees came to Boston with hopes of gaining ground in the division — and left Sunday night with hopes of just staying at the top of the Wild Card standings.

Had New York been able to sweep the Red Sox, the team would only be 1.5 games behind Boston for the lead in the AL East and the guarantee of avoiding having to play a Wild Card playoff game that comes with first place.

Now, after losing all four games – including an extra-innings backbreaker on Sunday night that saw the team blow a 4-1 lead – the Yankees sit 9.5 games behind Boston in the standings, giving the Red Sox the largest division lead in MLB. Boston also won the Twitter battle.

Granted, it’s still the first week of August and the Yankees clearly have a mathematical chance to regain first place, but the odds are not in their favor.

With their pitching staff struggling from top to bottom, the Yankees are still without slugger Aaron Judge and catcher Gary Sanchez and will be for the foreseeable future. The Bronx Bombers are bombing right now.

And, even if the Yankees were healthy, they might not catch the 79-34 Red Sox. Boston hasn’t won 100 games since MLB went to a 162-game schedule in 1961, but the team is currently on pace for 113 wins, which would be a franchise record.

Win the Ultimate Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix Experience

Want the F1 experience of a lifetime? Here’s your chance to win tickets to see Turn 18 Grandstand, one of Ultimate Formula 1® Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix’s most premier grandstands!