The Bronx could have a huuuuuge case of the Mondays if they have to wear Sox caps and have the picture taken to prove it. Seriously, that would smell more than that years-old ketchup on Schilling's sock.
But we're expecting big things from Johnny Damon and Jorge Posada tonight. They lit up Dice-K last year, going 5-for-13 and 5-for-9, respectively in three games against him last season.
Dice-K was 2-1 against the Yankees last season. The Yanks hit .238 against him (20-for-84) with three home runs, 13 walks and 21 strikeouts.
Those numbers make it look Dice-K was worth the $100+ million Boston had to spend to get him to beat the Yankees.
Now try these numbers:
April 22: 7 IP, 6 ER (W)
April 27: 6 IP, 4 ER (W)
Aug. 28: 6.1 IP, 5 ER (L)
That's a softball beer league ERA of 6.99. Ooh, looks like Dice-K loves to give up runs against the Yankees.
Conversely, Phil Hughes has never allowed a hit against the Red Sox. Of course, he's never pitched against them, but Red Sox 1B Sean Casey is 0-for-2 career against Hughes.
Yes, numbers can easily be manipulated to tell the story you want to tell. But it's still fun, provided we're talking about sports blogs and not government, politics or economics.
- La Monica