Byline: HOWARD BRYANT Bergen Record
BOSTON -- By the stroke of midnight Friday, the Yankees were convincing themselves that losing to the Red Sox in extra innings was nowhere near as important as the scare they put into them by overcoming two six-run deficits.
But after the Yankees bludgeoned Boston on Sunday night, 14-5, it was the Red Sox who needed convincing that their two wins to begin this series were equally as important as ending this series with consecutive losses.
Thus, the Bronx Bombers left Boston with an impressive split of the four-game series -- impressive because the Red Sox clocked Roger Clemens on Friday to take the first two games, then had their hottest pitcher, Derek Lowe, on the mound Saturday. But instead of setting up for the kill, the Red Sox got ambushed by a home run machine that is steadily redefining this New York club.
The Yankees now begin a three-game series in Chicago trailing the Red Sox in the AL East by one game. For all the machinations and uneasiness about this club not being quite right this season, the Yankees lead the major leagues in victories.
``When you lose the first two games of the series, it was looking like a real bad episode,'' skipper Joe Torre said. ``But winning the next two, it almost feels like a sweep because you lose the first two-game series and win the second.''
Before the game, Yankees third base coach Willie Randolph noted that these early games aren't so big in the standings -- though they are significant -- but aren't nearly as important as they are psychologically. What then, are the Red Sox thinking now? Boston, meanwhile, will think -- or try not to -- about what would have happened had Jose Offerman gotten his bunt down in the eighth inning of Saturday's 3-2 loss. Perhaps they would have tied the game and won it, making Sunday's game far less important than what it turned out to be.
What it turned out to be was the announcement that the Yankees are awake and angry. Don't think about Andy Pettitte's bum elbow or Orlando Hernandez's stiff back because they've overcome their pitching by just creaming the baseball.
Before Sunday, the Yankees led the majors with 76 home runs, at least 15 more than any other team.
By the sixth inning, the Yankees had hit five of their six home runs on the evening: two by Alfonso Soriano and one each by Jorge Posada, Ron Coomer, and Jason Giambi. They led, 8-2, with Mike Mussina on the mound. To that point, all eight runs had been driven in by the home-run ball. Thus explained the torture of Darren Oliver.
``I've never seen anything like this,'' Derek Jeter said. ``Obviously, you can't expect it to last the whole season. We hit home runs, but we can manufacture them, too.'' Robin Ventura added a three-run blast off reliever Sunny Kim in the eighth.
Oliver had been in deep trouble already, his hot start tempered by the realities of his talent. Oliver was 4-3, had given up more hits than innings pitched, and had walked 18 in 45 innings. That's a lot of base runners. That hitters were batting .310 against him suggested, too, that he was not fooling anyone. Right-handed hitters were hitting .268 against Oliver, but left-handers, who should have been hitting less, were battering the left-hander to the tune of a .500 clip. It would be worse when the Yankees were done with him.
Notes: Giambi is 22-for-35 (.629) in his career against Oliver with two homers, five walks and two hit by pitches. ... The Red Sox finished their homestand 7-6 but still have the best record in the majors at 32-15.
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