Yankees Roll Past Red Sox to Open Pivotal 4th of July Weekend Series

YANKEES 8 - RED SOX 1 

It's June 29. Temperatures are in the upper 90s. And yet, around New York it feels like September. Serious September baseball that is.

The Yankees and Red Sox entered Friday's opener of a three-game series in a dead-heat for the the AL East lead and the best record in all of baseball. All things considered, both teams are on pace to win 108 games this year. So to say a lot is at stake this weekend is an understatement.

And the Yankees got off to a good start in the win department.

The Yankees dominated the Red Sox, Friday, 8-1 behind two blasts from Greg Bird, and homers by Miguel Andjuar and Aaron Judge to boot.

The Yankees, who lead all of Major League Baseball in home runs with 127, lived up to the moniker as Bronx Bombers on Friday night.

And to think the fireworks really didn't get underway until the Bombers held a 2-0 lead on a RBI single by Andjuar and a sac fly by Gleyber Torres.

Then the bombs came. Andujar crushed the second pitch he saw from Eduardo Rodriguez to left to give the Yanks a 4-0 lead. Bird followed, working the count to 3-2, before slapping a Rodriguez fastball over the left field wall to give the Yankees a 5-0 lead.

That was more than enough insurance for CC Sabathia. The crafty, 37-year old lefty gave the Yankees seven superb innings, allowing only one run on six hits with five strikeouts. Sabathia is now 5-3 on the year. It was Sabathia's most complete effort since May 4, when he held the Indians to three hits over six innings in a no decision. It was the first time CC went seven innings for the win since April 29, a 2-1 victory over the LA Angels in Anaheim.

The Yankees need performances like that from CC when it counts. He delivered big time tonight, and he has to for the rest of the year.

Offensively, the Yankees continued the home run barrage in the seventh inning when Aaron Judge connected on a two-run blast to make it 7-1. Greg Bird wrapped up his big night with a solo-shot to right in the eighth to make it 8-1.

At 53-26, the Yankees are tied via percentage points with the Red Sox, who fall to 55-28.

The two rivals meet again Saturday night when Sonny Gray toes the rubber for the Yankees opposite Red Sox ace, Chris Sale. First pitch at 7:15 on FOX 5.

Sandy Alderson Steps Aside as Mets General Manager

New York Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson is taking an immediate leave of absence to address his personal health, according to several reports on Tuesday.

According to the New York Daily News, Alderson admitted that he is stepping aside in order to fight a form of cancer that returned in April, and he will undergo chemotherapy.

As a result Alderson's top lieutenant John Ricco will serve as the interim General Manager, splitting time with one-time Mets GM Omar Minaya, who is in the front office leading the clubs scouting department.

When asked by reporters on Tuesday whether Alderson will return to his normal duties when and if the cancer is under control, Mets COO Jeff Wilpon didn't want to speculate, only stating that Alderson's health comes first.

This is not the first time that Alderson has been hit by cancer. In December of 2015 he was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemo to treat the disease in early 2016. He wound up having surgery later that same year.

Alderson did indicated that he has been undergoing treatment since he was re-diagnosed in April, adding that he expects to have surgery this summer, and that his "prognosis is actually good."

It is interesting that the news is coming when the team is in the midst of turning into the worst team in the National League. The Mets dropped their seventh in a row last night to the Pittsburgh Pirates, falling to 31-45 on the season. New York is 20-44 since an 11-1 start to the season.

The entire season has been marred by horrendous offensive performances on a nightly basis, inconsistent pitching, injuries, and an encyclopedia of managerial gaffs by first year skipper Mickey Callaway. In short, the 2018 season has been a complete nightmare for all involved.

For weeks fans have been wondering whether the Mets would eventually part ways with Alderson at some point this season, considering how poorly the team has underachieved since its surprising World Series run in 2015.

While Alderson gets lots of brownie points for acquiring Yoenis Cespedes in 2015, and having Noah Syndergaard fall into his lap in the R.A. Dickey trade with Toronto in 2013, he has received plenty of criticism for his inability to build a competent minor league system and for putting way too much stock in aging players well past their prime.

“I feel personally responsible for the results that we’ve had,” Alderson told reporters on Tuesday. “At the same time, I have confidence in our manager, our staff, our players that this will change.”

Again, there is no indication that Alderson will return to the Mets this season or ever.

The news changes the story-line for the Mets. Now fans will get a first hand look at how John Ricco handles to role as GM for an extended period of time. Ricco was once Mets interim GM for all of three weeks back in October of 2010 when the Mets, ironically, fired Minaya before hiring Alderson. Now Ricco gets to replace Alderson and will have Minaya working with him.  Can you say: awkward?

Ricco will now be responsible for some of the biggest decisions moving forward for New York, namely selling off players come the July 31 trade deadline. Will Ricco and company keep Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard? Will they be more willing to tear the team down and begin a full rebuild? Is Ricco the next full time GM of the Mets? And what does this all mean for Mickey Callaway and his future with the club?

There are a lot of questions, and we will begin to get the answers in the coming days and weeks. One thing is certain, the Mets are moving in a new direction without Sandy Alderson.