The American League East was supposed to turn upside down this season. The aging Yankees were expected to take a step back, and the Red Sox were expected to be more competitive than 2012 but still a year or two away from really contending.
Throw all of that out the window.
The Red Sox and Yankees find themselves where they’ve found themselves plenty of times over the last decade — at the top of the division. But for how long will they stay there?
Boston and New York have taken different paths this season. The Yankees have dealt with injury after injury, yet they keep plugging away, hoping that they’ll only get better as they get healthier. The Red Sox, meanwhile, have used a patient offensive approach and have gotten fantastic pitching from the top of the rotation en route to a successful start.
Neither team is without flaws, but the same can be said for the rest of the AL East, which should make for an entertaining stretch run this season. And while that stretch run won’t begin for a few months, this weekend’s series in the Bronx should provide a good test for both the Sox and the Yanks.
The Red Sox took two of three from the Yankees in New York when the two teams last squared off to begin the season. A lot has changed, though, so fasten your seat belt for a wild weekend ride.
YES Network’s Chris Shearn welcomed NESN.com’s Ricky Doyle to his Off the Wall podcast on Thursday to break down the upcoming Red Sox-Yankees series. Listen to their conversation in the podcast below, courtesy of YES Network.
