Hello, again
The Red Sox have played 353 games over the past two years (including the postseason), and almost 15 percent of those games have been against one opponent - the New York Yankees, the same Yankees they'll play in six of their first nine games this season. A rundown of numbers from those 52 knock-down, drag-out battles that included two seven-game AL Championship Series, courtesy of the Maniacal One (Chuck Waseleski of Millers Falls).
27: Red Sox wins (25 for the Yankees).
285-274: Margin by which Red Sox have outscored the Yankees (outhomering them, 80-57, in the process).
21:Games decided from the seventh inning on (Boston has won 11).
8: Games won by Red Sox in their final at-bat (7 by the Yankees).
12: Blown saves by the Yankees (6 by Mariano Rivera) in 21opportunities. Sox have blown just 2 (Timlin, Kim) in 13 save opportunities.
.291: Sox batters against Mariano Rivera. Yankees batters have hit .131 against Keith Foulke.
15: Games Yankees have won coming from behind (12 by Sox).
3-9: Sox in games started by Pedro Martinez vs. 24-16 in other games (4-1 in Bronson Arroyo starts, 6-3 in Tim Wakefield starts).
4: Yankees' wins in 5 games started by David Wells against Boston (5-5 in Mike Mussinas starts, 1-4 in Kevin Brown starts).
.385: Trot Nixon against Mike Mussina (10 for 26); Manny Ramirez is .313 (10 for 32), while the rest of the team is .188.
3-0: Tim Wakefield in starts in Yankee Stadium (1.85 ERA); he's 2-2, 3.51 in starts at Fenway.
.417: David Ortiz's average in 60 at-bats from the seventh inning on, with 6 home runs and 18 RBIs.
.329: Hideki Matsui's team-best average vs. Sox; he also leads club in hits (69) and RBIs (40), while Jorge Posada has the most home runs (10).
.067: Derek Jeter's futility (1 for 15) against Curt Schilling; he has same numbers vs. Mike Timlin.
Hideki Matsui leads the Yankees against Boston in batting average (.329), hits (69), and RBI (40). Jorge Posada leads the Yankees in home runs (10).
David Ortiz leads the Red Sox against New York in batting average (.330), hits (61), home runs (14), and RBI (42).
Keith Foulke appeared in 14 of the 26 games last season, 7 before the ninth inning.
Thirteen of Mariano Riveras 27 appearances against Boston have lasted more than one inning.
