4. The Yankees

Tony Massarotti, Globe Staff

At the moment, the Red Sox hold a three-game lead in the division with 74 games to play. Boston and New York have 10 games remaining, the first four coming in New York on Aug. 6-9. The Red Sox currently hold a whopping 8-0 edge in the season series, yet the clubs were tied for first place entering last weekend. Last season, the Sox (38-27) and Yankees (39-28) effectively played even after the break, but no team in baseball has done a better job of closing in recent years than the Yankees (pictured is captain Derek Jeter). Since the 2005 All-Star break, the Yankees have the best second-half record in baseball (186-109) and have defeated the Sox by 24 games, an average of six per half-season. Last year, the Angels and Rays were better than the Sox in the second half.
At the moment, the Red Sox hold a three-game lead in the division with 74 games to play. Boston and New York have 10 games remaining, the first four coming in New York on Aug. 6-9. The Red Sox currently hold a whopping 8-0 edge in the season series, yet the clubs were tied for first place entering last weekend. Last season, the Sox (38-27) and Yankees (39-28) effectively played even after the break, but no team in baseball has done a better job of closing in recent years than the Yankees (pictured is captain Derek Jeter). Since the 2005 All-Star break, the Yankees have the best second-half record in baseball (186-109) and have defeated the Sox by 24 games, an average of six per half-season. Last year, the Angels and Rays were better than the Sox in the second half.
AP Photo / Mark J. Terrill