Sox are in

Red Sox owner John Henry was watching on the television set installed in his owner’s box seats adjacent to the Red Sox dugout. And when the final score became official, he leaned over and informed the inhabitants that the Red Sox, with a 6-0 lead over New York in the fifth inning, had already stamped their ticket for the playoffs, courtesy of Chicago’s 3-1 win over the Indians. Cleveland is now eliminated from wild card contention.

Not that Boston wasn’t taking the matters into its own hands, but the official word brought on some sense of relief in Henry’s box, where the owner and his guests cheered when Grady Sizemore grounded out to end the game (Red Sox nemesis Aaron Boone had tried to get things started in the ninth with a leadoff walk).

About five minutes later, the Green Monster workers reflected the score by removing the ‘9’ from the scoreboard in left field, a process broadcast on the Jumbotron, to a huge ovation from the Fenway crowd.

No matter of any Yankee comeback, the Red Sox open the postseason Tuesday night in Chicago.