Yankees Vs. Red Sox Position by Position (Part 2)

Last time, I detailed the starting line ups of each team by position, but to wrap this comparison up I will compare the starting rotations, bullpens, closers, bench, and managers. I’ll break down the starting rotation pitcher by pitcher to get a better look at it.

 

Aces- Chien-Ming Wang vs. Josh Beckett

Wang and Beckett have both been the steady rocks in their rotations and should both have top 5 finishes in the Cy Young voting. However, Wang’s 3.72 ERA and 18 wins both fall short of Beckett’s marks of 3.14 ERA and 20 wins, not to mention the obvious edge Beckett has in K’s (180 to 94, nearly 2 to 1). Their head to head matchup on September 15^th also echoed Beckett’s advantage, with the Red Sox and Beckett taking the win.

Advantage- Red Sox

 

#2 Starters- Andy Pettitte vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka 

Its more difficult to pinpoint Boston’s number 2 starter, but with the amount of money and hype behind Dice-K he should take the spot. The fact that the Yankees number 2 starter is clear is an advantage in and of itself. Pettitte has been just as reliable as Wang and could even arguably be called the Yankees ace. Pettitte is 14-8 with a 3.79 ERA and could have a much better record if not for early season bad luck. Pettitte has played the role of the stopper for the Yankees during his entire career in the Bronx, with a career record of 70-33 following a Yankees loss. Matsuzaka, on the other hand, has been a relative disappointment in his first year in the league after the huge posting fee the Red Sox paid for him. After paying $51.11 million just for the rights for Matsuzaka plus a 6 year, $52 million contract, Dice-K has gone 14-12 with a 4.41 ERA in 190 innings. Dice-K was recently pushed back in the rotation to give him some extra rest as well as set up the Red Sox rotation for the post season. Despite the hype, Dandy Andy has been the better pitcher this season.

Advantage- Yankees

 

Old Reliables, #3’s- Roger Clemens vs. Curt Schilling

The 45 year old right hander, Roger Clemens, has been a moderate disappointment since signing his record pro-rated $28 million deal. Clemens has gone just 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA in his return to the Bronx. Curt Schilling, a relative youngster compared to Clemens at age 40, has not had one of his better seasons either at 8-8 with a 3.97 ERA. Both pitchers have had to deal with various injuries over the season (shoulder for Schilling, groin, foot, and elbow for Clemens) but that’s to be expected from two pitchers who are a combined 85 years old. Between them, Clemens and Schilling have a combined 1277 games played and 569 victories. The big difference between the two? Clemens is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA vs. Boston this season and Schilling is 0-3 with a 5.51 ERA vs. the Yankees.

Advantage- Yankees

 

Old but Less Reliable, #4’s- Time Wakefield vs. Mike Mussina

Phil Hughes should probably be listed as the Yankees number 4 starter, but Joe Torre has made it clear that right now Mussina is the favorite to be the 4^th starter come playoff time, if one is even necessary that is. Mussina had recently been banished from the starting rotation in favor of rookie Ian Kennedy, but since being inserted back into the rotation Mussina has delivered. In 2 starts Mussina has pitched 12.2 scoreless innings, but still features an ugly 10-10 and 5.01 ERA overall. Wakefield, the 16 game winner, has gone in the opposite direction, going winless since August 25^th and allowing 4 ER or more in his past 3 starts. Wakefield is 16-11 with a 4.73 ERA overall. If not for inning limits on both teams younger guns, neither of these starters may be in the post season plans but right now both appear to be the probably Game 4 starters for their respective teams. Since Wakefield has never been pulled from the rotation, he should get the edge over Moose.

Advantage- Red Sox

 

The Young Guns, #5’s/6’s- Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy vs. Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester

Let me just run through the numbers quick: Phil Hughes is 4-3 with a 4.75, Ian Kennedy is 1-0 with a 1.89, Buchholz is 3-1 with a 1.59 (and a no-hitter), and Jon Lester is 4-0 with a 4.45. The Phil Hughes vs. Clay Buchholz debate is one that may go on between the two teams for the next decade, but there is no denying that Buchholz has gotten off to the better start in the majors. After returning from cancer, Lester has been a solid but not brilliant starter, while Ian Kennedy has been brilliant in a small sampling of 3 starts. The ceiling for the Yankees 2 young guns in the future is likely higher, but for this season I have no choice but to call this one a draw, due largely to too small a sample size from all 4 of these pitchers.

Advantage- None

 

Closers- Mariano Rivera vs. Jonathan Papelbon

Red Sox nation is already willing to anoint Jonathan Papelbon as the new Mariano Rivera; he still has a long way to go before being adequately compared to the greatest closer of all time. While it may be true that Papelbon’s ERA is nearly a full run lower then Rivera’s (1.96 to 2.94) and Papelbon may have 5 more saves this season (35 to 30), Rivera still owns a rather decisive 443 saves to Papelbon’s 70. Oddly enough, both closers have struggled against each other’s teams, with River having several high profile blown saves against the Red Sox and Papelbon already suffering 2 losses to the Yankees this season. Rivera, the 1999 World Series MVP, is 3^rd on the all time saves list and his post season pedigree still leaves him second to none when it comes to closing the door on the opponent.

Advantage- Yankees

 

Set Up Men

If I were writing this in June, there would be no question that the Red Sox core of set up men was far superior to that of the Yankees. Luis Vizcaino was a mess, Joba Chamberlain was still in the minor leagues, Eric Gagne was in Texas, and Hideki Okajima was dominating every hitter he faced. However, Luis Vizcaino has a 2.51 ERA since the All Star Break, Joba Chamberlain has a 0.49 ERA and 24 K’s in18.1 innings, Eric Gagne has single handedly lost 4 games for the Red Sox and has a 9.00 ERA since being acquired by the Red Sox, and Hideki Okajima’s ERA has risen nearly a run and a half since August 1^st before being shut down for several days to rest. Apparently Theo Epstein has never heard the expression, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

Advantage- Yankees

 

Bench

The Yankees bench can often be mistaken for another team’s starting line up. Their bench on any given day could consist of the likes of Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Wilson Betemit, Doug Mientkiewicz, Shelley Duncan, and Jose Molina. It’s a stark contrast to the Yankees bench in the beginning of the season that featured the likes of Will Nieves, Miguel Cairo, and Josh Phelps. The Red Sox feature a bench consisting of Doug Mirabelli, Alex Cora, Eric Hinske, and Bobby Kielty. However, they will receive a dangerous weapon off the bench once Manny Ramirez returns from his vacation and Jacoby Ellsbury can be a serious threat both at the plate and on the basepaths. Still, the fact that the Yankees have extraordinary power on their bench and guys capable of starting on most teams as opposed to the Red Sox group of actual bench players wins out.

Advantage- Yankees

 

Managers- Joe Torre vs. Terry Francona

Joe Torre has 2061 wins as a manager, 8^th all time, and 4 world series rings. Terry Francona has a seemingly comparably weak 568 wins, 89^th all time, and one World Series ring with the Red Sox, although it was a big win. Still, Francona is a relative novice at managing when compared to Joe Torre, one of the best managers of this generation.

Advantage- Yankees

 

The in depth comparison of the Yankees and the Red Sox is complete and with the Yankees 6-2-1 advantage in the second portion combined with their 6-3 lead from the first half, the Yankees have won this little fake competition 12-5-1. A pretty large advantage for the Bronx Bombers, which surely helps explain how they have been able to make up so much ground in the standings. Still, the best team in paper is far from a lock to actually win anything, so as they say, that’s why they play the games!