Western Herald sports thought of the day

The New York Yankees appear to be on a mission. The team is 6-0 since the All-Star break, and is now in sole possession of first-place in the American League’s East Division. They currently hold a two-game lead over the Boston Red Sox.

On Monday the Yankees became the first team since the 1987 Minnesota Twins to win three consecutive games with a final score of 2-1.

The Bronx Bombers are known for their “murderers’ row” line-up, and for scoring runs in bunches, but as of late the teams’ pitching is really starting to come into their own. If these two facets of the game can remain potent, the 2009 Yankees may reach a very familiar place, another World Series.

The Yankees 26 World Series championships, and 39 appearances, are both major league records. The only other team with double-digit World Series victories is the St. Louis Cardinals, who are a distant second with 10 titles.

The Fall Classic began in 1903. If you do the math, the Yanks win a title every four years, and guess what? They’re due for another.

The teams’ off-season acquisitions are starting to pay-off. The Yankees added journeyman outfielder Nick Swisher, first baseman slugger Mark Teixeira, and two starting-rotation pitchers in C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

All of these players are contributing significantly.

This is the inaugural season of the new Yankee Stadium, and since the American League won the All-Star game, the venue has a chance to host the World Series in its first year of existence.

This is just another motivational tool for a team with the highest of expectations. The way this team has gelled together this season has been exemplary. The team has already produced 28 come-from-behind wins, and nine of those are walk-off victories.

Something reminiscent is in the air when this team is on the field, and if they continue to play with the sense of urgency that they have of late, we’ll be seeing the Yankees deep into October.

-Chris Willis
Sports reporter

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Posted by heraldstaff on Jul 23 2009. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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