Busting out the brooms?

For the series finale between the Sox and Yanks, Just South of North's Brandon Hansen, his friend Colin and myself are going to be throwing our two cents about the game on here as it progresses. Hopefully, a lot of cheers follow instead of a lot of curse words.

Boston's top three relievers are unavailable tonight, so hopefully Sox starter Justin Masterson can go deep into the game.
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End Game, 4-1 Sox: Sox have now won 10 straight after SWEEPING the Yankees. Saito made it a bit interesting, giving up a 2-out single and falling behind Johnny Damon 2-0, but Saito rallied to induce the fly out and secure the 9-0 homestand.

End 8th: Hopefully the bottom of the 8th doesn't come back to bite Boston. They loaded the bases with nobody out, but Lowell, Varitek and Green all failed to knock in the runs and the score remains the same with Takashi Saito coming out for the save. 4-1 Sox after eight innings.

Middle 8th: Bowden has been awesome in his appearance tonight, getting Teixeira to fly out, Swisher to ground out and Cano, New York's hottest hitter, to strike out. Now, Boston's 4-5-6 hitters will come up looking to add a couple insurance runs before the 9th.

End 7th: I'd make this as short as the Sox's 7th, but it's already too late. Ellsbury, Pedroia and Ortiz went down on about five pitches. Teixeira, Swisher and Cano coming up in the 8th. 4-1 Sox after seven innings.

Middle 7th: What started off ominously for Michael Bowden in his 2009 debut ended splendidly. Bowden fell behind 3-0 to Berroa before coming back to retire him. Brett Gardner suffered a similar fate, as Bowden fell behind 3-1, but induced a fly out. Finally, Bowden struck Jeter out on a fastball at the knees to keep the three-run lead intact. Top of the order coming up for the Red Sox.

End 6th: Quick inning for Boston, as Lowell and Varitek went down on two pitches apiece. Green laced a single to left, but was picked off by Pettitte, leaving Ellsbury at the plate. Might be for the best as far as Ellsbury making history. He needs to steal third to steal every base possible in the same game. Stay tuned. 4-1 Sox after six innings.

Middle 6th: Well I spent the last five minutes not breathing. After Masterson allowed a pair of baserunners, Francona brought in Hunter Jones for the second time in his career to face two Yankee hitters who represented the tying run. Hideki Matsui hit a laser off Jones, but right at Drew for the second out. Then Jones sat down a hot Melky Cabrera on three pitches to escape the jam. Bottom third of the order due up for Boston.

End 5th: Wow, what an inning. The Sox had one in on an RBI double by Ortiz and the bags loaded with two down for Drew. On the third pitch of the AB, Ellsbury took off and stole home, sending Fenway into pandemonium. A few pitches later, Drew drove a pitch down the right field line for a ground rule double and another RBI before Bay struck out looking to end the inning. 4-1 Sox after five innings.

Middle 5th: Masterson survives a scare from Teixeira who drives the ball to right with two outs and Jeter on first, but Drew made the catch on the warning track to keep the game tied at 1 halfway through (hopefully). Varitek, Green and Ellsbury due up for the Sawx in the home half of the fifth.

End 4th: Pettitte strikes out the side with a walk and stolen base to Bay in between. I don't know how Drew is hitting over .300 against Pettitte in his career, but he's seen six pitches and struck out twice, so... 1-1 after three innings.

Middle 4th: For the second straight inning, New York mounted a threat against Masterson, but with runners on the corners and two outs, Melky Cabrera grounded the first pitch of his at-bat to Pedroia to end the inning. Sox have the middle of the order coming up, which got some runners on against Pettitte in the second.

End 3rd: Sox return the favor, as Ellsbury gets on via fielder's choice, steals second, reaches third on Angel Berroa's second error of the inning and scores on a David Ortiz sac fly before Pedroia is picked off to end the inning. 1-1 after three innings.

Middle 3rd: Yanks took a lead after a clean single, a bad hop, a sacrifice bunt and a sac fly. After a Lowell error, Masterson escaped further trouble by getting the only automatic out not named Angel Berroa in the New York lineup, Mark Teixeira, to fly out on the first pitch. 1-0 Yanks after two and a half.

End 2nd: I thought Varitek made it 3-0 and just about jumped out of my seat. Instead, the ball failed to reach the monster and ended the inning, leaving Bay and Lowell on after they reached with 2-out singles. Pettitte is still getting hit pretty hard by the Sox who swing the bat (hint hint, J.D. Drew). 0-0 after two innings.

Middle 2nd: Another 1-2-3 inning for Masterson, including a strikeout, groundout and flyout. The way this is going, it could be the first Boston-New York game since 1947 which was finished in under three hours.

End 1st: A great start for Boston turns into nothing, as Pedroia follows up an Ellsbury single with a fly out and Ortiz lines into an inning-ending double play. Sox got much better swings off of Pettitte than the Yanks did off Masterson. O-O after an inning.

Middle 1st: Great first inning for Masterson with two ground balls and a strikeout of Mark Teixeira. Time for the Sox to come out swinging against Andy Pettitte in their half of the first.