2005-10-02 12:24:54Column
Hard Slog Puts Yankees on Top, Boston and Cleveland on Edge
BOSTON, Oct. 1 - The old lawn at Fenway Park was covered in shadows at 4:27 p.m. Saturday, and Yankees Manager Joe Torre could have put away his sunglasses. In any other season, he would have.
Torre was witnessing the clinching of a division title. For the Yankees, it happens every year, but this time was different. This time, the Yankees had to fight harder than they ever had in a decade under Torre.
Three months ago, they were a .500 team. But when Mariano Rivera tossed Johnny Damon's grounder to Tino Martinez for the last out of an 8-4 victory over the Red Sox on Saturday, the Yankees were the American League East champions. Torre left his sunglasses on.
Torre was witnessing the clinching of a division title. For the Yankees, it happens every year, but this time was different. This time, the Yankees had to fight harder than they ever had in a decade under Torre.
Three months ago, they were a .500 team. But when Mariano Rivera tossed Johnny Damon's grounder to Tino Martinez for the last out of an 8-4 victory over the Red Sox on Saturday, the Yankees were the American League East champions. Torre left his sunglasses on.