Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox 9/27

The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox begin their final series of the 2016 season tonight marking the final three times that David Ortiz will step foot inside Yankee Stadium. One word comes to mind when I think about Oritz’s final game inside Yankee Stadium. No not the word “ceremony” or “retirement” but instead “hallelujah” comes to mind. This guy has killed the Yankees in his career, hasn’t he? Let me answer that for you, he has, and the ultimate sign of respect will be millions of Yankees fans holding the door for him and pushing him through it to retirement. That’s the Thursday night game though, we have to worry about tonight first so we’ll do just that right here with this preview. In the start tonight the Yankees will send Luis Cessa to the mound to face off with Mr. David Price, a familiar foe for these Yankees over the years.

Cessa has been a lot more prone to the home run ball lately than the Yankees would like but they can’t really ask any more from the young right-hander than they’ve already gotten this season. Cessa has pitched especially well since moving into the team’s starting rotation and has pitched well enough for the Yankees to win every start he’s made if he had a little help from the offense. What more could you ask for?

Price is starting to hit his second half groove but it hasn’t come against the Yankees this season. Price has gone at least seven innings in four of his past five starts including his last start against the Baltimore Orioles to push his season total up to 218.2 innings pitched. Fatigue tonight in the Bronx? I sure hope so.

The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium, welcome home Yankees, and can be seen on the YES Network, ESPN 2 and MLB TV. It all comes down to this Yankees family. Three games with the Boston Red Sox, a David Ortiz goodbye ceremony and three games with the Baltimore Orioles before the Yankees are all golfing for the winter. Well, these are the baby bombers after all so maybe it will be a long winter of playing video games instead. Either way the season is winding down and part of me is glad. The 162 game grind is exhausting, especially with the ups and downs with this team this season, and it takes its toll even on the people who blog about and cover the team. The players have to be exhausted too but that’s no excuse. It’s still Go Yankees!