Yanks Ride Cortes, Bad Sox Fielding to Fenway Sweep

Let's get this out of the way right now: The important thing is winning the game, not any individual action that takes place along the way to winning it. And the ultimate goal is to win the World Series, not to have any particular individual issues.

When Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs in 1927, the Yankees won the World Series. When Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961, the Yankees won the World Series. If Aaron Judge makes it to 62 home runs, and the Yankees don't win the World Series, there's going to be a cloud over the achievement for all time. Whereas, if he gets to 60, and hits no more, but the Yankees still win the World Series, that makes the season a success.

So let's not be upset that Judge didn't his 58th home run last night. Let's be glad that the Yankees completed the 2-game sweep of The Scum in Boston.

Nestor Cortes started, and, again, with "load management" on their mind, Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone limited him, this time to 65 pitches. That got him 1 batter into the 6th inning, and he'd allowed 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks, striking out 7. Clarke Schmidt pitched a perfect 6th and 7th.

Cortes left with, and Schmidt protected, a 4-1 lead. With 1 out in the top of the 5th, Aaron Hicks reached on an error by Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Aaron Judge singled. Giancarlo Stanton struck out, but Gleyber Torres singled to right, scoring Hicks. The throw home was late, and catcher Connor Wong tried to throw Torres out as he went for 2nd. The throw went into the outfield, all the way to the wall, and Torres was able to come all the way around to score.

Wong sought to redeem himself in the bottom of the 5th, and doubled home the 1st Sox run. But Isiah Kiner-Falefa led off the top of the 6th with a walk, and you know what that can do for one team and to the other. He stole 2nd, and was doubled home by Jose Trevino.

Jonathan Loáisiga was sent out to pitch the bottom of the 8th, and he allowed 3 singles and was hurt by an error by Marwin González at 1st base before he could get out of it. In the top of the 9th, Stanton doubled, and Torres benefited from another error, this time by the Sox center fielder, former Yankee "prospect" Rob Refsnyder, allowing an unearned run.

Clay Holmes was sent out to close it, but allowed a leadoff double. A groundout moved the runner to 3rd. That was fine: The Yankees had room to sacrifice a base to get the out. Another groundout scored the runner. That was fine: That run meant nothing. Then Holmes got a strikeout to end it.

Yankees 5, Red Sox 3. WP: Cortes (10-4). SV: Holmes (20). LP: Brayan Bello (1-6). A sweep of The Scum, at Fenway Park.

The Yankees now play away to the Milwaukee Brewers, something that was usually problematic for them from 1970 to 1997, no matter how good or bad the Brewers were, until 1998, when the Brewers were moved to the National League.

The Yankees now lead the American League Eastern Division by 6 1/2 games over the Toronto Blue Jays, and by 7 over the Tampa Bay Rays. In the loss column, they lead both of those teams by 7. The Magic Number to eliminate each of them, and thus win the Division, is 13.