The last time the Yankees and Red Sox met in April, the prevailing theme was two-way reconnaissance. Aaron Judge was a newcomer to the rivalry and the image of Chris Sale at Fenway was a shock to the system, too. The Red Sox were still considered American League's royalty, while the Yankees were only in the early stages of becoming a threat on Yawkey Way _ too young and too unknown to be taken seriously, let alone hated.
But much has changed since then. It's almost as if we're in an alternate universe. Judge is playing like the Rookie of the Year. Wait, more like a mature veteran. Better yet, an MVP front-runner now that Mike Trout is on the disabled list. And while Sale has been as good (great) as advertised, the AL's resident Cyborg, the Sox are in second place, chasing the Bombers. A fairly competent team, but not the powerhouse that was supposed to treat the regular season as a warm-up for October.
This week's showdown at the Stadium becomes a brand new referendum, except the equation has been flipped. We're no longer asking if the Yankees are for real; that question has been answered. The more relevant narrative is whether the Sox can hang with the Bombers over three games without Sale, who pitched on Sunday in Baltimore.
It's too early, of course, to make a conclusive argument about the race, but the incoming data will still tell us plenty. Remember, the Yankees not only swept Boston in their last meeting _ a rain-shortened two-game series _ but limited them to one run and seven hits over 18 innings. A similar triumph would go a long way toward establishing the Yankees as the favorites for the rest of the summer.
In the meantime, here are five people (and story lines) to watch this week.
