BOSTON _ Yes, for all his previous success against the Red Sox, J.A. Happ wound up on the losing end of his most important game at Boston _ last year's AL Division Series opener.
And through his first 26 starts this season, the Yankees veteran lefty had carried a hefty 5.57 ERA.
Lately?
Just when it appeared he'd run out of time to turn around his regular season, Happ has thrown himself back into the mix for a playoff start.
Following up an impressive stint against the Oakland Athletics, Happ handcuffed the Boston Red Sox in leading the Yankees to a 5-1 victory late Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park.
After a solid 6 1/3 innings against the defending world champs, that makes two straight scoreless outings for Happ with just three hits allowed over a total of 12 1/3 innings _ with 12 strikeouts.
This time, the Red Sox' attempt to bullpen their way through a second straight win against the Yankees backfired _ an outcome influenced by some none support from the Boston defense.
In right field, J.D. Martinez lost a Didi Gregorius liner in the sun for a double, putting runners at second and third.
Gary Sanchez followed with a gift, two-run hit when Martinez and second baseman Brock Holt pulled up in their pursuit of an opposite-field bloop that bounced into the stands for a ground-rule double.
Immediately, Edwin Encarnacion doubled down on that mistake by mashing a massive two-run homer off Colten Brewer that cleared the Green Monster seats in left.
As the Yankees barrel toward October, it's time to take a fresh look at how they might align their rotation for a best-of-five ALDS.
Sunday's starter against the Red Sox, Masahiro Tanaka, would appear to be a lockdown choice to open any playoff series at home.
After that, it's sort of up for grabs as to how the Yankees might go _ and they've got about three weeks to decide.
Do they continue to trust Domingo German, so reliable over a long stretch but stumbling lately as he ventures into uncharted seasonal innings totals?
Is James Paxton, pitching consistently well down the stretch, the logical choice to start an important Game 3 on the road?
Can Luis Severino, yet to pitch a big league inning this season, be counted on to make a significant contribution as a starter in, say, a Game 4?
And does CC Sabathia have a role in postseason as he tries to come back from the latest injury to his chronic, arthritic right knee?
Happ's next start should be on Thursday afternoon at Detroit.
Based on the Yankees' remaining schedule, Happ should have two more starts after that to prove he deserves his shot at another October assignment.
And there was an encouraging sign from first baseman Luke Voit, who smashed a long double to dead center field in his fourth time up.
To that point, Voit was 4 for 22 with just one extra base hit in seven games since coming off the injured list, missing a month due to a sports hernia.
"The good thing is with Luke, we do feel like he's healthy _ I even checked with him (Friday) night," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Voit responded that he felt great physically, and "I think just for him, (it's about) getting that confident swagger back to where he's back to grinding out at-bats," Boone said.
Voit has batted in the No. 8 spot in these first two games of a four-game set against the Red Sox, but "we've got a good team," Boone said. "The difference between the eighth, ninth and fifth hitters on our roster is razor thin."
