The blue skies and relatively cool air of Boston brought a touch of autumn, and the green lawn of Fenway Park had a definite feeling of fall baseball.
It may have been an unwanted Labor Day makeup date, but this was not one of those White Sox games against the Detroit Tigers. This one was against the 2004 World Series champion Red Sox, who have their eyes on repeating. The 70-degree day and the largest regular-season crowd in Boston (35,673) since 1990 cast it as a playoff preview.
The White Sox also have designs on winning the World Series, and they realize the road could go through Boston. And thanks to their 5-3 victory Monday, the road to the AL pennant may not start in Boston.
After Monday, it’s likely the White Sox not only will have home-field advantage but also the psychological edge if a rematch occurs in October. So the trip to Boston was worth it, and manager Ozzie Guillen wanted to hear no complaining.
“That’s their job,” Guillen said. “They get paid a lot of money to do that. The last three weeks of the season are important. You have to prepare mentally and be tough.
“It was a tough schedule. But we got here early [Sunday] night. We get back to Chicago early [Monday night]. We’ve got a night game [Tuesday night], and hopefully they don’t make the trip an excuse.”
Actually, it should be a big lift for them, because this is what the White Sox accomplished:
– Improved to 85-51 and dropped Boston five games behind in the race for best record in the league, which determines home-field advantage. The AL winner automatically has home-field advantage in the World Series because its league won the All-Star Game.
– Won in Boston, which is not only a good omen for the playoffs but also not an easy thing to do. The Red Sox came into the game a major-league-best 46-20 at home, including wins in 21 of their previous 23 home games.
– Improved to 3-4 against Boston. That might not sound like much, but the Sox are 12-17 against the four teams they’re most likely to face in the playoffs. They are 4-3 against the Angels, the only contender left on their schedule besides Cleveland. The Angels come to Chicago this weekend.
Actually, Guillen expected his team to play well Monday despite grumbling about the trip.
“I think you prepare mentally better when you face a team that’s also in the pennant race,” he said. “When you play a team that’s the world champions and they’re going be in playoffs, you have to be prepared mentally and physically to play the game.
“This is a team we might see later on in the [post]season.”
