Now THAT’S what we’re talking about!

There are big wins, and then there are games like yesterday’s rout of the Yankees. The Red Sox might have won the division without it, but it sure as hell would have been a hell of a lot harder to.

Beckett was dealing in the Fenway shade, just as the Sox needed him to.

Naturally, a single win, regardless of when it comes, doesn’t make a season. But yesterday afternoon, a win might have saved Boston’s. Friday night’s collapse was the team’s worst since either the Papelbon blown save in last year’s Boston massacre or - gulp - Game 7 of that series in 2003. You know which one.

All of that made yesterday’s game, and particularly the performance of Josh Beckett, all that much more important. If there was any question which pitcher was the AL’s most dominant, it was answered yesterday. Ching-Ming Wang may have entered with the same number of victories as Monsieur Beckett, but his were more sporadic, even if they did come across fewer starts.

Beckett’s, on the other hand, have been consistent from Day One; they’ve all been dominant performances from the tall Texan. He’s flashed a more consistent curve ball than in past seasons. He’s had his heat right where it’s been during the best stretches of his career. He’s mixing strikeouts with smart contact baseball. And, perhaps most importantly, he’s doing it all and winning while staying healthy.

Perhaps the one smudge on Beckett’s record before yesterday was that he had yet to dominant the Yankees. Sure, he’d had wins against the pinstripes, but they’d always come in games where both teams had racked up runs, usually at the expense of Beckett’s pitch count early in games.

Not yesterday. Beckett mowed down the Yanks throughout, going a full six before leaving with a comfortable lead, a move that was made to save his arm, not to mention the arms of the bullpen heavy hitters, Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima among them. By that point in the game, Beckett had already picked up a psychic boost of his own, a bridge which was the key to the Sox picking up one of their own.

Now the question is one solely of momentum, and which team can grab it. The Yankees could make a huge power grab by taking two of three in the series and keeping Boston’s magic number at a lofty nine. The Sox could do wonders for their anxiety, not to mention the fragile psyche of all New England, by pulling out another win and cutting that playoff determinant down to seven games.

Finally, a nice day to look at the rivalry. What a difference a day makes, huh?

And if the old saying that momentum is only as good as the next day’s pitcher is true, well, figuring out who has momentum should be interesting. Curt Schilling vs. Roger Clemens? Sounds pretty good, huh? Now add in a scramble for a division crown, and you’ve got playoff baseball a few weeks early.

Time to dust off the old Rahhjahh chant Sox fans. Somehow we doubt that’ll be hard to do.

– Cameron Smith