Do these Sox have the Killer Instinct?

The surging Sox have shaken out of their doldrums in the past week and appear to have broken out of their maddening mediocre three month run. They will go into New York for a crucial series with at least a 7 game lead. They have their foot on the throat of the Bombers and have a golden opportunity to finally choke the life out of a New York team that has refused to die. The question is, do the Sox have what it takes to finish the deal? Do they have the killer instinct to put this out of reach right now enroute to ending the ten year division title run of the Yankees?

The Sox have finished second to the Yankees nine of the last ten years and each year, they have played a crucial series with New York around this time of the season. The results have been not been good.

We all know the sad tale of the injury ravaged 2006 Sox. They were one and a half games back of the Yankees in mid-August heading into a five game series that would come to be known as Boston Massacre II. In a putrid display of baseball, the Sox coughed up all five games by a combined 49-26 count, and by the time the Yanks left town they enjoyed a 6 1/2 game lead and never looked back. The Sox went 18-25 down the stretch to finish in third place.

In 2005, the situation was eerily similar to this year. The Sox led the Yanks by four games heading into New York on September 10. The Sox lost the first game 8-4, took the middle game 9-2 and lost the rubber game 1-0. They left town up 3 games but proceeded to finish the year 13-10 while the Yanks finished a strong 17-6 to gain a division tie. They won the division on the strength of their head to head results with the Sox.

In 2004, the Sox headed into New York in mid-September 3 1/2 back. They took the first game 3-2, but got hammered in the next two 14-4 and 11-1. They left Gotham down 4 1/2 games and could never catch the Yanks from there. They finished 10-7, three games out of first place.

In 2003, the Sox were again 3 1/2 out on September 5 when they started a three game set in New York. This time they won the first two games 9-3 and 11-0 to cut the lead to 1 1/2, but dropped the finale 3-1 to leave town 2 1/2 down. They played 14-9 down the stretch while the Yankees went 17-7 and the Sox finished 6 games out of first.

In 2002, the Sox went into New York on Sept 3 trailing the Yankees by 6 1/2 games. If they were to make a move, this would be the time. They won the first game 8-4 to cut the lead to 5 1/2, but dropped the next two 4-2 and 3-1. They went 16-11 from there but the Yanks again finished strong at 19-6 to win the division by 10 1/2 games.

So if history is a guide, chances are one team will win two out of three this week. A sweep is unlikely either way. If the Yankees take the series, they will cut the lead to 6 or 7 and will still be breathing. If the Sox can take two, they will leave the Big Apple with an 8 or 9 game lead with 28 to play and will be one giant step closer to driving a stake through this vampire-like Yankee team.

The question to be answered: Is this the Red Sox team that came out of the gate like world beaters? The team we have seen in the past week? Or is it the meandering bunch that inhabilited Fenway for the better part of three months. They can make a definitive statement about what kind of team they really are this week.

Which will it be?