The Red Sox played their 108th game of the season Monday night against the Phillies. The Yankees will play their 108th game against the Red Sox on Friday night, the day after they arrive in Boston for the first of a four-game series that will be the most intriguing encounter between these ancient rivals in well over a decade.
One-oh-eight is a significant number because it officially represents two-thirds of a season. Hard as it may be to fathom, we are about to enter the final trimester of the year, a 54-game sprint to the tape, and in this year of American League Superteams, it means 54 games to avoid a 55th game.