NEW YORK -- It was supposed to take months.
The Yankees, the heavy preseason AL East favorite, watched as the Red Sox jumped out to a 17-2 start. Aaron Boone, in his first year managing, had a 7-1/2-game deficit to navigate -- and it was only April 20.
Flash forward to Wednesday: A four-run, eighth-inning rally -- via the smacking of one of the game's best closers -- gave the Yankees much more than just a 9-6 win over Boston at a Yankee Stadium with a playoff atmosphere long before the playoffs begin.