Now, perhaps, the Red Sox have a sense of what it's like to be the Washington Generals.
The Generals, of course, were the long-time patsies for the Harlem Globetrotters. Their job wasn't to win, which was a good thing, because over thousands and thousands of games, they never did. Not once.
No, the Generals' job was to show up and provide the Globetrotters with an opponent. For all the wizardry on the part of the Globetrotters, they needed five other guys out there on the court. It was up to the Generals to show up, give everything they had....and lose. Again and again.
Things haven't quite reached that stage with the Red Sox. They're in last place, but in the big picture, they're more or less respectable, entering Thursday's series opener in the Bronx just four games under .500.
But for the purposes of this weekend, the Red Sox don't matter. They could be the Miami Marlins or the Colorado Rockies for all the Yankees and their fan base care.
They're interested in one thing and one thing only these days: watching Aaron Judge hit home run No. 61, and then, No. 62. It doesn't matter who the team in the other dugout is. They're merely the generic opposition.
The rivalry is on hold for this series. Fans in New York can't even well up the energy to mock the Sox for their position in the American League East basement.
Just throw some strikes to Judge, will ya?
For a while there Thursday night, it looked like the Red Sox were going to pull off an unusual daily double: defeat the Yankees (and thus delay their inevitable clinching of a playoff spot) while also denying Judge his chance at history.
Despite Alex Cora's vow to attack Judge (read: throw him strikes), Judge walked in each of his first two plate appearances against starter Michael Wacha. In Wacha's defense, he wasn't avoiding the slugger so much as he was overcome by the environment. With everyone desperately hoping he would throw the ball over the plate, Wacha appeared to be overthrowing, trying too hard.
In Judge's third at-bat, Wacha was more in control and fanned the outfielder, as the tension built. The ballpark grew eerily quiet for Judge's plate appearances and umpires gave the pitchers specially marked baseballs for those at-bats.
"It's a little different, for sure,'' conceded Wacha. "I've never encountered something like that (with special baseballs). I tried not to think about it too much and just continue to make pitches.''
Somewhat as a sidelight, the Red Sox staged a rally in the seventh inning. Trailing 3-0, Triston Casas homered to get the Sox on the board, and after two more baserunners reached, pinch-hitter Reese McGuire came off the bench to golf a pitch into the right field seats. Suddenly, the Sox were just three innings from beating the Yankees.
Of more immediate concern to the sell-out crowd at Yankee Stadium was watching Judge get one at-bat. When the Yankees scratched out a run in the eighth and Judge strolled to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, the stage was set perfectly. With one swing, Judge could get the record-tying homer and hand the Yankees a walk-off win.
And when Judge swung mightily at a full-count offering from reliever Matt Barnes, it seemed it had all lined up like some sort of movie. Judge drove a blast deep to center and the ballpark erupted in anticipation. You could be excused if you thought you were suddenly watching an outtake from The Natural. with Judge cast as Roy Hobbs.
But while everyone watched the majestic flight of the ball, center fielder KikΓ© Hernandez calmly drifted back on the warning track and gloved the ball.
In an instant, it was thought the air was let out of Yankee Stadium. Disappointment reigned, though not, it should be noted, on the pitcher's mound.
"I frankly don't care about history,'' Barnes would say later. "We've got a ballgame to win.''
They lost that, though, in the 10th when Josh Donaldson drove a single to left, scoring pinch-runner Marwin Gonzalez. The Yankees celebrated moderately, content to have clinched a playoff spot, but a bit disappointed that Judge didn't yet wedge his way into the record books.
"LIke I said before the game,'' said Cora, "we're going to manage the game to win it. We did everything possible. In certain situations, we attacked (Judge) and he fouled off some pitches. He laid off some others.''
Pressed for more about Judge, Cora's frustration surfaced a bit.
"It's not about one guy,'' he stated.
Ah, but it is. It is and will continue to be until Judge hits at least two more.
Until then, the Red Sox are just in the way. They're the generic opponents who've drawn the short straw this weekend.
Game 2 of the four-game set is Friday night. The Yankees -- like the Globetrotters -- will be heavy favorites.