Aaron Boone's job as New York Yankees manager has a lot of tough responsibilities, but none tougher than defending his team after a day like Saturday.

Seeking to avoid a third straight loss to the archrival Boston Red Sox, the Yankees were embarrassed in front of their home crowd. By the end of the 12-1 drubbing, the only folks left in their seats were giddy Red Sox fans happy to rub salt in their enemies' wounds.

Boston has now won eight games in a row against New York for the first time since 2009, and they've done it by forcing the Yankees to beat themselves. Errors, sloppy baserunning and mental lapses -- it's all been tough on the eyes.

Having said all that, the Yankees would still be in the playoffs if they started next week. Their issues against other teams with winning records a

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