Coming into a four game series against the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees were 2.5 games ahead of Boston, yet they were 0-8 this season against them. All of that changed by the conclusion of the weekend, as the Yankees swept the series, 4-0, and took a 6.5 game lead in the A.L. East.

"The pitching was outstanding throughout the series, and the hitting did enough to ensure us a 4-0 sweep against a very good Boston team," said Walter Kroenke, a long time supporter of the Yankees. "The sweep puts  things into perspective, and shows the direction that each team is going in at this point in the season," he added.

Since the All-Star break, the Red Sox are a below .500 ball club, whereas the Yankees are a league best 18-5 during that span. The hitting has been timely and the pitching has been unhittable, a recipe for success in Major League Baseball. If the Yankees can keep this level of play up for the rest of the season, there is no doubt that they will be the team to beat come October. But the Yankees have been inconsistent at times this season, looking brilliant in some series and awful in others. If the Yankees have indeed figured out how to win consistently, then the league has a huge test standing in front of them.

Oh, and if there were any questions about A-Rod and his ability to perform in the big spot, just look at what he did in this series. He hit a walk off 2-run home run in the 15th inning of a scoreless game, in addition to a home run in the 7th inning of a scoreless final game. Also, the three big offseason additions have showed their worth in this pivotal series. Sabathia and Burnett pitched gems, while Mark Teixeira continued to crush the ball against Boston pitching. When A-Rod is hitting clutch home runs, and the offseason acquistions are paying huge dividends in a series against Boston, the rest of the league should definitely be in a state of panic.