Red Sox Send Yankees Message with First Blow of Another Rivalry Classic

The latest postseason clash between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees picked up where the last one left off in 2004.

With Boston on top.

Although the Red Sox barely eked out a 5-4 win over their longtime nemeses in Game 1 of the American League Division Series Friday, the game somehow felt even closer than that.

The early innings were a rout in favor of the home team. That had much to do with Chris Sale's triumphant return to power pitching goodness on the run prevention side of things. On the other side, J.D. Martinez provided an early exclamation mark with a three-run home run in the first inning.

In the later innings, however, the Yankees sucked as much life as they could out of the…