BannerGate Comes To End As No Charges Will Be Filed Against Malden Pair

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This may be a case for the upcoming season of HBO's 'True Detective'. The somewhat lovable Uber-Boston buddies who "discovered" the 2018 American League Division Champion banner the other day may not be so innocent. Nevertheless, the owner of the flag company who made the banner will not be pressing any charges. The Somerville (Massachusetts) Police Department released the following statement on Friday: "The investigation has been closed at the request of the complainant. The SPD is no longer looking into the matter." So, the two Malden dudes who told their story about their McGrath Highway 'heroics' should probably just lay low for a while. Count your blessings—your 15 minutes are up.

Exactly Zero "Killer Bs" In Friday Night's Red Sox Line-Up Versus 'Tito's Tribe'

Here is tonight's Red Sox line-up: Tzu-Wei Lin CF, Brandon Phillips 2B, Rafael Devers 3B, J.D. Martinez DH, Steve Pearce 1B, Brock Holt SS, Blake Swihart RF, Sam Travis LF, Sandy Leon C,. On the mound tonight is ace Chris Sale.

Sox Can Tie All-Time Franchise Win Mark In Not-So-Meaningless Friday Tilt

On the surface, tonight's game at The Mistake On The Lake seems a tad anti-climactic. And yet, with a victory Friday over Tito's Tribe, your 2018 Red Sox can tie the franchise record for wins in a season (105, set in 1912). Moreover, a win would help reduce the Magic Number to clinch the best record in the American League (currently two vis-a-vis the Houston Astros). So, while this first post-division-clinch game will likely see a bevy of bench-riders in the line-up, it will still be intriguing to watch.

Red Sox Will Open American League Division Series At Fenway October 5th

The initial post-season schedule for your 2018 AL East Champion Boston Red Sox is set. The Carmine Hose will host GAME 1 of the ALDS against either the Yankees or A's (barring some weird happenstance that propels the Mariners or Rays into the mix) on Friday, October 5th at Fenway Park. GAME 2 will also be at America's Most Beloved Ballpark on Saturday, October 6th. GAME 3 (Monday, October 8th) and GAME 4 (if necessary, Tuesday, October 9th) will both be at the away ballpark. If a GAME 5 is needed, it will return to Fenway on Thursday, October 11th. Clearly, no game times have been set yet—since they are contingent on the days and times of other American and National League playoff games. Stay tuned!

VIDEO: Red Sox Clinch AL East Division Title In Bronx Over The Evil Empire

Sit Back, Relax, And Watch Tzu-Wei Lin Rake For The Red Sox Until October

Enjoy it, Nation! This is your time—your season to gloat. These next nine games are the equivalent of when you find that $10 bill in your old jeans jacket or when you find out that you forgot you had a 30%-off coupon on your CVS card and your whole monthly purchase of Fritos only sets you back two bucks. You know, it's gravy time, folks. Who cares if Tzu-Wei Lin plays shortstop the next nine games—hell, put him in center-field again for all we care? It's glide-path time. Now, we can simply watch The Evil Ones struggle—liked so many beached whales—to beat out the Oakland A's (the Oakland damn A's) for Wild Card 'supremacy' in the American League. Hopefully, we will see that same look of bewilderment many times on the face of Yankee "closer"Aroldis Chapman as we did when Mookie Betts took him deep last night. This is schadenfreude squared. Aaron Boone this. Very few times in your Red Sox fandom existence will you have so little pressure on you. We earned it, now enjoy!

FenwayNation's International Editor Mark Lawrence Visits Fenway Park

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Thanks to the generosity of Red Sox Team Historian Gordon Edes, FenwayNation's Australian-based International Editor Mark Lawrence was able to visit the hallowed grounds of Fenway Park yesterday. Accompanied by FN Editor-In-Chief Ernie Paicopolos, Mark was able to sit in the same dugout as did Red Sox icons of the past—like David Ortiz, Ted Williams and Pedro Martinez. He was also able to tread on the sacred red clay of the Red Sox infield, and wander through the empty confines of America's Most Beloved Ballpark. Mark was born in Sydney, Australia, and—as he tells is—became a Red Sox fan simply because a travel agent booked him a flight into Logan Airport instead of JFK. Says Mark, "I still shudder to think what might have been." He saw his first Red Sox game on May 30, 1994—where he saw The Carmine Hose beat the Kansas City Royals and promptly fell in love with Boston Baseball. Mark has made the long trek to the USA several times—and even wrote a book about his adventures, entitled, "36 States: An Australian's Road Trip of a Lifetime Across America". It was a day that Mark and the E-I-C will never forget—the same day the Red Sox clinched their third straight AL East title.

A 24-Year-Old Red Sox Fan Is Electrocuted On Return From Yankee Stadium

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A horrible incident occurred on a train leaving out of Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night—killing a 24-year-old Red Sox fan from Hudson, New Hampshire. After the 10-1 Red Sox loss, Michael Vigeant was killed after coming into contact with electrified wires, when he tried to climb out of the train near Mamaroneck, New York—on its way to New Haven, Connecticut. There were some reports that Vigeant and his brother were 'train-surfing' when the incident happened. No further details of the incident are available at this time. Passengers were reportedly trapped inside the train for more than two hours, although transportation officials said the train was only stopped for a little over a half-hour, while train personnel got Vigeant's brother safely down from the train. Ultimately, the train arrived in New Haven at around 3:30 in the morning on Thursday.

"You Betts Believe It!" Red Sox Are 2018 American League East Champions

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It has been achieved—and on the very soil of The Evil Ones. The 2018 Boston Red Sox stormed back from a 6-4 deficit to smite The Empire 11-6 on Thursday night—capturing their third straight American League East title. Despite blowing a 3-0 lead, the resilient Carmine Hose battled back to tie the game at six—then put away The Pinstriped Posers with three runs each in the seventh and eighth innings. The true nail in the coffin of The Bronx Embalmers was driven in courtesy of a three-run HR by MVP favorite Mookie Betts. The Red Sox right-fielder (DH'ing again tonight) went 4-5 with 3 runs scored and 5 RBIs—including his 30th HR. He is now hitting .339 and slugging .625. Others contributing offensively were: Andrew Benintendi (2-4, R); J.D. Martinez (1-4, RBI); Rafael Devers (2-5, 2 Rs); Brock Holt (1-4, RBI, R, HR); Jackie Bradley, Jr. (1-3, HR, RBI, 2 Rs). While Eduardo Rodriguez had an uncharacteristically poor outing (3.2 innings, 5 ERs), the benighted bullpen picked him up—going 5.1 innings and giving up just one earned run. In particular, Stephen Wright delivered the top contribution—going three crucial innings, giving up just one hit and no runs. Boston can now concentrate on a new Magic Number for the best record in the American League—with that number now sitting at just two.

New York City Mayor Has Secret Rendezvous With Red Sox Top Team Brass

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio—raised in the Boston area (specifically, Cambridge)—has been a lifelong Red Sox fan. Frankly, that's about all we like about Warren Wilhelm Jr. (his birth name). Other than his loyal fandom toward The Carmine Hose, perhaps the most interesting thing about him is that his uncle (Donald George Wilhelm Jr.) worked for the CIA in Iran and 'secretly' wrote Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's memoir. The Mayor has steadfastly refused to even set foot inside The Concrete Bunker On 161st Street. Anyway, "Hizzoner" met secretly yesterday with both Red Sox manager Alex Cora and President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski. The confab took place at Goldman Sachs in the belly of the Gotham beast. Reportedly, there were not a few irate Yankee fans who didn't particularly like the optics. Tough noogies.

VIDEO: Louie Iacuzzi and James Amaral Discuss the Return Of The '18 Banner

Former Red Sox Left-Fielder Jason Bay Turns Forty-Years-Old Today

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He was part of the big Manny Ramirez three-way-deal in 2008 that created the first "MannyWood" in LA. He was—in part—meant to replace Manny's "offfensive capabilities" in Fenway's left field. Jason Bay stayed in Carmine Hose for just about a year and a half (200 total games)—but while he was here, he produced. He hit .274 with 45 HRs and 156 RBIs over that brief span in Boston—making the All-Star team in 2009 and finishing 7th in the AL MVP voting. Moreover, in 14 post-season games with the Red Sox, Bay hit .306, with 3 HRs and 9 RBIs. This guy was good—and he was still just 30 years old. Then, as quickly as he arrived, he was gone as a free agent to The Metropolitans. His three seasons in Flushing were marred by injuries and poor performance. Bay turns 40-years-old today—having last played over five years ago. Wearing Red Sox uniform number 44, he created many good memories with a sweet right-handed swing.  Happy birthday, Jason!

'ClinchUs Interruptus' Sox Fail Again To Wrap Up Division, Fall To Empire, 10-1

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Our long national nightmare continues. No, it's got nothing to do with Supreme Court nominees or climate change. It's the inability of the Red Sox to wrap-up the American League East by winning just one game at The Concrete Bunker On 161st Street. Last night, David Price continued his 'house of horrors' Bronx existence—going just 5.1 innings and coughing up six runs (four of them earned) in the eventual 10-1 drubbing. Boston did collect nine hits—including a 3-3 night for J.D. Martinez. But this was a stinker from jump street—as the Red Sox stranded runners at second and third in the first inning. It was an omen of far worse things to come. Boston has one more chance to embarrass The Pinstriped Posers on their home turf. The Magic Number remains stuck at two—with a 9.5 game lead in the division.

Should The Red Sox Snare Free-Agent C Wilson Ramos To Stabilize Position?

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Currently, the Red Sox have three active catchers—Sandy Leon, Christian Vazquez and Blake Swihart. Today, Alex Cora indicated that all three may be on the post-season roster. While Leon has become an elite defender, his offense has regressed to sub-Mendoza levels. And, neither Vazquez nor Swihart have fulfilled their earlier high expectations. So, what should the Red Sox do in 2019? One intriguing possibility is free-agent Phillies backstop Wilson Ramos. Just 31-years-old, Ramos came into his own with the Washington Nationals in 2016—hitting .307, with 22 HRs and 80 RBIs. He signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent, and was then traded this season to the Phillies at the deadline. His combined 2018 stats so far are: .315, 15 HRs, 68 RBIs. In addition to his offensive skills, Ramos is a top-notch defender—particularly with regard to his handling of a pitching staff and pitch framing. Over his career, he's also thrown out 32% of would-be base-stealers—compared with the 28% MLB average and Leon's 37% career numbers. While Leon is two years younger, Ramos can contribute on both offense and defense. It might be something for Boston to consider in the off-season.

Mookie Betts Is Back In The Red Sox Line-Up On Wednesday Night At DH

Here is tonight's Red Sox line-up: 1. Mookie Betts DH, 2. Andrew Benintendi LF, 3. J.D. Martinez RF, 4. Xander Bogaerts SS, 5. Mitch Moreland 1B, 6. Ian Kinsler 2B, 7. Eduardo Nunez 3B, 8. Sandy Leon C, 9. Jackie Bradley Jr. CF. On the hill tonight for The Carmine Hose will be David Price.