The Yankees and Red Sox have a reputation of playing not only some of the most intense games in baseball, but also some of the longest. Friday night, (and into Sunday morning), certainly did nothing to help that reputation.

As the calendar moved from April 10th to April 11th, and Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira aged a year (he’s now 35), Boston and New York embarked in a battle that lasted two full games, with a bonus inning on top for good measure. Time wise? 6 hours and 49 minutes, the longest ever between the two clubs.

That time doesn’t even include a 16-minute delay during the bottom of the 12th when a bank of lights in the upper deck blew out after an apparent power surge. Fans attempted to help by holding up brightly illuminated cell phones to try and move the game forward. Nice try guys, but not quite as effective.

Both teams combined to use 42 players. Home plate umpire Marty Foster’s quads are burning this morning as he watched 17 pitchers combine to throw 628 pitches. I pray he lives in a single-floor home.

While the game continued well past any time I was willing to stay up, even as a guy in his mid-20s on a Friday night, it certainly wasn’t short of excitement. Big Papi gave the Red Sox a 4-3 lead with a homer in the top of the 16th, only to have Teixeira celebrate his birthday with a game-tying jack of his own in the bottom of the inning. Pablo Sandoval gave the Red Sox another lead in the top of the 18th, but the Yankees rallied yet again in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 5. Finally, Mookie Betts’ sacrifice fly in the top of the 19th gave Boston the lead for good, and a phenomenal defensive play by Dustin Pedroia in the bottom of the inning to turn a double play sealed the win.

After such a battle, every player could use a good meal and a long night’s sleep. Unfortunately, they only had time for a hot dog and a power nap, as both teams turned around for a 1pm first pitch on Saturday, less than 11 hours after the conclusion of the previous game.

Boston was able to grind out a win on short rest Saturday, topping New York 8-4.

The series has jump started what projects be a tense battle for supremacy in the AL East this season. The new-look Red Sox are favorites in the division thanks to the additions of Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, coupled with the emergence of young stars Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts. However, their path to the top won’t be without obstacles.

The Orioles seem to be the toughest competition for the Red Sox. While they’ve lost some power with the departure of Nelson Cruz, Chris Davis will return from his PED suspension ready to perform. Throw in a healthy Manny Machado, who I think will someday win an MVP, and you’ve got a solid club.

Interesting part about the Orioles is how they’re viewed by computers vs. humans. FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus both project the Orioles to finish last in the AL East, while 10 of 15 ESPN “experts” project them to win the division. Baseball: not an exact science.

The Blue Jays don’t completely stink, either. Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin will add some offense to incumbent sluggers Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, and Jose Reyes. Their questions lie in their rotation, but they will bring enough bats to cause a stir in the division.

Not only did the Rays lose the coolest manager in baseball and their GM, but Ben Zobrist, Yunel Escobar, Wil Myers and Matt Joyce are all gone, too. Also gone is the hope of a new stadium, which was shut down by the St. Petersburg City Council back in December. They’re a completely revamped team offensively with a ton of question marks. Their rotation, however, could keep them afloat. Drew Smyly, Alex Cobb, and Chris Archer need to carry this team on their arms, and they are capable of doing so. But when you play in a stadium that holds more opposing fans than home fans, things don’t tend to turn out so well for you.

The Yankees are just going to be bad. They’ve been graced with the return of everyone’s favorite ballplayer Alex Rodriguez. I’m sure he can’t wait to hear the ovations he receives at Fenway on May 1st. A warm welcome, I project.

New York actually did acquire someone that the world doesn’t hate in shortstop Didi Gregorious to replace retired Derek Jeter. He will try and help a group of old and oft-injured veterans like Carlos Beltran, Mark Teixeira, and A-Rod. Maybe the Yankees can compete if they get quality seasons on the mound from Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, and Michael Pineda? If you’re willing to place a bet on that, I’ll give you whatever odds you’d like.

While I like Boston’s chances this season, I also liked them last season as well, and we all know how that turned out. But injuries, trades, and underperforming players all factor into a very long MLB season. For the optimists, keep this in mind: The Red Sox went from last place in 2012, to World Series champs in 2013, to last place in 2014. I don’t need fancy statistical analysis and expert opinion; I just need to follow a trend.