This certainly isn’t the way the Yankees wanted to see off their beloved final ballpark, as a cherished streak that appears to be coming to an end.

The Boston Red Sox, in their final visit to the venerable Yankee Stadium this week, won the first game of their series 7-3, with Tim Wakefield beating Andy Pettitte. Pettitte called this series a must-win, and he couldn’t come through Tuesday. He didn’t get much help from Alex Rodriguez, who went 0 for 5 with two double plays, two strikeouts and a throwing error.

Pettitte backtracked from his “must-win” comment a bit after Tuesday’s loss, but the sentiment remains. “We need to win them, that’s all there is to it, but if we don’t, what am I going to do? Am I going to quit?” Pettitte told the New York Times. “We’ve got to play the games. Until we’re mathematically eliminated, I don’t think anything’s over. So for people to say ‘must-win,’ it’s not a must-win. The season’s not over if we don’t win this series.”

But if the Red Sox sweep, it might as well be. The Yankees (payroll $209.1 million) are 9.5 games behind Tampa Bay (payroll: $43.8 million) and six back of second-place Boston ($133.4 million). The Yankees also are third in the wild-card race, behind the Twins ($62.1 million) as well. So they’ll need to get hot and hope that two other teams collapse.

Yankee fans certainly envisioned at least another playoff series or two in the House that Ruth Built, but their 13-year playoff run is on a death watch.

However, Yankee fans will revel in the fact that even with their win Tuesday, the Red Sox improved to 284-483 all-time at Yankee Stadium. The Red Sox played in the first game at Yankee Stadium - it’s too bad the schedule-makers couldn’t make them the last (that will be Baltimore, on Sept. 21).

Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun won National League Rookie of the Year in 2007. Many thought Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki deserved it. But both might have been also-rans if it wasn’t for a sprained wrist by Houston center fielder Hunter Pence.

That injury cost Pence a month of his rookie season. But his final numbers didn’t hurt at all: Astros rookie records for extra-base hits (56), doubles (30), slugging percentage (.539) and average (.322). He’s moving to right field – a more natural position for him - and at age 24, he could be the next breakout star in the NL.

“He’s just one of those guys who you’ll be talking about that’s in the top three or four players in the league — for a long time to come,” teammate Lance Berkman told the Houston Chronicle.

Pence is having an outstanding spring as well, leading a rebuilding Houston team with 23 hits and 13 RBI.

“He’s a special player. He’s a throw-back player,” new Astros manager Cecil Cooper told the Chronicle. “He’s an old-school player. He plays hard all the time. He’s a rare breed.”

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