David Ortiz has been breaking Yankees fans' hearts for years. (Keith Allison/Creative Commons)

Yankees fans, like myself, have been very unsettled this October.  We're not sure how to take in the playoffs because for only the second time in the past 19 seasons, the Yankees missed the postseason, reducing Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, CC Sabathia and the rest of the Bronx Bombers to spectators as they watch the playoffs unfold from afar as opposed to being part of the action.

To make matters worse, the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees' hated rival, finished the season with a league-leading 97 wins, went on to win the American League pennant, and are now only one win away from capturing their third World Series Championship in the past ten seasons.

Although the Sox have not been hitting very well as a team this postseason (.226 team batting average through Game 5 of WS), David Ortiz has been dominant.  Speaking of Mr. Ortiz, a quick note on Big Papi: Yes, Boston is indeed his f@#!$%g city.  While representing Boston this postseason, the face of the Red Sox franchise has carried his team, posting a .360 batting average through 15 games and a .733 (11 for 15) batting average in the World Series alone. Put simply, this man is crushing the baseball nearly every time he steps into the batter's box.

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For Yankees fans, this is not quite as bad as Ortiz's integral role in the the unspeakable collapse in the 2004 ALCS. However, watching him clobber baseballs night in and night out in the World Series this season has been hard to swallow, especially in a year where the Bombers weren't even featured in the postseason whatsoever.  

The Red Sox flat outplayed the Yankees this season, but New Yorkers and Yankees fans around the world will feel a whole lot better this offseason if the Sox do not end up winning the World Series. The only thing standing between Yankees fans' worst nightmare, seeing the Red Sox spray champagne on each other, and an offseason during which New Yorkers will be able to sleep a little easier, is the St. Louis Cardinals.

Mike Matheny shook up his lineup for Game 5, sliding Shane Robinson into the second spot and moving Carlos Beltran into the cleanup role, but it did not pay off as the Red Sox won 3-1.  The Cardinals were down by two runs in the ninth inning on Monday night and had the top of the order due up.  However, after Matt Carpenter struck out looking, pinch-hitter Jon Jay (replacing Robinson) grounded out, and Matt Holliday lined out, postseason legend Carlos Beltran was left standing in the on-deck circle, meaning that the Robinson-Jay duo got one more at-bat than Beltran in a crucial Game 5.

Now Yankees fans' only hope for a Red Sox takedown is a sweep from St. Louis in the final two games of the series.  Headed back to Fenway Park down 3-2 in the series and having lost any kind of home-field advantage, the Cardinals' chances appear grim.  Nonetheless, the Cardinals are still alive in the series and if Michael Wacha can hurl another gem in Game Six on Wednesday and Mike Matheny can get Carlos Beltran as many at-bats as possible, they may just be able to force a Game Seven.  In that case, it's up for grabs in a winner-take-all game that Cardinals and anti-Red Sox fans alike will be rooting for a  St. Louis win.

So here's to all the Yankees fans out there praying for a miracle comeback by the Cardinals.  And to Derek Jeter & Co.: Maybe next year, boys...

Reach Staff Writer Andrew Tweedy here. Follow @nyy_baseball.