Bronx, N.Y., October 9, 2005 — It was 7:56 pm on an unexpectedly pleasant Bronx evening when Yankee righty Shawn Chacon delivered his first pitch to Angels third baseman Chone Figgins, but by the time his lazy fly ball settled into hometeam centerfielder Bubba Crosby’s glove, the clock had moved to 57 minutes after the hour. Perhaps the between-minutes first pitch put both offenses out of phase, or maybe it was just the great pitching, but what ensued was 192 (or 193) minutes of the most tense baseball the House That Ruth Built has seen in 2005.

The Yankees began the game with their collective backs to the wall, and ended it that way too. But now they have the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (the only time I have referred to them that way this season) alongside them. The two teams now scurry back to Los Angeles and grab some shut-eye before convening again for Game Five less than 20 hours after this classic battle came to an end. Some feel, perhaps, as ESPN radio opined after the game, that the advantage will be with the home-standing Angels with their ace going on five days’ rest. To those all I can say is, turn to a printout of the way most prognosticators viewed this series breaking down earlier, and turn to the page titled “Johnson, Randy.”

But it will be Monday night when we learn if the veteran Mike Mussina can outpitch the powerful Bartolo Colon yet again. Today we speak of the masterful jobs turned in by Anahem starter John Lackey and the aforementioned Mr. Chacon. Chacon’s Bronx performances had given Yankee fans reason for hope, and he would not disappoint. But those same fans can be forgiven for a feeling of renewed hope when it was announced that Lackey would be starting on three days’ rest in favor of ill southpaw Jarrod Washburn. The Yanks smacked four doubles against a fully rested Lackey in a losing cause Wednesday, but the at bats would be oh so much more futile this time.

Both Alex Rodriguez and Bernie Williams flied to left vs. Lackey in the first and second innings, respectively. They were the last Yankee-struck balls to reach the outfield until Gary Sheffield ended Lackey’s night with an rbi single in the sixth. The fans dreaded another game won or lost in the bullpens, but it became obvious as time went by that if this do-or-die struggle were to be successfully completed, that was where the rally would take place. Three Yankees bounced meekly back to Lackey, three more outs came via slow rollers to first. With a hard line fifth-inning double to the left center field gap by catcher Jorge Posada providing the exception to the rule, Lackey so dominated Yankee bats that a routine Derek Jeter hard hopper to short starting the home sixth was just the second well-struck ball.

In between retiring the Yankees on routine grounders, Lackey was mixing in pairs of strikes outs. All six whiffs came in three two-K bursts numbing the Yankee chances in the second, the third, and the fifth. But Lackey did not lack for an Achilles heel, and it was his control. His off-the-plate 3-2 pitch to Alex Rodriguez with one down in the sixth resulted in his fourth walk, and Jason Giambi’s fielder’s choice soft roller to Adam Kennedy at second moved A-Rod into scoring position. Sheffield came to bat sensing opportunity calling. He smacked the Anaheim righty’s first pitch to left for the first Yankee run.

This was critical because although Chacon displayed huge heart in shutting the Angels down on just an infield single through five, his four-pitch (and only) walk to ex-Yankee Juan Rivera leading off the top of the sixth brought disastrous results. Two-out doubles by Figgins and shortstop Orlando Cabrera put the Yanks in a 2-0 hole on a night where one run seemed all but impossible. Chacon was masterful through five, managing 15 outs from the first 15 Angels batters, with a huge helping hand from Jorge Posada. The Yankee catcher put his bat, glove, arm, eyes and legs through paces that were worthy of the inspirational messages he has been spurring his teammates on with the last two months. The speedy Figgins led off the fourth with a sinking liner to left that handcuffed left fielder Hideki Matsui, who got to the ball but dropped it for an error. It appeared Chacon had picked Figgins off after ball one to Cabrera, but first base ump Country Joe West started his right arm in an out gesture and then changed his mind and ruled safe.

Heartened by his escape, Figgins broke for second on strike one, but Posada pegged him out, with Robinson Cano applying the tag on a bang-bang play. Once Cabrera bounced to third, power-hitting Vlad Guerrero stroked a high hopper the other way toward right field. Cano’s fabulous reaching grab and off balance throw was a step too late and Anaheim had their first hit. In a slew of weak at bats, left fielder Garret Anderson had lined to Crosby in center in the second after lining even harder foul past first, so Chacon was careful with him. He missed with a fast ball, then broke off a curve that caught part of the plate before eluding Posada’s grasp. Vlad broke for second, but Jorge recovered and nailed him easily at second base.

Chacon allowed the game’s first two runs, and he was on the losing end after Sheffield closed it to 2-1. Shawn was winless in three superb starts when he joined the Yanks, and he got another taste of that this night. He threw just 13 of 24 first-pitch strikes, but walked just one; the 55/32 strikes/balls ratio was very good. He coaxed just seven swings and misses from the Angels into the seventh, but picked his spots well and notched five swinging K’s with them. He got Anderson on a foul pop to Giambi to start the seventh, but when Shawn allowed a fourth hit when Benjie Molina singled to center, Joe Torre brought out his hook, despite a protesting crowd. But Joe did what he had to. He looked like a genius when southpaw Al Leiter coaxed a 6-4-3 double dip from Darin Erstad on a 2-2 pitch. Al not only got the job done; he earned himself a postseason win for his trouble.

Righthander Scot Shields has had a fabulous year, and he seemingly owns the Yanks. He pitched well enough to get the win in Friday night’s downpour, but he walked the bases full that night after an Alex Rodriguez infield single. It was largely the extra days’ rest he got after Saturday’s rainout that had Yankee fans worried. But his control slipped again this night, and the Yanks took advantage. After Scot replaced Lackey and closed the sixth with a Matsui roller to first, Cano battled him for an infield single to short to open the seventh.

Robbie has provided some offensive heroics this series, but some game battles with Lackey this time would have gone unnoticed without this game-turning safety. Lackey struck him out twice, but Robbie forced the young righty to throw 13 pitches — and 10 strikes — to do it. While losing to the Diamondbacks in Game Five of the 2001 World Series, Yankee fans regaled the retiring Paul O’Neill for two innings. Bernie Williams was treated that way this night, as he had been a week ago, the two times that he might have been playing his last game in the Bronx. So Bernie felt the love even though he popped to center, as he would the next frame after a liner to center. But in the seventh Posada followed with a six-pitch walk that pushed the tying run into scoring position. Torre sent Ruben Sierra up to pinch hit for Crosby, and the wily vet delivered with a single to right. Cano just beat Guerrero’s strong throw to Molina at the plate. But the close play freed Posada to cruise into third, and Jeter’s high hopper to Figgins resulted in an even closer play at home, with Posada just beating the tag for a 3-2 Yankee lead. Anaheim skipper Scioscia brought in Kelvim Escobar who walked A-Rod to fill the sacks, but he escaped by striking Giambi out on three pitches and getting a Sheffield fly to center. Too bad. Another run or two would have done us all a world of good.

Torre didn’t hesitate with a lead. Mariano Rivera came in for the six-out save, and the best closer in the history of postseason baseball retired six Angels in order. The visitors battled and it cost Mo 36 pitches. Fate had it that 2004 MVP Vlad Guerrero was the final out. He scared us all with a big swing and a miss on the first pitch, but eventually bounced out to Cano at second base.

Few would have called the task that the Yanks faced Sunday night impossible, but they might have if told that Scioscia would be able to hand the ball to his dynamite bullpen with a lead in the sixth inning. But even though Mike gave the ball to Scot Shields with his team up 2-1, the Yanks prevailed and kept the 2005 dream alive.

The classic Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes would have celebrated his 458th birthday Sunday. His character Don Quixote is not only relevant to this game in that he had an impossible dream; the baseball bats on both sides this night flailed about as effectively as did Quixote when he was tilting at windmills. But there will be baseball in Anaheim Monday evening.

The Dream Is Possible.

BTW,TYW

YANKEE BASEBALL!!!