Bronx, N.Y., July 10, 2005 — After watching the Yanks fumble their way to a loss in a battle they gamely threatened to take on Saturday, they came from behind Sunday to post a 9-3 win over the visiting Indians, and posted a 5-1 record in an abbreviated homestand. Poor pitching and defense doomed them the day before; Sunday the pitching fluctuated from dominant to so-so. The defense continued to be a work in progress, but the offense appears to be healed.
In an eerie replay of the beginning of Friday night’s game, Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore, who homered on that contest’s initial pitch, smacked Randy Johnson’s first-pitch fastball into the left field corner for a double. Setting a pattern that would continue, the Unit responded to instant adversity in the way he knows the best: He struck out left fielder Coco Crisp on three pitches. But June AL player of the month Grady Hafner powered a 1-1 liner to just right of dead center, and young centerfielder Melky Cabrera demonstrated right away that the problem he had tracking balls in the sun Saturday was not a one-day thing. He recovered after hesitating and got to the shot, but just barely, and it caromed off his glove to the wall. Making matters worse, his heave to cutoff man Derek Jeter (the Scoreboard ruled e-4, but I swear I saw Derek throw) was relayed over catcher John Flaherty’s head and Hafner cruised into third.
But the game was a win, and the report on the Yankee play includes some gold stars among just a few missteps. Johnson pounded Victor Martinez into an 0-2 hole, and third baseman Alex Rodriguez made a precise and thrilling stab on an ensuing vicious one-hopper from his infield-in position, holding Hafner and pegging Martinez out. When Johnson struck out Casey Blake, the damage was minimized, and New York was down to a 1-0 deficit.
Ex-Yankee Jake Westbrook started well, retiring leadoff hitter Jeter on a first-pitch 1-3, and he induced Cano and Sheffield grounders to second and third to push the Unit back onto the mound on a hot afternoon. The inconsistent home-team lefty had another Jekyl and Hyde inning, allowing a Jose Hernandez (five rbi’s Satuday, even though Sunday’s Scoreboard credited him with just four) single and a run-scoring double to ex-Yank Aaron Boone amid a flurry of swinging strikes that netted him three strike outs but cost him 21 pitches.
Hideki Matsui made a game run and leap at Boone’s shot over his head, and he came down hard, but he proved as the game rolled along that the hard contact with the ground hadn’t hurt him. The Yankee left fielder reached on a one-out second-inning infield single, and Westbrook created his own trouble by walking Giambi and Sierra (DH’ing after the 3-for-4 the day before), though later at bats proved that Westbrook’s reluctance to throw strikes to those two was well-founded. Flaherty drilled a deep liner to Sizemore (that admittedly had this scribe thinking that if Cabrera was in center it would have been a three-run double), and Matsui trotted home with the Yanks’ first run on the sac fly.
Johnson was in trouble right away again on a Coco Crisp leadoff third-inning double, which was in no way the fault of any Yankee outfielder; the ball was smoked. But The Unit stiffened yet again. A Hafner bouncer to first moved Crisp to third, but Martinez bounced to A-Rod in a drawn-in (again) infield, and Blake fouled out to Flaherty. Then although the person manning the Scoreboard flashed a 2-1 count to Hernandez to start the fourth, the next-pitch walk was correct; they had missed a pitch. With Cano pinched toward second defending against the potential stolen base, the leg-weary Rafael Belliard grounded a single to right, and Johnson was in the soup again, first and second with nobody out. But this noose was escaped more easily. Hernandez broke for third on a 1-2 pitch to Jhonny Peralta. Flaherty pegged Jose out once the Indians’ shortstop swung and missed. Inexplicably, Belliard held at first; the Yankee backup catcher nailed him trying to steal on the 1-0 offering to Boone and another threat was gone.
By this point Johnson had thrown 70 pitches (and allowed six hits and a walk) through four. When the Yanks came to bat in the fourth, Westbrook had tossed but 38. Matsui smacked a grounder right at Peralta, who had shifted almost behind second for the Yankee lefty batter, who has been showing an impressive power stroke to right and rarely going the other way of late. But Hideki reached on a Peralta bobble and Giambi turned the game on a first-pitch bomb to the back rows of the right field bleachers for a 3-2 Yankee lead. Westbrook muscled up and notched his only three strike outs of the game, whiffing Sierra, Flaherty, and Cano in succession. Ironically, the 19 throws it took to put them away just may have spelled Jake’s doom.
But the Tribe wasn’t done, putting Johnson in trouble yet again with back-to-back singles to Boone and Sizemore to start the top of the fifth, with Aaron standing at third. Randy’s strike out of Crisp told the tale: He had whiffed seven of 20 Indians faced, but of the other 13 batters, nine reached safely, eight on hits. He is allowing too many hits, like new teammate, the DL’d Carl Pavano. Matsui stayed with a high drive down the left field line, and then made the correct throw to second as Boone crossed with the tying run. Martinez ended the inning on a deep fly to Sheffield in right that carried further than anyone thought it would, including Gary.
Johnson had thrown 90 pitches now, so when Jeter and Cano both grounded out on first pitches, thinks looked bleak. But maybe all the pitches the inning before took their toll. The back-to-back walks to Sheffield and A-Rod unbelievably both started on 0-2 counts, and Matsui’s hard double just fair past first restored the Yankee lead. Laboring now, Westbrook gave Giambi the old “unintentional” intentional walk on four not-close pitches, and Sierra battled him to 2-2 on four pitches that looked off the plate to everyone in the building but home plate ump Dan Iassogna. The wily Ruben lifted a soft single to left and the Yanks were ahead 6-3.
Randy pitched around a Hernandez sixth-inning single, but his count was pushed to 109, and his day was over. Young southpaw Wayne Franklin came on for the seventh and struggled, but Iassogna’s zone was so inconsistent that judgement should be delayed for another day. Tanyon Sturtze, who gave up the pivotal run the day before, was impressive in retiring Martinez and Blake on a punch-out and popout, even though he came in with one down and the sacks filled. A seventh-inning Yankee threat was averted with relievers David Riske, Scott Sauerback, and Arthur Rhodes striking out one apiece around an A-Rod walk and Matsui’s third hit, masterfully served into short right with a flick of the wrists on an 0-2 pitch.
With Joe Torre resting the arm-weary Flash Gordon, Mariano Rivera came on for a two-inning save. After a one-two-three eighth, this feat was eased once Sheffield, in the frame’s bottom half, doubled the Yankee lead on his third three-run jack of the week, with four homers all told. Mariano notched three strike outs of his own, and the Yanks finished the nominal first half of the season 2.5 games out once the second-place Orioles bested the Red Sox in Baltimore. Sheffield, Matsui, and Giambi carried the offensive load, and with A-Rod’s power stroke to right, Jeter’s continued fine (and consistent) lead-off play, timely hits from Robinson Cano, Ruben Sierra, and Bernie Williams, the aptly nicknamed Bombers (17 homers in the six games) look to be in good shape for the second half.
A healthy and effective return to the rotation by Carl Pavano and Kevin Brown would be just what the doctor ordered. Tom Gordon’s right arm is a concern as well. And can Melky Cabrera play center field in both night and day games? His powerful arm is certainly a welcome addition. The Yanks are chasing two teams that have pitching issues of their own, and the second half should be exciting and compelling. It starts in four days in Fenway Park, with Mike Mussina, Chien-Ming Wang, and Johnson starting the first three. The name of the fourth starter, and how he pitches, will tell a lot.
Comic actor Fred Gwynne, who passed away 12 years ago, would have been 79 years old this July 10. His work in TV sit-coms could serve as a template for this Yankee team. With troubles in the rotation and in center field, the Yanks closed within striking distance the way Herman Munster (the Frankestein Monster-type character Fred played in The Munsters) might have: They used lots of power, but it wasn’t pretty. Can they succeed with that formula? Take a three-day break, but by all means stay tuned.
For two months, many have been asking, “Where Are the Real Yankees?”, echoing the title of Gwynne’s first TV series hit, Car 54, Where Are You? One year ago today, the Yanks hosted the 2004 Old Timers’ Day. In pre-game ceremonies, 17 teammates of late catcher and Captain Thurman Munson joined his widow around the Yankee Stadium mound. It seemed in the last six days that much of the 2005 team fiunally arrived together in the Bronx. If a few missing parts catch up in Boston in four days, watch out.
BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!