Bronx, N.Y., August 3, 2004 — Things looked very good for the Yankees after Jorge Posada’s three-run, opposite-field, first-inning home run off Mark Mulder in Yankee Stadium Tuesday night. The Oakland ace came in steaming like the unbearably still sky that enveloped the ballpark, with a 14-3 record, despite the manhandling he received at the hands of the Yankees back in April.

And the Yanks looked to be ready to add to their total after Posada’s blast. The A’s lefty escaped a walk and single in the second on a first-pitch Bernie Williams double play, but surrendered a vicious Gary Sheffield liner just fair past the left field foul pole in the third. He hit A-Rod three pitches later, but escaped on a liner and a fly to Eric Byrnes in left. Continuing to look decidedly ordinary, Mulder allowed leadoff baserunners in the Yankee fourth, fifth, and sixth, but in the first of those frames his defense turned in two of several brilliant plays on the night, and to the Yankees’ regret, Mark managed to settle in.

Jon Lieber, meanwhile, retired seven of the first eight A’s on just 27 throws. Centerfielder Mark Kotsay and right fielder Jermaine Dye each reached safely leading off the first two frames on a single and a walk, respectively. But both were removed on double play grounders two pitches later. Erubiel Durazo followed the second twin killing with a long double to left, but was stranded. But Lieber was nicked for a run on Eric Byrnes’s third-inning one-out double to right and a Mark McLemore single one out later.

The A’s were just getting started just as the Yankee offense was stalling. Dye and Hatteberg singled leading off the fourth, and rookie shortstop Bobby Crosby scored both on a one out double on a 3-2 Lieber offering. When the Matsui to Jeter to home relay came in toward the plate, both Lieber and Posada were in front of the plate with neither behind it. Jorge made a nice grab of a high throw and a just-missed swipe tag on Hatteberg, but you had the feeling the out would have been recorded if he had been better positioned. Backup catcher Adam Melhuse lifted a fly to deep left, but Matsui timed his jump well and hauled it in at the wall for a second out. Still, Byrnes knotted the game at four by lining a single softly to short center on an 0-2 pitch.

It was clear by then that what looked like a well-tooled outing by Lieber was more a case of some smacked double play “at ’em” balls early, but both teams were hitting, and it looked to be an interesting evening. Sierra walked leading off the home fourth, and Tony Clark, who got the start rather than the anticipated John Olerud, lined hard into the shortstop hole. Young shortstop Crosby looked more third than short with the quick superman dive to his right, and when he came up throwing, Sierra was doubled off, a poor running play, but Clark’s ball really did look to be through. Undaunted, Enrique Wilson popped the next pitch to the right center field wall for a double and Bernie Williams walked on five pitches. Derek Jeter, who had singled and scored in the first, looked bad swinging on Mulder’s next pitch, but not on the one that followed, powering a ball to deep right.

It was uncertain from my perch whether or not this drive had the distance, but watching it I was mindful of the Jeter ball that was pulled into the right field stands by young Jeffrey Maier eight years ago. But Jermaine Dye was not in a late-innings prevent offense positioning like Orioles right fielder Tony Tarsaco was back then, so while Tarasco was camped awaiting the falling sphere, Dye arrived at the fence at about the same time the ball did. He made a fine swooping catch, shocking most of the 50,000 present when he flashed his glove, showing that he had the ball.

That did it really. Hatteberg drilled a one-one Lieber offering to right for the first of his two home runs (and two of the five rbi they brought) with one down in the fifth, and the rout was on. Byrnes tripled in two off a relieving Tanyon Sturtze when Gary Sheffield botched his drive to the wall in right to open an 8-4 lead. And when Crosby made two fine plays on back-to-back grounders by Posada amnd Matsui in the home fifth (with a double wow on the dive, jump, and throw to nab Jorge), the Bombers were cooked. Sturtze also allowed a two-run blast by Melhuse in the seventh, and Felix Heredia proved he can pitch just as poorly with a game not on the line. The line may show he struck out the side in the eighth, but not until two walks were plated by Hatteberg’s second blast, which produced the final 13-4 score.

There were nice things about the night. The pregame giveaway Phil Rizzuto statuettes to the first 18,000 fans (say hello to Mr. 18,002, by the way) prompted the Scooter to make an appearance. To these eyes he looked great, a bit spryer than he showed when all the Old Timers were here several weeks ago. Before the game, Bob Sheppard directed a little tribute to the long-time Mets broadcaster Bob Murphy. Most in the crowd were surprised to hear of his passing and, well, if you’ve been in the Stadium when Sheppard memorializes a fallen comrade, you’ll know it was a moving experience. It was hardly what you could call a pleasant evening, but some gentle breezes did waft among the crowd if you were out in the open. The tunnels and concession stand lines underneath were intolerable. One can only hope that everybody tipped the poor people who served them back there all evening handsomely.

Lieber made it through 4.33 innings, allowing seven runs, 11 hits and two walks on the evening. His ratios are always good, a fact that his 61 of 88 tosses for strikes and 18 of 23 first pitches in the zone attest to. But getting just six swings and misses was low even for Jon. But the bottom line was that he allowed just too many hits. Kotsay singled on the second strike Jon threw, and 11 strikes later Durazo doubled. The nine strikes the Yankee righty threw before the next A’s hit (Byrnes’s double) included a Crosby strike out. But then it really headed south. The intervals of strikes between hits shrunk dramatically, as four across-the-plate tosses later came hit no. four; then two strikes and a hit; then two strikes and a hit; then six, a hit; five, a hit; three, a hit; three, a hit; and finally four strikes before the 11th safety.

It was 193 years ago Tuesday that Elisha Graves Otis, inventor of the first safe elevator, was born. The 50,000-plus in attendance, watching a team that is now eight games in front and easily has the best record in the AL, can hardly claim that things were that bad. As discussed, it really was a game into the fifth inning. The old joke goes that sometimes in life you get the elevator, and sometimes you get the shaft. On a hot steamy night in the South Bronx, with A’s run total mounting, few paying customers would have argued with that pseudo-philosophical look at this game.

YANKEE BASEBALL!!!