Bronx, N.Y., June 30, 2009 — On June 30, 1859, the Frenchman Charles Blondin became the first man to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope. One hundred and fifty years later to the day, the Yankees took a night-long walk on a tightrope that ultimately ended in an 8-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
Despite a mostly glorious summer day in New York, the black clouds locals have become so depressingly accustomed to seeing began to gather around Yankee Stadium in the Bronx about the same time the early comers of Tuesday night’s crowd began to arrive. The skies opened, it poured well past the scheduled game time, and Ichiro Suzuki didn’t foul off Joba Chamberlain’s first pitch until we were already an hour behind schedule.
Fans had last seen a team that couldn’t buy a hit 12 days ago, and were eager to view the returning heroes who had won their last five in a road trip through National League parks. And if they weren’t paying attention, they could have been fooled early, as the home team claimed two-run leads in both the second and fourth innings. What they were really seeing was a Seattle Mariners team trying to give the hometeam a win, despite the Yanks’ stubborn efforts not to accept the largesse.
Mariners third baseman Chris Woodward, in for the injured slugger Adrian Beltre, both bobbled a roller and made a bad throw on the same play leading to two Yankee runs in the second, and almost extended the frame by booting another grounder. Two innings later starter Brandon Morrow walked the bases loaded with no outs following a leadoff Robbie Cano single, but Yankee right fielder Nick Swisher, who had struck out on three throws during the first “rally,” gave us all a lesson on the infield fly rule by lifting a soft popup to short. Both times, ninth-place hitter Melky Cabrera then scored a run with an out, a long sac fly in the second, and now a bouncer to the right side that gave the Yanks a 3-1 lead in the fourth.
Though not all bad, it was more of the same with Chamberlain, who just once in five tries succeeded in throwing less than 17 pitches in an inning. He walked three in 5.3 innings, and threw 16 of 27 first-pitch strikes. But the 55/41 strikes/balls ratio was still not good enough, and this time he was reached for nine hits. Still, he could have left with a lead if he didn’t make his biggest transgression in the field. He had kept the Mariners off the board except for third baseman Ronny Cedeno’s long home run leading off the third. But when the dangerous Ichiro struck a slow roller to his left on a 1-0 pitch to start the fifth inning, Joba let the ball get through. The Seattle right fielder reached, then stole second and third, and scored on a Russell Branyan single, and Branyan knotted the score when Franklin Guttierez drove him in.
But Seattle would have none of it, and Morrow walked two to load the bases after a Mark Teixeira single in the bottom of the fifth. The Yanks played “prevent” again too, however, and when Chris Jakubauskas relieved and coaxed a Matsui grounder, the game was still tied. The visitors threatened to take their first lead in the sixth, knocking Chamberlain from the game with a single and sacrifice, but Phil Coke stomped that rally, and Phil Hughes threw a one-two-three seventh.
But still, the Mariners had a nine to five lead in hits and Jakubauskas threw a dominant sixth inning, throwing one ball and seven strikes to notch a flyout and two strike outs. The wily veteran Johnny Damon took a hard pitch the other way leading off the eighth. Ken Griffey Jr., who was cheered loudly all night, could not catch up with it, and Damon had a double. The hard thrower recovered to punch out Teixeira, and quicky got to a 1-2 count on A-Rod. He missed with one fastball, and Rodriguez crushed the next pitch, the second no-doubt home run to left of the night. Cano and Jorge Posada each drilled long flies to center, but Guttierez caught up with both, and we entered the eighth inning with Yankee fans feeling pretty secure with yet another two-run lead, this time 5-3.
But alas, the tightrope trip wasn’t over, and setup man Brian Bruney promptly gave back the lead, and almost more. Guttierez and Woodward singled back to back, each on an 0-2 pitch. Catcher Kenji Johjima cut the lead in half with another single, and following a sac bunt and an intentional walk to Ichiro, Branyan tied the game again with a sac fly to left.
After a long, wobbly night, the footing quickly became surer in the bottom of the eighth, as the Yanks tore into righthander Sean White for three quick runs. Hideki Matsui, whose father was in attendance, did himself proud with a leadoff double to the gap in right center. With the infield fly rule so clearly demonstrated earlier, Swisher moved onto the sac bunt, and he performed it so perfectly that the Mariners didn’t even make a throw to first. Cabrera hadn’t had a hit yet even if he had driven in two of the runs, but this was the eighth inning, Melky time, and he doubled to right center as well, for a 6-5 lead. Derek Jeter then singled in two more over a drawn-in infield, and it was time for No. 42.
With Mariano Rivera having recorded his 500th save two nights ago in Citifield, and his being among the saves leaders in the American League, he is anything but an old man, even if he’s been excelling in his field for a long time. But seeing him come out for the ninth in this frustrating game, I couldn’t help but think of Neil Young’s Old Man.
- I’ve been first and last
Look at how the time goes past.
But I’m all alone at last.
Rolling home to you.
Mo isn’t alone yet, not with Jeter, Posada, and Andy Pettitte still around enjoying the winning with him. He calmly took the mound and retired the side on 11 pitches. In a ceremony to honor him for his 500th, he had thrown out the evening’s honorary FIRST pitch at 8:04 pm. And he closed it out when Guttierez swung and missed at his LAST one at 11:22.
Mo threw the first and last pitches, for the first time.
BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!