Bronx, N.Y., August 12, 2011 – With all the building drama in Yankee land about the makeup of the rotation going forward, and A-Rod rehabbing in Florida, Yankee fans in general ignored what to one visitor was a momentous night in Yankee Stadium Friday night. While nigh on 50,000 had their best day of 2011 when Derek Jeter put his 3,000-hit magic show on about five weeks ago, one athlete in the building decidedly did not.

Tampa lefty David Price came into Yankee Stadium with a score to settle Friday night, and settle it he did. The newspapers and websites in the area are sure to feature the five singleton home runs Yankee lefty CC Sabathia surrendered on the evening, understandable even if it weren’t in Elias record territory. Coming off his worst start of the season in a year during which he has dominated opposition batters, fans were hoping for a bounce-back game from team ace CC. They did not get it.

Price, on the other hand, although he did not shy away from getting his name in the history books as the pitcher who served up Jeter’s decisive home run on July 9, was anything but pleased about his five-inning, four-run outing that day. He certainly feels he’s a better pitcher than that, a point he made in spades Friday night.

He struck out three to CC’s two through two scoreless frames and, even if Sabathia slipped by him by whiffing two in the top of the third, he did so while surrendering three home runs that decided the game, although we in the stands rooted for the comeback all night. The sudden 3-0 deficit made Yankee fans desperate for offense, but they calmed Price, virtually assuring that he would fnish the job he had begun.

The Yankees finally reached him for a run on Andruw Jones’s rbi double the other way in the fourth, but Tampa’s defense did a great job in nailing Nick Swisher with the hoped-for second run at the plate, and the only real Yankee chance had passed. From that point on Price, who had thrown just three of nine first-pitch strikes early, pounded 14 of 17 first pitches in the zone, and coaxed the majority of his 16 ground ball outs through eight innings as well.

As for Sabathia, it’s hard to say. As reported, he started strong, and he did have five strike outs through three innings. Fastball command was said to be the problem last Saturday; perhaps it was again. He turned in yeoman work and pitched through eight, allowing just five hits and no walks aside from the home runs. And having the sense of occasion to allow home runs only with the bases empty is a great front-line pitcher trait, a point I’m sure new Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven would have been making in Cooperstown with righties Robin Roberts and Bob Feller had they been around to fete his induction.

As for the Yankee offense, the less said the better. Six guys in the order collected a hit apiece, and just Brett Gardner and Swisher reached twice, with each drawing a walk. But Swish, who plays with his heart, hurt the cause big-time by failing to score on Jones’s opposite field double, the only real Bombers chance. With Posada on the bench it’s between Martin and Teixeira for slowest-running starter. Jeter, by the way, did put immediate pressure on Price by singling leading off the first, but he got the speedy Gardner off the base paths twice by bouncing into double plays.

In the general scheme of things, August 12, 2011 is never going to stand out in Yankee history as an iconic day. The twelfth does represent one huge moment, because it was on this day in 1974 that Yankees Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford were inducted together into the Hall, a moment all other teams will be hard pressed to ever match. On the other hand, it is the day we all awoke to a baseball-less world, and a World Series-less season, on this day in 1994. The Yanks were more generous than most the day before, treating their fans to 12 innings of ball before falling to Toronto. It made August 12, 1994, a horrible day nonetheless.

Bottom line, the Yanks still have a seven-games-plus lead in the Wild Card over both Tampa and Anaheim despite the loss. And they have Phil Hughes pitching for his rotation spot Saturday afternoon. Fans of the Angels and Rays are in a much more frantic rooting position. Yankee followers should chill and realize that while this team is looking to set its postseason staff and bullpen, other teams are scrambling for all they are worth to make the postseason party. If the Yanks either win or tie their remaining series, they’re in the post.

YANKEE BASEBALL!!!