Tampa, Fla., March 11, 2012 – A split squad of Yankees led by the staff ace and the starting infield treated a visiting split squad of Phillies pretty shabbily in a 3-0 shutout Sunday afternoon, while three hours south a traveling B squad dropped a game vs. the Twins. A day in Tampa that started with dark ominous clouds hanging over George M. Steinbrenner Field became a winner, as the intermittent cloud cover gave welcome periods of cool shade and little else.

Even though CC Sabathia walked shortstop Michael Martinez to begin the game, he set the tone by throwing strikes, finding the zone on the first pitch to the next 10 batters. Following his two-hit, three-inning outing, the Yanks kicked the stingy meter up a notch, beginning with Mariano Rivera’s first game action of the spring.

Mo, who threw two of three first-pitch strikes, was pushed to 14 throws because right fielder Luis Montanez, who seemed to get considerable benefit of a doubt on a 2-2 cutter by home plate ump Dan Iassogna, fouled the next four balls off before lining deep to left center where Chris Dickerson made a fine play running it down.

Dickerson was in on much of the game’s action in both positive and negative ways, grabbing a sinking Shane Victorino liner to center to end the third on which he initially took a step back; he hesitated in breaking on the Montanez shot as well, but he did make the catch in each case.

Chris made a baserunning blunder in the third, set up after he reached on a fielder’s choice, then sped to third on the second of two Derek Jeter singles. But Dickerson was caught in a rundown on Robinson Cano’s comebacker to the mound, then made the best of a bad situation by keeping the play alive long enough for Jeter and Cano to take two bags apiece. The effort went for naught, as both runners died in scoring position when the DH’ing Alex Rodriguez flied out to right, but the rundown did make the best of a play that started badly.

There was nothing ambiguous about Dickerson’s contribution the next frame, making Austin Hyatt, in for Kyle Kendrick after three innings, pay for loading the bases after two quick outs. The Philly right-hander hit Russell Martin with a pitch and walked Andruw Jones and Bill Hall in succession. Continuing to struggle with his control, he missed twice and the Yankee centerfielder slashed the third offering past first for a two-run single, the only score the Yanks would need. The Bombers almost broke the game open then, but Victorino made the first of several defensive beauts by the visitors with a diving catch on the warning track on Jeter’s extra-base-hit bid, a bomb to left center.

Second baseman Kevin Frandsen short-circuited the Yankee attack in the fifth by drifting into short center and robbing Mark Teixeira of a hit, then doubling up Cano, who had singled and who was running on the play. Frandsen would make the first putout of the home sixth too, but then Martinez took over, retiring four of the next five hitters, denying Jones on a base hit bid in the hole to end that frame. Justin Maxwell, in for Dickerson as the entire Yankee squad was replaced in the seventh, doubled past third with one down, and then Martinez made the play of the game, a full body dive into the hole to snag a pea off the bat of Doug Bernier, who had taken over for Jeter. The Philly shortstop could get nothing on his throw to second, allowing Maxwell to get back to second, from where he would score the game’s third and last run when third baseman Hector Luna bounced a throw past first.

The Phillies pitching was good, as all three Yankee scores were tainted, but not great, as the home team did pile up eight hits, and even received an extra base when righty Michael Stutes balked David Adams to second in the home seventh.

But the Yankee mound work was superb, with just three singles and three walks allowed. And all six Yankee hurlers who followed Sabathia, each of whom pitched an inning – Rivera, Boone Logan, Cory Wade, Clay Rapala, Chase Whitley, and Kevin Whelan – threw a first-pitch strike to all but one batter apiece. The team tally was 25 of 33 first-pitch strikes.

Of course, this is no cause to start making postseason plans. It was a home A squad of Yankees vs. a road B squad of Phillies. And it’s a truism that pitchers start Spring Training ahead of hitters every year. But throwing strikes is rule No. 1 in the pitching game. That the Phillies couldn’t hit what was thrown may mean little. But that the Yankees were throwing strikes means plenty.

There was a John Chapman who played 19 games at shortstop in Philadelphia in 1924, but for the A’s, not the Phillies. He shares the name with a more famous John Chapman, this one the historic figure most widely known as Johnny Appleseed. The 167th anniversary of the death of this public-spirited nurturer, environmentalist, and seed planter occurs in a few days. On this day in Tampa, seven Yankee hurlers, led by the team ace and the greatest closer of all time, were tossing seeds past Phillies bats all game.

BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!