Bronx, N.Y., August 2, 2008 — On a day that broke poorly, and deteriorated quickly from there, ex-Yankees, Yankees, and their fans enjoyed a double dose of fun in Yankee Stadium Saturday afternoon. With more than 70 ex-players and five widows of players we have lost gathered together, the weather threatened to make short work of the last Old Timers Day in Yankee Stadium.
Two years ago the rains came, but all the retired players were announced to the cheers of their adoring fans. It was too dangerous for them to play on the soaked field, but seeing them all together was enough. Then when today’s Yanks tried to play with the Marlins afterward, they made it through just one half an inning before that too was called. And the 2000 festivities were rained out in July, but many of the old timers made it back for a successful try September 2. Would the last one be the least successful yet?
The gates opened well after the expected 12:30 schedule as the Yanks wrestled with the decision on how to proceed based on up-to-the-minute forecasts. Many finally trudged in amid huge puddles through intermittent cloubursts once the team decided to give it a go. The infield tarp was lifted during one break, then replaced when another shower arrived. But eventually the rains stopped, and by the time half the veterans were introduced, co-emcee John Sterling announced the obvious to a cheering crowd: The sun had broken through.
The biggest cheers, perhaps, were for first-time attendees Ramiro Mendoza, David Wells, David Cone, and Rickey Henderson, returning Yankee hero Willie Randolph, and the team’s newest Hall of Famer Goose Gossage. The widows of Elston Howard, Billy Martin, Catfish Hunter, Thurman Munson, and Phil Rizzuto came last, as The Scooter and Bobby Murcer were feted in this, the first Old Timers Day since each one’s tragic passing. Returnees Paul O’Neill and Tino Martinez received huge applause, with the former hearing vestiges of the chant from Game Five of the 2000 World Series. Sterling made a few points with an offhand dig at Saturday’s opponents by including in Ron Guidry’s intro that he holds the Yankee record for strike outs in a game after having whiffed 18 Angels in 1978. The late start to the festivities allowed for just a one-inning game, with the Clippers besting the Bombers 5-1, then today’s Yankees took the field and tried to get back to winning ways against the rampaging Anaheim Angels.
Mike Mussina opposed fellow righthander Jered Weaver, and although the Moose would come through in stellar fashion, the game took an ugly early turn. Mike got two strike outs around a first-inning Mark Teixeira walk, and Johnny Damon and Derek jeter promptly had Weaver puffing through back-to-back nine-pitch at bats in the bottom half. Both struck out, however, as did Bobby Abreu to close the frame and then Alex Rodriguez to start the home second.
Fans were anxious by then, as some shoddy defense and a well-placed double had the Yankees in a quick 2-0 hole. Jason Giambi was unable to come up with Garret Anderson’s hard grounder one pace to his right at first to start the second, then Howie Kendrick sliced an opposite-field liner into the right field corner that some fans grumbled (unjustly in my view) Abreu should have gotten to. With runners on second and third with no outs, A-Rod held them there and pegged Juan Rivera out on a bouncer, then Jeff Mathis bounced to Alex after a walk loaded the bases. In at second for Robbie Cano, Wilson Betemit took the throw for a force, but his relay to first bounced awkwardly, glancing off Giambi’s glove and caroming back toward the mound. Two runs scored, and Moose was in a 2-0 hole.
Giambi became the first Yankee not to strike out when he followed A-Rod in the second with a high pop to second, but Xavier Nady singled up the middle and Betemit blasted Weaver’s next pitch to right for a 2-2 tie. We all would have relaxed right then had we known what Mussina would do next. He had struck out Chone Figgins to end the second; he then calmly retired the next 15 batters, mostly on weak grounders and a couple of fly balls.
Weaver had no such luck. Two games of rest must have done catcher Jose Molina a world of good, because he not only started the bottom of the third with one of three straight hits, he “raced” around to third when Damon singled to right. From there Jose crossed on a double-play grounder, and Abreu homered to right for a 4-2 lead. Two innings later, Molina was at it again, as he homered to left to start the home fifth. A-Rod did the same in the sixth, and Weaver left after following that blast with a walk of Giambi. Molina started the seventh with another single and Damon walked, both against righty Justin Speier. Both eventually crossed the plate on a single and a fielder’s choice, forging the 8-2 final score.
After a rare bad start against Baltimore last time out, Mussina improved to 14-7 on the season on one of his best starts yet. The single, double in the second were the only hits, he walked two, struck out five, and surrendered two runs, just one earned. His 58/30 strikes/balls ratio was great, he threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of 25 batters, and while Sid Ponson received just nine called strikes in seven innings Friday, Moose coaxed 11 through two innings, and 22 on the game. Jose Veras pitched the eighth and struck out the side, and long absent Brian Bruney was greeted with cheers when he came out and closed the ninth.
The Yanks had put Weaver on notice with the Damon and Jeter multi-pitch at bats to start the game, and Betemit recovered nicely after the second inning miscue to equal matters with his tracer to the seats. Molina had three hits and scored each time, and today’s Yanks followed up the early storms with four-home-run thunder of their own. Their predecessors must have been proud.
BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!