Bronx, N.Y., June 20, 2008 — The record will read that young Reds fireballer Edinson Volquez bested veteran Yankee hurler Mike Mussina 4-2 in the Bronx Friday night, which doesn’t tell the whole story, though in a way it does. Volquez was every bit as good as his press indicated, and he did hold the Yanks to two runs through seven frames, more than enough to win. And not only that. Reds rookie first baseman Joey Votto notched three hits, and homered for the first run of the game. And on the Yankee side of the ledger, the young’uns played well too. Melky Cabrera initiated the first Yankee rally with a single, and young Robbie Cano plated the second run with a one-base hit to center in the home seventh.

It all makes for good copy perhaps, but there was more to the story. Mussina was reached for nine hits while pitching eight long innings for the second time this season, on the first night where his pitch count was recorded in three digits. He walked but one (intentionally, and more on that later), struck out four, and given a different (and thinking) official scorer, he was the winner in this one on “earned runs,” 2-1. But Mike appeared to be the guy on the Yankee side that made the key decision of the night. He got his way, it appeared, and it cost him.

Moose got off to a weird start, retiring the visiting Reds on just four first-inning pitches despite veteran Jolbert Cabrera’s superb bunt single, because Cabrera was doubled off when Ken Griffey’s line drive to right on a hit and run went right to Bobby Abreu. Volquez responded with an impressive, though challenged, first. Featuring 97-mph heat, he struck out Johnny Damon to start, and surrendered a single to Derek Jeter. But Derek was pegged out stealing two pitches before Bobby Abreu flied out to deep center, the first of his two quality at bats again in back-to-back 0-for-4 games for the Yankee right fielder.

Volquez came out throwing mostly fire, pounding the fastball again and again while slowly introducing a plus change of pace and an effective curve. And following Votto’s homer second-inning home run, he was pitching with a lead. Mussina pitched around rookie Jay Bruce’s single in the top of the third, and the Yanks eked out a tying run in the bottom half. Cabrera singled, moved to second on Molina’s slow roller to third, and coasted into third when Volquez balked before his first pitch to Damon. Cinncy Manager Dusty Baker, sensing that runs would be tough to come by, played his infield in, but a broken-bat looper up the middle got through his drawn-in infield and the game was tied up, 1-1.

It was a tight and well-pitched game, but the recent stellar defense Yankee fans are becoming accustomed to took the night off. Cano made the only called error of the night on a fourth-inning slow Votto roller with two down, throwing past first and into the camera box to give the Cinncy first baseman two bases. But Jose Molina picked his teammate up, picking Votto off after two pitches to Edgar Encarnacion in an interrupted at bat that would eventually send the game spinning the Reds’ way.

Volquez set the Yanks down on 11 pitches in the bottom half, and Encarnacion wasted no time in his resumed at bat starting the fifth, stroking a sinking liner Damon’s way in left field. Johnny charged the ball, seemed to have it lined up, but he appeared to lose it in the lights, and it glanced off his glove for two bases. For everyone but Mussina (and me perhaps), it’s just bookkeeping, but after a considerable delay the official scorer ruled it a double, not a bad call on any little league field across the nation. But this is the big leagues, and I’m sure Damon would agree with me that this was a ball that Moose deserved to have caught by his defense.

Corey Patterson’s perfect bunt moved Encarnacion to third, but Cano flagged down Paul Bako’s ensuing bouncer up the middle, and the Yanks looked ready to emerge unscathed. The Reds had rookie Jay Bruce coming up, a lefty batter who arrived on the scene a few weeks ago hitting everything in sight. But his early .600 ba had lost half of its value as he struggled to get a hit in the last week. Thus far he had flied to left, and singled to right after fouling off several pitches. With veteran righty shortstop Jolbert Cabrera, someone the Yanks had seen in his Cleveland days, up next enjoying a 2-for-2 night, there was virtually no discussion. Moose walked Bruce intentionally and prepped for the vet. Mussina may not have deserved the four earned runs the official scorer allowed to mar his night, but if it was, as it appeared, his choice to avoid the rookie and pitch to the vet, he did reap what he had sown in the long run. From my perch, I expected the wiley Moose to have Bruce for lunch, but he chose to pitch to Cabrera. Jolbert lined his first pitch down the line in left for two runs.

Ken Griffey followed with a ground single to right, and Abreu’s throw to the plate beat Cabrera by almost 10 feet. Outside the first base line a bit after the catch, Molina shifted and placed his glove in front of the plate, but the veteran Cabrera was not satisfied after having “made Moose pay” several pitches earlier for the intentional free pass in front of him; he slid to the back of the plate and avoided the tag. The throw beat him, which more often than not earns an “out” call, but home plate ump Brian Runge felt otherwise.

The 4-1 lead proved to be more than too much. To Volquez’s credit, after pounding relentless heat through a few frames, he featured a low eighties change more and more as the contest rolled on, and a high seventies curve had the Yanks flailing as well. Moose pitched around a single and walk in the sixth and one-out hits in the seventh and eighth. Volquez allowed a run on singles to A-Rod, Hideki Matsui, and Cano in the seventh, but when Cabrera whiffed to close the frame, the Yanks were done. Giambi’s fly to center in the middle of the rally came up short, and he grounded out to second when Matsui gave him another shot to tie the game off Cinncy closer Francisco Cordero following a two-out single in the ninth.

So youth was served, I suppose, this night. Volquez earned his win; Votto showed off his prowess in the Bronx. And on the Yankee side Cabrera and Cano were vital cogs to a too short offense. But Mike Mussina pitched another very good game. It won’t go down in the books as a quality start because a “suit” ruled that all four runs against him were earned. But we know better.

Twenty-five years ago, beloved Yankee outfielder and now broadcaster Bobby Murcer retired after the Yanks beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-3 on June 19, 1983. Ken Griffey, Jr.’s father was a veteran on the Yankee squad not much younger than Murcer that night, and he contributed two hits and two runs to the Yankee victory. And further, 100-year-old Bill Werber, currently the oldest living major league ballplayer, celebrated his 100th birthday this day too. Werber got his 11-year career started 78 years ago playing for the Yanks, and tonight the Stadium crowd was treated to the sight of him moving the games-remaining count in the old Stadium from 45 to 44 remotely from his home.

Volquez and the Reds got their win. But veteran Jolbert Cabrera had the big hit, and veteran Mike Mussina allowed but one untainted run. The Yankee Stadium crowd got to see Ken Griffey, Jr. after a several-years absence. Veterans vs. rookies? I call this one a tossup, but don’t look for a tie in the morning paper.

YANKEE BASEBALL!!!