Lakewood, Fla., February 28, 2014 — Thirteen hours after leaving our hotel Friday, we returned having witnessed a very entertaining Yankees 7-4 over the Tigers and a true yawner at Champions Field in Disney, where visiting Houston posted a 7-5 win over the Braves. I’m embarrassed to say it was quite cool at the night game to anyone living in the Midwest or Northeast, and will tread lightly (with those poor souls in mind) describing the brilliantly prefect conditions at game 1 in Lakewood. Suffice it to say that it was sunny and 45 degrees warmer than in New York, 53 digits over the reading in Detroit, when reigning Cy Young winner Max Scherzer threw ball one to Jacoby Ellsbury.

Scherzer would take the loss because he surrendered the first of four Yankee home runs to Brian McCann leading off the top of the second, while Adam Warren received the “W” primarily because of the truly bizarre work Detroit displayed on the bases in inning one. New to the Tigers, Rajai Davis lined a double down the right field line leading off, then was picked off that bag one pitch before Warren walked double MVP Miguel Cabrera with one down. Victor Martinez followed by working a seven-pitch walk, but Cabrera was pegged out at third trying to “stretch” V-Mart’s walk for an additional base? I stand by that sentence as being descriptive and nonsensical, all at the same time.

The Yankees prevailed in this on the strength of four long balls and three tremendous outfield assists, and because eight hurlers did OK, though not great. Warren survived two doubles and two walks over two frames, as already described; Sean Kelley looked ready but ended up needing help; while Mark Montgomery threw a dominant one-two-three fourth, the only unblemished inning of the group, on a day when the home team collected 14 hits. Although several of the singles Brian Gordon gave up were scratches and bloops, he did surrender six hits and four seventh-inning runs once the Yanks had taken a 7-0 lead in that frame’s top half, making the last two innings much more tense than they figured to be.

But stifled rallies Detroit posed in the last two innings might have been superfluous but for three astounding plays turned in by the Yankee outfield. In the third, left fielder Zoilo Almonte kept Detroit off the board early, hitting McCann’s glove just above home plate with his two-hop throw to stifle what figured to be a sure Cabrera rbi base hit, catching Torii Hunter at the last second. The left field throw to nab a right fielder trope was repeated in the sixth, as Jose Pirela failed to nab Stephen Moya’s liner, but leaped up to nail him trying for a double at second base. (We’re more used to seeing Pirela as a second baseman with a good stick; he’s played left twice here, but the wand, as we’ll see, hasn’t changed.)

Although the third outfield throw wasn’t quite as on target, its timing could not have been more crucial. Moya’s seventh-inning single to center plated the second of four runs from the charging Tigers, but the third run was cut down at the plate because center fielder Ramon Flores’s throw got close enough and quick enough to home, where Austin Romine took over. He made a nice grab several feet up the left field line, then dove glove first to tag Eugenio Suarez just before his foot crossed the plate.

The three outfield assists turned out to be the difference, and the good enough pitching came through in the end. But the fun part, let’s face it, is that the team played like “the Bombers” we have often known them to be (though not in 2013). With a one-run lead off Scherzer already in place, catcher of the future Gary Sanchez, DH’ing this day, blasted a long third-inning homer off Jose Ortega that cleared more than half the berm beyond the left field fence, 425 feet perhaps. The score stood at 2-0 into the seventh thanks to the “D”; then the “O” resurfaced, as Pirela proved he can still bring it with a two-run shot down the line in left. And three batters later, Yangervis Solarte, who homered Wednesday in Bradenton, lashed a violent liner that was curving toward the right field foul pole, then hit it, for the 7-0 lead.

The long balls were great, the outfield assists too. But the part that, while being the most fun of all, may also prove to be most significant, was McCann’s blast to right center that gave the Yanks the early lead, his first home run for the club. When he sent it soaring, Hunter drifted back to the wall, then held his glove up, as if to indicate he had it. Torii was “funning” too; he had no shot. Looking beyond his still outstretched glove, I watched it clear, dead center over an advertising board that described it for me. McCann’s first (of many) fence clearer[s] for the New York Yankees was a …

Hooters Homer

BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!