Bronx, N.Y., April 30, 2011 – Blame it on the quite vocal Toronto fans several rows behind me, but I had this game all wrong, at least for a while. Listening to them heckle ex-Jays hurler A.J. Burnett once Rajah Davis “tripled” leading off and scored, I witnessed the stalwart pinstriped vet respond to undeserved adversity. What I saw was a Yankee right-hander totally on his game, and looking even better when stacked up against the work of hot shot prospect Kyle Drabeck, who got the start for the visitors.

In truth, Burnett allowed Davis a routine line drive to center field to start the game, and in the blinding sun Curtis Granderson badly misjudged it, broke in, and even when he realized it was deeper, initially just backpedaled, not turning to run after the ball until it was directly overhead. The speedy Davis made third easily, and when an overmatched Yunel Escobar topped a fastball toward first, A.J. gloved it and tossed him out, with the Jays shortstop earning himself an rbi for a ball that traveled 50 feet.

I continued to consider Burnett blameless when he struck out two to escape a two-hit second, with one hit another infield squibbler, and again when all-world Jose Bautista doubled to right to set up a run in the third. A dominant 11-pitch fourth reinforced my impression. A.J. had an effective fastball and, if his curveball helped without being drop-off-the-table dangerous, it seemed enough, even with the change of pace he has used to dominate at least two straight starts not being much in evidence.

Drabeck, meanwhile, was gone in the third inning. Nick Swisher singled to start a three-hit, three-run uprising in the second that, with two walks, cost the son of onetime Yankee pitcher Doug Drabeck 34 tosses. Russell Martin and Granderson (good for him!) singles around a Derek Jeter sac fly plated the three runs, but Eric Chavez, subbing at third for A-Rod, made it all possible when his stellar slide after being walked broke up any chance for a double play on a Jorge Posada grounder to second. Robinson Cano, again, started the third inning rally that drove Drabeck from the mound with a single. One out and a stolen base later, Chavez singled Cano in, and two walks later, Brett Gardner singled in run No. 5; baseball in the Bronx was fun. Rob Thompson chose to hold Posada at third on Jeter’s fly to pretty deep right that greeted reliever Jason Fraser; the hammering Bautista also has a cannon arm, but I would have sent the lumbering DH anyway. He probably would have been easily out, but the here one minute, gone the next Yankee offense ensuingly disappeared against the Blue Jays pen anyway, and the home team score was capped at 5 runs.

When a bomb to left by Toronto second baseman Mike McCoy (the “real McCoy,” per the Jays guys; McCoy would make a fabulous play to start a double play later) leading off the fifth closed what had been a three-run lead to 5-3, and Davis had a following infield single, it was impossible not to notice that the visitors now had seven hits. A.J. was pitching well, but not to the level I originally thought. After Adam Lind led off the top of the sixth with a clean single, Burnett fell behind ex-Yank Juan Rivera 3-1, and the Jays left fielder lined one to deep right center. Granted, the weird 4 pm start had Granderson bathed in sunlight, and 17 home games in he could be forgiven for wondering what that golden orb in the sky was anyway but, although this was so much more clearly a hit than the Davis ball in the first, Curtis initially had no idea that this ball was well over his head, costing him any chance.

Ironically, a Granderson misplay that was ruled a double Monday got Burnett his first loss of the year, but he showed no sign of being frustrated with the “D” behind him. And Grandy did recover quickly to hold Lind at third base, from where he would score on a sac fly. Playing aggressive Jays ball (they had three steals), Rivera was pegged out trying to swipe third to keep the slim 5-4 lead intact through six.

It was time for the Yankee pen, the advertised three-headed group that would end games, in effect, following six innings and, in this game, they would get the job done. As was clear to even me (and obviously Joe Girardi) by now, A.J. wasn’t sharp enough to hold the line off two straight one-run frames, even if he threw just 81 pitches. He allowed four runs on nine hits, although the first hit and run should be heavily asterisked. The 32 balls to 49 strikes was too high a figure, but it was huge that to go with four strike outs he allowed no walks, or wild pitches even, and he picked a runner off first.

This was a team struggle, and win, though Joba Chamberlain’s one-two-three seventh inning had as totally positive an effect as Chavez with a walk, rbi hit, run and great slide; and Martin, who singled and walked in the two rallies, and threw out an attempted stealer. Rafael Soriano had a good eighth inning finally, and Mo Rivera – without the high socks for the first time in 2011 – got his ninth save. Back on April 15, 1997, Mariano blew one of his first ever save chances when ex-Yank – and guy who caught Rivera – Jim Leyritz doubled for two runs in the ninth in a 6-5 Angels win. There’s an old theory that a backstop who has regularly caught a pitcher will then be a very dangerous bat against him, and – wouldn’t you know it? – ex-Yank Jose Molina doubled to the left center field gap with two down after fouling off four two-strike pitches. But Mo finally retired McCoy on a fly to right to end the game.

So the pen did the job, but it’s hard to rave about their work lest it be stacked up against what the Jays relievers accomplished in this game. Would you believe 17 up, 17 down, once Frasor took the ball from Drabeck with the bases loaded and one down in the home third? True, Tex walked in the fourth and Cano was hit by a pitch three innings later, but both were removed on double plays, the latter when Robinson was caught way off first when McCoy (as referenced earlier) made a stunning catch on Swisher’s soft pop to short center on a full run with his back to the plate. The only possible issue with the Toronto pen performance is the fact that they pulled off the impressive string against an offense that has already proven capable of simply disappearing for innings at a time.

But that’s what made this win special, if not pretty. A.J. battled, but gave nine hits and four runs. The pen shut the Jays down, but did allow two hits in very dangerous innings. The Yankee offense averted their time-tested practice of struggling against young pitchers they have not previously seen and drubbed Drabeck to the dugout, then disappeared for the remainder. Granderson knocked in a run despite his troubles with the bright sky.

This 5-4 win was earned on the 109th anniversary of the Yankees’ (then Highlanders) first opening day game in New York, a contest they won 6-2 over Washington on April 30, 1903. With a team that went 72-62 in fourth place, perhaps the Highlanders won a bunch of games the way 2011’s Yankees pulled this one out today. It was a

Team Struggle, all right, but a Team Win

BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!