Bronx, N.Y., September 5, 2011 – What began as a quiet September callup rewarding a year of good service, and auditioning for the big club, has dramatically morphed into a debut with all the subtlety of Sherman’s March to the Sea. Joining his new teammates four days ago in a cramped visitors’ clubhouse in Fenway sure not to be too much of a culture shock for a guy plying his trade in the minors, Jesus Montero scored a run in a key Yankee win, and had followed with his first hit, and then his first two-hit game. The “March” leaped forward Monday.

Fans attending the festivities in a steamy Yankee Stadium Monday unfortunately quickly found out what happens if wily vet Freddy Garcia can control just one or two of his array of pitches. It was no shock that Garcia started leading-off Baltimore left fielder Luke Hudson with an 84 mph fastball, but that all but two of the 11 tosses he made in the 13-throw first were fastballs was.

Garcia escaped the frame down just 1-0 on Nick Markakis’s singleton drive to right, but the 2-1 lead Freddy took to the second was treated much more rudely, as five hits handed the visitors a 5-2 bulge. That the Yankees immediately responded with plenty of firepower of their own against starter Brian Matusz and righty Chris Jakubauskas answered the score problem – they replied with six tallies for an 8-5 lead, punctuated by Robinson Cano’s grand slam – but not the mounting mound disaster. Allowed to start the top of the third, Garcia surrendered a double, home run, single, and two runs before skipper Joe Girardi had had enough.

Scott Proctor, Aaron Laffey, and Luis Ayala came on in succession to hold the O’s to one more run through seven: a Robert Andino home run off Proctor that tied the score at 8-8 in the fifth. But catcher/DH Montero took the offense into his capable hands at this point, homering deep the other way to right field off Willie Eyre in response to the Andino shot before the fifth inning came to an end.

The crowd, however, was not confident that a one-run lead would hold on this day, and they were right. Ironically scanning an out-of-town scoreboard that had the rival Red Sox battling home-standing Toronto scoreless through nine innings, there was a group perception that 17 runs were not all we were to witness this day. And leadoff walks in the both the top of the sixth and seventh added to the feeling. A one-out hit by pitch in the sixth added to the fear, but it was “D” to the rescue, as Brett Gardner ran down a Markakis liner into the left field corner that frame, and Cano and Derek Jeter turned an improbable 4-6-3 in the seventh.

Hard throwing O’s righty Jim Johnson got a called third strike past Andruw Jones to start the home seventh, but Russell Martin stroked a ground single to right, bringing Montero to the plate. The drama had had little chance to build in the fifth: Jesus lifted Eyre’s second pitch over the wall. But Johnson battled him, 1-1 after two throws, and two fouls around a second ball. But although the at bat was different, the result was remarkably similar: a drive deep the other way to right, and an 11-8 lead.

And not a run was wasted. JJ Hardy doubled to right with one down in the eighth off Boone Logan. The best that can be said about what followed when Markakis singled was that the play was entertaining. A charging Chris Dickerson, having replaced Jones for defense, had the ball carom off his glove and bound toward the infield, so as Hardy scored Markakis continued around second and on his way to third. By the time smoke cleared the home team survived the single, e-9, 9-6-5 putout, and a following infield single to third caused no further damage. But the O’s scored a 10th run before Mariano Rivera secured a 27-pitch save in the ninth by striking out Hardy, for the 11-10 final.

When the day came to an end, the Yanks prevailed, their lead over Boston grew when the Sox lost to a walkoff home run, and the Bombers survived a game when their starter took the mound with virtually nothing. The team leads Boston by three on the loss side, and is 5-0 in September. Depending on how you look at it, that’s either the final drive to the postseason, or the month that welcomed Montero to major league pinstripes. Of course, he didn’t do it all by himself. On this day, for instance, it was the new Yank with help:

“Batman” Montero and Robinson

BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!