August 28, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – When leadoff hitters Rajai Davis and Derek Jeter each reached base in the first inning in the Blue Jays/Yankees battle in the Stadium Tuesday night but were thrown out on the basepaths, we in the stands had no idea how precious baserunners, and runs, would be. The Yankees prevailed 2-1 in 2:28 on August 28 in a game that had you baffled that people had time to do the wave in the late innings.

Toronto southpaw Ricky Romero and Yankee righty Phil Hughes not only each threw seven superb innings, their numbers over that time were startingly similar. At 110 pitches, Hughes threw four more than Romero. Each struck out five; each walked two. Romero gave up five hits, Hughes only four, but one of these was a home run. Early on, the Yanks crowded three of their hits together for a third-inning run, then small-balled their way to a second tally without a hit the next inning, the run that would seal the win.

The Jays were back at Phil right away, getting an Adeiny Hechavarria jolt in the fifth that halved the lead to 2-1, then accepting leadoff walks to their first two hitters in the sixth, the inning that would represent their last scoring threat. Andruw Jones made a long run into the right field corner to corral a long Adam Lind fly just short of the foul pole, with Monday Jays hero Colby Rasmus scurrying into third with just one out. But Yunel Escobar lifted a humpback liner over second on the next pitch, and Robinson Cano not only timed his leap perfectly to snatch the missile ticketed for right field; he also threw to third the second his feet found the infield dirt, nipping Rasmus trying to retrace his steps. Rally over.

Which is not to say the other 100 minutes or so of action was a calm time. If the Yankees were not aware that the second-place Orioles were up 3-0 on the White Sox early, the fans certainly were. And although Hughes is having a fine bounce-back year, there is no question that he is a fly ball pitcher. He got two ground ball outs in the first two innings but not another before the line-out double play that saved him in the sixth. An Escobar double off the left-center field wall and a 400-foot Edgar Encarnacion drive that Curtis Granderson ran down in the fourth came before a long Moises Sierra drive to right Jones caught before Hechavarria’s home run. The sense that we were potentially one pitch from a tie game was palpable throughout the game.

Every Yankee contributed to this razor-thin win, although Jeter’s first-inning single did not figure in the scoring. First baseman Nick Swisher and struggling center fielder Curtis Granderson knocked in the two runs, on a single and long sac fly respectively; Cano, though robbed of an rbi base hit by Jays second baseman Mike McCoy, turned in the pivotal dp; Jayson Nix had two hits and scored the first run; Ichiro Suzuki’s clever bat work eked out an infield single to third that got Nix into scoring position; Jones had the outfield plays; and even the below-.200 Russell Martin moved a runner to third by grounding to second, and threw Davis out stealing as well.

Not to mention newest Yankee Steve Pearce, acquired from Houston Monday, who found himself penciled into the cleanup position as designated hitter of the New York Yankees 24 hours later. Reputed to have a quality righty bat as the Yanks try to survive key losses to the center of their lineup, Pearce went 0-for-2 in his debut with a strike out, but with a walk too. The miscue that cost Romero this game, really, Pearce received his free pass leading off the fourth, then alertly bolted for second on the shortest of wild pitches to Martin. Russell fell behind 1-2, but his ground ball to second moved Pearce 90 feet further, from where Granderson’s long drive to center for that rarest of Yankee achievements – a sac fly! – plated him with the winning run.

Hughes contributed another quality start to a team in desperate need of them. Eleven days ago, Phil survived a great outing despite his own errant throw to second in a game vs. Boston with the best change up he has thrown all year. He piled up outs, but his pitch count too, early with his plus fastball and curve, then coaxed multiple ground ball outs on few throws late. Phil did use his change and what is a very problematic slider to get through this one, but he relied on the fastball and curve much much more. The four hits over seven, the 73/37 strikes/balls ratio, the one run allowed, were all very good. But the two walks on eight of nine out of the zone in the sixth notwithstanding, the quality Hughes used to eke out the win in this one was consistency. One sign of that? He pitched to the nine-man Jays lineup exactly three times, and in each of those trips through the Toronto nine, he threw seven first-pitch strikes, just two balls, for a 21-6 total.

But Phil was not the only Yankee hurler having a good year to have a statement game. Both David Roberston in the eighth and Rafael Soriano in the ninth allowed two singles Monday night. Rafael unfortunately also surrendered the Rasmus home run that represented just his second blown save, and that snatched victory from the Yanks in an eventual loss. Neither righty hesitated to pitch this game, and both excelled. Robertson had an uncharacteristic five-pitch, three-out eighth; Soriano a dominating two-strike-out ninth, for his 34th save.

August 28 falling, as it does, near season’s end, has often been a good Yankee day. Mickey Mantle homers on this day carried the Bombers to victory in 1960 and 1962, the latter another 2-1 victory, that one over the Indians. And Ron Guidry not only beat Texas 1-0 while facing just 28 batters on this day in 1977, he celebrates a birthday today (1950), along with former player and manager [and current broadcaster] Lou Piniella (1943), and 1977 World Series hero Mike Torrez (1946). Lesser pinstriped lights like T.J. Beam, Billy Cowan, Aaron Roth, Braggo Roth, and Joe Yeager were born this day too, along with the regrettable Yankee reliever of a decade ago Jay Witasik.

Also born this day were literary genius Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the playwright responsible for Faust (1749), and 1970s TV star David Soul (1943). But it goes without saying no souls were sold to the devil to acquire this win. No Roy Hobbes-type heroics were needed. The home team won on runs delivered by three singles, and then a walk, wild pitch, fielder’s choice, and sac fly. And Phil Hughes worked his best pitches, borrowing intermittently from the backup repetoire, to get the game to a superb bullpen. Formerly referred to as “the phranchise,” Phil Hughes

Phulphilled [his] Promise Tuesday night.

BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!