Bronx, N.Y., August 30, 2009 — All around Yankee land, I’m sure there are a host of mildly disgruntled fans (how angry can you be with the best record in baseball?) patting themselves on the back smugly, opining that they were right all along. After all, if young Joba Chamberlain is to be sent out to the mound to pitch only three frames and toss the rock a mere 35 times, what is the difference from what he would have been doing had he been retained in the bullpen setup role so many of the rooting horde wanted for him? Thus is the state of things in the Bronx, where coming off a 5-1 homestand following up on a 7-3 road trip, the pinstriped passionate would rather talk about player decisions than revel in another win, this one an 8-3 drubbing of the White Sox that completed a three-game sweep.

The White Sox came to town having beaten the Yanks in Chicago three out of four almost a month ago, and they played the Bombers tough for nine innings in the rain Friday night. Unfortunately for them, however, in the 10th inning the hometeam beat them, and has outscored them 21-3 from that point on. Six Yankee pitchers held the White Sox to nine hits and three runs Sunday, and even though Chamberlain was trailing 2-1 when he left after the top of the third, the Yanks seized the lead two outs later on a Johnny Damon home run (into the “Damon Deck,” no less) 3-2. Joba was superb in shutting down Chicago on 15 pitches in the first two innings, even if leadoff hitter Scott Podsednik did sneak a triple down the right field line to start the game and scored on an infield grounder. Chamberlain’s first fastball was but 90 mph, but he was up to 94 when he left. He mixed in a decent curve and a nice change of pace, but his signature slider wasn’t much in evidence.

The Yanks got the first-inning tally back almost immediately with Derek Jeter, who would smack hits on the first two pitches he saw Sunday, doubling into the right-center field gap to start the bottom of the first. Damon moved him with a grounder to the right side and Mark Teixeira delivered him with the first of three deep fly balls to right field. But the White Sox pounced on Joba with three straight singles to start the third. They stole two bases that inning too, but managed to score just once due to a failed baserunning gamble too. When Podsednik singled to score the run with runners on the corners, Melky Cabrera threw to second behind second baseman Jayson Nix. The ball got away from Robbie Cano, and Nix bolted for third, but Cano pegged there on time for the inning’s first out. A Gordon Beckham bouncer to first and Joba’s only strike out, on three pitches to A.J. Pierzynski, closed the inning and Joba’s day, as it turned out.

One year ago, the Yanks dropped an August 30 game to Toronto 7-6 when Darrell Rasner surrendered five runs in six frames. They lost on August 31 too, but the eighth inning served as the first-ever big-league appearance of Alfredo Aceves. All they have gotten from this Mexican League veteran since that day is a 10-1 record with one save. He relieved Joba with the Sunday lead on the Yankee side thanks to Damon’s 24th home run, tying his career season high. Aceves pitched the next three, and copped his ninth win of this season today by holding the White Sox right there. Chamberlain went three innings, threw seven first-pitch strikes to 12 White Sox batters, getting four fly outs and two grounders. Aceves went 6-5 in first-pitch strikes and reversed things, four ground ball outs and two flies. Each had a strike out, Aceves threw four less pitches in his three frames than Chamberlain’s 35, and gave up two less than the four hits Joba allowed.

And it was a good thing that Joba and Ace did so well, because reclamation project Freddy Garcia was throwing a dynamite game for the Sox. Freddy never hit 90 on the gun, but he cleverly mixed his bp fastball with a sharp curve and a darting slider to hold the Yanks to the three runs and just four hits through six innings. But when the game went to the bullpens in the seventh inning it was all Yanks. Not that the White Sox didn’t try to make Mangager Joe Girardi rue his decision to pull Chamberlain so early. Damaso Marte retired Jim Thome, and then David Robertson struck out Jermaine Dye, but Roberston gave up back-to-back singles then, and Phil Hughes got the call. Nix battled Phil to 3-2, then lofted a short fly to right field that looked to have a chance, but right fielder Eric Hinske made up some ground and grabbed the sinking orb to close the inning.

Lefty Randy Williams, who had been victimzed by Cano’s walkoff homer Friday, replaced Garcia, and Jorge Posada stroked the first of his two hits to ignite a big rally. One out later Hinske walked and Melky Cabrera lashed a vicious liner to left. It looked certain to curve foul, but got to the outfield before it could, thumping off the wall for the fourth Yankee run. With runners on second and third Jeter was walked intentionally, and Jerry Hairston hit in Damon’s spot. Johnny had run all the way into second base in the top half of the sixth while Pierzynski was reaching on an infield hit. We in the crowd thought he was confused, but it turns out he had leg cramps. But the rally did not skip a beat, as Hairston lined to left for a sac fly, and Teixeira homered to right for an 8-2 lead.

Hughes pitched the eighth, and Phil Coke came on in the ninth, and Dye kept us all in our seats a bit longer by homering with two outs. But Mark Kotsay flied to right and the Yanks 8-3 victory was earned in a brisk 2:49. The Robertson strike out in the seventh was the team’s third and last; Yankee pitching issued no walks. The battle between grounders and flies continued with the ground ball being the most garnered out, by a 10-8 score. Jorge Posada’s eighth-inning double was his 359th, tying him with Bob Meusel at nine-most in Yankee history. With a 2-for-3 game and three runs scored, Derek Jeter continued his assault on the batting leaders and the league mvp crown, with Mr. Teixeira continuing his bid as well. With the three rbi’s, Tex passed 100, giving him six consecutive seasons of 30 home runs and 100 rbi’s.

But what impresses most one year removed from a team that couldn’t find enough viable arms to get a decent start every day, with the resulting non-invite to postseason play, is that Girardi seems to have all the pieces he needs to keep the Yankee machine going. So Nick Swisher takes a day and Hinske catches a key out, and walks and scores. Damon homers for a lead, but Hairston replaces him and drills the fourth pitch he sees for a sac fly in what was still a two-run game. And Chamberlain and Aceves sort of split a start between them, and you know what? It was a quality start at that.

Whether or not you agree with this new version of the “Joba Rules,” or last week’s, or the fact that he was handed a rotation spot to begin the season, the fact remains that Girardi has the pieces to play the game the way he thinks is best. Sunday would have been the 212th birthday of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, whose gothic horror novel Frankenstein has thrilled and scared both young and old for two centuries. In it, Dr. Frankenstein used parts from various cadavers to create “The Monster.” Joe Girardi’s using parts too, parts of a winning team.

A very good team too, perhaps even “monstrous.” You could call them the FrankenYankees.

BTW,TYW

YANKEE BASEBALL!!!