Bronx, N.Y., July 2, 2009 — The Yankees’ seven-game winning streak came to a close Thursday night, as Seattle doubled them uo 8-4 in yet another rain-delayed game in Yankee Stadium. CC Sabathia suffered through one of his more difficult games as a Yankee, and assaults by the Mariners in the second and fourth innings proved too much for him and his team to overcome.
Seattle got on the board quietly right away when the pesky Ichiro Suzuki slapped a 2-0 hot shot toward first that got past Mark Teixeira after glancing off his glove. By the time the ball was retrieved in short right field the Seattle right fielder had a double. Ironically, while the Scoreboard implored fans in the waning hours of All Star selections to vote for Teixeira all night, he had a pretty mediocre game. Sabathia struck out Russell Branyan, the fifth of what would become seven in a row against the veteran first baseman over two days (but when CC failed to make it eight straight five innings later, Branyan became the last batter he pitched to on the night). Ichiro stole third, then scored on a comebacker to the mound before Mike Sweeney went down swinging.
The Yanks went down in order to lefty Jason Vargas, and Seattle pounced, loudly this time for two more runs. Franklin Guttierez’s homer to left was the first of three hits in a row, and Chris Woodward scored the third run of the game with a sac fly. Yankee fans were unaware of it, but the team had its most promising moment right then, in the bottom of the second. A-Rod walked leading off, Robbie Cano doubled him to third, and two sac flies brought the Yanks to within one at 3-2. The second run scored on a Hideki Matsui liner to Ichiro in right, a ball that he dropped for an error. The run would have scored anyway, and the inning ended when Francisco Cervelli followed with a flyout to right, with Bronx cheers all around for Mr. Suzuki. He made to toss the ball into the stands as he ran off to the third base dugout, but held the ball, rolling it toward the mound. A star on two sides of the planet, Ichiro is a proud man, and he did not take the abuse lightly. The point was clear: He didn’t appreciate the taunts he had received from the fans in right field. The tossed ball was just the start; repercussions would be felt the rest of the night.
Guttierez and Kenjo Johjima each stroked their second hits leading off the fourth. Melky Cabrera got a late break on a Ryan Langerhans liner, but recovered for a nice catch, but Woodward knocked in a run with a single lofted over short. Ronnie Cedeno became CC’s sixth strike out victim, and he was one pitch from escaping when the count to Suzuki, who had struck out when he did not think he swung in the third (the man must have been fuming by now), went to 2-2. But revenge is sweet, and Melky could not catch up with Ichiro’s long double to deep left center. The Mariners led 6-2.
Vargas held the Yanks to four hits through four innings, with Cano singling with one out in that frame for his second, the team’s third. Following his earlier sac fly, Matsui supplied the fourth when he homered to right to close it to 6-4. Vargas didn’t return for the fifth, but facing Miguel Battista and Mark Lowe for two innings a piece, the Yanks would record 12 outs, a Cano walk, and a Matsui double through the eighth. The Mariners threatened in the sixth, but Ichiro was walked intentionally this time. CC went up 0-2 on Branyan, but walked him too. Alfredo Aceves got the next seven outs. But Joe Girardi sent him out for the ninth against that man. Suzuki hit a slow grounder between first and second. The guy’s speed applied pressure all around, and Teixeira threw the ball past Aceves for an error. (Mark was 0-for-4 as well.) Still, Girardi stuck with Aceves, for one more pitch, which became a Branyan home run to dead center. The lead ballooned to 8-4 and hopes for a comeback dwindled.
But Cano and Matsui, who between them had great nights at the plate, battled through game at bats in the bottom half, with Cano fouling off four straight David Aardsman pitches before singling as the leadoff. Nick Swisher singled him to second, and Matsui fought through 10 throws (he was 0-2 after two) before finally flying out. Cabrera and the pinch hitting Jorge Posada (whom Girardi curiously didn’t use after the Matsui double in the seventh) were retired and the game was over.
It’s hard to say what went wrong with Sabathia. His 17 of 30 first-pitch strikes was OK, not great, and the 70/37 strikes/balls ratio was quite good. On the one hand, a guy who strikes out eight batters in 5.7 frames cannot be said to be missing an out pitch. But CC’s problems came when the Mariners hit the ball. He struck out eight of 29 batters, but when Seattle put the ball in play, 10 of 18 reached him for hits. Coupled with three walks, it was a lot to overcome. More disturbing still, five of those 10 smacked their hits with two strikes on them, and the Woodward sac fly came with two strikes as well.
Still, CC has persevered in battles before. He was reached for plenty of baserunners in the Stadium opener vs. Cleveland, but allowed but one run. He can work a lineup even when he isn’t sharp. Still, the difference maker was the angry Suzuki, who had two hits and reached safely four times. He scored twice and knocked in two in a four-run game. Who knows? Maybe if Ichiro doesn’t drop that flyball, the Yankees win the game.
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!