Bronx, N.Y., June 11, 2011 – Despite succumbing to back-to-back strike outs starting Saturday’s contest in Yankee Stadium, the Indians seemed to not realize that early was their only chance in this game, at least until much later, due to unforeseen circumstances. Among the league leaders in strikes-to-balls thrown ratio, Yankee starter Bartolo Colon got off to what seemed a bad start, at least for him. With a pervasive mist covering the Bronx and a nasty, bone-chilling, unrelenting breeze blowing right from the first pitch, Bart uncharacteristically failed to a throw a first-pitch strike to any of the first seven Cleveland batters.
Colon issued his only walk of the game following the two strike outs, and “struggled” through the first two frames on counts of 18 and 14 pitches. But with those 32 tosses and two frames behind him and unscathed on the scoreboard, Colon plugged his game into autodrive, not good news for the struggling visitors. Almost exclusively pounding low nineties heat that topped out – in the later innings – at 96, he proceeded to retire Cleveland on 10, 10, 10, and 11 pitches through the next four innings. Taking the return throw and promptly delivering a new pitch, he kept his defense in the game, a strategy that payed off when Mark Teixeira, in the third, and Robinson Cano in the fifth, turned in stellar plays to blunt Cleveland tries after each of their two hits off the portly Yankee chucker.
Meanwhile, as has become all too painfully familiar among fans of the team, the Yanks were having little more success with right-hander Mitch Talbot. Mixing high eighties fastballs that reached 91 mph from time to time with cutters and the occasional change of pace, he kept the Yankees from hitting anything hard, and they had no hits to show for it. Brett Gardner, actually, went 2-for-2 against him, reaching on a beautiful bunt single in the third and a line ground rule double to right center in the fifth. But Gardner was caught stealing after the former when Cleveland Manager Manny Acta surprised the Yankee braintrust by ordering back-to-back pitch outs. The second one nailed Brett and, although he made it close with a nice slide, it was puzzling how clearly the throw beat him to the bag. But that was nothing compared to the next failure, because Brett was already on his way to third when his drive bounded into the Yankee pen, forcing him back to second leading off the fifth with his two-base hit. But Gardner apparently thought he discerned something in Talbot’s move, and broke for third after the count to Francisco Cervelli went to 1-1. The Cleveland righty was not fooled, however, and wheeled and pegged the speedy Gardner out at third by 10 feet.
Some of the sting of the latter disappointment was removed, however, because the Yanks had managed one other hit, a laser home run to left by Alex Rodriguez in the fourth, on a 1-0 pitch, a shot that clearly would have been knocked down by the driving wind had it not reached the seats so quickly. The Yankees increased their lead in the sixth, after Derek Jeter’s bid for a base hit on a hard liner toward the right field foul pole was run down and grabbed by right fielder Shin-Soo Choo. Four pitches later, Curtis Granderson matched the major-league lead in home runs with his 20th inside that same foul pole. Teixeira’s ensuing blast almost matched him, but the high shot to right center was so severely knocked down by the wind that Shoo, who had retreated to the wall for a leaping attempt, had to change course and run in to make the catch. The next pitch sent A-Rod sprawling in pain as it thumped against his hip, and Talbot was promptly tossed from the game. As southpaw Rafael Perez warmed, Talbot protested that he slipped, but following Fausto Carmona last night, the question needs to be asked: Why is it that Cleveland hurlers only slip after a Yankee batter has hit a ball a long way?
The seventh inning was a turning point, in the game but hopefully not in the Yankee season. Back in the third, once Michael Brantley reached Colon for the first Indians hit, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a smash to the first base hole, but Tex smothered it with a dive. When he ran to the base, Colon was almost there, and had to pull up so Tex could complete the play. Now leading off the seventh, once Bartolo caught Carlos Santana looking for his sixth strike out, Choo bounced a ball right down the first base line. Tex smothered this one too, but he was too far behind the bag to get the out. A big man, Colon got off the mound in good order, but he suddenly pulled up a few steps short of the first base bag. He advanced with a couple of hops to make the catch and the out, but the pulled hamstring he had just experienced had him out of this game, out for a while of course, and hopefully not for too long. Ironically, Bart retired Choo for the second out on his 10th pitch of the seventh.
David Robertson came on, but on an 0-2 pitch Matt LaPorta blasted one high and deep to right center; it smacked near the top of the fence, but the Yankee defense rose to the occasion again, as Nick Swisher played the carom perfectly and held the Cleveland DH to a single. Robertson struck out Cord Phelps, then after allowing two singles and a balk to start the top of the eighth, struck out Brantley, Cabrera, and Grady Sizemore in succession. By then the Yankee lead was 3-0. Swisher had followed his good play with a single to left to start the home seventh, and Jorge Posada, who was supposed to be washed up batting righty, lashed a double over Santana at first. This ball got past Shoo and Swisher scored, but the rally died when Jorge was trapped off second on a Gardner bunt attempt.
With Mariano Rivera warming in the bottom of the eighth, Teixeira blasted his 19th home run to right for a 4-0 lead, so Boone Logan finished the Tribe off in order in the ninth. The Scoreboard had revealed earlier that on this day in 1961, Mickey Mantle homered once and Roger Maris went yard twice, giving them 18 and 20 home runs, respectively, in their epic battle for the home run crown and Babe Ruth’s record. In 2011, Yankees Teixeira and Granderson have 19 and 20 home runs now, with plenty of baseball to be played.
And lots of challenges to be faced. Two days ago the season seemed to be spinning out of control, and the struggles against Boston and the loss of Joba Chamberlain are not setbacks to be taken lightly. But although it surprises the Yankee players, their management, and virtually all their fans, the potential absence of Bartolo Colon from the starting rotation for any extended lenghth of time may be the biggest loss of all.
After all, what is to become of the 10-Pitch Pan?
BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!