Tampa, FL., March 3 — Pitching dominated over hitting yet again on Saturday in Tampa, as the Yanks needed a late three-run rally to overcome the visiting Pirates, 4-3. But while the arms dominating was business as usual, the milieu in which the game was played was anything but. Light rain fell in the morning and then again late in the game, and temps ranged in the 50s for much of the afternoon.
Mike Mussina was unable to match the six-up, six-down, two-inning outings both Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte had fashioned the last two days, and actually gave up a single to Bucco left fielder Andrew McCutchen leading off the game after a nine-pitch battle. But thankfully, batterymate Jorge Posada brought his “A” game; he nailed McCutcheon trying to steal second two pitches later. Right fielder Kevin Thompson hauled in a sharp Freddy Sanchez liner into the gap to close the first, but Moose lost a second multi-pitch battle with one down in the second, and first baseman Brad Eldred got Pittsburgh an early lead with a singleton home run over the wall in left.
Thompson played right with Melky Cabrera sliding to center, and that tandem provided the best Yankee leather of the day. After Kevin’s first-inning snatch, Cabrera ran down a long Ronny Paulino drive to center in the fifth. It was a year ago on March 3 that Thompson and Cabrera began their month-long assault on opposition pitching, notching three and four hits respectively in a dramatic loss to Ryan Howard and the Phillies. Cabrera is scuffling a bit with his bat so far, but not in the field, and the Yanks appear to have plenty of outfield defense backing up a veteran crew as they prep for the 2007 season.
The Pirates doubled their lead off Matt DeSalvo in the fourth on a Jack Wilson double, a Sanchez single, and a sac fly. The National League 2006 batting champ, Pirates second baseman Sanchez pestered the Yanks through six innings, stroking the ball while making sparkling plays on a Jeter bouncer up the middle in the first and another by Miguel Cairo in the third.
Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada took aim at the Pittsburgh lead in the bottom of the fourth. A-Rod’s one-out drive to left died on the warning track, but Po’s shot to right put the Yanks on the board. Cairo’s fifth-inning shot the same way was corraled, and both teams failed to score in the sixth after Sean Henn allowed a leadoff walk, and Pirates southpaw Dave Davidson returned the favor by walking two. But when visiting center fielder Michael Ryan scored after doubling with one down in the eighth, it was obvious that the Yanks would be hard-pressed to bring this game to a successful conclusion for their frozen fans.
Pittsburgh pitching prospect John Van Benschoten started the bottom half of the eighth by walking Thompson and Brett Gardner, in center for Cabrera, and the momentum swung the Yanks’ way. Southpaw Juan Perez entered to face a string of Yankee lefty batters with the game on the line. Infielder Ramiro Pena suffered through an injury-plagued 2006 after a nice spring with the Yanks. He started his first 2007 appearance by showing bunt as Perez’s first toss sailed wide. With the infield charging, Pena swung and fouled the 1-0 pitch. Then Joe Torre called for the hit and run, and the Yankee shortstop chopped a bouncer toward the vacated shortstop hole. Bucs shortstop Javier Guzman reversed direction, but when the ball deflected off his glove a run scored, and the speedy Gardner motored around to third. Kevin Reese then promptly tied matters with a first-pitch liner to left.
Another spring returnee this year, third baseman Marcos Vechionacci followed by working the count full, then looked bad flailing a slider foul the other way. But he hammered the seventh pitch he saw on the ground ball past short and Pena beat the throw home for a 4-3 Yankee lead. Going for the save, Jose Veras coaxed a fly to left in the top of the ninth, but then Vechionacci failed to come up with a slow roller and DH Jose Bautista lined a double down the line in right. The few hundred who had braved the raw conditions to this point stood and applauded with the winning runs in scoring position and one down. Having replaced third baseman Jose Castillo after an injury on a double play in the third, Don Kelly popped out to Cannizaro at second, and the Yanks cashed in their second straight win on a fly to right when Luis Matos went that way on an 0-2 pitch.
A look a the recent schedule of 70s rock band The Who finds them on a tour of the United States plugging a new album right now; I saw them in Madison Square Garden a few months ago. On the west coast at the moment, they will be playing Tampa Bay in 10 days. But for this game, “The Kids Are Alright” gang arrived in Florida a week and a half early, at least on the Yankee side.
BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!