March 9, 2015, Tampa, Fla. — The Yanks hosted the Tampa Rays Monday afternoon under bright sun, some high clouds, and 82 degrees worth of heat. The home team fielded what could be their opening day lineup, while the Rays’ traveling squad included several of the name players their nondescript offense will feature in 2015. Neither team knocked the cover off the ball, and each scored when the other was struggling on defense. The Rays out-errored the Yanks 2-1, and the Yanks won the game, 4-3.
The good news for the home team was that two-fifths of their projected rotation had exceptional outings, Michael Pineda with two strike outs over two frames, and Nathan Eovaldi, who struck out five over three. Relievers David Carpenter, Justin Wilson, and Chris Martin were effective, but Diego Moreno let the Rays back in the game with a four-pitch walk and hit by pitch to start the top of a three-run, sloppily fielded eighth.
On the other hand, Rays righthander Nate Karns pitched a solid first inning, but once Desmond Jennings failed to corral a Chase Headley fly curving away from him in the left field corner in the second, Karns allowed two runs on an Alex Rodriguez single, a walk, and a fielder’s choice, and would have been down 4-0 had third baseman Evan Longoria not rescued him with a diving play into the hole to rob Jacoby Ellsbury of a two-rbi single.
The encouraging news coming from the two runs the Yanks tacked on in the seventh inning off Kirby Yates was that it featured one solid at bat after another from recent Yankee draftees: Rob Refsnyder and Slade Heathcott singles, a Tyler Austin walk following a long drive to center by Ramon Flores, and yet another Greg Bird booming double down the right field line. A throwing error marred the beauty of this uprising, but it is fast becoming a meme that — quite the opposite of the usual Spring Training experience, I assure you from years of ugly late-inning scorecard scribbles — this conglomeration of pinstriped players always mounts a late rally once the young charges take over for the vets.
Among the vets, the guys we assume will be heading north, Rodriguez’s two singles (from the seventh spot in the lineup, as DH) were the highlight; Brian McCann got the first rally going with a double; Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, and Mark Teixeira hit the ball hard; and Didi Gregorius continued to flash some fine leather at short. Carlos Beltran, on the other hand, looks like he is swinging a bat under water. He is a long-serving vet, and he gets a lot more time. The curious thing about Rodriguez, by the way, seems to be that the “Boos” grew each time he succeeded at an at bat this game. Alex has never really been beloved among the fans, and his experience of negative reactions seems to be serving him well.
Peering out from beneath my new Yankee sun hat as the moments ticked down in the Yankee 4-3 win, I became aware gradually of the logo adorning the grass outside each baseline ID’ing this as the 20th year of Spring Training Yankee baseball in Tampa. We’ve attended every one, as we did the ones held in Fort Lauderdale on the Atlantic Coast earlier. I missed 1994 — identifiable mostly by the crowds following Michael Jordan trying his hand at this great game — with a broken ankle, but things have changed, and I’m no longer among the crowds at the ballpark awaiting the ballplayers at 8:00 am. It’s an anniversary for the area, and its team, as well, as major league baseball voted to award a franchise to Tampa Bay on this day in 1995, 21 years ago, though they would not field a team until 1998.
But I awoke last Friday in New York with a temperature of 2 degrees Fahrenheit, a mere 80 marks lower on the thermometer than it was here today. I spent part of last evening outside the hotel pool sharing tales with people from all around the country under a lovely breeze-free 70 degrees. It may be 30-plus years of Southern travel, and 20 years in Tampa alone, but I don’t expect my Southern March sojourn to end anytime soon.
BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!