The Yanks prior series with the Royals this season, back in July at the Stadium, featured nearly four hours of rain delays.  Apparently the rain likes these teams . . . a lot.

It was 98 degrees with a Heat Index of 106 at the start of Friday’s game.  Nasty clouds were just off to the west.  The wind was blowing in hard from left to right.  Thunderstorms were in the forecast.  The Royals’ Kyle Davies, with a 5.21 ERA, a 1.544 WHIP and less than 6K per nine innings was taking on Dustin Moseley (he of the pitch-to-contact, 4.7K per nine).  It had all the makings of a looooong evening.

Moseley struggled mightily with his command in the first two innings, laboring through 55 pitches, allowing three runs on six hits.  Given the lack of command, Jorge Posada was pretty much helpless to stop the Royals aggressive baserunning, as KC stole four bases (three by Gregor Blanco).  It could have been worse, had Blanco managed to dislodge a tag from Posada at home on a hit in the first inning (credit to Brett Gardner for a nice one-bounce throw).

Meanwhile Davies spaced out two walks and a hit through two.  But then, he remembered he was Kyle Davies, and the third inning resembled one that sends Joe Posnanski into fits of depression.  After a Derek Jeter groundout to short, Curtis Granderson singled to center.  Mark Teixeira doubled sharply down the RF line, sending Granderson to third.  Alex Rodriguez scorched one to Royals 2B Mike Aviles, who couldn’t handle it, and it was scored a hit, driving in Granderson.  Robinson Cano then lined another single to right to score Teixeira and  cut the lead to one, with A-Rod advancing to second.

Jorge Posada then grounded a ball down to 1B Billy Butler, who forced out Cano at second.  Yuniesky Betancourt’s throw back to first base appeared to beat Posada to the bag, but 1B ump Fieldin Culbreth ruled that Davies missed the bag as he fielded the throw.  (Replays showed Davies may have caught the edge of the base with his right heel)  So, with first and third and two out, Lance Berkman mashed a long double to right field, scoring Rodriguez and tying the game.  Austin Kearns struck out to end the inning, and then the rains came.

31 minutes later, it was 23 degrees cooler, but Moseley was apparently heating up.  The command on his breaking stuff was improved, and his fastball didn’t sail out of the zone like it had the first two innings.  He breezed through the next two innings in 17 total pitches.

Unfortunately for the Bombers, Moseley’s gas gauge seems to hit empty around 85-90 pitches.  Pitch #84 of this evening, with one out in the fifth, was banged off the right field foul pole by Butler, putting the Royals back in front.  After a walk to clean-up hitter Wilson Betemit (yes, you read that batting order assignment right), the rains came again.

And since the Royals had gone ahead in the bottom of the fifth, the MLB Rulebook needed to be consulted (thx to Chyll Will for the lookup)

4.10 (c) If a game is called, it is a regulation game:
(1) If five innings have been completed;
(2) If the home team has scored more runs in four or four and a fraction half-innings than the visiting team has scored in five completed half-innings;
(3) If the home team scores one or more runs in its half of the fifth inning to tie the score.

Right before midnight, the weather subsided once again.  So the rulebook could be put away.  The tarp was being rolled up . . . the field was prepped for resumption of play.  Chad Gaudin was warming up to relieve Moseley.  And then . . . it started pouring again.  Back went the tarp onto the infield.

So . . . it wasn’t until 12:30 AM, after a total two hour, ten minute delay, that Gaudin was able to throw his first pitch.  Showing good life on his fastball (up to 95 on the gun), he sailed through his 1.2 innings, aided along the way by a terrific over-the-shoulder, sliding on one knee, Sno-cone of a catch by Teixeira in the sixth.  Meanwhile, Jesse Chavez, relieving Davies, was equally sharp in his two innings, allowing one hit and a walk.

We then moved into the “Wood” portion of the game.  First, the Yanks sent Kerry Wood out for the bottom of the 7th.  He easily retired the only two batters he faced, featuring his cutter, curve and fastball with equal aplomb.  Nonetheless, Joe Girardi went to Boone Logan for the final out.

The Royals brought out their own Wood (Blake) to start the eighth.  Posada was safe at first on a Betemit fielding error.  Ramiro Pena pinch-ran for Posada.  One out later, with Nick Swisher pinch-hitting, Pena was picked off first, but the Royals botched the rundown, allowing Pena to make it to second.  Swisher struck out swinging and Gardner grounded out to first to end the threat.

Logan picked up where he left off, K’ing the first two batters in the eighth, and once again, Girardi went to the pen when everything was seemingly under control, this time bringing in Joba Chamberlain to face Mike Aviles.  Joba got Aviles to fly out to right.

That left it up to Royals closer Joakim Soria, gunning for his team-record 25th consecutive save.  Jeter hit a splitter for a single to left, making him 3-3 against Soria lifetime.  Bunt . . . hit-and-run . . . sacrifice?  None of them materialized, as Granderson drove a flyball to the warning track in left.   Mark Teixeira then hit a sky-high foul popup, which Jason Kendall somehow dropped.  Given another life, Teix struck out on a high inside fastball.  Which left it up to Rodriguez.  Rodriguez hit a two-hopper up the middle and into center, sending Jeter to third.  So, it was now up to Cano.  He hit his own two-hopper . . . right to Aviles, who threw him out at first to end a soggy Friday night/Saturday morning event.  4-3, Royals.