Sm
The Yankees honored Hideki Matsui before the game today and then Derek Jeter made like Derek Jeter and hit the first pitch he saw from Matt Moore over the wall in right field for a home run.
It was the first time a Yankee had homered since the All-Star break, the first time a right-handed Yankee batter homered since Christ was a cowboy.
By the end of the first the Yanks had a 3-0 lead. But then Phil Hughes made like Phil Hughes and he gave it away. Not once, but twice, both on impressive home runs by Wil Myers. The first, a 3-run job, came off a hanging slider that Myers hit it deep into the left field seats. Second one came off a fastball that Myers punched well over the wall in right.
Not to be outdone, Alfonso Soriano hit a 2-run homer–of the cheap-o right field seats variety. He got 4 of the Yankees’ 12 hits (Jeter had 2) including the game-winner in the 9th, a clean single up the middle. He didn’t whack any of them except his homer but hey, 4 hits be 4 hits, right?
So Jeter returns and is a stud, Soriano has a big day, our man Hideki is celebrated. A nifty win on a cool day in the Bronx. Should be mentioned that the Yanks don’t win this game without the stellar work by the bullpen. Preston Claiborne got six straight outs and then Boone Logan, David Robertson and Mariano Rivera each pitched a scoreless frame.
Final Score: Yanks 6, Rays 5.
Thanks, Yanks.
[Photo Credit: Brad Penner; Kathy Willens]
And, four hits for Ichiro, too. (Both Cone and Kay called Ichiro "Matsui" by mistake, Kay repeatedly.)
I love the bat boy smiling in the background of the Jeter gif.
[1] I dare say with Cone it was a moment of wishful thinking, while with Kay is just a fathead...
I would think with the way things have been going for the team, this game almost qualifies as a tearjerker, eh? Derek as Willis Reed or Roy Hobbes... Nah, never mind.
Great win. Keep the wc in smelling distance until Granderson comes back and let it ride. Check our our old friend Tino. Fired by Marlins as batting coach for being verbally abusive. Bizarre. http://tinyurl.com/knct2ms
[3] Whoops. Tino resigned, he wan't fired.
In case anyone is wondering, Sterling's home run call for the 'new' guy is: "Sori, right number!"
Ouch.
[3] I hate to say it because it's feeding into the myth that George Steinbrenner was everyone's Secret Santa, but I bet of he were still around and coherent, Tino would never have been a coach in Miami. I can't imagine his approach did any good for the players he coached (the records speak for themselves), but that organization is in toxic condition; plus comparing Tino's situation to Billy Martin (a psychotic manager is not the same as a newbie hitting coach) and blaming the players for being coddled is complete idiocy.
Maybe when MLB gets around to forcing Loria off the polo team, they can move the franchise up to Montreal where a few people actually want baseball and will accept the Marlins as is.
[5] what was the old call on Sori? It couldn't be worse than that.
Chyll, please don't feed the myth. Remember Tino played for the Cardinals after the Yanks. GS is dead you can look it up.
[8] Oh, you gotta know me better than that. I postulate quite a bit, and I can be rather emotional at certain times, but I'm no defender of The Myth, believe you me >;)
Looking at that pic with Jeter and Matsui, I get the feeling Jeter might be arguing with someone at that moment: "Really, we can't let him keep it on for at least a few more weeks, really?" Could you blame him if he was?