Some fine pitching and nifty fielding* kept the bats quiet and the Yankee Stadium crowd subdued for most of the night but there was reason to cheer early and late as the Yanks beat the Jays, 4-2.
Ichiro! singled in his first at bat, good for the 4,000 hit of his career. The game was held up for a few minutes as Ichiro’s teammates came out to congratulate him. The Blue Jays applauded too.
Adam Warren started out okay but was relieved in the 4th inning by David Huff after giving up a couple of runs. Huff was terrific and made a highlight-reel play in the 8th inning. With a man on first and 1 out, Josh Thole (who hit a long solo home run earlier) laid down an excellent bunt. Huff, a lefty, fell off to the right on the mound after he let go of the pitch. The bunt rolled past him on the first base side of the mound. Huff took off after it, fielded the ball with his glove and then shuffled it to first with his glove hand. Ball came out cleanly and the Yanks got the out. Huff got out of trouble and the score remained tied.
R.A. Dickey was great, cruised along, and only allowed 4 hits when Robbie Cano singled in the 8th and then a knuckle didn’t buckle and Alfonso Soriano crushed it for a home run.
It was enough for Mo who gave up a 1 out double to Raijai Davis and then picked Davis off second. Yesterday, David Cone referred to Davis’ base running as “daring” when a couple of gambles paid off for the Blue Jays outfielder. He didn’t use the word again tonight (never mind that Davis might have been safe). Mo struck out Edwin Encarnacion and the game was over. Ninth straight time the Yanks have beaten the Jays. The only drag was that Dickey hit Jayson Nix in the hand with a pitch and the news isn’t good–a fracture for Nix. Man, you’ve got to feel for the guy.
Dickey, who won the National League CY Young last season, is now 9-12. He sat in the dugout for ten minutes after the last out was made, likely still thinking about the pitch to Soriano that did him in.
[Photo Credit: Black Book]
*It’s easy to bag on Brett Lawrie because he’s so jacked-up but he’s made a couple of brilliant plays at third the past two days–athletic, great footwork, beautiful throws, impressive.
Like I said at the end of the game thread, this team has a run in them.
Not sure they can make up the ground they've conceded, but at least it's going to be an interesting last month (or so) ...
Yankees win, Ichiro gets 4000, Dickey loses, couldn't have been much better of a night
Fun win. I've always been a supporter of Cashman but he comes off pretty badly regarding Soriano. The Brothers Stein. I don't follow too closely but they seem to be the ones that wanted a Mo Damn bat to help out this anemic offense. Soriano + Alex + Curtis + Robbie = less games that are despairing.
[1]agreed. you need some games like last night to get/keep a good run going.
the way coney was checking out meredith when she went into the booth was hilarious. i have to give him credit that he was at least subtle.
Yeehar! And MLB's free channel switched over to the game for the Sori at bat AND the Mo pick-off. Heppy Ket, me.
I love Soriano. So happy he's back. I was sort of drifting off when he came up in the 8th, hoping he'd drive in a run, then, boom, it's gone. Mo time.
Dickey had the dazed and confused look of a bird that bounced off a window it had bonked into mid-flight.
4) Coney was in the booth with her? I hadn't noticed because I, too, was being subtle.
[3] There has to be friction between the two sides; Cash was certainly handcuffed in the beginning, but made due with what he could get which worked temporarily. But when Hal (can't imagine how much influence Hank has anymore) flipped the script and loosened the handcuffs, I think Cash resented the implication that he was the main culprit in the roster assembly and subsequent power failure, plus he probably has a more precise perspective on what kind of impact Sori's presence has on the bottom line now and going forward. Lots of course-correction happening and that can't be a good thing going into the off-season and a stated goal to get beneath the tax threshold. Robbing Peter to pay Paul. I'm really glad Sori's back (wish we had him back when he last became a free agent), but I see how frustrating it is for Cash to have to deal with two opposing mandates from the same place.