CHASED

Top of the Seventh

Wilson laces a single to center. Sori tries to bunt on the first pitch, but it rolls foul. The next pitch is a breaking ball that slips out of Martinez’s hand and it goes behind Sori for a wild pitch. Wilson moves to second. Sori tries to bunt again. Fastball, in. Terrible. Sori fouls it off. Breaking pitch, low and away. Sori fouls it off. 1-2 pitch is a fastball, way high. Varitek goes out for the second time of the inning to talk with Pedro. 2-2 pitch, outside corner, is somehow NOT called a strike. This ump is a clown. Another cruddy call. Not a problem. Pedro blows the next one by Sori to sit his ass down again. The Prince has a couple of choice words for Dana too.

First pitch to Jeter is inside for a ball. Ball two. Fastball, Jeter tried to check his swing, strike one. They love to hate Jeter here. Fastball, blown by Jeter, who does his childhood idol Dave Winfield proud with that cut. Another heater, but Jeter manages to foul it back. Good cut. He missed his pitch right there. Enrique is on the move, and Pedro misses upstairs. No throw and Wilson has stolen third. Full count to Jete. The infield moves in. The crowd is up. Another nice-looking pitch, over the outside corner. Jeter does his lean, and gets the call. Ball four. Bloody outrage. Jeter snaps the bat back with vigor. Pedro is talking much trash now. Dana warns him. It looks like he could toss him if he wanted to. But he doesn’t. The Sox converge on the mound. Little is out. And he has a chat with Demuth too. Only Pedro could get away with being so petulent.

Ball one to Giambi. Swing strike. Nail-biting time. The crowd is present, but there are many lulls between pitches. Fastball way outside, Giambi flails at it, strike two. The crowd is passionately up now. Pedro throws another heater right by Giambi for his tenth K of the night. “That’s just raw heat, right there,” says Kitty Kaat.

Pedro has thrown 123 pitches. Here comes Bernie. He needs to come through in a big spot. Fastball, swung on and missed, strike one. There are no silences now. Fastball, low and inside, 1-1. Another cock high fastball, just inside. That damn thing has teeth on it. Look out. Fastball, low, Bernie pops it foul. The count is even and the crowd is nuts. Everybody is standing, applauding. Pressure? Bernie steps out. Bernie and Pedro are doing their little dance. Pedro’s next pitch–128 on the eveing–is a breaking ball that hangs in the zone; Bernie pops it into right for a single. Yanks lead, 3-2. Hot damn.

Little pulls Pedro who receives a much-deserved ovation. Another masterful performance. In spite of the officiating. Scott Sauerbeck, the man the Yankees couldn’t get from the Pirates, comes on to face Matsui. His first pitch jelly-legs Godzilla and falls in for a strike. Curveball, low, 1-1. Another curve, outside; Matsui swings weakly, 1-2. Curve ball in the dirt, and Matsui goes down swinging.

Stretch. Yanks 3 Sox 2

I’ll ask again. Who will be the first Sox to homer off of Armando?