07/22: Yankees Sweep Doubleheader; Vizcaino Wins Both
Posted by: Patrick
The first game of the doubleheader saw Kei Igawa taking on Jason Hammel in his first start of the season. Hammel had pitched in 10 other games - all in relief - coming into this one. Igawa allowed one run in each of the first two innings on (what else?) two home runs. B.J. Upton was good for one while Ty Wigginton was good for the other.
The Yankees waited until the 4th to score, when A-Rod walked with 1 out and Matsui followed with a homer to right to tie up the game. The Yankees would bust it wide open with a 5 run 6th, led by a great two run rally. Abreu singled to start it off and A-Rod was hit by a pitch to make it first and second with no out. But, Matsui and Posada both struck out and it looked like the Rays might get out of the jam.
But, the bottom of the lineup went on a run with two outs. First, Cano singled, scoring Abreu and putting runners on 2nd and 3rd for Andy Phillips, who followed with a single of his own, scoring both men. Newcomer Shelley Duncan, hitting 9th, took Jae Kuk Ryu deep for a 2 run home run - the first Major League home run of his career. Congrats to him. It was a great moment (watch it here).
Vizcaino had pitched a scoreless top of the 6th, so he ended up with the win. Kyle Farnsworth pitched a scoreless 7th, allowing just a walk. Proctor came out to start the 8th, retiring the first two batters, but then allowing a solo home run to Raul Casanova and a triple to Josh Wilson. But, that would be all as he retired the next banner and was out of the inning.
Proctor started the 9th but, after allowing a lead off single to Greg Norton, was relieved by Mariano. The first hitter Mo faced was B.J. Upton, who singled. 1st and 2nd, no out. No problem! Mo struck out Carlos Pena, induced a ground out from Delmon Young and, after hitting Wigginton to load them up, struck out Jonny Gomes to end it.
At the end of the first game, Phillips was 2 for 4 with 1 R and 1 RBI, Duncan was 1 for 4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI, Abreu was 2 for 4 for 1 run, A-Rod was 0 for 1 with 2 R and 2 BB, Cano was 2 for 4 with 1 R and 1 RBI and Matsui was 1 for 4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI. Melky, Jeter and Jorge combined to go 0 for 9 with 3 walks (2 ABs, 2 BB for Jorge, 3 ABs, 1 BB for Melky).
The second game saw Matt DeSalvo facing off against J.P. Howell. The Yankees wasted no time, scoring 3 runs in the 1st, 1 run in the 2nd and 3 in the 3rd. In the 1st, an Abreu double scored Damon and Jeter and an A-Rod double scored Abreu. The run in the 2nd came when Melky scored on a Damon ground out. And the runs in the 3rd were driven in on an RBI single by Cano (scoring A-Rod) and an RBI double by Wil Nieves (Cano and Melky).
Meanwhile, the Devil Rays had scored 2 runs in the second and the score was 7 to 2 after 4. An Upton 2 run single in the 5th made it 7-4 and the Rays tacked on another run in the 6th on a Josh Wilson sac fly. 7-5, Yankees, at the end of 6 and a half.
DeSalvo only lasted 4 and 2/3, throwing 96 pitches and allowing 4 ER on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4. Bruney came in and pitched the final out of the 5th and the 1st out of the 6th. He ran into trouble in the 6th, hence the run scoring. Mike Myers relieved him and retired Akinori Iwamura and then Torre went to Luis Vizcaino for the second time of the day (the only pitcher from either side to pitch in both games). Vizcaino retired the final hitter of the 6th, leaving a runner stranded and then pitched a 1-2-3 7th.
Vizcaino was credited with the win, making him the first Yankee to win both games of a doubleheader since Lindy McDaniel on May 24, 1970, according to Peter Abraham. Looking at the box score, I can see that DeSalvo left with the lead and Bruney left with the lead, so why is Vizcaino getting the win? Abraham said:
So, I looked into MLB rules and there it is, rule 10.17. Basically, if a starter doesn't go 5 in a game that goes 6 or more on defense, the scorer is to credit a reliever as the winning pitcher, but not a reliever who is ineffective in a short appearance. Weird. I can't say I've heard that one before.
Anyway, back to the game. So, the Devil Rays made it close again, but that wasn't for long as the Yankees put up two straight 5 run innings in the 6th and 7th, to jump out to a 17-5 lead, which is how it would end. In the 6th, a Damon double scored Nieves and Melky, an Abreu single scored Damon and an A-Rod home run scored another 2 runs. In the 7th, another Damon double scored Nieves again, A-Rod hit a sac fly that scored Damon and Matsui followed with a 3 run homer scoring Abreu and Cairo. Ron Villone pitched 2 scoreless innings to end it.
All told, the Yankees had 20 hits and 3 walks in the second game. Damon was 2 for 5 with 2 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB and 1 SB, A-Rod was 3 for 4 with 2 R, 1 HR and 4 RBI., Abreu was 2 for 4 with 1 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI and 1 BB, Nieves (who will not be on this team for much longer) had his finest offensive game of the season, going 2 for 3 with 2 R and 2 RBI, Matsui was 1 for 4 with 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI and 1 BB, Melky was 3 for 45 with 1 2B and 3 RBI, Jeter was 2 for 5 with 1 R and Phillips was 2 for 5. In other words, everyone hit. Every member of the original lineup had at least 1 hit and everyone but Matsui had 2.
The stars of the double header would be:
Luis Vizcaino: 2-0, 2.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
Alex Rodriguez: 3 for 5, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HR, 1 SB.
Hideki Matsui: 2 for 8, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB.
Johnny Damon (one game): 2 for 5, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 2B, 1 BB, 1 SB.
Bobby Abreu: 4 for 8, 4 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 SB.
Robinson Cano: 5 for 9, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The Red Sox won and the Indians lost, so we gained a half a game in the division (7.5) and one and a half games in the Wild Card (6.5). Today at 1:05 PM ET, Andy Pettitte (5-6, 4.10 ERA) will go against James Shields (8-5, 3.91).
The Yankees waited until the 4th to score, when A-Rod walked with 1 out and Matsui followed with a homer to right to tie up the game. The Yankees would bust it wide open with a 5 run 6th, led by a great two run rally. Abreu singled to start it off and A-Rod was hit by a pitch to make it first and second with no out. But, Matsui and Posada both struck out and it looked like the Rays might get out of the jam.
But, the bottom of the lineup went on a run with two outs. First, Cano singled, scoring Abreu and putting runners on 2nd and 3rd for Andy Phillips, who followed with a single of his own, scoring both men. Newcomer Shelley Duncan, hitting 9th, took Jae Kuk Ryu deep for a 2 run home run - the first Major League home run of his career. Congrats to him. It was a great moment (watch it here).
Vizcaino had pitched a scoreless top of the 6th, so he ended up with the win. Kyle Farnsworth pitched a scoreless 7th, allowing just a walk. Proctor came out to start the 8th, retiring the first two batters, but then allowing a solo home run to Raul Casanova and a triple to Josh Wilson. But, that would be all as he retired the next banner and was out of the inning.
Proctor started the 9th but, after allowing a lead off single to Greg Norton, was relieved by Mariano. The first hitter Mo faced was B.J. Upton, who singled. 1st and 2nd, no out. No problem! Mo struck out Carlos Pena, induced a ground out from Delmon Young and, after hitting Wigginton to load them up, struck out Jonny Gomes to end it.
At the end of the first game, Phillips was 2 for 4 with 1 R and 1 RBI, Duncan was 1 for 4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI, Abreu was 2 for 4 for 1 run, A-Rod was 0 for 1 with 2 R and 2 BB, Cano was 2 for 4 with 1 R and 1 RBI and Matsui was 1 for 4 with 1 HR and 2 RBI. Melky, Jeter and Jorge combined to go 0 for 9 with 3 walks (2 ABs, 2 BB for Jorge, 3 ABs, 1 BB for Melky).
The second game saw Matt DeSalvo facing off against J.P. Howell. The Yankees wasted no time, scoring 3 runs in the 1st, 1 run in the 2nd and 3 in the 3rd. In the 1st, an Abreu double scored Damon and Jeter and an A-Rod double scored Abreu. The run in the 2nd came when Melky scored on a Damon ground out. And the runs in the 3rd were driven in on an RBI single by Cano (scoring A-Rod) and an RBI double by Wil Nieves (Cano and Melky).
Meanwhile, the Devil Rays had scored 2 runs in the second and the score was 7 to 2 after 4. An Upton 2 run single in the 5th made it 7-4 and the Rays tacked on another run in the 6th on a Josh Wilson sac fly. 7-5, Yankees, at the end of 6 and a half.
DeSalvo only lasted 4 and 2/3, throwing 96 pitches and allowing 4 ER on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4. Bruney came in and pitched the final out of the 5th and the 1st out of the 6th. He ran into trouble in the 6th, hence the run scoring. Mike Myers relieved him and retired Akinori Iwamura and then Torre went to Luis Vizcaino for the second time of the day (the only pitcher from either side to pitch in both games). Vizcaino retired the final hitter of the 6th, leaving a runner stranded and then pitched a 1-2-3 7th.
Vizcaino was credited with the win, making him the first Yankee to win both games of a doubleheader since Lindy McDaniel on May 24, 1970, according to Peter Abraham. Looking at the box score, I can see that DeSalvo left with the lead and Bruney left with the lead, so why is Vizcaino getting the win? Abraham said:
Official scorer Bill Shannon awarded Vizcaino the victory in Game 2 based on Brian Bruney getting only one out.
So, I looked into MLB rules and there it is, rule 10.17. Basically, if a starter doesn't go 5 in a game that goes 6 or more on defense, the scorer is to credit a reliever as the winning pitcher, but not a reliever who is ineffective in a short appearance. Weird. I can't say I've heard that one before.
Anyway, back to the game. So, the Devil Rays made it close again, but that wasn't for long as the Yankees put up two straight 5 run innings in the 6th and 7th, to jump out to a 17-5 lead, which is how it would end. In the 6th, a Damon double scored Nieves and Melky, an Abreu single scored Damon and an A-Rod home run scored another 2 runs. In the 7th, another Damon double scored Nieves again, A-Rod hit a sac fly that scored Damon and Matsui followed with a 3 run homer scoring Abreu and Cairo. Ron Villone pitched 2 scoreless innings to end it.
All told, the Yankees had 20 hits and 3 walks in the second game. Damon was 2 for 5 with 2 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB and 1 SB, A-Rod was 3 for 4 with 2 R, 1 HR and 4 RBI., Abreu was 2 for 4 with 1 2B, 3 R, 3 RBI and 1 BB, Nieves (who will not be on this team for much longer) had his finest offensive game of the season, going 2 for 3 with 2 R and 2 RBI, Matsui was 1 for 4 with 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI and 1 BB, Melky was 3 for 45 with 1 2B and 3 RBI, Jeter was 2 for 5 with 1 R and Phillips was 2 for 5. In other words, everyone hit. Every member of the original lineup had at least 1 hit and everyone but Matsui had 2.
The stars of the double header would be:
Luis Vizcaino: 2-0, 2.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K.
Alex Rodriguez: 3 for 5, 4 R, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HR, 1 SB.
Hideki Matsui: 2 for 8, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB.
Johnny Damon (one game): 2 for 5, 3 R, 4 RBI, 2 2B, 1 BB, 1 SB.
Bobby Abreu: 4 for 8, 4 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 2B, 1 SB.
Robinson Cano: 5 for 9, 2 R, 2 RBI.
The Red Sox won and the Indians lost, so we gained a half a game in the division (7.5) and one and a half games in the Wild Card (6.5). Today at 1:05 PM ET, Andy Pettitte (5-6, 4.10 ERA) will go against James Shields (8-5, 3.91).
