08/24: Yankees Battle Back in Thriller vs. Blue Jays
Posted by: Seamus
I offer my condolences to anyone who missed tonight's game because it was one of the best games I've seen all season. The game went right down to the wire as Felix Escalona untied the game with a base hit in the 9th. Al Leiter was good in his start, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings, and Mariano Rivera picked up his 6th win of the season after giving up a run on two hits.
Derek Jeter led off the first inning with a base hit before Jays' hurler Josh Towers retired 15 Yankees in a row. The game remained scoreless until the 4th inning when the Blue Jays scored two from a home run by Vernon Wells and an RBI single by Greg Zaun. The Yankees got sacrifice hits in both the 6th and 7th innings (by Bernie and Posada, respectively) to tie the score at two. The game was back and forth from there, as each team scored at least once in each of the remaining innings. Shea Hillenbrand put Toronto ahead 3-2 with a single off the struggling Tanyon Sturtze, and in the bottom of the inning Bernie Williams scored Tony Womack with a base hit of his own. Mariano Rivera entered with a tie game in the 9th and allowed a run courtesy of Reed Johnson's hit to give the Blue Jays a 4-3 lead. The Yankees would not be outdone, however, as Mr. Clutch Hideki Matsui led off the bottom of the 9th with a home run to tie the score at 4. Later in the inning, Derek Jeter was walked intentionally to bring up Felix Escalona with the bases loaded and two outs. Escalona got behind early in the count 0-2, but lined the next pitch into centerfield to score Jorge Posada and give the Yankees a 5-4 victory.
The Indians defeated the Devil Rays in Tampa and the A's lost in Detroit, so the Yankees remain in a virtual tie with the Indians for the A.L. Wild Card lead (the Yankees are actually ahead by about half a percentage point). The Red Sox defeated the Royals 5-2, so they remain 3.5 ahead of the Yankees in the A.L. East.
Tonight's game was really fun to watch as I stated above, but one thing that is starting to concern me a bit is the arm of Tanyon Sturtze. He's really been struggling lately. I think it's partly because he was a starting pitcher for most of his career and isn't used to throwing everyday. We all know of how it has been well documented that he's been overworked this year along with Tom Gordon. It would be nice if Joe Torre could find a way to just shut him down for a week before the stretch run in September.
The Yankees will go for three straight against the Blue Jays in this four-game set tomorrow as they will send out Mike Mussina to face Dave Bush. The Yankees' starters have been giving us solid starts lately and are going deep into games which can be good for a guy like Sturtze or Gordon who needs a little rest. Hopefully the Moose can give us another good 7 or 8 innings tomorrow at the Stadium.
Derek Jeter led off the first inning with a base hit before Jays' hurler Josh Towers retired 15 Yankees in a row. The game remained scoreless until the 4th inning when the Blue Jays scored two from a home run by Vernon Wells and an RBI single by Greg Zaun. The Yankees got sacrifice hits in both the 6th and 7th innings (by Bernie and Posada, respectively) to tie the score at two. The game was back and forth from there, as each team scored at least once in each of the remaining innings. Shea Hillenbrand put Toronto ahead 3-2 with a single off the struggling Tanyon Sturtze, and in the bottom of the inning Bernie Williams scored Tony Womack with a base hit of his own. Mariano Rivera entered with a tie game in the 9th and allowed a run courtesy of Reed Johnson's hit to give the Blue Jays a 4-3 lead. The Yankees would not be outdone, however, as Mr. Clutch Hideki Matsui led off the bottom of the 9th with a home run to tie the score at 4. Later in the inning, Derek Jeter was walked intentionally to bring up Felix Escalona with the bases loaded and two outs. Escalona got behind early in the count 0-2, but lined the next pitch into centerfield to score Jorge Posada and give the Yankees a 5-4 victory.
The Indians defeated the Devil Rays in Tampa and the A's lost in Detroit, so the Yankees remain in a virtual tie with the Indians for the A.L. Wild Card lead (the Yankees are actually ahead by about half a percentage point). The Red Sox defeated the Royals 5-2, so they remain 3.5 ahead of the Yankees in the A.L. East.
Tonight's game was really fun to watch as I stated above, but one thing that is starting to concern me a bit is the arm of Tanyon Sturtze. He's really been struggling lately. I think it's partly because he was a starting pitcher for most of his career and isn't used to throwing everyday. We all know of how it has been well documented that he's been overworked this year along with Tom Gordon. It would be nice if Joe Torre could find a way to just shut him down for a week before the stretch run in September.
The Yankees will go for three straight against the Blue Jays in this four-game set tomorrow as they will send out Mike Mussina to face Dave Bush. The Yankees' starters have been giving us solid starts lately and are going deep into games which can be good for a guy like Sturtze or Gordon who needs a little rest. Hopefully the Moose can give us another good 7 or 8 innings tomorrow at the Stadium.
Patrick wrote: