(REUTERS/Mark Blinch)
Winning pitcher - CC Sabathia (3-3)
Losing pitcher - Jesse Carlson (0-2)
SV - Mariano Rivera (7)
CC Sabathia started the road trip with a dominating performance in Baltimore last friday, tonight, he ended the trip with another great performance. While it wasn't as good of a game as the complete game shutout he threw Friday, it was still good enough to lead the Yanks to a 3-2 win. In eight innings the big lefty allowed two runs on five hits, walked four, and struck out five. He threw 111 pitches, 65 for strikes. His pitches had great movement and his velocity was very good - according to MLB.com's gameday his fastball was averaging 94.2 MPH. He didn't have his best command today as you could tell from his high walk total, but he battled through it for his third victory of the year.| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | ||
| NYY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | |
| TOR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
Winning pitcher - CC Sabathia (3-3)
Losing pitcher - Jesse Carlson (0-2)
SV - Mariano Rivera (7)
The first run he allowed came on a solo homer off the bat of Alex Rios in the fourth. Toronto scored their second run in the fifth; Scott Rolen led off with a walk, two batters later Rod Barajas drove him in with an RBI double. Toronto could have scored more if it had not been for a great defensive play by Brett Gardner and Francisco Cervelli. After the Barajas double John McDonald lined a single up the middle. With Barajas headed home Gardner fielded and fired the ball into Cervelli just up the third base line, Cervelli caught the ball and made a great lunging tag just getting Barajas on the back for the out. It was a very good throw, and an even better tag.
CC also got into trouble in the seventh. Rolen led off with a double, and then moved to third on a sac fly. The Yanks then intentionally walked Baras to setup the doubleplay. In what might have been the biggest at-bat of the game, CC struck out McDonald for the second out of the inning. CC then walked Marco Scutaro to load the bases for one of the hottest hitters in the league, Aaron Hill. Hill grounded a 0-1 changeup to A-Rod who threw to second for the force and the final out of the inning.
The offense started off the right way tonight, scoring a run in their first at-bat and giving their ace a lead. Johnny Damon doubled with one out. It was the tenth game in a row with an extra base hit for Damon, trying a franchise record that had been held by by Paul O’Neill in 2001 and Don Mattingly in 1987. Jays starter Brian Tallet then walked Mark Teixeira, got Alex Rodriguez to fly out, but then walked both Hideki Matsui and then Nick Swisher with the bases loaded and the Yanks led 1-0.
After cruising for the next five innings Tallet got into some trouble in the seventh. Gardner walked and then Cervelli hit a single with Gardner running to put runners on first and third with nobody out. Derek Jeter then tied the game when he fought off an inside pitch, dunking it over second base for an RBI single. It was a great piece of hitting from The Captain, who also made a great diving stop to end the top of the sixth.
Hideki Matsui would give the Yankees the lead for good with a solo homer to lead off the top of the eight off Jays reliever Jesse Carlson. The pitch was a slider at his knees that he golfed over the wall in right center.
Mariano Rivera came on for the save and needed just eleven pitches to retire the Jays in order. Once again the YES network radar gun seems low because according to MLB.com, all of his fastballs were 91-93 MPH, not 88-91 like they showed on TV. Either way he made quick work of the Jays for his seventh save of the year.
It was a great win for the Yanks tonight, it was also the first home series loss for the Blue Jays this season. The Yanks are now 17-17 and head home for a ten-game homestand against the Twins, Orioles, and world champion Phillies. Phil Hughes looks to rebound after two rough starts against the Red Sox and Orioles when he takes the mound in tomorrow's season opener against the Twins. Francisco Lirano will get the ball for the Twins.
Question for you guys: What was the play of the game?
A) Gardner's throw/Cervelli's tag
B) Matsui's homer
C) CC getting out of the bases load jam
?
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG | |
| Jeter, SS | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .270 |
| Damon, LF | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .318 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .203 |
| Rodriguez, A, 3B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .143 |
| Matsui, DH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .265 |
| Swisher, RF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .248 |
| Cabrera, M, RF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .326 |
| Cano, 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .315 |
| Gardner, CF | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .227 |
| Cervelli, C | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .316 |
| Totals | 34 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 18 | |
BATTING 2B: Damon (9, Tallet). HR: Matsui (4, 8th inning off Carlson, 0 on, 0 out). TB: Jeter; Damon 2; Teixeira; Matsui 4; Cano; Cervelli 2. RBI: Swisher (22), Jeter (14), Matsui (13). 2-out RBI: Swisher. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Cano 2; Cervelli; Rodriguez, A; Jeter. Team RISP: 1-for-8. Team LOB: 10. FIELDING Outfield assists: Gardner (Barajas at home). | ||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
| Sabathia (W, 3-3) | 8.0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 3.70 |
| Rivera (S, 7) | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.38 |
BLUE JAYS STATS
PLAYER OF THE GAME: CC Sabathia (W, 8 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 K)
HONORABLE MENTION: Hideki Matsui (1-for-3, GW HR, RBI, R, BB)
Yankees vs. Twins
Game Time: 7:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS 880
Phil Hughes RHP (1-2, 8.49 ERA) vs. Francisco Lirano LHP (2-4, 5.75 ERA)
Game Time: 7:05 p.m. | TV/Radio: YES, WCBS 880
Phil Hughes RHP (1-2, 8.49 ERA) vs. Francisco Lirano LHP (2-4, 5.75 ERA)
7 Comments:
Matsui homer I think was the play of the game. Matsui bailed out Damon, Tex and A-Rod after not getting the runner in from 2nd with no outs in the 7th.
That Gardner throw was also impressive. The ball wasn't hit hard Gardner had to cover a lot of ground just to get to the ball. Makes a nice throw and Cervelli with a nice tag.
I think that the Gardner/Cervelli play was the play of the game. Because without that out and that extra one run we don't know what happens. Because if we have learned one thing this season it is that giving up one run usually results in giving up a whole lot more.
That kept us in the game.
A) Gardner's throw/Cervelli's tag
Hughes vs. Liriano tomorrow.. ouch.
Waddup greg, I like the postgame question run this back everynight!
As far as the question goes.... I watched this game from my phone and although i didnt have the privy of seeing Gardy's throw, Sabathia getting that hot hitter in Hill to ground to A-Rod at the end of that inning was undoubtedly the play of the game IMO...
I dreaded refreshing the page to see what happened in that situation and knew the game hung in the balance right there... even a bloop single puts a bat in the hands of an even hotter Rolen and things couldve got ugly not only for CC, but for Girardi for leaving him in. Not to mention comin back home 2 games under...
Of course who knows if Matsui sees that weak slider at knees the next frame or who even pitches that inning.... Great, GREAT job by CC. My nod goes to him.
Big homestand comin up... need to mount some w's here.
Matsui's homer.
Hard to say what the play of the game was. Matsui's homer would only have tied the score had Gardner not made that throw and Cervelli not made the tag.
I watched almost the entire game on tv but happened to be in my car picking up my son from work when Gardner made the throw.
Sterling's call made it sound like there was no doubt that Barajas was going to score and then all of the sudden, a shocked Sterling said that he was out.
I went from pounding the steering wheel and swearing to pumping my fist in happiness in a split second.
Sterling even commented afterward that he didn't think that there was a chance that they were going to get him.
When I got home, I rewound the DVR and watched the play. A lot of the credit also has to go to Cervelli, who came forward to receive the ball and swung around to make a nice tag.
So even though Matsui's homer was as clutch as it was, I'll give the play of the game to the Gardener throw / Cervelli tag.
crossfire,
In defense of Sterling, when the ball was hit I thought the run was definitely going to score too.
Derek,
Whats up dude?
I'll definitely throw the question in there as much as I remember too.
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