Friday Night Lights: Part II
After a perfect inning by Farnsworth in the eighth, the Yankees would have Alex Rodriguez come to the plate to lead off the inning. Guillén left Contreras on the mound for the Red Sox, who would later come back to haunt Ozzie. A-Rod led off the inning with a brilliant line drive to left field, starting things off with a single. That would be the end of Contreras’ night, as his lane was at 7+ IP, 3ER, 7H, 3BB, 3SO, but he was responsible for running back at first. Thornton would relieve Contreras, but he would do no better as Posada also singled, setting up Bernie Williams. Bernie was walked on four pitches, at which point Guillén got tired of Thornton; McCarthy was the next reliever brought in by Guillén.
Andy Phillips was pinch-hitting for Guiel and was struck out by McCarthy. Cotts relieved McCarthy to face Melky Cabrera. Melky hit a soft line drive to center field that went over the heads of the second basemen as the Yankees took a 4-3 lead. The crowd roared their approval as fans were excited for this matchup long before the game even started. Cairo followed with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Posada to make it 5-3. Damon then threw a ball down the left field line scoring Bernie Williams. Jeter intentionally walked Giambi, which worked for the White Sox when Giambi hit one to left field, but it was fielded and Jeter was thrown out at second. With each run scored, the crowd got louder and louder, making this game look like some kind of postseason Game 7.
The crowd remained standing for the presentation of Mariano Rivera. The sound system blared Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and the crowd sang word for word. Camera flashes went off every second and Rivera was now ready to face the heart of the Red Sox order. Thome, Konerko and Dye singled, loading the bases with no outs. This greatly calmed the crowd as many thought this game was in the bag, but that shouldn’t be thought of when playing against a team of this caliber. Scott Posednik grounded out to Phillips, who looked like he could have thrown a throw to second, but instead he went safe at first, leaving runners on second and third with 1 out. Juan Uribe then hit a ball down the left field line, and Bubba Crosby made a jumping catch against the wall to get another out, but Konerko and Dye got together.
This set the stage for a matchup between a hitter with the ninth best BA in the AL, pinch hitter AJ Pierzynski and the greatest closer in baseball history, Mariano Rivera. There were 2 outs, a runner on third and a 6-5 game. Rivera got ahead of Pierzynski early and managed to get ahead on a 1-2 count. Pierzynski then managed to foul out seven or eight consecutive pitches to keep his at-bat alive. Rivera broke Pierzynski’s rhythm twice as the crowd roared each time Pierzynski sent a free kick up the screen or into the stands. Rivera eventually got the better of him, snapping his bat with one more left-handed cut as Bubba Crosby made the final out.
It was a big night for baseball in the Bronx as the Yankees snapped José Contreras’ 17-game winning streak, dating back to August 15, 2005. The crowd was involved in the game from the start and most of the fans they stayed until the last batter. though some left thinking the Yankees had the game in the bag. The Yankees managed to play “Yankee Baseball,” with excellent pitching, fielding, and timely hitting. Many think the Yankees won’t make the postseason, but if Friday night’s game was any indication of how the Bronx Bombers will fare in October, this team could be special. On a hot and muggy night in the Bronx, the Yankees worked some magic, taking down a pitcher who had seemed unhittable to many for the last year or so. Was this game an introduction to a magical second half of the season for the Yankees, a semblance of how the team played in the late ’90s in the Bronx, or was it simply a facade, an anomaly of what Yankees fans will they really see? for the stretch.
If you ask me, it’s certainly not the latter of the two.