| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |  |
R | H | E | |
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NY Yankees
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0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 13 | 1 | |
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Boston
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1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 0 |
WP: Ramirez (2-0) LP: Marte (0-1)
The Bombers dropped a tough one last night at Fenway Park. Boston gets the first laugh on Joe Girardi’s ’09 squad and takes a series lead 1-0.
Although Derek Jeter led the game off with a lined single to right center, Boston put the first run on the scoreboard. Joba Chamberlain, who would finish his 91-pitch outing with only one earned run charged against him, walked the leadoff man Jacoby Ellsbury. Home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth then called a balk, which was notable because it was called by the home plate umpire and because the hands-must-come-to-a-stop rule is rarely invoked these days. In any case, with no out and a runner in scoring position, catcher Jose Molina rushed a throw to third base on a steal attempt and Joba’s curveball dove under his mitt to the backstop. The fleet-footed Ellsbury came around to score. The Sox had not even hit the ball yet, but were up 1-0.
The game was a tense matchup from there, with Joba and his opponent Jon Lester both displaying poise and fortitude beyond their years. The final box score shows the Yanks and Sox combining for seven GIDPs, 7-for-33 with RISP, and 28 runners left-on-base. Lester would end his day with seven strikeouts, but Joba, who did not seem to have his stuff, relied on his defense and the ground ball to keep the Sox at bay. Joba was in and out of trouble all evening, barely touching the low nineties with his infamous fastball.
The Sox threatened in the third inning. Nick Green led off with a single. Ellsbury popped out, but Dustin Pedroia smacked a double to leave runners on second and third with one out and the heart of the order stepping up. Chamberlain struck down David Ortiz, one of four times Big Papi would strike out. After issuing an intentional walk to hot-hitting Kevin Youkilis, Joba induced a flyout from J.D. Drew to leave the bases loaded and the threat extinguished.
The Yanks came up in the fourth with some spunk. Melky Cabrera singled and Jose Molina walked. Cody Ransom stepped up to the plate with first and second and one out, then doubled down the left field line, kicking out into shallow left and kicking in Cabrera for a run. Jeter then grounded out to short, scoring Molina and notching a Yankee lead at 2-1.
The Sox would try to even it up in the bottom of that inning, but again, Joba escaped. Jason Bay led off with a double, but Mike Lowell didn’t advance him and flew out. Chamberlain hit Jason Varitek with a glancing slider inside. Joba induced a weak grounder from Green, but flubbed the throw, leaving the bases loaded with one out. On an 0-1 count, Joba got the speedy Ellsbury to ground into a double play and preserve the lead.
Boston tied it up in the fifth, driving Joba from the game. Chamberlain gave up three consecutive one-out hits to Mike Lowell, Varitek, and Green, handing the ball off to Phil Coke with the score tied 2-2 and one out. Coke got two flyouts to strand a runner in scoring position and preserve the lead.
The Yanks would strike again in the seventh, getting two runs in what could have been a much bigger rally. Reliever Hideki Okajima gave up four consecutive hits to the top of the Yankee lineup, yielding a run and leaving the bases loaded with no out. Manny Delcarmen relieved Okajima, quickly inducing a shallow fly ball from Nick Swisher that got the critical first out and kept Johnny Damon from scoring. Robbie Cano then laced a liner to left center, which was snagged by a diving Jason Bay but was deep enough to score Damon on a heads-up tag-up. Cabrera grounded out to stunt the rally at two runs, but the Yankees led 4-2.
The Yankees bullpen defended the lead until the ninth inning. Mariano Rivera was inexplicably brought in relieve Jonathan Albaladejo with two outs in the ninth and the count already run 0-1 on the batter. Although manager Joe Girardi is on record as saying that Mo would not be brought in for more than a three-out save, Albaladejo was relieved with two outs and a man on first. Mo gave up a single to Ellsbury before striking out Pedroia looking. Coming back to the mound for the ninth, the Red Sox lineup zeroed in on Mo’s cutter. Ortiz struck out again, but Youkilis singled back through the box on a scorcher that had Mo ducking. J.D. Drew grounded out. Mo laid a 1-0 pitch out over the plate and Bay punished him for it, launching a towering no-doubter to deep center that tied the game. Rivera would give up a single to Lowell before striking out Varitek and mercifully ending the ninth inning having thrown 30 pitches.
Two more Boston relievers (Boston used six bullpen arms in total) held the Yanks scoreless as the innings passed, leaving runners stranded in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh innings as the Yanks waited for a big hit that would not be surrendered.
Damaso Marte held the Sox in check in the tenth with a fiery effort, but Youkilis would nail down the victory off the lefty in the eleventh. After Ortiz, who has been striking out at an alarming rate, struck out, Kevin skied 2-2 fastball over the Green Monster for a walk-off to squash the Yanks and win the game 5-4.
Game Notes
The Yanks have injury troubles. Word came after the game that third baseman Cody Ransom, who left the game after stealing second and advancing to third, will hit the disabled list with a right quad injury. Chien-Ming Wang will serve a stint on the DL with complications from the same foot that was injured last year, possibly necessitating a call-up for Phil Hughes. Setup man Brian Bruney is getting a bum elbow checked out after not appearing since an abnormally difficult outing earlier in the week. Alex Rodriguez has been progressing well in his rehab in Tampa.
Topics: Add new tag, damaso marte, joba chamberlain, Jon Lester, Kevin Youkilis, yankees vs. red sox box score, yankees vs. red sox game recap
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Good recap. Bringing Mo in early wreaked of panic. If Bruney were on the hill, Girardi wouldn’t have made the move. Sometimes you need to let the young guys mess up. But besides all that, Ellsbury isn’t a power hit. Had he reached, then Girardi could have gone to Mo for Pedroia.
Yankees still can’t get the big hit to break the game open either.
With Bruney not available, all the more reason not to use Mo for more than one inning. Pulling Alba on a one strike count, when he was throwing lights out makes you wonder what the manager was thinking. Mo is coming off shoulder surgery and to extend him like this so early in the year is highly questionable. Alba was doing fine.
Hey RT nice wrap up.
Yeah I was scratching my head when the Clipboard Cowboy came out to bring in MO. Then he ended up striking out Pedroia and I was totally confused thinking maybe it was the right call, I happen to think Pedroia is extremely clutch and possibly could have beaten Albaladejo and then you would hear why didn’t he go to Mo. I heard that sort of chatter in the KC game when Marte got beat, “should have brought in Mo” for the 4 outs. Anyway my personal opinion is the Yanks got lucky to even be in that position with the way Chamberlain was behind on just about every hitter, and the DP’s he was able to induce were more of an anomaly then a conscious effort on his part, so Boston was behind the 8 ball as far as leaving RISP also. Noogs brings up a good point about the 4 out save and the shoulder. My hindsight is the best in the business, but I’m wondering if Mo was just human in that spot and just missed his location, the Lowell base hit residue from lack of focus because of the Bay HR, he did regain his composure and get Varitek. I know one thing they were using beach balls on Saturday, let’s hope today order is restored with Andy on the mound. Excellent recap here, keep up the good work.
Sal, even though the pen has been sucking, you have to put trust into your guys. Francona knows he can’t use Papsmear for more than an inning, so he doesn’t push that button. Sometimes you have to get the guys fail, or hopefully, succeed.