Offense bails out Joba, pounds Smoltz to give Yanks first win over Boston
NEW YORK – The burden of having not beaten the Red Sox once this season was hovering. It was like a noose around the team’s neck.
Despite having the best record in the American League and having rallied to take a 2 1/2 game in the AL East over their rivals, the fact the Yankees were 0-8 against their rivals was rendering the rest of their season meaningless.
Here they were, given another opportunity to make a stand in front of a sellout crowd of 49,005 at the new Yankee Stadium, facing a pitcher whose next visit may be to retirement, and they were able to capitalize.
Trailing 3-1 early, the offense exploded for eight runs in the fourth inning against Red Sox starter John Smoltz, survived five shaky innings from Joba Chamberlain, and then continued to pound hits and runs en route to a 13-6 Yankees victory over Boston.
After losing the first eight games in the 2009 installment of “The Rivalry” on a variety of mental lapses and other assorted breakdowns, it appeared to be more of the same in the second inning. With one out and Jorge Posada leading off second, Nick Swisher lined a single to center field. Posada was appearing to score easily when the ball was cutoff by second baseman Dustin Pedroia. However, Pedroia opted to relay the ball home and Posada, apparently unaware of the impending throw, opted not to slide at home plate and was tagged out by catcher Victor Martinez which standing up. Melky Cabrera would proceed to line out to end the threat.
Boston would immediately take advantage the next inning when on an 0-2 pitch, Pedroia was about to turn on a 93 MPH fastball from Chamberlain and hit it two rows deep in the right center field seats for a home run to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.
Back-to-back walks to Martinez and Kevin Youkilis put Chamberlain in even more trouble, but he was helped out by a double play off the bat of David Ortiz and a fly out to center by JD Drew.
Johnny Damon quickly answered in the bottom half with his 20th homerun of the season to tie the game, but the Red Sox came right back when first baseman Casey Kotchman was able to lift a home run into the first row of seats down the right field line to make it 3-1.
Early on, Smoltz was able to effectively navigate the tough Yankee lineup. In the third inning, the hitters were able to generate healthy swings outside of Damon’s homerun. Now, in the fourth, the Yankees would tee off on him.
A leadoff double by Posada started the inning and he would score on an RBI single by Robinson Cano. Swisher would walk to put runners on first and second to bring up Cabrera, who blasted a three-run homer to right to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead.
Smoltz was shaken, but there would be more to come. Jeter would fly out for the first out, but then Damon singled and Teixeira would double to right. An intentional walk to Alex Rodriguez loaded the bases and Red Sox Manager Terry Francona came to the mound to end his starter’s night and send him to the shower. Whether the future Hall of Fame pitcher starts another game for Boston is anyone’s guess.
Billy Traber was summoned from the pen to face Hideki Matsui and nearly induced an inning ending double play, but Matsui was able to beat out the relay throw to first, which allowed Damon to score. Posada would then deliver the KO when he hammered a three-run homer to dead center field to give the Yankees a 9-3 lead.
Smoltz’s (2-5, 8.33 ERA) final line was ugly. In 3 1/3, he gave up nine hits, and eight runs (all earned), and walked four over his 92 pitch outing. The lefty hitters in the lineup were an astounding 9 for 13 with five extra base hits.
Being armed to a six-run lead, one would have thought Chamberlain would have been able to settle down and keep the game from getting dramatic.
Unfortunately, that did not happen.
He proceeded to throw his first eight pitches out of the strike zone, putting Martinez and Youkilis on base. After Ortiz flied out, he walked JD Drew to load the bases. Mike Lowell would single to cut the lead to five, but Chamberlain was able to get out of further trouble by striking out Casey Kotchman and Nick Green to end the threat.
After three tremendous outings, this was a step back for Chamberlain (8-2, 3.68). He only threw first pitch strikes to 13 of the 27 Red Sox hitters in his five innings of work, giving up four runs and six hits, while walking a season high seven over 108 tedious pitches.
With Traber still in the game, the Yankees were able to tack on runs in both the fifth and sixth as Matsui drove in two with a double down into the left field corner and Derek Jeter’s single to left.
The trio of David Robertson, Phil Coke and Mark Melancon pitched three scoreless innings. Things got a little heated in the eighth when Dustin Pedroia was hit by a Melancon pitch, and jawed with the pitcher on his way to first base. Two pitches prior, Pedroia saw a pitch sail over his head to the backstop and after being hit, felt it was intentional.
Boston got two runs in the ninth off recent call-up Anthony Clagett, but it was mere window dressing. The Yankees had their win after eight straight losses to the Red Sox. The win gave them a 3 1/2 game lead in the division.
AJ Burnett takes the ball for the Yanks on Friday night in the second of the four game weekend series. Josh Beckett starts for Boston.
NEW YORK – The burden of having not beaten the Red Sox once this season was hovering. It was like a noose around the team’s neck.
Despite having the best record in the American League and having rallied to take a 2 1/2 game in the AL East over their rivals, the fact the Yankees were 0-8 against their rivals was rendering the rest of their season meaningless.
Here they were, given another opportunity to make a stand in front of a sellout crowd of 49,005 at the new Yankee Stadium, facing a pitcher whose next visit may be to retirement, and they were able to capitalize.
Trailing 3-1 early, the offense exploded for eight runs in the fourth inning against Red Sox starter John Smoltz, survived five shaky innings from Joba Chamberlain, and then continued to pound hits and runs en route to a 13-6 Yankees victory over Boston.
After losing the first eight games in the 2009 installment of “The Rivalry” on a variety of mental lapses and other assorted breakdowns, it appeared to be more of the same in the second inning. With one out and Jorge Posada leading off second, Nick Swisher lined a single to center field. Posada was appearing to score easily when the ball was cutoff by second baseman Dustin Pedroia. However, Pedroia opted to relay the ball home and Posada, apparently unaware of the impending throw, opted not to slide at home plate and was tagged out by catcher Victor Martinez which standing up. Melky Cabrera would proceed to line out to end the threat.
Boston would immediately take advantage the next inning when on an 0-2 pitch, Pedroia was about to turn on a 93 MPH fastball from Chamberlain and hit it two rows deep in the right center field seats for a home run to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.
Back-to-back walks to Martinez and Kevin Youkilis put Chamberlain in even more trouble, but he was helped out by a double play off the bat of David Ortiz and a fly out to center by JD Drew.
Johnny Damon quickly answered in the bottom half with his 20th homerun of the season to tie the game, but the Red Sox came right back when first baseman Casey Kotchman was able to lift a home run into the first row of seats down the right field line to make it 3-1.
Early on, Smoltz was able to effectively navigate the tough Yankee lineup. In the third inning, the hitters were able to generate healthy swings outside of Damon’s homerun. Now, in the fourth, the Yankees would tee off on him.
A leadoff double by Posada started the inning and he would score on an RBI single by Robinson Cano. Swisher would walk to put runners on first and second to bring up Cabrera, who blasted a three-run homer to right to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead.
Smoltz was shaken, but there would be more to come. Jeter would fly out for the first out, but then Damon singled and Teixeira would double to right. An intentional walk to Alex Rodriguez loaded the bases and Red Sox Manager Terry Francona came to the mound to end his starter’s night and send him to the shower. Whether the future Hall of Fame pitcher starts another game for Boston is anyone’s guess.
Billy Traber was summoned from the pen to face Hideki Matsui and nearly induced an inning ending double play, but Matsui was able to beat out the relay throw to first, which allowed Damon to score. Posada would then deliver the KO when he hammered a three-run homer to dead center field to give the Yankees a 9-3 lead.
Smoltz’s (2-5, 8.33 ERA) final line was ugly. In 3 1/3, he gave up nine hits, and eight runs (all earned), and walked four over his 92 pitch outing. The lefty hitters in the lineup were an astounding 9 for 13 with five extra base hits.
Being armed to a six-run lead, one would have thought Chamberlain would have been able to settle down and keep the game from getting dramatic.
Unfortunately, that did not happen.
He proceeded to throw his first eight pitches out of the strike zone, putting Martinez and Youkilis on base. After Ortiz flied out, he walked JD Drew to load the bases. Mike Lowell would single to cut the lead to five, but Chamberlain was able to get out of further trouble by striking out Casey Kotchman and Nick Green to end the threat.
After three tremendous outings, this was a step back for Chamberlain (8-2, 3.68). He only threw first pitch strikes to 13 of the 27 Red Sox hitters in his five innings of work, giving up four runs and six hits, while walking a season high seven over 108 tedious pitches.
With Traber still in the game, the Yankees were able to tack on runs in both the fifth and sixth as Matsui drove in two with a double down into the left field corner and Derek Jeter’s single to left.
The trio of David Robertson, Phil Coke and Mark Melancon pitched three scoreless innings. Things got a little heated in the eighth when Dustin Pedroia was hit by a Melancon pitch, and jawed with the pitcher on his way to first base. Two pitches prior, Pedroia saw a pitch sail over his head to the backstop and after being hit, felt it was intentional.
Boston got two runs in the ninth off recent call-up Anthony Clagett, but it was mere window dressing. The Yankees had their win after eight straight losses to the Red Sox. The win gave them a 3 1/2 game lead in the division.
AJ Burnett takes the ball for the Yanks on Friday night in the second of the four game weekend series. Josh Beckett starts for Boston.
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