With the bases loaded and no one out in the ninth, Mariano Rivera and the Yankees held a precarious one-run lead over the Boston Red Sox on Saturday afternoon at the Stadium.
If the Sox were able to get one more run across to tie the game at two, it would be hard to imagine New York rallying to win in the bottom of ninth or extra innings and so the Yanks would have dropped their third straight to their hated rivals, putting them seven games out of the Wild Card in July - a position that most likely would have snapped their 13 year playoff streak.
But Rivera was able to work out of the jam he created by surrendering two hits and plunking two batters, and so the Yankees move to just five out of the Wild Card with a very realistic chance of splitting the four-game series with Boston as they send Joba Chamberlain to the mound Sunday to oppose Tim Wakefield.
Isn't baseball great?
The Yankees' offense continued to struggle Saturday, but two runs were enough thanks to six shutout innings by starter Mike Mussina.
Here are the grades from New York's huge 2-1 win over the Red Sox.
Joe Girardi, Manager: (C+) I don't understand how you can take a guy out of a game when he's tossing a four-hit shutout through six, especially when he's only thrown 89 pitches, but Girardi did just that, bringing in Jose Veras for Mussina in the seventh inning. Luckily, Veras and Kyle Farnsworth pitched well and the Yanks were able to hold on by the slimmest of margins.
Girardi once again passed on a few good bunting situations, which resulted in New York stranding another 10 base runners. He better start playing more small ball again because two runs isn't going to cut it on most days.
Brett Gardner, LF: (C+) Playing in place of the injured Johnny Damon, Gardner went 0-3, dropping his average to .063, but the rookie came up with the biggest at bat of the game when his sacrifice fly in the sixth gave the Yanks a much-needed insurance run. Gardner also threw out Dustin Pedroia trying to stretch a single into a double. I'd really like to see the speedy Gardner lay down a bunt once in a while to try to get on base and make things happen for the offense.
Derek Jeter, SS: (C-) The Captain went 1-4 and stranded two runners.
Bobby Abreu, RF: (D+) Abreu went 0-3 with a walk and is now hitless in his last 11 at bats.
Alex Rodriguez, 3B: (A) A-Rod went 1-2 with a walk, was hit by a pitch and stole both second and third.
Jason Giambi, DH: (C-) The Human Rally Killer is back! Giambi, who is now hitless in his last nine at bats, went 0-3 and struck out with the bases loaded, making him 1-11 in those situations this season. Jason stranded five runners on the day, but he did walk and scored a run hustling home on Melky Cabrera's single in the second.
Wilson Betemit, 1B: (C) Betemit went 1-4 with a run scored and also left five men on base.
Robinson Cano, 2B: (A-) Cano went 1-3 and made a nice play on Coco Crisp's grounder up the middle in the second inning.
Melky Cabrera, CF: (A) The Yankees have been searching for a big two-out hit lately and Cabrera came up with one, rolling an RBI single into right field in the second. He went 2-4 on the day and made a nice sliding catch in center.
Jose Molina, C: (D) Molina went 0-3 with a strikeout but he threw out Jacoby Ellsbury attempting to steal second and proved his manhood by staying in the game after taking a foul off the left side of his face.
Mike Mussina, SP: (A) I'd like to officially apologize for calling for Mussina's head in April. He has been more than a pleasant surprise for the Yankees' rotation this year, picking up his 11th win on Saturday.
Jose Veras, RP: (A) Veras struck out two in a perfect seventh and has now made six straight good appearances.
Kyle Farnsworth, RP: (A) I held my breath when he entered a 2-0 game in the eighth but Farnsworth did his job, retiring all three batters he faced.
Mariano Rivera, RP: (D-) This is why the save statistic is ridiculous.
Yankees Overall Grade: (B) The offense still leaves a lot to be desired but the Yanks got great pitching performances from Mussina, Veras and Farnsworth to lead them to a big win over their arch rival. If New York can somehow win the final game against the Red Sox and sweep the two-game set with the Rays, they would salvage a 5-4 homestand and put themselves right back in the race.
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3 months ago
Actually, I'd have to disagree with just one thing - baseball is mediocre at best. Otherwise, you really nailed it.
from 3 months ago
Wrong. Baseball is the perfect combination of athleticism, strategy and tradition. You sir, are out to lunch.
from 3 months ago
The problem with baseball is in evident in the action-to-game length ratio. It's simply too small, leaving too many opportunities for a good nap.
The strategy is quite limited since all the managers have stats and figures that tell them what to do in any given scenario. As for the athleticism, sure some players have it (depending on the position) - not a very compelling reason to watch especially when compared to other sports. I'll give you tradition.
3 months ago
If Morgan Ensberg was still with the Yankees, he would have hit 4 home runs. Yankees win by a large margin, 8-1
3 months ago
89 pitches for Mussina is quite a few. I wouldn't rank Girardi's decision that low.
from 3 months ago
Mussina has gone over 100 pitches five times this year. I don't think 89 is quite a few for him, especially when he's pitching that well.
3 months ago
Wow who would have thought that Mussina would be the anchor of the rotation this year...seriously. Is he juiced?
On another note, this series has been a bit melodramatic, given that both of these prestigious clubs and their gigantic payrolls are chasing the lowly Tampa Bay Rays for the division lead.
from 3 months ago
It's certainly not melodramatic if you're a Yanks or a Sox fan. These two teams are still battling to get closer to Tampa Bay for the division lead and even if they can't do that, they're fighting one another for the Wild Card. It's a big series anytime these two arch rivals square off, even if one of the teams is completely out of the race.
And I don't see what payroll has to do with anything. The games are decided on the field, not on paper. The Florida Marlins have proven that twice since 1997.
3 months ago
Good points, for sure. What I was pointing out is the fact that the Yankees and red sox are usually the class of the American League, while this year they are battling for 2nd in the division, which may or may not result in a playoff spot.
The Rays appear to be proving yet again that payroll has very little to do with on-field success, much like the Marlins have done. Lets not forget the fact that the Yankees and their $200 million payroll have not won the World Series since 2000.
I'm just saying that the AL East doesn't feel right this year without the Yankees and red sox both comfortably ahead of the Rays, Orioles and Blue Jays.
from 3 months ago
Yeah, it's a little unusual not to have the Yanks and Sox in first and second place, but that just goes to show how competitive baseball can be, despite the fact that the game doesn't have a salary cap.
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