Tonight’s game in New York was not just “another” ball game. In a gorgeous night, it was played with mixed emotions. To begin with, in the pre-game ceremony, the Yankees honoured and commemorated the most recognized owner in baseball, George Steinbrenner and the 99-year-old long-time Yankees public announcer Bob Sheppard who both passed away early this week. And at the end of the night, the Yankees beat their division archrivals Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 in a walk-off style to start their second half the season.
A crowd of 47,524 were present in the Yankee Stadium to witness a simple but emotional ceremony to honour both great men, the symbolic icons of the Yankees organization. It was a quiet game to start with; especially the players’ introductions were not made throughout the game in memory of Sheppard.
The Rays opened the score in the second inning; facing Yankees starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia, 2B Ben Zobrist scored on designated hitter Willy Aybar’s sacrifice fly.
They made it 2-0 in the third. Leadoff batter SS Jason Bartlett got on base with a single. Two outs later, 3B Evan Longoria drove him in with his 28th double of the season, his 62nd RBI.
The Yankees responded by cutting the lead into half at the bottom of third inning; LF Brett Gardner walked and then one out later, scored on Nick Swisher’s single.
Sabathia did not pitch a gem tonight as he has done in his previous eight starts. He seemed to have some control problems tonight. In the fifth, he gave up singles to Bartlett and Carl Crawford and a walk to B.J. Upton to load the bases. He was fortunate to get out of the inning by giving up a sole run on Longoria’s 6-4-3 double play.
The Yankees rallied in the sixth inning. Facing Rays starter James Shield who gave up only a run and two hits in the first five innings, they hit back-to back homers to equalize the score. With two outs, 2B Robinson Cano hit his 17th of the year, a line-drive home run to the centerfield. Then catcher Jorge Posada smashed his 10th on a 0-3 count pitch.
Both teams added one run each in the 7th and in the 8th inning. The Yankees won in the ninth; leadoff Curtis Granderson singled off Rays reliever Randy Choate (L, 2-3), moved to second on pinch hitter Ramiro Pena’s bunt, and scored on Swisher’s third RBI of the game, a single off Lance Cormier. The Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who pitched in the perfect ninth inning, gets his third win (3-1).
Both Yankees players and their fans went crazy to see the Yankees’ victory, a tribute to Steinbrenner and Sheppard. It also widens the gap between the AL first place Yankees and the Rays by three games.
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