THE MCCARTHY DEBUT & LATE NIGHT FIREWORKS

Jacoby Ellsbury provided the firepower in a marathon game against the Cleveland Indians that gave a boost to the struggling Yankees. On a night when the Yankees were recovering from the shock of Masahiro Tanaka going on the disabled list, the team needed a moral victory. They took the game into extra innings, further than it should have gone.

Brandon McCarthy started his first game in a Yankee uniform. He didn't exactly impress in his first inning of work. He probably would have had a scoreless inning, except for a throwing error by Mark Teixeira. He seemed to lose his composure and proceeded to give up 3 runs. Following a visit from the dugout, he settled down and got out of the inning.

The Yankees began their climb back to the game in the top of the 4th, when Mark Teixeira got one back with a home run to bring the Yankees within one. In the top of the 5th, the Yankees continue to rally as Jacoby Ellsbury doubled down the right field line. Derek Jeter singled and a Brian McCann sacrifice fly brought him in. With a man on 1st, Mark Teixeira then hit another long ball into the right field seats to put the Yankees up 4-3.

Brandon McCarthy didn't help himself as he gave the lead back in the bottom of the 5th. But he did keep the Indians right there, holding them to a 4-4 tie. He wasn't superb, and he wasn't terrible. But he lives to pitch another day.

We need to give an honorable mention to Shawn Kelley. With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the 10th, he struck out Nick Swisher and induced David Murphy to ground out, end the inning, and keep the winning run from scoring, He and the rest of the bullpen kept it going until the 14th for Ellsbury's homer and Zoilo Almonte's amazing game-ending catch. An exciting ending to a very long but important game.

Final: Yankees 5 - Indians 4

--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Senior Staff Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
My blog is: Shots from Murderer's Row

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