Despite the fact that the Red Sox are falling apart, coming in three
games under .500, this was an important game to the Yankees. It felt like the
home run derby in the first two innings of the game, as Franklin "Yankee
Home Runs" Morales gave up three solo home runs. Nick Swisher got his first
of two in the first inning, followed by Curtis Granderson and Russell Martin
with back-to-back home runs to right field in the second inning.
Later in the
fifth inning, he gave up the fourth solo home run, this one to Derek Jeter. Those
four brought his season total to eight home runs allowed to the Yankees. He has only given up three to all other teams
combined.
Phil Hughes had a great night, though the box score may lead you
to believe otherwise. He retired the first six batters he faced before allowing
the first two batters in the second to reach in the third. It was the third
inning where he gave up all his runs. After a lead off base hit to Mike Aviles,
he got an easy double-play grounder back to the box from Scott Podsednik.
However, unable to get a good grip due to the wet conditions, Hughes threw it
away and the Red Sox had men on first and third. A ground ball by Pedro Ciriaco
scored from third for the Red Sox first run. Then the real damage - a three-run home run by
Dustin Pedroia - put the Red Sox on top for the time being. However, Hughes was
able to settle himself down and retire 15 of the next 17 batters. He finished
his outing retiring the last eight consecutive Red Sox hitters.
After Jeter tied the game with his homer in the fifth, the Yankees
were able to take back the lead in the bottom of the sixth. After back-to-back
hits by Casey McGehee and Curtis Granderson, the Red Sox went to the bullpen
and Clayton Mortensen came in. Jayson Nix brought in McGehee for the go-ahead run
with a short single to right field. The
Yankees were able to tack on another insurance run, when Nick Swisher got his
second home run of the night. The first was from the right side, the second
from the left. It was the 12th time of his career when Swisher hit home runs
from both sides of the plate in the same game.
Honorable mentions:
- Rafael Soriano recorded his 30th save of the season, retiring the side in order.
- Russell Martin made a fantastic catch in the second inning, fighting off the glare of the lights and the rain, catching a pop up that was lost in the sky for a few seconds.
- Mother Nature, for allowing this game to be played. Okay, you might not think this one's big, but the Yankees getting a win against their arch rivals, and avoiding a double-header make-up game in a crowded schedule is important.
So, every win against the Red Sox is important. I mean, it's the
Red Sox! Also, they are in the middle of a grueling stretch of their schedule,
playing against some of the best hitting in baseball. These wins mean a lot. It
was also a night when the Baltimore Orioles lost to the Detroit Tigers,
allowing the Yankees to extend their division lead.
Final Score: Yankees 6 - Red Sox 4
--Ike Dimitriadis, BYB Writer
Twitter: @KingAgamemnon
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