The New York Yankees gave George Steinbrenner an extra special birthday gift this holiday weekend — three straight victories over the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium, that moved the Bronx Bombers only one game behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East.

Mr. Steinbrenner’s birthday was on the “Fourth of July”, and his Yankees delivered the first of their three wins on Friday July 3rd — a 4-2 win in the first game of four straight day games vs. the Blue Jays. When was the last time the Yankees, or any team other than the Cubs in Chicago, played four straight day games?

A.J. Burnett (7-4) pitched a solid game on Friday to earn the win; as Robinson Cano and Alex Rodriguez hit home runs that led the Yankees hitting attack, setting the stage for Mariano Rivera to close out this 4-2 victory with his 21st save of the year.

On the “Fourth of July”, the Yankees won a very dramatic, extra-innings, 6-5 victory, on a walk-off, RBI single by Jorge Posada off Shawn Camp (0-4), in the bottom of the 12th inning.

The Yankees tagged Blue Jays starter, Roy Halladay, maybe the best pitcher in the America League, for three home runs: Hideki Matsui (12th), leading off the 2nd inning; Jorge Posada (11th), leading off the 4th inning; and, Johnny Damon (16th), a two-run shot into the short right field porch in the 7th inning, that tied the score 5-5 at the time.

After the Damon homer, Halladay had a look of disbelief on his face, maybe thinking “that” home run was not going to reach the seats, and was the product of the increased jet stream of air flow at the new Yankee Stadium.

The bad news for the Yankees in this game was another ineffective pitching performance by Chien-Ming Wang, who had to leave the game in the sixth inning after he felt tightness in his right shoulder on a pitch to Adam Lind, who blasted a two-run homer on the Wang delivery that tied the score 4-4.  

On the next pitch to Scott Rolen, it was catcher Jorge Posada who noticed that Wang didn’t follow-through all the way on the pitch, and just kind of pushed it up to the plate. Posada called Joe Girardi and trainer Steve Donohue from the dugout, and Wang was removed from the game.

Wang had a MRI after the game, and was placed on the disabled list after it was determined that he had a right shoulder strain and bursitis, which calls for total rest without any throwing for Wang until some time after the All-Star break. The Yankees have not yet decided who will replace Wang in the rotation.  

Chien-Ming Wang allowed four runs, on six hits, in his 5.1 innings on the mound, and was replaced by David Robertson who gave up the final Blue Jays run, a well as, recording the final two out of the sixth inning.

The Yankees bullpen was lights out the rest of the way, with five relievers: Bruney (7th); Hughes (8th); Mariano Rivera (9th); Coke (10th and 11th); and, finally, Brett Tomko (W, 1-2), in the 12th inning, all delivering solid performances.

A final note of interest occurred after the game when Jorge Posada was being inteviewed by Kim Jones of the Yes Network.

Joba Chamberlain and A.J. Burnett charged out of the Yankees dugout and teamed-up to toss a “shaving-cream” pie in Jorge’s face in celebration of Posada’s game winning hit.

Jorge did not exactly look too happy to be the latest “victim” of this new ongoing form of celebration for the heroes of late-inning Yankee victories.

In my view, I have to say, the first couple of times the pie-tossing was kind of humorous; but, I think this “parlor-trick” has run its course, and this “long-time” Yankees fan wouldn’t mind if these antics are not seen any more after games. This is just not what Yankees “tradition” is all about.

In the third game of this four-game series, the Yankees staked starter Joba Chamberlain to an early 4-0 lead, scoring two runs in each of the first two innings.

Then, in the top of the third, Raul Chavez doubled, and scored on a RBI single by Aaron Hill to cut the Yankees lead to 4-1. Aaron Hill followed with a two-run homer off Chamberlain, cutting the Yankees lead even more to 4-3.

In the top of the 4th, Joba Chamberlain had an even tougher inning that began with a single by Lyle Overbay. Vernon Wells was up next, and hit a fly ball to left for out number one. Then, Alex Rois hit a hard shot to Cody Ransom, who was filling-in for Alex Rodriguez at third base. The ball took a wicked hop that bounced high off Ransom’s glove for an error.

In fairness to Ransom, the ball was hit very hard, and took a high bounce at the last second; but, it was a ball that Ransom probably should have fielded, and thus the play was called an error.  

It was now first and second with one out when David Dellucci hit an easy fly ball to right for the second out of the inning. If not for the error, this may have been the final out, but the inning continued.

Raul Chavez was up next, and promptly hit a RBI double that plated Overbay to tie the score 4-4.

Marco Scutaro then stroked a two-RBI single that increased the Blue Jays lead to 6-4.

The damage was not done yet, as next batter, Aaron Hill, blasted a two-run homer off Joba, over the auxiliary scoreboard in right centerfield to up the Jays lead to 8-4.

As Yes Network announcer David Cone said, “Joba put a snowman up on the scoreboard with the eight runs that he allowed; and, no pitcher wants to do that.”

After Joba gave up a single to Adam Lind, Joe Girardi replaced Chamberlain with Jonathan Albaladejo. As Joba walked to the dugout he was booed by the Yankee Stadium crowd.  

The error hurt Joba Chamberlain’s final numbers; but, after two outs in the 4th inning, Joba did get hit hard, and did not get out of the jam. He lasted 3.2 innings, while allowing eight runs, (three earned), on nine hits, one walk, and only one strikeout.

In the bottom of the 4th, the Yankees came right back in this game when after one out, Mark Teixeira walked; Jorge Posada singled; and, both runners scored on Hideki Matsui’s three-run homer off Brett Cecil that cut the Blue Jays lead to 8-7. 

The Yanks were now on the road to another comeback as the game entered the bottom of the fifth.

Melky Cabrera led off the 5th inning with a walk, and after Ransom grounded out, scored on Derek Jeter’s 10th homer of the year, an opposite field shot off B.J. Ryan, that gave the Bronx Bombers a 9-8 lead.

Johnny Damon then walked and scored all the way from first on a RBI double by Jorge Posada that increased the Yanks lead to 10-8, and completed the scoring in this game.

There were still four innings to play, though, and Girardi brought Alfredo Aceves into pitch.

Aceves turned in one of the best relief performances by a Yankees middle-inning reliever in awhile, throwing 43 pitches over “four” brilliant innings, allowing no runs, while giving up only one hit, no walks, and striking out five.

Very simply, “brilliant”, and very “old school” !!!  

Alfredo Aceves brought back images of Sparky Lyle and Goose Gossage who would routinely pitch two, three, or four innings when closing out Yankee victories.

The winning pitcher in this game could have been either Albaladejo or Aceves, based on whom the official scorer felt had pitched better in relief.

Albaladejo (3-1) did pitch well enough to earn the victory [1.1 innings pitched; no runs; two hits; no walks; two strikeouts], and he was the pitcher of record when the Yankees took the lead in the 5th inning. So, the decision to award him the win cannot really be disputed. And, it was nice to see Alfred Aceves credited with his first career save.  

The hitting stars for the Yankees in this game were:

* Derek Jeter (4-for-5); including his 10th HR; three runs; two RBI’s

* Jorge Posada (4-for-5); two runs; three RBI’s

* Hideki Matsui (2-for-4); including his 13th HR; one run; four RBI’s 

 

**** Happy Birthday, Mr. George M. Steinbrenner, III ****  

**** Happy Birthday, to the United States of America **** 

 

— Jimmy Curran, “BY&L” — “Baseball, The Yankees, and Life”

 

_______________________

 

Update: July 6, 2009 …

The Yankees lost the final game of their four-game series vs. the Blue Jays, 7-6.

But, the Boston Red Sox also lost their game this day, on a 6-0 shutout by the Oakland A’s.

So, at the end of baseball action on this beautiful day, the battle for first place in the AL East is really starting to heat up as the 2009 season moves into the summer months.

This “race for first place” will go right down to the wire between the Yankees and Red Sox, with the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays also still very much in the race. It will be fun to watch.

AL EAST STANDINGS … (at the end of action on July 6th) …

Boston Red Sox          49-33    .598    —        Last 10 Games:  (5-5)

New York Yankees     48-34    .585   1.0       Last 10 Games:  (8-2)

Tampa Bay Rays        44-39    .530    5.5      Last 10 Games:  (6-4)

Toronto Blue Jays      43-41   .512    7.0       Last 10 Games:  (3-7) 

Baltimore Orioles       36-47   .434   13.5      Last 10 Games:  (3-7)

 

The Yankees now head on the road, traveling to Minnesota to start a three-game series against the Twins on July 7-8-9th … Then, go to the West Coast to play the L.A. Angels in a three-game weekend series, July 10-11-12th, which leads to the All-Star break. 

The Red Sox continue their schedule at Fenway Park with two more games vs. the Oakland A’s on July 7-8th. Then, the Sox host the K.C. Royals in a four-game weekend series in Boston, July 9-10-11-12th, leading up to the All-Star break.

The All-Star Game will be played on Tuesady, July 14, 2009. 

The Red Sox have an advantage on the schedule over the next six games. But, hopefully, by the All-Star break the Yankees will be standing on top of the AL East as we approach the long summer days ahead in July and August. 

“Go Yankees” !!! 

— Jimmy 27NYY, “BY&L”