Friday, June 17, 2005
Giambi caps furious Yankees rally
NEW YORK -- Try as he might, Jason Giambi couldn't completely tune out the boos. He figured the best plan of attack was to wipe them away entirely.
After being soundly booed in his first four plate appearances of the night, Giambi turned the Yankee Stadium crowd around as quickly as he turned on Jose Mesa's fastball.
Giambi picked the perfect time to crush his fifth home run of the year into the upper deck in right field, a momentous blast that gave the Yankees a 7-5 win in 10 innings Wednesday.
"It was incredible," Giambi said. "I wanted to get a hit so bad. I finally got a pitch I could hit and didn't miss it."
The walk-off home run capped a Yankees rally that began in the seventh inning, with New York scoring in each frame thereafter.
With the Pirates opting to pitch to Giambi with a runner at second and first base open -- something that would have been unheard of back in Giambi's MVP-era run -- Derek Jeter pulled the slumping slugger aside and predicted, correctly, that Giambi was about to win the game.
"He's been swinging the bat well for a while now," Jeter said. "I hope the fans start cheering for him, because if you're a Yankees fan, [you know] we're going to need Jason to do well."
"[Jeter] knows how hard I've worked, how I come in every day," Giambi said. "It wasn't a question of me not working hard. He's one of those guys who can appreciate it."
To Joe Torre, Giambi had been showing signs of breaking out of an extended slump in recent games. He contributed a two-run double to the Yankees' 9-0 win on Tuesday, missing a home run by inches, and earned a return engagement in the lineup Wednesday as a result.
Through a troubled season, it's true that Giambi's effort has not been lacking. He is a constant presence in the weight room and the batting tunnel with hitting coach Don Mattingly, trying continuously to turn relentless boos -- as Jeter pointed out incredulously, Giambi was booed after taking a called first strike earlier in the evening -- into the cheers he used to receive.
"I'm a human being. [Being booed is] not a joy, especially in our home ballpark," Giambi said. "But it's OK. I'm right there with them, trying to get that hit."
"He's handled his share of problems," Torre said. "To come back like this and play the hero must mean a great deal to him. ... Psychologically, this is very, very important to him. It didn't hurt us either."
After chipping away with three runs in the seventh and eighth innings, the Yankees tied the game in the bottom of the ninth off Mesa (0-5) when Jorge Posada doubled off the right-field wall, plating Gary Sheffield. Alex Rodriguez, attempting to win the game, was thrown out at the plate by several steps, sending the game to extra innings.
"[The Yankees] weren't going to let it go," Torre said. "They kept rooting. They felt this was a game they played well enough to win."
Mariano Rivera (2-0) picked up the victory in relief, tossing the ninth and 10th innings and striking out three.
Kevin Brown started for New York and received a no-decision, leaving in the fifth inning with lower back spasms. Making his first start since skipping a turn with shoulder pain, Brown allowed the Pirates three runs on seven hits through 4 1/3 innings, but Torre didn't believe his next start would be in jeopardy.
"We're going to see how it is tomorrow, and just try and get through this," Brown said.
The Pirates added runs on solo homers in the seventh and eighth innings, with Jack Wilson and Bay going deep off Tanyon Sturtze.
New York plated two runs against Pirates starter Mark Redman, who scattered nine hits and walked three over 6 2/3 innings. Posada cracked his ninth home run off Redman in the second inning, and Robinson Cano legged out a run-scoring infield single in the seventh.
The Yankees have won four of six to get back to .500, and will go for a series sweep of Pittsburgh on Thursday.
"If this game doesn't pick us up, I don't know what game will," Torre said. "We weren't going to be denied tonight."
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
After being soundly booed in his first four plate appearances of the night, Giambi turned the Yankee Stadium crowd around as quickly as he turned on Jose Mesa's fastball.
Giambi picked the perfect time to crush his fifth home run of the year into the upper deck in right field, a momentous blast that gave the Yankees a 7-5 win in 10 innings Wednesday.
"It was incredible," Giambi said. "I wanted to get a hit so bad. I finally got a pitch I could hit and didn't miss it."
The walk-off home run capped a Yankees rally that began in the seventh inning, with New York scoring in each frame thereafter.
With the Pirates opting to pitch to Giambi with a runner at second and first base open -- something that would have been unheard of back in Giambi's MVP-era run -- Derek Jeter pulled the slumping slugger aside and predicted, correctly, that Giambi was about to win the game.
"He's been swinging the bat well for a while now," Jeter said. "I hope the fans start cheering for him, because if you're a Yankees fan, [you know] we're going to need Jason to do well."
"[Jeter] knows how hard I've worked, how I come in every day," Giambi said. "It wasn't a question of me not working hard. He's one of those guys who can appreciate it."
To Joe Torre, Giambi had been showing signs of breaking out of an extended slump in recent games. He contributed a two-run double to the Yankees' 9-0 win on Tuesday, missing a home run by inches, and earned a return engagement in the lineup Wednesday as a result.
Through a troubled season, it's true that Giambi's effort has not been lacking. He is a constant presence in the weight room and the batting tunnel with hitting coach Don Mattingly, trying continuously to turn relentless boos -- as Jeter pointed out incredulously, Giambi was booed after taking a called first strike earlier in the evening -- into the cheers he used to receive.
"I'm a human being. [Being booed is] not a joy, especially in our home ballpark," Giambi said. "But it's OK. I'm right there with them, trying to get that hit."
"He's handled his share of problems," Torre said. "To come back like this and play the hero must mean a great deal to him. ... Psychologically, this is very, very important to him. It didn't hurt us either."
After chipping away with three runs in the seventh and eighth innings, the Yankees tied the game in the bottom of the ninth off Mesa (0-5) when Jorge Posada doubled off the right-field wall, plating Gary Sheffield. Alex Rodriguez, attempting to win the game, was thrown out at the plate by several steps, sending the game to extra innings.
"[The Yankees] weren't going to let it go," Torre said. "They kept rooting. They felt this was a game they played well enough to win."
Mariano Rivera (2-0) picked up the victory in relief, tossing the ninth and 10th innings and striking out three.
Kevin Brown started for New York and received a no-decision, leaving in the fifth inning with lower back spasms. Making his first start since skipping a turn with shoulder pain, Brown allowed the Pirates three runs on seven hits through 4 1/3 innings, but Torre didn't believe his next start would be in jeopardy.
"We're going to see how it is tomorrow, and just try and get through this," Brown said.
The Pirates added runs on solo homers in the seventh and eighth innings, with Jack Wilson and Bay going deep off Tanyon Sturtze.
New York plated two runs against Pirates starter Mark Redman, who scattered nine hits and walked three over 6 2/3 innings. Posada cracked his ninth home run off Redman in the second inning, and Robinson Cano legged out a run-scoring infield single in the seventh.
The Yankees have won four of six to get back to .500, and will go for a series sweep of Pittsburgh on Thursday.
"If this game doesn't pick us up, I don't know what game will," Torre said. "We weren't going to be denied tonight."
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
