Thursday, June 23, 2005
Sheffield shines among offensive stars
Gary Sheffield believed that Tuesday night's game against the Devil Rays was a big one for the Yankees, so when he watched Randy Johnson get knocked out after just three innings, he knew that he and his teammates were going to have to pick up the slack.
They did that -- and more -- in New York's 20-11 win over Tampa Bay, scoring 13 runs in the eighth inning to cap a comeback after being down, 10-2, after four innings.
"All we're worried about now is winning ballgames," Sheffield said. "It doesn't matter who is pitching, we need to put runs on the board. When they score like that, we just have to outscore them."
In a box score filled with eye-popping lines, Sheffield's stood out above the rest. In six at-bats, he had four hits, including two home runs. He scored three runs and drove in seven, tying his career highs for homers and RBIs in a single game.
"It's good to contribute," said Sheffield, who is now hitting .313 with 12 homers and 51 RBIs. "It's been Alex [Rodriguez] and [Hideki] Matsui for the most part, so it's a treat that everybody else could chip in."
With the score 10-2 after four, Sheffield belted a three-run homer against Hideo Nomo in the fifth.
"You just have to believe," he said. "You feel that if you score a run at a time and guys get on in front of you, you get them in and give yourself a chance to come back."
The homer gave the Yankees the belief that they could overcome the early deficit, even though they were still down by five runs.
"We were just looking for one bolt," said manager Joe Torre. "A three-run homer or a two-run double, just something to get us back in the game where we could reach out and sense that something was going to happen. That got us to within where it wasn't a ridiculous score."
"I thought the mood changed when we got within five runs," Sheffield said. "We felt that we could score five runs, because we've done it before. Guys on the bench started running to the bat rack, which was a good sign."
New York chipped away at the lead but found itself down by four runs entering the eighth. Sheffield came to the plate with the score 11-8 and Derek Jeter at second. He fought off some tough pitches by hard-throwing reliever Franklin Nunez before singling to left-center.
Gary Sheffield / RF
Born: 11/18/68
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 205 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: R
More info:
Player page
Stats | Splits
Gallery
Team Site | Shop
"We looked up on the scoreboard and saw 97 [mph], so we knew we had to get it started," Sheffield said. "Especially after whiffing at the first two, I told myself to just make contact, and he left one out over the plate."
"The at-bat that impressed me the most was the one against Nunez," said Bernie Williams, whose bases-loaded triple plated the winning runs. "Getting a base hit on a tough pitch, that was the epitome of the whole game."
But Sheffield wasn't done, as he came to bat again in the inning, this time with his team leading, 15-11. With men at first and third, he crushed a 3-2 pitch from Travis Harper into the seats in left field, blowing the game wide open.
"That's an American League ballgame," he said. "You don't ever see that in the National League."
The Yankees have now won seven of their last eight games, but Sheffield isn't ready to proclaim their season turned around just yet.
"We'll start proving something to ourselves when we're doing it on a consistent basis," he said. "We can't base it on one game, we have to base it on the season, the postseason and the World Series. That's when this team can be judged."
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
They did that -- and more -- in New York's 20-11 win over Tampa Bay, scoring 13 runs in the eighth inning to cap a comeback after being down, 10-2, after four innings.
"All we're worried about now is winning ballgames," Sheffield said. "It doesn't matter who is pitching, we need to put runs on the board. When they score like that, we just have to outscore them."
In a box score filled with eye-popping lines, Sheffield's stood out above the rest. In six at-bats, he had four hits, including two home runs. He scored three runs and drove in seven, tying his career highs for homers and RBIs in a single game.
"It's good to contribute," said Sheffield, who is now hitting .313 with 12 homers and 51 RBIs. "It's been Alex [Rodriguez] and [Hideki] Matsui for the most part, so it's a treat that everybody else could chip in."
With the score 10-2 after four, Sheffield belted a three-run homer against Hideo Nomo in the fifth.
"You just have to believe," he said. "You feel that if you score a run at a time and guys get on in front of you, you get them in and give yourself a chance to come back."
The homer gave the Yankees the belief that they could overcome the early deficit, even though they were still down by five runs.
"We were just looking for one bolt," said manager Joe Torre. "A three-run homer or a two-run double, just something to get us back in the game where we could reach out and sense that something was going to happen. That got us to within where it wasn't a ridiculous score."
"I thought the mood changed when we got within five runs," Sheffield said. "We felt that we could score five runs, because we've done it before. Guys on the bench started running to the bat rack, which was a good sign."
New York chipped away at the lead but found itself down by four runs entering the eighth. Sheffield came to the plate with the score 11-8 and Derek Jeter at second. He fought off some tough pitches by hard-throwing reliever Franklin Nunez before singling to left-center.
Gary Sheffield / RF
Born: 11/18/68
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 205 lbs
Bats: R / Throws: R
More info:
Player page
Stats | Splits
Gallery
Team Site | Shop
"We looked up on the scoreboard and saw 97 [mph], so we knew we had to get it started," Sheffield said. "Especially after whiffing at the first two, I told myself to just make contact, and he left one out over the plate."
"The at-bat that impressed me the most was the one against Nunez," said Bernie Williams, whose bases-loaded triple plated the winning runs. "Getting a base hit on a tough pitch, that was the epitome of the whole game."
But Sheffield wasn't done, as he came to bat again in the inning, this time with his team leading, 15-11. With men at first and third, he crushed a 3-2 pitch from Travis Harper into the seats in left field, blowing the game wide open.
"That's an American League ballgame," he said. "You don't ever see that in the National League."
The Yankees have now won seven of their last eight games, but Sheffield isn't ready to proclaim their season turned around just yet.
"We'll start proving something to ourselves when we're doing it on a consistent basis," he said. "We can't base it on one game, we have to base it on the season, the postseason and the World Series. That's when this team can be judged."
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
