Thursday, June 23, 2005
Yanks stage a stunning comeback
With six outs to go, the Yankees were faced with a four-run deficit and the prospect of a second consecutive loss to the Devil Rays on their home turf in the Bronx.
With five outs to go, the Bombers led the game, 15-11, starting an incredible inning in which they scored 13 runs en route to a 20-11 win over the Rays.
The offensive explosion erased a deficit that stood at eight runs after four innings, with Bernie Williams' bases-loaded triple putting the Yankees ahead for good.
"That eighth inning just wouldn't end," said manager Joe Torre. "It was remarkable."
New York tallied 23 hits, the most in almost six years, and the 20 runs scored were the most since July 24, 1999, when they defeated Cleveland, 21-1.
The Yanks scored more runs in the eighth than the Rays scored all game, homering four times in the frame. The Yankees homered four times in an inning just once before, accomplishing the feat on June 30, 1977. Ironically, one of those four homers was hit by Lou Piniella, who now manages Tampa Bay.
"We had a four-run lead, but we didn't hold it," Piniella said. "What are you going to do? Do you think we were trying to blow a baseball game?"
Gary Sheffield blasted two homers and tied a career high with seven RBIs, and Derek Jeter (a career-high five hits), Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez also homered in the win.
"We didn't want to lose two games in a row," Sheffield said. "At this point in the season, we need to win every series."
Overshadowed by the eighth-inning outburst was the performance of Randy Johnson, who was roughed up for seven runs in just three innings, his shortest outing since Aug. 25, 2000, when he lasted just 2 1/3 frames against the Mets.
Johnson didn't resemble the pitcher who dominated the Cardinals and Pirates in his last two outings, as Tampa Bay got to him for five runs in the second, including back-to-back homers by Damon Hollins and Kevin Cash -- the first back-to-back shots by the Devil Rays this season.
Johnson gave up two more runs in the third, both on Jonny Gomes' fourth homer of the season. It marked the third time this season that the Big Unit served up three long balls in the same game.
"If we had lost this game, it would have been squarely on my shoulders," Johnson said. "I didn't pitch well."
"He just didn't have it," Torre said. "His first inning was good, then all of a sudden, he flattened out. He just couldn't get the ball out of the middle of the plate."
Tampa Bay extended the lead to 10-2 after four, scoring three runs against Scott Proctor in the fourth.
Said Torre: "I had a sense in the dugout of, 'Let's see who we are and where we go from here.' "
Driving 'em home
Tampa Bay at NY Yankees, June 21, 2005
Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Bernie Williams combined for 15 of the game's hits, 13 of its runs (on four homers) and 15 of its RBIs. Their lines:
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI
Jeter 6 5 5 1 0 1 1
Sheffield 6 3 4 0 0 2 7
Matsui 5 4 4 1 0 1 2
Williams 4 1 2 1 1 0 5
Totals 21 13 15 3 1 4 15
Yankees 46 20 23 4 1 6 20
Sheffield's seven RBIs ties a career high set on Sept. 18, 1995, as a Marlin. It was also the 32nd multi-homer game of his career and first of the season. Five RBIs are the most for Williams since July 25, 2000. His career high is eight.
Sheffield cut the lead to 10-5 in the fifth, belting a three-run shot against starter Hideo Nomo. That seemed to give the Yankees some life, and several players pointed to that as the turning point in the game.
"It was early in the game, so we didn't press the panic button," said Williams, who cut the lead to 10-6 with an RBI double later in the fifth. "We started focusing on just scoring runs during the course of the game, hopefully get it within reach later."
Jeter added a solo shot against Chad Orvella in the sixth, cutting the lead to 10-7. But Tanyon Sturtze gave one back in the seventh, extending Tampa Bay's lead back to four.
"The thing I liked was that we kept scoring runs," Torre said. "I'm very proud of how this ballclub didn't quit, especially down by eight."
Then came the eighth inning.
Robinson Cano and Jeter singled against Franklin Nunez, then Ruben Sierra plated Cano with an RBI fielder's choice. Sheffield battled from behind in the count against Nunez, singling to put runners at the corners.
A-Rod singled in Jeter, cutting the lead to 11-9. Travis Harper replaced Nunez, then Hideki Matsui doubled to right field, scoring Sheffield and moving Rodriguez to third. With their lead down to one, the Rays opted to intentionally walk Jason Giambi, giving them a chance at an inning-ending double play.
With the crowd of 40,241 chanting "Bernie! Bernie!" in unison, Williams had something else in mind, smoking the first pitch over Hollins' head in center field. All three runners scored on the triple, giving New York a 13-11 lead.
"It's where you want to be," Williams said. "That's what the game is all about -- being able to perform in situations like that. It was great that I was able to do it."
"That was big," Sheffield said. "Everybody jumped on the top step when Bernie hit that ball. You know how hard he works, so you want to see him come through."
Posada followed with a two-run homer, and after Jeter and Sierra singled, Sheffield drilled a three-run shot, his second of the game.
A-Rod and Matsui followed with solo shots, giving the Yankees back-to-back-to-back home runs off Harper, who was charged with nine runs in the frame. It was the 10th time in history that the Yankees hit three consecutive homers in a regular-season game, the first since May 8, 1994, against Boston. They also hit three straight homers in Game 1 of the 1997 American League Division Series, against Cleveland.
"When Sheffield hit the home run, then Matsui hit the home run, then A-Rod hit the home run, it was like, 'Wow, when is this going to end?' " Williams said. "It was a great thing to see."
When Russ Johnson finally flew out to right field to end the inning, the Yankees had scored 13 runs on 12 hits during their 35-minute turn at the plate.
"That eighth inning, it was a remarkable thing," Torre said. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Everything we swung at was either a base hit or a home run."
"If there's a turning point in the season, this should be it," Williams said. "Hopefully, there will be more like this to come."
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
With five outs to go, the Bombers led the game, 15-11, starting an incredible inning in which they scored 13 runs en route to a 20-11 win over the Rays.
The offensive explosion erased a deficit that stood at eight runs after four innings, with Bernie Williams' bases-loaded triple putting the Yankees ahead for good.
"That eighth inning just wouldn't end," said manager Joe Torre. "It was remarkable."
New York tallied 23 hits, the most in almost six years, and the 20 runs scored were the most since July 24, 1999, when they defeated Cleveland, 21-1.
The Yanks scored more runs in the eighth than the Rays scored all game, homering four times in the frame. The Yankees homered four times in an inning just once before, accomplishing the feat on June 30, 1977. Ironically, one of those four homers was hit by Lou Piniella, who now manages Tampa Bay.
"We had a four-run lead, but we didn't hold it," Piniella said. "What are you going to do? Do you think we were trying to blow a baseball game?"
Gary Sheffield blasted two homers and tied a career high with seven RBIs, and Derek Jeter (a career-high five hits), Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez also homered in the win.
"We didn't want to lose two games in a row," Sheffield said. "At this point in the season, we need to win every series."
Overshadowed by the eighth-inning outburst was the performance of Randy Johnson, who was roughed up for seven runs in just three innings, his shortest outing since Aug. 25, 2000, when he lasted just 2 1/3 frames against the Mets.
Johnson didn't resemble the pitcher who dominated the Cardinals and Pirates in his last two outings, as Tampa Bay got to him for five runs in the second, including back-to-back homers by Damon Hollins and Kevin Cash -- the first back-to-back shots by the Devil Rays this season.
Johnson gave up two more runs in the third, both on Jonny Gomes' fourth homer of the season. It marked the third time this season that the Big Unit served up three long balls in the same game.
"If we had lost this game, it would have been squarely on my shoulders," Johnson said. "I didn't pitch well."
"He just didn't have it," Torre said. "His first inning was good, then all of a sudden, he flattened out. He just couldn't get the ball out of the middle of the plate."
Tampa Bay extended the lead to 10-2 after four, scoring three runs against Scott Proctor in the fourth.
Said Torre: "I had a sense in the dugout of, 'Let's see who we are and where we go from here.' "
Driving 'em home
Tampa Bay at NY Yankees, June 21, 2005
Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Bernie Williams combined for 15 of the game's hits, 13 of its runs (on four homers) and 15 of its RBIs. Their lines:
AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI
Jeter 6 5 5 1 0 1 1
Sheffield 6 3 4 0 0 2 7
Matsui 5 4 4 1 0 1 2
Williams 4 1 2 1 1 0 5
Totals 21 13 15 3 1 4 15
Yankees 46 20 23 4 1 6 20
Sheffield's seven RBIs ties a career high set on Sept. 18, 1995, as a Marlin. It was also the 32nd multi-homer game of his career and first of the season. Five RBIs are the most for Williams since July 25, 2000. His career high is eight.
Sheffield cut the lead to 10-5 in the fifth, belting a three-run shot against starter Hideo Nomo. That seemed to give the Yankees some life, and several players pointed to that as the turning point in the game.
"It was early in the game, so we didn't press the panic button," said Williams, who cut the lead to 10-6 with an RBI double later in the fifth. "We started focusing on just scoring runs during the course of the game, hopefully get it within reach later."
Jeter added a solo shot against Chad Orvella in the sixth, cutting the lead to 10-7. But Tanyon Sturtze gave one back in the seventh, extending Tampa Bay's lead back to four.
"The thing I liked was that we kept scoring runs," Torre said. "I'm very proud of how this ballclub didn't quit, especially down by eight."
Then came the eighth inning.
Robinson Cano and Jeter singled against Franklin Nunez, then Ruben Sierra plated Cano with an RBI fielder's choice. Sheffield battled from behind in the count against Nunez, singling to put runners at the corners.
A-Rod singled in Jeter, cutting the lead to 11-9. Travis Harper replaced Nunez, then Hideki Matsui doubled to right field, scoring Sheffield and moving Rodriguez to third. With their lead down to one, the Rays opted to intentionally walk Jason Giambi, giving them a chance at an inning-ending double play.
With the crowd of 40,241 chanting "Bernie! Bernie!" in unison, Williams had something else in mind, smoking the first pitch over Hollins' head in center field. All three runners scored on the triple, giving New York a 13-11 lead.
"It's where you want to be," Williams said. "That's what the game is all about -- being able to perform in situations like that. It was great that I was able to do it."
"That was big," Sheffield said. "Everybody jumped on the top step when Bernie hit that ball. You know how hard he works, so you want to see him come through."
Posada followed with a two-run homer, and after Jeter and Sierra singled, Sheffield drilled a three-run shot, his second of the game.
A-Rod and Matsui followed with solo shots, giving the Yankees back-to-back-to-back home runs off Harper, who was charged with nine runs in the frame. It was the 10th time in history that the Yankees hit three consecutive homers in a regular-season game, the first since May 8, 1994, against Boston. They also hit three straight homers in Game 1 of the 1997 American League Division Series, against Cleveland.
"When Sheffield hit the home run, then Matsui hit the home run, then A-Rod hit the home run, it was like, 'Wow, when is this going to end?' " Williams said. "It was a great thing to see."
When Russ Johnson finally flew out to right field to end the inning, the Yankees had scored 13 runs on 12 hits during their 35-minute turn at the plate.
"That eighth inning, it was a remarkable thing," Torre said. "I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Everything we swung at was either a base hit or a home run."
"If there's a turning point in the season, this should be it," Williams said. "Hopefully, there will be more like this to come."
Source: http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/
