Wednesday, March 31, 2004
New York Yankees News
Yankees homer their way to split
By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com
• Yank notes: Giambi's knee flares up
TOKYO -- The Yankees left quite a lasting image on Japan, rebounding from their season-opening loss by crushing the Devil Rays, 12-1, to salvage a split of the two-game Opening Series at the Tokyo Dome.
Hideki Matsui broke the game open with a two-run homer in the fifth, one of four home runs by the Yankees.
Jorge Posada belted home runs from both sides of the plate, while Kevin Brown tossed seven solid innings in his first start for the Yankees.
New York and Tampa Bay each leave Tokyo with a 1-1 mark, resuming the season next Tuesday in St. Petersburg.
Brown looked shaky at the start, giving up a leadoff single to Carl Crawford, who stole second and scored on Aubrey Huff's RBI single, giving the Devil Rays a quick 1-0 lead.
Kevin Brown / P
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 195
Bats/Throws: R/R
Tampa Bay collected two more hits in the second, but Brown escaped without allowing another run.
Devil Rays starter Jeremi Gonzalez hit Derek Jeter to open the game, but the right-hander went on to record eight consecutive outs before Kenny Lofton singled with two outs in the third. Gonzalez then walked Jeter and gave up an RBI single to Matsui, tying the game.
New York snapped the tie in the fourth, as Tony Clark, who was in the lineup after Jason Giambi was shifted to DH due to a sore left knee, bashed a two-run homer to right field, putting the Yankees ahead, 3-1.
Brown settled in, retiring the side in order in the third. He allowed a leadoff single in the fourth, but Jose Cruz. Jr. was erased when Posada completed a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play.
Matsui provided the series highlight in the fifth, drilling a two-run homer to right, giving the Yankees a 5-1 lead. The crowd of 55,000 went crazy, giving their favorite son a standing ovation that lasted about two minutes.
Hideki Matsui / OF
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 210
Bats/Throws: L/R
Gonzalez was pulled one batter later, charged with five runs on four hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Damian Moss relieved Gonzalez, but the left-hander didn't fare much better than his predecessor. After hitting Giambi with a pitch and walking Sheffield, Moss served up a 1-1 pitch to Posada, who blasted it into the left-field stands for a three-run homer, boosting the lead to 8-1.
Matsui nearly treated the fans to another homer in the sixth, but his shot to center died shortly before the wall for a long out.
The fans, sensing that this would be their last look at Matsui until at least November's All-Star Series, cheered every play he made, including a pair of routine fly balls he caught in the bottom of the sixth.
Posada crushed his second three-run home run of the game, this time from the left side, giving New York an 11-1 lead. It was the ninth career two-homer game for Posada, and the fifth time he has gone deep from both sides of the plate. The last time he accomplished the feat was June 28, 2002, against the Mets at Yankee Stadium.
Brown was charged with one run on six hits over seven innings, walking one and striking out five in winning his debut in pinstripes. Brown retired 15 of the final 17 batters he faced, including the final nine.
To put the run support in perspective, Brown received 10 runs in a game only once last season with Los Angeles. In his nine losses in 2003, the Dodgers scored a total of 17 runs in support of Brown.
Tom Gordon made his first appearance as a Yankee, sitting the Rays down in order in the eighth. Mariano Rivera entered the game in the ninth, as the fans oohed and aahed with each pitch he threw. Rivera threw a scoreless inning, closing out the win for the Yankees.
Yankees homer their way to split
By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com
• Yank notes: Giambi's knee flares up
TOKYO -- The Yankees left quite a lasting image on Japan, rebounding from their season-opening loss by crushing the Devil Rays, 12-1, to salvage a split of the two-game Opening Series at the Tokyo Dome.
Hideki Matsui broke the game open with a two-run homer in the fifth, one of four home runs by the Yankees.
Jorge Posada belted home runs from both sides of the plate, while Kevin Brown tossed seven solid innings in his first start for the Yankees.
New York and Tampa Bay each leave Tokyo with a 1-1 mark, resuming the season next Tuesday in St. Petersburg.
Brown looked shaky at the start, giving up a leadoff single to Carl Crawford, who stole second and scored on Aubrey Huff's RBI single, giving the Devil Rays a quick 1-0 lead.
Kevin Brown / P
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 195
Bats/Throws: R/R
Tampa Bay collected two more hits in the second, but Brown escaped without allowing another run.
Devil Rays starter Jeremi Gonzalez hit Derek Jeter to open the game, but the right-hander went on to record eight consecutive outs before Kenny Lofton singled with two outs in the third. Gonzalez then walked Jeter and gave up an RBI single to Matsui, tying the game.
New York snapped the tie in the fourth, as Tony Clark, who was in the lineup after Jason Giambi was shifted to DH due to a sore left knee, bashed a two-run homer to right field, putting the Yankees ahead, 3-1.
Brown settled in, retiring the side in order in the third. He allowed a leadoff single in the fourth, but Jose Cruz. Jr. was erased when Posada completed a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play.
Matsui provided the series highlight in the fifth, drilling a two-run homer to right, giving the Yankees a 5-1 lead. The crowd of 55,000 went crazy, giving their favorite son a standing ovation that lasted about two minutes.
Hideki Matsui / OF
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 210
Bats/Throws: L/R
Gonzalez was pulled one batter later, charged with five runs on four hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings.
Damian Moss relieved Gonzalez, but the left-hander didn't fare much better than his predecessor. After hitting Giambi with a pitch and walking Sheffield, Moss served up a 1-1 pitch to Posada, who blasted it into the left-field stands for a three-run homer, boosting the lead to 8-1.
Matsui nearly treated the fans to another homer in the sixth, but his shot to center died shortly before the wall for a long out.
The fans, sensing that this would be their last look at Matsui until at least November's All-Star Series, cheered every play he made, including a pair of routine fly balls he caught in the bottom of the sixth.
Posada crushed his second three-run home run of the game, this time from the left side, giving New York an 11-1 lead. It was the ninth career two-homer game for Posada, and the fifth time he has gone deep from both sides of the plate. The last time he accomplished the feat was June 28, 2002, against the Mets at Yankee Stadium.
Brown was charged with one run on six hits over seven innings, walking one and striking out five in winning his debut in pinstripes. Brown retired 15 of the final 17 batters he faced, including the final nine.
To put the run support in perspective, Brown received 10 runs in a game only once last season with Los Angeles. In his nine losses in 2003, the Dodgers scored a total of 17 runs in support of Brown.
Tom Gordon made his first appearance as a Yankee, sitting the Rays down in order in the eighth. Mariano Rivera entered the game in the ninth, as the fans oohed and aahed with each pitch he threw. Rivera threw a scoreless inning, closing out the win for the Yankees.
