April 27, 2007
...
For one
inning, Diasuke Matsuzaka was on the verge of being mugged
by the Yankees, who extended the Japanese right-hander through 41
excruciating pitches in a fourth inning in which they scored four
times on three walks and three singles, and had the Sox warming up
J.C. Romero in the bullpen. All with 55,005 in the Stadium on their
feet, roaring.
But
there would be no retreat, no surrender, no sayonara. Matsuzaka changed out of
his sweat-soaked T-shirt, just as he had done in Toronto under similar
circumstances, and stuck around long enough to see the Sox stick it to the
Yankees, 11-4, sending the Bombers to their seventh straight loss while dropping
New York's record to 8-13, 6 1/2 games behind the Sox and in sole possession of
last place in the American League East.
Whatever
the motivation, it worked. The Sox gave Matsuzaka a chance to rest in the fifth,
which became Andy Pettitte's personal sweatbox, the Yankees lefthander giving
the lead back on three walks, a wild pitch, and base hits by Kevin Youkilis and
David Ortiz. Matsuzaka came out and set down six batters in order, the Sox'
bullpen did the rest, and the Sox, whose playoff hopes last season evaporated
when they were swept in a five-game series by the Yankees in August, had their
sixth straight win against the Yankees, dating to Sept. 16.
And
while the breakfast crowd in Japan was focused on the first stateside
confrontation between the Monster (Matsuzaka) and Godzilla (Hideki Matsui), a
kid who didn't have to cross the pond to find friends and family celebrated his
homecoming in unexpected fashion.
Sox
shortstop Julio Lugo, who was born in the Dominican Republic but grew up in
Brooklyn, hit a single, double, and home run, scored three runs, and stole two
bases. He singled ahead of Youkilis's two-run home run off Pettite in the third.
His walk began the Sox' go-ahead rally in the fifth. His home run off Yankees
reliever Scott Proctor into the left-field seats in the sixth inning gave the
Sox a 6-4 lead. It not only was Lugo's first home run of the season, it was his
first home run in 240 at-bats dating to July 22, which is why his home run trot
needed a little work. Lugo, who was still in sprint mode at the time, missed
first base, and had to retreat to the bag before he completed the circuit.
Lugo's
home run made for some unpleasant history on the Yankees' side. The Bombers came
into the game having allowed at least six runs in seven straight games,
something they hadn't done since 1950. Last night made it eight. It's hard to
be even mediocre when your starting pitcher fails to last five innings for the
11th time in 21 games, Pettitte getting dismissed with two outs in the fifth.
The Sox
not only got more exemplary work from a bullpen that has not allowed a run in
its last 14 2/3 innings on the road, Mike Timlin and Hideki Okajima disposing of
the Yankees when it was still close and Joel Piniero getting the call with a
seven-run lead in the ninth, they also put another dent in Mariano Rivera's
reputation. The Yankee closer, who could not put away the Sox a week ago in a
game in which New York took a 6-2 lead into the eighth, was charged with four
runs in a mop-up ninth inning last night, one in which he was able to retire
just one batter and was lifted by manager Joe Torre after giving up three
singles and a walk.
The
inning ended with the home crowd offering mock cheers for former Sox lefthander
Mike Myers, who walked Lugo with the bases loaded, allowed another run to score
on an infield out, and a third when Ortiz singled through the left side. All of
that helped to erase the memory of Matsuzaka's miserable fourth, when he threw
28 pitches before he got an out.
The
Yankees had singles in the first (Derek Jeter) and second (Jason Giambi) and
threatened in the third, when Johnny Damon drew a one-out walk and Lugo bobbled
Jeter's roller while transferring the ball from his glove to his throwing hand.
Lugo immediately atoned for that mistake when he gloved Bobby Abreu's bouncer up
the middle, stepped on second, and threw to first for a double play.
Up to
that point, Matsuzaka had gone to just one three-ball count. But in the fourth,
he walked Alex Rodriguez on a full count, walked Giambi on four pitches, then
walked Matsui on another full count to load the bases with no outs. Jorge Posada
blooped an opposite-field single to left, a sliding Manny Ramirez doing well to
keep the ball in front of him. Matsuzaka struck out Robinson Cano, whom he would
whiff three times, and appeared on the verge of escaping the inning with a yield
of just one run when Doug Mientkiewicz popped to third.
But
Damon, in a sweet piece of hitting, kept his hands back long enough on a
full-count changeup to line a half-swing single to left, scoring two runs, and
Jeter reached out and poked a pitch off the plate through the right side for an
RBI single to make it 4-2. But Matsuzaka survived. No doubt the Yankees will,
too.
Even
before he took the mound for his latest rehabilitation assignment last night in
Pawtucket, R.I., Jon Lester had received good news. According to Red Sox manager
Terry Francona, Lester's three-month checkup Thursday in the aftermath of his
treatment for cancer went well.
The
23-year-old lefthander underwent six rounds of chemotherapy treatments, the last
in December, and doctors said his cancer was in remission. Lester's rehab
assignment began with Single A Greenville April 5 and he made three starts for
the Drive, going 0-0 with a 2.08 ERA (13 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 15 K).
Last
night, in a game delayed a half-hour by rain, Lester was superb in five
scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out six and not
walking a batter in Pawtucket's 5-1 win over Buffalo. He threw 84 pitches, 56
for strikes. He topped out at 95 miles per hour, with his last pitch a 94-m.p.h.
fastball.
Mike
Lowell ran his hitting streak to 13 games, going 1 for 4 in last night's 11-4
series-opening victory over the Yankees. He has hit .360 (18 for 50) with four
home runs and 15 RBIs during the streak, raising his average from .233 to .313.
Lowell has 19 RBIs this month, his most in any month since he had 19 with the
Marlins in April.
Portland
center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury continued his spectacular start last night, going
4 for 4, and reaching base when he was hit by a pitch. Ellsbury, who also stole
his sixth base, is batting .468 for the Double A Sea Dogs.
