Tough Battle, Huge Win
The Yankees took on the Boston Red Sox on the heels of a tough loss to the Minnesota Twins yesterday, in which Mariano Rivera didn’t get it done.
The Yanks wasted no time in getting rid of the yesterday’s sour taste. They scored five runs in the first inning tonight. But Boston didn’t give up; instead they battled back and eventually taking a 9-7 lead in the eighth inning.
As the case has been in so many games over the last year, the Yankees struck back in their last at bat.
Trailing by two runs in the bottom of the ninth — and facing the Jonathan Papelbon — Brett Gardner lined a 3-2 pitch to left field for a lead-off double.
Then, with one out, Alex Rodriguez came to the plate with the chance to be the hero… again. And again, he came through, this time blasting Papelbon’s first pitch deep into the left-center field seats.
Only days removed from his go-ahead, seventh-inning grand slam against the Twins on Friday, and less than a year removed from a postseason in which he hit three game-tying home runs, A-Rod did it again.
That’s right, he did it again. Another clutch home run for A-Rod. Another game-tying, ninth-inning home run for the amazing Alex Rodriguez.
After retiring Robinson Cano, Papelbon drilled Francisco Cervelli in the arm with a fastball.
Marcus Thames made Papelbon pay by launching a two-run home run over the left-field wall to win the most dramatic game since the 2009 postseason.
The Yankees lost a big lead tonight, but in the end, they showed the same determination that fueled them to a championship last year. It was another thrilling night in the Bronx. And by the looks of it, there’s many more to come this season.
–Alfred Santasiere III
Alfred Santasiere III
Like the Yankees of the late ’90s, watching this team one can feel confident cruising into the late innings of a game and despite being down, know “it ain’t over ’til it’s over!”