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The Bronx Block
Game 132: Red Sox at Yankees (W)
| Boston Red Sox (80-51) vs. New York Yankees (72-59) |
| Daisuke Matsuzaka (13-10, 3.76) vs. Andy Pettitte (11-7, 3.69) |
| Aug. 28, 2007 @ 7:05 PM @ Yankee Stadium |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Red Sox | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 | ||
| New York Yankees | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 0 | ||
|
||||||||||||||
Preview:
In a series that easily means more to the Yankees than the Red Sox, the long-time rivals square off again in the Bronx. The Yankees send up their unofficial ace to the mound, Andy Pettitte, tonight against Boston’s imported golden boy, Daisuke Matsuzaka. Pettitte will be looking to extend his personal winning streak to 6 games. In his last 5 games, Pettitte has only given up 8 runs in his last 35 innings, giving him a 2.06 ERA. In Matsuzaka’s last two starts (both against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays), Matsuzaka has given up the same amount of runs as Pettitte (8) in about one-third the amount of innings as Pettitte (12). Also, the Red Sox lost those two games. In order to catch up to the Seattle Mariners and their 2 game lead in the Wild Card, the Yankees need to, at least, win two of three in this series. It all starts tonight.
Key Match-ups:
- Daisuke Matsuzaka vs. the Yankees bats: Though Matsuzaka has won his two starts against the Yankees, the Yankees hit him for 13 hits and 10 runs in 13 innings of work. Among the Yankees who have hit him well have been Derek Jeter (3-for-6) and Jason Giambi (3-for-5 with a walk). More on Giambi in a moment.
- Andy Pettitte vs. the Red Sox bats: In 27 games (25 starts), Andy Pettitte is 14-6 with a 3.29 ERA career-wise against the Red Sox. Among the Sox who have hit Pettitte well is Manny Ramirez (29-for-69, .420 BA, 1.134 OPS) and Jason Varitek (16-for-46, .348 BA). However, Julio Lugo is 5-for-19 (.263 BA) against Pettitte.
- Jason Giambi vs. Joe Torre: Though it’s a small sample size, Giambi is 3-for-5 with a walk against Matsuzaka. Matsuzaka has walked 11 men in his last three starts. Giambi is known for having a good eye, having a .412 OBP in his career. Plus, Giambi is looking for a pitcher who he can hit well to spark his hitting production. Joe, why would you sit Giambi down when every game is critical to potential October baseball?
Prediction:
In the bottom half of the 6th inning, Joe Torre will be seen leaving the dugout, going to the clubhouse chaplain and asking for forgiveness after seeing Andy Phillips going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. For his penance, Torre puts Jason Giambi in the line-up. With a man on 1st, two outs, and Matsuzaka at 95 pitches, Giambi takes a Matsuzaka offering upper-deck to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead. Torre shakes Giambi’s hand and asks for forgiveness. Oh, and Hideki Okajima gives up a run on two hits and a walk in the bottom of the 8th inning to give Mariano Rivera another insurance run in a 5-4 Yankees win.
______________________________________________________
Recap:
Good job. In a game where both starting pitchers battled through to the seventh inning, Andy Pettitte and the Yankees prevail, winning 5-3. While throwing 119 pitches, Pettitte held the Red Sox to three runs on six hits, three walks and six strikeouts. Matsuzaka couldn’t notch his third win against the Yankees this year, giving up 5 earned runs on 6 and a third innings, including the game-winning 2-run home run to Johnny Damon. After getting into what may be considered his first major-league jam, Joba Chamberlain struck out J.D. Drew on a slider in the dirt with men on 1st and 2nd to end the top of the 8th. Mariano Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 inning, including two strikeouts, to retire the Sox in the 9th, and notching his 21st save of the year. All in all, the Yankees won a very important game for their playoff chances as well as their momentum in the series.
Notable Performances:
- Manny Ramirez went 2-for-3 against Pettitte tonight, including a second inning solo home run, giving him 20 home runs for the year. However, on his sixth inning single, he walked to first base, pulling up lame with back spasms in his lower back. Ramirez was taken out after the inning ended by Bobby Kielty.
- Andy Pettitte has gone 6-0 so far in the month of August, posting a 2.36 ERA in those six starts. One of his 6 strikeouts in tonight’s game was an inning-ending strikeout against David Ortiz in the top of the 5th, making Ortiz lose his bat a couple of rows up from the field seats on the right side. Just like MIMS rapped in A-Rod’s at-bat song, Pettitte represented New York and put the Yankees on his back.
- Jorge Posada continues to show why he is one of the best catchers in the game today by going 2-for-4 tonight, including hitting a two-out double in the bottom of the first inning to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead early. Posada’s double makes it his 36th double of the year, tied for 13th in the MLB and tied for 7th in the AL.
Notes:
This is an ESPN stat if I have ever heard one. Joba Chamberlain is the first pitcher since 1900 to start his career with 8 scoreless appearances with one strikeout in every appearance. Thanks, Baseball Tonight.
Yes, I like announcers having fun while they’re giving their voices to the game, but the squirrel footage throughout the game was ridiculous. In the 2nd inning, the YES cameras caught a squirrel hanging out on the right field foul pole. The squirrel stayed there the entire time, though Michael Kay kept talking about the squirrel throughout the entire game. Is there anything more exciting to talk about during a baseball game than a squirrel? Eh.
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, August 28th, 2007 at 4:17 pm and is filed under Bobby Abreu, Andy Pettitte, Joba Chamberlain, Game Thread / Recap, 2 - Current Yankees, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez.
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38 Responses to “Game 132: Red Sox at Yankees (W)”
August 28th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
John Heyman said on the Micheal Kay show (5 O’clock on 1050 ESPN) that Mike Mussina is out of the Yankees rotation and either Ian Kennedy or Steven White will start on Saturday.
August 28th, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Torre should be fired simply for his treatment of Giambi.
August 28th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
Wow
One of my friends just handed me a personally autographed bumper-sticker type thing by Andy Pettitte. He sent it in an envelope addressed to Pettitte to Yankee stadium asking him to sign it and he just sent it back. I’m speechless.
August 28th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Great play by Youk to save another run.
August 28th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
Hip hip JORGE!
August 28th, 2007 at 6:53 pm
“the gerbil” pedroia is in the running for the trot nixon award for making easy plays into juggernauts.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Dude, Pettitte is pitching a hell of a game.
August 28th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Knee looks fine to me.
August 28th, 2007 at 8:19 pm
I’m calling it right now, Wilson Betemit PH walk-off.
August 28th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
There goes the pinch hit, but hes still gonna hit a walkoff.
August 28th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
120 pitches and giving up 3 runs and 6 hits in 6 innings against a team that has seen you quite a number of times? Definitely impressive!
I agree with Jim, Pettitte really DID pitch a hell of a game…
AND DAMON DAMON DAMON!
August 28th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Manny gone due to muscle spasms in his lower back, after hitting a single off of Pettitte. (Just using this as reference for the recap)
August 28th, 2007 at 8:38 pm
I mean, 7 innings, my bad.
August 28th, 2007 at 8:43 pm
Well I’ll say this. Pettitte looked like he didn’t get as many outside pitches as he should have gotten (ie. against Veritek), he still pitched a great game. Going 120 or so pitches & 7 innings, that’s giving your team all you’ve got. Good job Andy!!
August 28th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
I think Manny strained his hustle muscle.
August 28th, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Ok, that sounded funnier in my head.
August 28th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Joba gets screwed on a call and STILL strikes out 2.
JOBA RULES!
August 28th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
JOBAAAA
August 28th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
consistently 98-99 on the outside corner is a beautiful thing to watch. Especially when it’s making BoSox hitters look like fools.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
Did you see the movement on his fastballs? They were sweeping across the corners.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
A good show by Rivera today would be pretty key. I want to know that this little burp in his season is over and done.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:16 pm
SIT DOWN!
August 28th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Jim Johnson - i know i’ve criticized you before but i couldnt have said it better myself — manny has been playin with a tear in his hustle muscle his whole career
August 28th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
That was exactly what we needed.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Quite a loss for Dice-Gay + the BloSox
August 28th, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Did anyone else think Mo looked really sharp? He had speed (which he’s had all season), he had location, and he had break. Did you see his cutter … um… cut? lol (ie. inside on Veritek)…that pitch was just nasty.
August 28th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
Anyone think Phil Hughes is gettin a little envious of Joba’s role and the crowds response to him?
Or perhaps this takes some of the spotlight off of him and allows him to fly under the radar a little (highly unlikely in new york)
August 28th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Pretty close with the score, Brent.
August 28th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
Oh, come on, the squirrel was really funny. When’s the last time you saw a squirrel sit down on the foul pole to watch the baseball game?
August 28th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
I agree that Kay did get a little annoying with it…but I did think it was kind of a funny thing. I mean, it just stayed up there, watching. Talk about a great seat.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:11 am
Sam, it wasn’t that the squirrel was talked about in the first place… the fans played along in the stands, chanting for it to go and move around, but the fans stopped after a bit because there was a game of baseball that was still being played.
Talking about it once, ok, I understand, and I laughed when I saw it the first time… but after seeing the squirrel three times, five times, even more than that, and hearing Kay talk about it over and over again, it just got excessive for me. Once or twice, alright. But throughout the entire game? Eh.
Billy, I agree totally that it was a great seat, and it only makes me wonder if the animal kingdom takes any significant interest in the sporting events of us humans.
August 29th, 2007 at 12:13 am
He will be back!
August 29th, 2007 at 7:09 am
RIvera’s burp is over. It usually lasts Aug. 7th (or thereabouts) to August 23rd (or thereabouts). Yesterday was the 28th. :-)
August 29th, 2007 at 7:54 am
Talking about the squirrel was better than Kay’s usual talking about Leiter’s speed dials on his cell
August 29th, 2007 at 8:17 am
I thought the squirrel commentary was funny. That’s what I like about baseball, with all the down time, they’re able to talk about ridiculous stuff.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:22 am
At least it was something Michael Kay couldn’t botch. I mean, anyone could go and say “That squirrel has the best seat in the game.” or “That squirrel had the best view of Damon’s HR.”
It’s much better than Kay talking about pitching & being completely wrong (which is frequent). I swear, why can’t we get a guy who actually KNOWS what he’s talking about? Thank God there are guys there from time to time like Girardi, Leiter, Flahrety, and O’Neill who actually know about the game. Though it’s times like this that I miss Scooter…he would have made the squirrel into an instant celebrity.
August 29th, 2007 at 11:04 am
What a great game! I liked the squirrel commentary.
August 29th, 2007 at 2:19 pm
“At least it was something Michael Kay couldn’t botch. I mean, anyone could go and say “That squirrel has the best seat in the game.” or “That squirrel had the best view of Damon’s HR.”
^ QFT (Quoted for truth), and I’ll say this, Billy: some of the most hilarious exchanges in the booth happen when Kay gets called out for being baseball-ignorant… it’s kinda strange that I’ll graduate from his alma mater, but eh.
And true, Rich, I’ll give you that, there are a lot of other things Kay would say that is easily more annoying, and that’s one of them.
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