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“DIARY OF A WINNER”
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POWERFUL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
April 28, 2007
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Demoted to the bullpen when he was on track to face the Sox yesterday, Igawa surfaced just two batters into the game, after rookie starter Jeff Karstens took Julio Lugo's line drive off the knee on the game's first pitch and departed when Kevin Youkilis followed with another base hit. Karstens has a cracked fibula, Yankees manager Joe Torre announced after the game. In came Igawa and his bloated 7.84 ERA to face Sox strongman David Ortiz. Reporters for the New York tabloids, anticipating another Bomber meltdown, had George Steinbrenner on speed dial. But Igawa coaxed a double play ground ball out of Ortiz, the first of two by Ortiz on the afternoon, and after walking Manny Ramirez, struck out J.D. Drew with the bases loaded. That set the tone for an afternoon in which Igawa gave up just two hits until being lifted with two on and no out in the seventh, and the overworked Yankee bullpen did not self-immolate, which it had been doing with regularity this spring. Closer Mariano Rivera reclaimed some of his tattered dignity by earning the save in the ninth, his first of the season, though not without some anxiety. Jason Varitek opened the ninth with a broken-bat single to right. Rivera, whose ERA had shot up to 12.15 after a hideous outing the night before, fielded Alex Cora's comebacker and forced Varitek at second. Then third baseman Alex Rodriguez made a tough play on Lugo's slow roller, barehanding the ball and throwing him out on a close play. Youkilis popped to second to end it. The Sox unable to overcome the three runs the Yanks scored off Tim Wakefield on Jorge Posada's two-run home run in the fourth and Melky Cabrera's bloop ground-rule double in the sixth. In both instances, the hit scored runners who reached on walks. Wakefield lasted just 5 1/3 innings, six walks driving his pitch count to 118. It was the third time in his career Wakefield has walked six or more; all three of those starts have come against the Bombers. This time, it wasn't the Yankee bullpen but Sox center fielder Coco Crisp who snapped, erupting after being called out on strikes by umpire Bruce Froemming with the tying runs on base in the eighth. Froemming thought Kyle Farnsworth's two-seam fastball caught the outside corner; Crisp disagreed in spectacular fashion, flinging his bat, helmet and do-rag, which earned him a seat for the rest of the afternoon. The Sox already had scored once off Farnsworth. Youkilis opened the eighth with a single and Ortiz, who grounded into his two DPs against Igawa, walked. Ramirez looked at a third strike for the first out and Drew, 5 for 8 with three home runs against Farnsworth entering the game, rolled into a force play. But Mike Lowell, who earlier had extended his hitting streak to 14 games, lined a single to right to score Youkilis, making it 3-1. After Lowell reached on Rodriguez's error and Crisp singled in the seventh, Brian Bruney picked up Igawa by striking out Mirabelli, retiring pinch hitter Eric Hinske on a foul to third, and inducing Lugo to ground into a force play. The Sox pen began the day with a 2.28 earned run average, the best among AL relief staffs and second in the majors to the Mets (2.24). The Sox had converted all eight save opportunities, seven by Jonathan Papelbon, one by Hideki Okajima. The Sox are the only team to have converted all of its save chances. Jacoby Ellsbury doubled in four trips for Double A Portland, extending his hitting streak this season to 13 games. The double was his 10th of the season and he also drove in his 12th run. He's hitting .455, and going back to last Aug. 27, he's hit safely in 22 straight regular-season games. Terry Francona said he received a glowing report on Jon Lester's start Friday night in Pawtucket, but cautioned that it was premature to speculate that he will be called up after he makes the last start of his 30-day rehab assignment Wednesday for the PawSox. |
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