2009 New York Yankees/Game 22/Los Angeles Angels
By Matthew Storey
New York Yankees - 7 (12-10)
Los Angeles Angels - 4 (9-12)
Winning Pitcher: Coke (1-1)
Losing Pitcher: Speier (0-1)
HR: Napoli (4)
Damon (4)
VagabondGuru.com is an effort that includes many, many contributors, but the site itself came about through a 3 person effort between Guru, Red Sox Steve and Mary Hannington - known by many as Mal Volio. Guru and Mal have been famous friends for longandlong and Mal is the one who took the world that Guru carries in his oversize head (see logo!) and made it the place we know and love.
Mal, who lives in Detroit, and Guru, here in Manhattan, had collaborated entirely online and by phone.
Until yesterday.
Mal arrived early in the day, we did some work, did some visiting with my brood and Red Sox Steve and then we headed up The Bronx for our first look at the New Yankee Stadium.
I was with one of my favorite people, who I never met before, going to one of my favorite places...
Where I'd never BEEN before.
It was thrilling. It was amazing. It was disorienting. It was wonderful.
And, they played Baseball. Which, of course, is the point of the exercise.
AJ Burnett was on the hill for the Yankees, who'd overcome the short starts that plagued them with Wang, earlier in the season and seen Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain provide consecutive solid starts, going deep into the games and giving the Yankee bats a chance to win.
Burnett, never really in that dominant mode he can feature, nonetheless provided grit and balance and fought himself and the Angels well enough to keep the game at 4-4 through his 7 innings.
In the Bottom of the 8th, Robinson Cano hit a single, extending his hitting streak to SEVENTEEN games, he has still had only ONE hitless game this season (21/22) and ONE hitless game last season (14/15) after his benching by Girardi. Guess the right button was pushed, the kid looks like an MVP right now and the Defense is sterling. Jorge Posada then blasted a drive to the wall in CF that bounced over the wall for a ground rule double. 2nd and 3rd. Swisher was walked intentionally to load the bases.
Melky Cabrera, who has emhatically wrested back the starting CF job (gee, who was his lone Champion during the long winter of Mike Cameron rumors and Brett Gardner insurgencies?)...
Where was I?
Oh yeah, Melky stepped up and laced an RBI 1B to drive in the go-ahead run. 5-4. Yankees.
Next up was 23 year old Ramiro Pena, a revelation who came into Spring Training with a reputation as a defensive wizard at Shortstop but only AA experience (with two time Minor League Organization of the Year, Trenton Thunder) and was not expected to compete for a job. After seeing his slick glove and switch-hitting bat, however, Joe Girardi and staff knew they could not leave such a talent in the Minors and brought him North to fill the Utility Infield slot that belonged to Cody Ransom, who was thrust into the starting lineup by Alex Rodriguez's injury. Pena, like Melky, sat on the bench, saw the guy in front of him struggle and waited his chance. When he played, his glove sparkled and after a slow start, the quick bat and situational awareness has been evident. After three weeks of Ransom and Gardner being automatic outs in their lineup, Melky and Pena have solidified the back of the lineup and joined Mark Teixeira, Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher to give the Yankees F-I-V-E switch-hitters in the everyday lineup, which effectively renders the opposing managerial options nill in terms of same side matchups.
Pena stood in and pulled a laser into the RF corner to plate 2 and seal this deal.
Mo cleaned up.
On a special night, in a special place, with a special friend.
