One Step Closer!
Yanks Beat Sox, Magic Number Down To 3!
From the beginning I had a feeling the Yankees were going to win last night. It was kind of a “Drama Club” win; any win versus the Red Sox is dramatic. It was a good game. Joba was solid, and the offense exploded. The Yankees beat the Smelly Sox 9-5.
Pitching Analysis: Joba Chamberlain really stepped up last night. He pitched a nice ballgame. Joba was perfect through 3 & 2/3 innings. In total, he went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, while striking out 5 along the way. It was a quality start for Joba. I think he was very sharp yesterday. He listened to Jane’s advice and didn’t walk around the mound for five hours. He threw the ball, got the ball, and was ready to throw again. He looked mean, intimidating, and dominant as he stared in at the Red Sox hitters. It was a Joba well done!
Nice job, Joba!
Aceves, Albaladejo, Marte, Hughes, and Coke finished out the game. Albaladejo gave up 2 runs in 1/3 of an inning, but the rest of the ‘pen was great.
Defensive Analysis: The defense was soild as usual last night. Johnny Damon made an error, but whatever. I love Johnny. He should definitely come back next year. Nick Swisher made a Nick Swisher-ish play in right field. In the 2nd inning, Swish made a funky sliding catch on an Ortiz liner. I couldn’t really tell if the slide was necessary, but you know Nick Swisher. He loves to show off. Oh, NickySwish…It was a nice play, and it led Joba to a 1-2-3, 10 pitch 2nd inning.
Offensive Analysis: The offense exploded last night. The Yanks scored 9 runs on 14 hits. I love it when they hit well. But what I really enjoyed seeing last night was the running game. The Yankees stole a season-high 7 bases last night. That is my favorite aspect of the game. Stealing bases creates potential run-scoring situations, and it forces the opposing team to make the plays. It is the most exciting part of the game, in my opinion. I wish the Yanks would do it more often. It was fun to watch. Watching the Red Sox captain Jason Varitek fail and fail again and again at throwing out runners, I love it!
In the 3rd, something awful happened. My man Melky hit a line drive right off of Jon Lester’s knee. Lester went down, and did not get up. Melky reached with an RBI infield single, but everyone’s concern was on Lester. I really felt bad. Now I despise the Red Sox, but I didn’t get any thrill in seeing Lester in pain like that. He’s just a kid, and he has battled through a lot to get where he is today. I hope he is okay and not in too much pain.
Poor Lester…I hope he is okay…why couldn’t it have hit Pukilis? Everyone hates him.
Alex Rodriguez had a huge night at the plate. He was 3-3 with 4 RBI’s, including a monster 2-run homer into the second deck in left. Nice to see him contributing so much. He has been very clutch this year. I hope he does something extremely clutch in the postseason, so all the fans will forever love him.
An “A Bomb” from Arod!
Here are the rest of the Yankee offensive stats:
| NY Yankees | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Jeter, SS | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .330 |
| Damon, LF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | .284 |
| Gardner, CF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .279 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .293 |
| Rodriguez, A, 3B | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .288 |
| Matsui, H, DH | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .280 |
| Posada, C | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .286 |
| 1-Guzman, F, PR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Molina, J, C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .221 |
| Cano, 2B | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .321 |
| Swisher, RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | .248 |
| Cabrera, Me, CF-LF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .272 |
| Totals | 36 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 23 |
It was a nice win for the Yanks last night. The magic number is now 3. We are 1 step closer, boys! The heroes for the victory are Alex Rodriguez, for his offensive explosion, and Joba Chamberlain, for proving he CAN pitch well. The Yankees now have a 6.5 game lead over the Smelly Sox who cheat at Fenway. I can’t wait for the postseason! I’m thinkin’ my Yanks have a pretty fair shot at #27 this year. I pray that I am right. GO YANKEES!!!
Live, Eat, and Breathe Yankees 
I think they have a great shot at #27, Virginia, especially after what I saw last night. They looked so good, so championship worthy. I kept saying to myself, “What a great team they are this year.” Fingers crossed!
– http://janeheller.mlblogs.com
//Now I despise the Red Sox, but I didn’t get any thrill in seeing Lester in pain like that. He’s just a kid, and he has battled through a lot to get where he is today. I hope he is okay and not in too much pain.//
That’s basically how I feel as well. I’ve never had any problems with Lester, he seems like a nice enough guy….doesn’t start any drama in the press or anything like that. He’s probably the only person on that team I can say I actually like and respect. So I hope he’s alright.
Beth
http://yankeeschick.mlblogs.com
Number three. Wow. Good luck to your Yankees! I hope John Lester is ok now. ‘Cause that looked REALLY painful.
http://hyunyoung.mlblogs.com
I’m sooo excited… and I just can’t hiiiiide it! Aaahhh… such a great win yesterday – and a great game overall for our boys! I couldn’t believe my eyes watching Joba pitch like that. It was certainly a welcome surprise! I’m looking forward to them laying out another beating with CC on the mound. With him, it’s almost a guarantee. Only 3-and-a-half hours left! -_-” I hate waiting. Haha.
– Lisa
http://perennialpinstriper.mlblogs.com
Dang Yankees beat us again. One phrase can settle this season “life is like a box of chocolates, you never know whatcha gonna get.” — Forrest Gump.
My rendition: “Baseball is like a box of chocolates, You never know whatcha gonna get W/ Red Sox vs. Yankees.”
Ted
http://tribewithted.mlblogs.com/
PS: Kind of corny hmmm.. really corny!! Sorry. 😉
Dodgers magic number is three too. Yaaaay to the Dodgers and Yankees. Now that I have seen your Yankees in person, I feel kinda close to them.
http://catlovesthedodgers.mlblogs.com