GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: AL: NY YANKEES (90-67) at TAMPA BAY (65-92)

AL: NY YANKEES at TAMPA BAY

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NY YANKEES (12) AT TAMPA BAY (4) - EVENT LOG
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Ny Yankees Starting Lineups -- J Damon LF, D Jeter SS, B Abreu RF, A Rodriguez 3B,
J Posada C, R Cano 2B, S Duncan DH, D Mientkiewicz 1B, M Cabrera CF, C Wang RHP.

Tampa Bay Starting Lineups -- A Iwamura 3B, J Velandia 2B, C Pena 1B, B Upton CF,
D Young RF, G Norton DH, J Gomes LF, D Navarro C, J Wilson SS, J Howell LHP.

Umpires -- Brian Gorman (HP), Paul Nauert (1B), Mike Dimuro (2B), Gerry Davis (3B).

Gametime Weather: INDOORS.


NY YANKEES 1ST: J Damon grounded out to second. D Jeter struck out
swinging. B Abreu grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
NY YANKEES 0, TAMPA BAY 0.

TAMPA BAY 1ST: A Iwamura tripled to deep center. J Velandia grounded out
to third. C Pena hit sacrifice fly to left, A Iwamura scored. B Upton singled
to right. B Upton stole second. D Young grounded out to first. (1 Run, 2 Hits,
0 Errors) NY YANKEES 0, TAMPA BAY 1.

NY YANKEES 2ND: A Rodriguez struck out looking. J Posada grounded out to
third. R Cano lined out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 0,
TAMPA BAY 1.

TAMPA BAY 2ND: G Norton singled to center. J Gomes struck out swinging.
D Navarro grounded out to second, G Norton to second. J Wilson grounded out to
shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 0, TAMPA BAY 1.

NY YANKEES 3RD: S Duncan walked. D Mientkiewicz grounded out to pitcher,
S Duncan to second. M Cabrera grounded out to third. J Damon lined out to
center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 0, TAMPA BAY 1.

TAMPA BAY 3RD: A Iwamura grounded out to second. J Velandia struck out
looking. C Pena walked. B Upton singled to right, C Pena to second. D Young
flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 0, TAMPA BAY 1.

NY YANKEES 4TH: D Jeter homered to left. B Abreu safe at first on error by
shortstop J Wilson. A Rodriguez walked, B Abreu to second. J Posada grounded
out to third, B Abreu to third, A Rodriguez to second. R Cano grounded out to
second, B Abreu scored, A Rodriguez to third. S Duncan struck out swinging.
(2 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) NY YANKEES 2, TAMPA BAY 1.

TAMPA BAY 4TH: G Norton struck out swinging. J Gomes walked. D Navarro
walked, J Gomes to second. J Wilson flied out to center. A Iwamura lined out
to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 2, TAMPA BAY 1.

NY YANKEES 5TH: D Mientkiewicz reached on infield single to shortstop.
M Cabrera struck out swinging. J Damon singled to right, D Mientkiewicz to
second. D Mientkiewicz to third, J Damon to second on wild pitch by J Howell.
D Jeter hit sacrifice fly to right, D Mientkiewicz scored, J Damon to third.
B Abreu walked. A Rodriguez hit by pitch, B Abreu to second. J Posada singled
to center, J Damon and B Abreu scored, A Rodriguez to third. R Cano homered to
right, A Rodriguez and J Posada scored. S Duncan doubled to left. S Dohmann
relieved J Howell. D Mientkiewicz doubled to deep center, S Duncan scored.
M Cabrera struck out looking. (7 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 9, TAMPA BAY 1.

TAMPA BAY 5TH: J Velandia struck out swinging. C Pena homered to center.
B Upton struck out looking. D Young singled to left. G Norton singled to
center, D Young to third. J Gomes struck out looking. (1 Run, 3 Hits,
0 Errors) NY YANKEES 9, TAMPA BAY 2.

NY YANKEES 6TH: J Ridgway relieved S Dohmann. J Damon reached on infield
single to third. D Jeter reached on infield single to third, J Damon to
second. B Abreu singled to right, J Damon scored, D Jeter to second.
A Rodriguez popped out to shortstop. J Posada singled to right, D Jeter scored,
B Abreu to third. J Salas relieved J Ridgway. R Cano singled to center,
B Abreu scored, J Posada to second. S Duncan fouled out to catcher.
D Mientkiewicz singled to right, J Posada to third, R Cano to second. M Cabrera
grounded out to first. (3 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 12, TAMPA BAY 2.

TAMPA BAY 6TH: D Navarro fouled out to third. J Wilson grounded out to
third. J Guzman hit for A Iwamura. J Guzman grounded out to shortstop.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 12, TAMPA BAY 2.

NY YANKEES 7TH: J Guzman at third base. J Ruggiano in center field. J Damon
struck out swinging. D Jeter doubled to deep right. B Abreu grounded out to
first, D Jeter to third. A Rodriguez struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) NY YANKEES 12, TAMPA BAY 2.

TAMPA BAY 7TH: J Chamberlain relieved C Wang. J Velandia struck out
looking. C Pena flied out to center. J Ruggiano singled to right. J Ruggiano
to second on wild pitch by J Chamberlain. D Young grounded out to shortstop.
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 12, TAMPA BAY 2.

NY YANKEES 8TH: J Witasick relieved J Salas. J Posada singled to left.
R Cano grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, J Posada out at
second. J Giambi hit for S Duncan. J Giambi singled to center. D Mientkiewicz
doubled to right, J Giambi thrown out at home. (0 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)
NY YANKEES 12, TAMPA BAY 2.

TAMPA BAY 8TH: L Vizcaino relieved J Chamberlain. G Norton doubled to deep
right. J Gomes homered to left center, G Norton scored. J Paul hit for
D Navarro. J Paul flied out to center. J Wilson grounded out to third. J Guzman
singled to left. J Velandia singled to left, J Guzman to second. C Pena
fouled out to left. (2 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 12, TAMPA BAY 4.

NY YANKEES 9TH: J Paul catching. B Stokes relieved J Witasick. M Cabrera
walked. J Damon doubled to left center, M Cabrera to third. D Jeter struck
out swinging. B Abreu popped out to third. A Rodriguez walked. J Posada
flied out to right. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 12, TAMPA BAY 4.

TAMPA BAY 9TH: M Rivera relieved L Vizcaino. J Ruggiano struck out
swinging. D Young grounded out to second. G Norton popped out to second.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 12, TAMPA BAY 4.</div>

 

AL: NY YANKEES at TAMPA BAY

<div class="pre">NY YANKEES (12) VS TAMPA BAY (4) - FINAL

NY YANKEES ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Damon lf 6 2 3 0 0 1 1 .267
D Jeter ss 5 2 3 2 0 2 4 .322
B Abreu rf 5 3 1 1 1 0 2 .282
A Rodriguez 3b 3 1 0 0 2 2 3 .309
J Posada c 6 1 3 3 0 0 3 .336
R Cano 2b 5 1 2 5 0 0 1 .305
S Duncan dh 3 1 1 0 1 1 3 .250
a-J Giambi ph-dh 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .239
D Mientkiewicz 1b 5 1 4 1 0 0 0 .274
M Cabrera cf 4 0 0 0 1 2 6 .275

Totals 43 12 18 12 5 8 23

a-singled to center for S Duncan in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - S Duncan (1, J Howell); D Mientkiewicz 2 (11, J Witasick, S
Dohmann); D Jeter (38, J Salas); J Damon (25, B Stokes). HR - D Jeter (12, 4th
inning off J Howell 0 on, 0 Out), R Cano (19, 5th inning off J Howell 2 on, 2
Out). SF - D Jeter. RBI - D Jeter 2 (71), R Cano 5 (94), J Posada 3 (89), D
Mientkiewicz (24), B Abreu (99). 2-out RBI - J Posada 2, R Cano 3, D
Mientkiewicz. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Damon 1, J Posada 2,
A Rodriguez 1, S Duncan 1, M Cabrera 3. GIDP - R Cano. Team LOB - 11.


TAMPA BAY ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Iwamura 3b 3 1 1 0 0 0 2 .282
a-J Guzman ph-3b 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .320
J Velandia 2b 5 0 1 0 0 3 1 .371
C Pena 1b 3 1 1 2 1 0 2 .277
B Upton cf 3 0 2 0 0 1 0 .305
J Ruggiano cf 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 .333
D Young rf 5 0 1 0 0 0 4 .291
G Norton dh 5 1 3 0 0 1 0 .246
J Gomes lf 3 1 1 2 1 2 3 .248
D Navarro c 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 .227
b-J Paul ph-c 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .190
J Wilson ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 .245

Totals 38 4 12 4 3 8 15

a-grounded to shortstop for A Iwamura in the 6th; b-flied out to center for D
Navarro in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - G Norton (9, L Vizcaino). 3B - A Iwamura (9, C Wang). HR - C Pena
(43, 5th inning off C Wang 0 on, 1 Out), J Gomes (17, 8th inning off L Vizcaino
1 on, 0 Out). SF - C Pena. RBI - C Pena 2 (118), J Gomes 2 (48). Runners left
in scoring position, 2 out - C Pena 1, J Gomes 1, J Wilson 1, D Young 3, A
Iwamura 1. Team LOB - 11.

BASERUNNING: SB - B Upton (22, 2nd base off C Wang/J Posada).

FIELDING: E - J Wilson (16, ground ball). Outfield assists - D Young (J
Giambi at Home). DP: 1 (J Velandia-J Wilson-C Pena).


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NY YANKEES - 000 273 000 -- 12
TAMPA BAY - 100 010 020 -- 4
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NY YANKEES ip h r er bb so hr era
C Wang (W, 19-7) 6 7 2 2 3 6 1 3.70
J Chamberlain 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0.40
L Vizcaino 1 4 2 2 0 0 1 4.36
M Rivera 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2.82

TAMPA BAY ip h r er bb so hr era
J Howell (L, 1-6) 4 2/3 6 9 8 3 4 2 7.59
S Dohmann 1/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 3.34
J Ridgway 1/3 4 3 3 0 0 0 189.00
J Salas 1 2/3 3 0 0 0 2 0 3.72
J Witasick 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 5.17
B Stokes 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 7.07

WP - J Howell, J Chamberlain. HBP - A Rodriguez (by J Howell).
Pitches-strikes: C Wang 94-54; J Chamberlain 14-9; L Vizcaino 17-13; M Rivera
10-8; J Howell 93-55; S Dohmann 7-4; J Ridgway 25-13; J Salas 25-18; J Witasick
16-10; B Stokes 31-17. Ground balls-fly balls: C Wang 7-5; J Chamberlain 1-1; L
Vizcaino 1-2; M Rivera 1-1; J Howell 7-3; S Dohmann 0-0; J Ridgway 0-1; J Salas
2-1; J Witasick 2-0; B Stokes 0-2. Batters faced: C Wang 28; J Chamberlain 4; L
Vizcaino 7; M Rivera 3; J Howell 25; S Dohmann 2; J Ridgway 5; J Salas 8; J
Witasick 4; B Stokes 6.

UMPIRES: HP--Brian Gorman. 1B--Paul Nauert. 2B--Mike Dimuro. 3B--Gerry Davis.

T--3:29. Att--21,621.
Weather: INDOORS</div>

 

Yankees crush Devil Rays, clinch playoff spot

<h3>NY YANKEES 12, TAMPA BAY 4</h3>ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Ticker) -- This time, the New YorkYankees weren't going to be denied in their playoff quest.

With owner George Steinbrenner looking on, the Yankees crushedthe Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 12-4, on Wednesday to clinch a playoffberth for the 13th consecutive season.


In an offensive showcase, Robinson Cano had a home run and fiveRBI, Derek Jeter homered, Doug Mientkiewicz had a careerhigh-tying four hits and Jorge Posada added three RBI, leadingNew York to victory one night after it blew a 5-0 lead in a 7-6loss here.


Tampa Bay grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first, but the Yankeesresponded with two runs in the fourth, seven in the fifth andthree in the sixth, much to the delight of the Tropicana Fieldcrowd - at least half of which was rooting for New York.

"We need to believe in ourselves and have energy," Yankeesmanager Joe Torre said. "We never stopped believing all year.The most important thing for me is you can't concern yourselfwith what other people think of you. I can't say enough aboutthe passion of these players.


"In the playoffs, we need to pitch and we need luck. Hopefullywe can get a good result."


Despite the win, the Yankees (91-67) remain a long shot to catchthe Boston Red Sox (94-64) for the American League East title.They trail the Red Sox by three games with four remaining.

"It was an unbelievable ride and I could not be more proud ofevery member of this team," Alex Rodriguez said. "We wentthrough a lot of adversity and a lot of people counted us out."

Jeter started the onslaught with a solo home run in the fourthand Cano added an RBI groundout.


In the seven-run fifth, Jeter had a sacrifice fly, Posada atwo-run single, Cano a three-run home run and Mientkiewicz anRBI double.


Bobby Abreu, Cano and Posada also had RBI singles in the sixth.

"It's been the most difficult one, we really battled," Jetersaid. "You play the season for a reason. We didn't hang ourheads and we continued to battle all season long."

Chien-Ming Wang (19-7) scattered seven hits in six innings,allowing two earned runs with three walks and six strikeouts toreach 19 wins for the second consecutive season.


"You see the Yankees out there celebrating and you want to bethem," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "I really expect usto be the guys out there celebrating in a couple of years."

Carlos Pena accounted for the first two Devil Rays' runs with afirst-inning sacrifice fly and a fifth-inning solo home run. Itwas Pena's 43rd home run of the season, and the two RBI broughthis season total to 118, breaking Jorge Cantu's franchiserecord of 117 set in 2005.


"I'm excited," Pena said. "It's a really cool thing. You don'tgo out there trying to do it. You keep it simple. I can'tbegin to tell you how blessed you feel."


J.P. Howell (1-6) started for Tampa Bay and was rocked for nineruns - eight earned - in 4 2/3 innings while walking three andstriking out four. The 24-year-old lefthander earned his lonewin of the season on June 3.


"Nice start, just a bad inning," Howell said. "I left the ballup a bit. I felt really good for four innings."


The two teams finish the season series on Thursday with theYankees holding a slim 9-8 advantage over the Devil Rays in2007.