GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: AL: TAMPA BAY (45-74) at NY YANKEES (67-52)

AL: TAMPA BAY at NY YANKEES

<div class="pre">AL AT NY YANKEES - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: M Rivera relieved L Vizcaino.
SITUATION: 3 RUNS IN, D YOUNG ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 6
NY YANKEES 9 TOP, 8TH

DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: G Norton (.222, 3 HR, 17 RBI)</div>

 

AL: TAMPA BAY at NY YANKEES

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
TAMPA BAY 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 6 8 3
NY YANKEES 2 0 2 3 0 0 2 9 10 2 (BOT 8)

CURRENT PITCHERS: TAM - BRIAN STOKES
NYY - MARIANO RIVERA

DUE UP FOR NY YANKEES: W BETEMIT (.191, 3 HR, 15 RBI)
H MATSUI (.301, 0-FOR-3, BB)
S DUNCAN (.286, 6 HR, 13 RBI)</div>

 

AL: TAMPA BAY at NY YANKEES

<div class="pre">TAMPA BAY (6) VS NY YANKEES (9) - MID 8TH - IN PROGRESS

TAMPA BAY ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Iwamura 3b 3 1 0 0 1 2 2 .282
C Crawford lf 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 .315
C Pena 1b 3 0 0 1 0 1 1 .272
B Upton cf 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 .315
D Young rf 4 1 2 0 0 0 2 .294
B Harris 2b 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 .285
J Gomes dh 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 .250
a-G Norton ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .221
J Wilson ss 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 .265
J Paul c 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 .194

Totals 29 6 8 6 3 6 8

a-grounded to second for J Gomes in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - J Wilson (11, I Kennedy); C Crawford (34, L Vizcaino); B Upton
(22, L Vizcaino). HR - B Upton (22, 6th inning off I Kennedy 0 on, 1 Out). SF -
C Pena , B Harris. RBI - J Wilson 2 (20), B Upton (69), C Crawford (74), C Pena
(93), B Harris (53). 2-out RBI - J Wilson 2. Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - G Norton 1, A Iwamura 1. GIDP - D Young. Team LOB - 4.

BASERUNNING: SB - C Crawford (45, 2nd base off I Kennedy/J Molina).

FIELDING: E - J Wilson 3 (13, catch, ground ball, throw).


NY YANKEES ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
M Cabrera cf 5 1 2 1 0 0 3 .296
D Jeter ss 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .325
A Gonzalez ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Abreu rf 3 2 0 1 2 0 4 .283
A Rodriguez 3b 4 1 3 4 0 0 1 .308
W Betemit 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .191
H Matsui lf 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 .301
J Giambi dh 4 0 1 1 0 1 3 .256
S Duncan pr-dh 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .286
R Cano 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .298
A Phillips 1b 2 2 2 0 2 0 0 .293
J Molina c 4 1 1 1 0 2 2 .238

Totals 32 9 10 8 6 4 18

BATTING: 2B - A Rodriguez (28, J Switzer); J Giambi (7, J Salas). HR - A
Rodriguez (45, 1st inning off E Jackson 1 on, 2 Out). RBI - A Rodriguez 4
(129), J Giambi (30), B Abreu (89), J Molina (13), M Cabrera (59). 2-out RBI -
A Rodriguez 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Giambi 2, B Abreu 2,
R Cano 1, M Cabrera 1. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: CS - A Phillips (3, 2nd base by J Switzer).

FIELDING: E - A Rodriguez (11, dropped foul ball); M Cabrera (3, catch). DP:
1 (D Jeter-A Phillips).


----------------------------------------------------
TAMPA BAY - 020 001 03 -- 6
NY YANKEES - 202 300 2 -- 9
----------------------------------------------------

TAMPA BAY ip h r er bb so hr era
E Jackson 3 1/3 5 7 6 5 2 1 5.78
J Switzer 1 2/3 2 0 0 0 2 0 9.82
J Salas 1 1/3 3 2 2 1 0 0 3.56
B Stokes 2/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 7.41

NY YANKEES ip h r er bb so hr era
I Kennedy 7 5 3 1 2 6 1 1.29
L Vizcaino 2/3 3 3 3 1 0 0 3.97
M Rivera 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.22

WP - E Jackson. HBP - D Jeter (by J Salas). Pitches-strikes: E Jackson 83-45;
J Switzer 31-20; J Salas 39-22; B Stokes 9-5; I Kennedy 96-66; L Vizcaino
24-15; M Rivera 3-2. Ground balls-fly balls: E Jackson 5-3; J Switzer 2-1; J
Salas 0-4; B Stokes 1-1; I Kennedy 5-10; L Vizcaino 0-2; M Rivera 1-0. Batters
faced: E Jackson 21; J Switzer 7; J Salas 9; B Stokes 2; I Kennedy 27; L
Vizcaino 6; M Rivera 1.

UMPIRES: HP--Kerwin Danley. 1B--Doug Eddings. 2B--Mike Everitt. 3B--Dana
Demuth.

Weather: 78 degrees, sunny. Wind: 16 mph, left to right.</div>

 

AL: TAMPA BAY at NY YANKEES

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
TAMPA BAY 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 6 8 3
NY YANKEES 2 0 2 3 0 0 2 0 9 10 2 (TOP 9)

CURRENT PITCHERS: TAM - BRIAN STOKES
NYY - MARIANO RIVERA

DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: J WILSON (.265, 1-FOR-3, 2 RBI)
J PAUL (.194, 0-FOR-2, BB)
A IWAMURA (.282, 0-FOR-3, BB)</div>

 

AL: TAMPA BAY at NY YANKEES

<div class="pre">TAMPA BAY (6) VS NY YANKEES (9) - END 8TH - IN PROGRESS

TAMPA BAY ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Iwamura 3b 3 1 0 0 1 2 2 .282
C Crawford lf 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 .315
C Pena 1b 3 0 0 1 0 1 1 .272
B Upton cf 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 .315
D Young rf 4 1 2 0 0 0 2 .294
B Harris 2b 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 .285
J Gomes dh 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 .250
a-G Norton ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .221
J Wilson ss 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 .265
J Paul c 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 .194

Totals 29 6 8 6 3 6 8

a-grounded to second for J Gomes in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - J Wilson (11, I Kennedy); C Crawford (34, L Vizcaino); B Upton
(22, L Vizcaino). HR - B Upton (22, 6th inning off I Kennedy 0 on, 1 Out). SF -
C Pena , B Harris. RBI - J Wilson 2 (20), B Upton (69), C Crawford (74), C Pena
(93), B Harris (53). 2-out RBI - J Wilson 2. Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - G Norton 1, A Iwamura 1. GIDP - D Young. Team LOB - 4.

BASERUNNING: SB - C Crawford (45, 2nd base off I Kennedy/J Molina).

FIELDING: E - J Wilson 3 (13, catch, ground ball, throw).


NY YANKEES ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
M Cabrera cf 5 1 2 1 0 0 3 .296
D Jeter ss 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .325
A Gonzalez ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Abreu rf 3 2 0 1 2 0 4 .283
A Rodriguez 3b 4 1 3 4 0 0 1 .308
W Betemit 3b 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .188
H Matsui lf 4 0 0 0 1 0 3 .300
J Giambi dh 4 0 1 1 0 1 3 .256
S Duncan pr-dh 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .280
R Cano 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .298
A Phillips 1b 2 2 2 0 2 0 0 .293
J Molina c 4 1 1 1 0 2 2 .238

Totals 35 9 10 8 6 5 18

BATTING: 2B - A Rodriguez (28, J Switzer); J Giambi (7, J Salas). HR - A
Rodriguez (45, 1st inning off E Jackson 1 on, 2 Out). RBI - A Rodriguez 4
(129), J Giambi (30), B Abreu (89), J Molina (13), M Cabrera (59). 2-out RBI -
A Rodriguez 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Giambi 2, B Abreu 2,
R Cano 1, M Cabrera 1. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: CS - A Phillips (3, 2nd base by J Switzer).

FIELDING: E - A Rodriguez (11, dropped foul ball); M Cabrera (3, catch). DP:
1 (D Jeter-A Phillips).


----------------------------------------------------
TAMPA BAY - 020 001 03 -- 6
NY YANKEES - 202 300 20 -- 9
----------------------------------------------------

TAMPA BAY ip h r er bb so hr era
E Jackson 3 1/3 5 7 6 5 2 1 5.78
J Switzer 1 2/3 2 0 0 0 2 0 9.82
J Salas 1 1/3 3 2 2 1 0 0 3.56
B Stokes 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 7.28

NY YANKEES ip h r er bb so hr era
I Kennedy 7 5 3 1 2 6 1 1.29
L Vizcaino 2/3 3 3 3 1 0 0 3.97
M Rivera 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3.22

WP - E Jackson. HBP - D Jeter (by J Salas). Pitches-strikes: E Jackson 83-45;
J Switzer 31-20; J Salas 39-22; B Stokes 17-12; I Kennedy 96-66; L Vizcaino
24-15; M Rivera 3-2. Ground balls-fly balls: E Jackson 5-3; J Switzer 2-1; J
Salas 0-4; B Stokes 2-2; I Kennedy 5-10; L Vizcaino 0-2; M Rivera 1-0. Batters
faced: E Jackson 21; J Switzer 7; J Salas 9; B Stokes 5; I Kennedy 27; L
Vizcaino 6; M Rivera 1.

UMPIRES: HP--Kerwin Danley. 1B--Doug Eddings. 2B--Mike Everitt. 3B--Dana
Demuth.

Weather: 78 degrees, sunny. Wind: 16 mph, left to right.</div>

 

AL: TAMPA BAY at NY YANKEES

<div class="pre">AL AT NY YANKEES - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: D Navarro hit for J Paul.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 1 OUT
CURRENT SCORE: TAMPA BAY 6
NY YANKEES 9 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR TAMPA BAY: D Navarro (.209, 6 HR, 34 RBI)</div>

 

AL: TAMPA BAY at NY YANKEES

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
TAMPA BAY 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 6 8 3
NY YANKEES 2 0 2 3 0 0 2 0 x 9 10 2 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: TAM - EDWIN JACKSON, JON SWITZER (4TH), JUAN SALAS (6TH), BRIAN
STOKES (7TH) AND JOSH PAUL

NYY - IAN KENNEDY, LUIS VIZCAINO (8TH), MARIANO RIVERA
(8TH) AND JOSE MOLINA

HOME RUNS: TAM - B.J. UPTON (22) OFF IAN KENNEDY IN THE 6TH, 0 ON

NYY - ALEX RODRIGUEZ (45) OFF EDWIN JACKSON IN THE 1ST, 1 ON</div>

 

AL: TAMPA BAY at NY YANKEES

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
TAMPA BAY 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 6 8 3
NY YANKEES 2 0 2 3 0 0 2 0 x 9 10 2 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: TAM - EDWIN JACKSON, JON SWITZER (4TH), JUAN SALAS (6TH), BRIAN
STOKES (7TH) AND JOSH PAUL

NYY - IAN KENNEDY, LUIS VIZCAINO (8TH), MARIANO RIVERA
(8TH) AND JOSE MOLINA


WP - IAN KENNEDY (1-0)
LP - EDWIN JACKSON (4-13)
SAVE - MARIANO RIVERA (23)

HOME RUNS: TAM - B.J. UPTON (22) OFF IAN KENNEDY IN THE 6TH, 0 ON

NYY - ALEX RODRIGUEZ (45) OFF EDWIN JACKSON IN THE 1ST, 1 ON


TIME: 3:36 ATT: 53,637

PROBABLES: TAM - JASON HAMMEL (1-4, 7.44)
NYY - ANDY PETTITTE (12-7, 3.70)</div>

 

AL: TAMPA BAY at NY YANKEES

<div class="pre">TAMPA BAY (6) VS NY YANKEES (9) - FINAL

TAMPA BAY ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
A Iwamura 3b 4 1 0 0 1 3 2 .281
C Crawford lf 4 1 2 1 0 0 0 .315
C Pena 1b 3 0 0 1 0 1 1 .272
B Upton cf 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 .315
D Young rf 4 1 2 0 0 0 2 .294
B Harris 2b 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 .285
J Gomes dh 3 0 0 0 0 2 2 .250
a-G Norton ph-dh 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .221
J Wilson ss 4 0 1 2 0 1 0 .263
J Paul c 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 .194
b-D Navarro ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .208

Totals 32 6 8 6 3 9 8

a-grounded to second for J Gomes in the 8th; b-struck out swinging for J Paul
in the 9th.

BATTING: 2B - J Wilson (11, I Kennedy); C Crawford (34, L Vizcaino); B Upton
(22, L Vizcaino). HR - B Upton (22, 6th inning off I Kennedy 0 on, 1 Out). SF -
C Pena , B Harris. RBI - J Wilson 2 (20), B Upton (69), C Crawford (74), C Pena
(93), B Harris (53). 2-out RBI - J Wilson 2. Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - G Norton 1, A Iwamura 1. GIDP - D Young. Team LOB - 4.

BASERUNNING: SB - C Crawford (45, 2nd base off I Kennedy/J Molina).

FIELDING: E - J Wilson 3 (13, catch, ground ball, throw).


NY YANKEES ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
M Cabrera cf 5 1 2 1 0 0 3 .296
D Jeter ss 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .325
A Gonzalez ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B Abreu rf 3 2 0 1 2 0 4 .283
A Rodriguez 3b 4 1 3 4 0 0 1 .308
W Betemit 3b 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .188
H Matsui lf 4 0 0 0 1 0 3 .300
J Giambi dh 4 0 1 1 0 1 3 .256
S Duncan pr-dh 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .280
R Cano 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .298
A Phillips 1b 2 2 2 0 2 0 0 .293
J Molina c 4 1 1 1 0 2 2 .238

Totals 35 9 10 8 6 5 18

BATTING: 2B - A Rodriguez (28, J Switzer); J Giambi (7, J Salas). HR - A
Rodriguez (45, 1st inning off E Jackson 1 on, 2 Out). RBI - A Rodriguez 4
(129), J Giambi (30), B Abreu (89), J Molina (13), M Cabrera (59). 2-out RBI -
A Rodriguez 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Giambi 2, B Abreu 2,
R Cano 1, M Cabrera 1. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: CS - A Phillips (3, 2nd base by J Switzer).

FIELDING: E - A Rodriguez (11, dropped foul ball); M Cabrera (3, catch). DP:
1 (D Jeter-A Phillips).


----------------------------------------------------
TAMPA BAY - 020 001 030 -- 6
NY YANKEES - 202 300 20x -- 9
----------------------------------------------------

TAMPA BAY ip h r er bb so hr era
E Jackson (L, 4-13) 3 1/3 5 7 6 5 2 1 5.78
J Switzer 1 2/3 2 0 0 0 2 0 9.82
J Salas 1 1/3 3 2 2 1 0 0 3.56
B Stokes 1 2/3 0 0 0 0 1 0 7.28

NY YANKEES ip h r er bb so hr era
I Kennedy (W, 1-0) 7 5 3 1 2 6 1 1.29
L Vizcaino 2/3 3 3 3 1 0 0 3.97
M Rivera (S, 23) 1 1/3 0 0 0 0 3 0 3.17

WP - E Jackson. HBP - D Jeter (by J Salas). Pitches-strikes: E Jackson 83-45;
J Switzer 31-20; J Salas 39-22; B Stokes 17-12; I Kennedy 96-66; L Vizcaino
24-15; M Rivera 18-13. Ground balls-fly balls: E Jackson 5-3; J Switzer 2-1; J
Salas 0-4; B Stokes 2-2; I Kennedy 5-10; L Vizcaino 0-2; M Rivera 1-0. Batters
faced: E Jackson 21; J Switzer 7; J Salas 9; B Stokes 5; I Kennedy 27; L
Vizcaino 6; M Rivera 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Kerwin Danley. 1B--Doug Eddings. 2B--Mike Everitt. 3B--Dana
Demuth.

T--3:36. Att--53,637.
Weather: 78 degrees, sunny. Wind: 16 mph, left to
right.</div>

 

AL: TAMPA BAY at NY YANKEES

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
AL
TAMPA BAY 6
NY YANKEES 9 FINAL</div>

 

AL: TAMPA BAY at NY YANKEES

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TAMPA BAY (6) AT NY YANKEES (9) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NY YANKEES 1ST: M Cabrera grounded out to pitcher. D Jeter grounded out
to shortstop. B Abreu walked. A Rodriguez homered to left, B Abreu scored.
H Matsui flied out to left. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 0, NY YANKEES 2.

TAMPA BAY 2ND: B Upton flied out to left. D Young singled to center.
B Harris continues to bat after dropped foul ball by third baseman A Rodriguez.
B Harris singled to center, D Young to second. J Gomes struck out looking.
J Wilson doubled to deep center, D Young and B Harris scored. J Paul walked.
A Iwamura struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Error) TAMPA BAY 2, NY YANKEES 2.

NY YANKEES 3RD: M Cabrera singled to right center. D Jeter singled to
left, M Cabrera to second. B Abreu grounded into fielder's choice to first,
D Jeter out at second, M Cabrera to third, M Cabrera scored, B Abreu to second
on throwing error by shortstop J Wilson. A Rodriguez singled to left, B Abreu
to third. A Rodriguez to second on wild pitch by E Jackson. H Matsui walked.
J Giambi grounded into fielder's choice to first, B Abreu scored, H Matsui out
at second, A Rodriguez to third. R Cano struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 3 Hits,
1 Error) TAMPA BAY 2, NY YANKEES 4.

NY YANKEES 4TH: A Phillips walked. J Molina safe at first on error by
shortstop J Wilson, A Phillips to second. M Cabrera lined out to left.
D Jeter walked, A Phillips to third, J Molina to second. B Abreu walked,
A Phillips scored, J Molina to third, D Jeter to second. J Switzer relieved
E Jackson. A Rodriguez hit a ground rule double to left, J Molina and D Jeter
scored, B Abreu to third. H Matsui grounded out to first. J Giambi struck out
swinging. (3 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) TAMPA BAY 2, NY YANKEES 7.

TAMPA BAY 6TH: C Pena struck out swinging. B Upton homered to left center.
D Young flied out to center. B Harris flied out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 3, NY YANKEES 7.

NY YANKEES 7TH: J Giambi doubled to deep center. S Duncan ran for
J Giambi. R Cano flied out to right, S Duncan to third. A Phillips walked.
J Molina singled to right, S Duncan scored, A Phillips to second. M Cabrera
singled to right, A Phillips scored, J Molina to second. B Stokes relieved
J Salas. D Jeter grounded out to third, J Molina to third, M Cabrera to second.
B Abreu lined out to left. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 3, NY YANKEES 9.

TAMPA BAY 8TH: A Gonzalez at shortstop. W Betemit at third base. L Vizcaino
relieved I Kennedy. A Iwamura walked. C Crawford doubled to deep center,
A Iwamura scored, C Crawford to third on error by center fielder M Cabrera.
C Pena hit sacrifice fly to left, C Crawford scored. B Upton doubled to deep
left. D Young reached on infield single to shortstop, B Upton to third.
B Harris hit sacrifice fly to center, B Upton scored, D Young to second.
G Norton hit for J Gomes. M Rivera relieved L Vizcaino. G Norton grounded out
to second. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Error) TAMPA BAY 6, NY YANKEES 9.</div>

 

AL: TAMPA BAY at NY YANKEES

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TAMPA BAY (6) AT NY YANKEES (9) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tampa Bay Starting Lineups -- A Iwamura 3B, C Crawford LF, C Pena 1B, B Upton CF,
D Young RF, B Harris 2B, J Gomes DH, J Wilson SS, J Paul C, E Jackson RHP.

Ny Yankees Starting Lineups -- M Cabrera CF, D Jeter SS, B Abreu RF,
A Rodriguez 3B, H Matsui LF, J Giambi DH, R Cano 2B, A Phillips 1B, J Molina C,
I Kennedy RHP.

Umpires -- Kerwin Danley (HP), Doug Eddings (1B), Mike Everitt (2B),
Dana Demuth (3B).

Gametime Weather: 78 degrees, Sunny, wind left to right at 16 mph.


TAMPA BAY 1ST: A Iwamura lined out to left. C Crawford flied out to
center. C Pena grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
TAMPA BAY 0, NY YANKEES 0.

NY YANKEES 1ST: M Cabrera grounded out to pitcher. D Jeter grounded out to
shortstop. B Abreu walked. A Rodriguez homered to left, B Abreu scored.
H Matsui flied out to left. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 0, NY YANKEES 2.

TAMPA BAY 2ND: B Upton flied out to left. D Young singled to center.
B Harris continues to bat after dropped foul ball by third baseman A Rodriguez.
B Harris singled to center, D Young to second. J Gomes struck out looking.
J Wilson doubled to deep center, D Young and B Harris scored. J Paul walked.
A Iwamura struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Error) TAMPA BAY 2, NY YANKEES 2.

NY YANKEES 2ND: J Giambi lined out to second. R Cano grounded out to
first. A Phillips singled to right. J Molina struck out swinging. (0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 2, NY YANKEES 2.

TAMPA BAY 3RD: C Crawford singled to center. C Crawford stole second.
C Pena lined out to second. B Upton walked. D Young grounded into double
play, shortstop to first, B Upton out at second.(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
TAMPA BAY 2, NY YANKEES 2.

NY YANKEES 3RD: M Cabrera singled to right center. D Jeter singled to
left, M Cabrera to second. B Abreu grounded into fielder's choice to first,
D Jeter out at second, M Cabrera to third, M Cabrera scored, B Abreu to second
on throwing error by shortstop J Wilson. A Rodriguez singled to left, B Abreu
to third. A Rodriguez to second on wild pitch by E Jackson. H Matsui walked.
J Giambi grounded into fielder's choice to first, B Abreu scored, H Matsui out
at second, A Rodriguez to third. R Cano struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 3 Hits,
1 Error) TAMPA BAY 2, NY YANKEES 4.

TAMPA BAY 4TH: B Harris grounded out to third. J Gomes struck out
swinging. J Wilson lined out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
TAMPA BAY 2, NY YANKEES 4.

NY YANKEES 4TH: A Phillips walked. J Molina safe at first on error by
shortstop J Wilson, A Phillips to second. M Cabrera lined out to left.
D Jeter walked, A Phillips to third, J Molina to second. B Abreu walked,
A Phillips scored, J Molina to third, D Jeter to second. J Switzer relieved
E Jackson. A Rodriguez hit a ground rule double to left, J Molina and D Jeter
scored, B Abreu to third. H Matsui grounded out to first. J Giambi struck
out swinging. (3 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) TAMPA BAY 2, NY YANKEES 7.

TAMPA BAY 5TH: J Paul popped out to second. A Iwamura struck out swinging.
C Crawford grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 2,
NY YANKEES 7.

NY YANKEES 5TH: R Cano grounded out to second. A Phillips singled to center.
J Molina struck out swinging, A Phillips caught stealing second, A Phillips
safe at second on error by shortstop J Wilson. M Cabrera lined out to center.
(0 Runs, 1 Hit, 1 Error) TAMPA BAY 2, NY YANKEES 7.

TAMPA BAY 6TH: C Pena struck out swinging. B Upton homered to left center.
D Young flied out to center. B Harris flied out to right. (1 Run, 1 Hit,
0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 3, NY YANKEES 7.

NY YANKEES 6TH: J Salas relieved J Switzer. D Jeter hit by pitch. B Abreu
flied out to center. A Rodriguez flied out to center. H Matsui popped out
to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 3, NY YANKEES 7.

TAMPA BAY 7TH: J Gomes flied out to right. J Wilson flied out to right.
J Paul struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 3, NY YANKEES 7.

NY YANKEES 7TH: J Giambi doubled to deep center. S Duncan ran for
J Giambi. R Cano flied out to right, S Duncan to third. A Phillips walked.
J Molina singled to right, S Duncan scored, A Phillips to second. M Cabrera
singled to right, A Phillips scored, J Molina to second. B Stokes relieved
J Salas. D Jeter grounded out to third, J Molina to third, M Cabrera to second.
B Abreu lined out to left. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 3, NY YANKEES 9.

TAMPA BAY 8TH: A Gonzalez at shortstop. W Betemit at third base. L Vizcaino
relieved I Kennedy. A Iwamura walked. C Crawford doubled to deep center,
A Iwamura scored, C Crawford to third on error by center fielder M Cabrera.
C Pena hit sacrifice fly to left, C Crawford scored. B Upton doubled to deep
left. D Young reached on infield single to shortstop, B Upton to third.
B Harris hit sacrifice fly to center, B Upton scored, D Young to second.
G Norton hit for J Gomes. M Rivera relieved L Vizcaino. G Norton grounded out
to second. (3 Runs, 3 Hits, 1 Error) TAMPA BAY 6, NY YANKEES 9.

NY YANKEES 8TH: W Betemit struck out looking. H Matsui grounded out to
first. S Duncan lined out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 6,
NY YANKEES 9.

TAMPA BAY 9TH: J Wilson struck out looking. D Navarro hit for J Paul.
D Navarro struck out swinging. A Iwamura struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits,
0 Errors) TAMPA BAY 6, NY YANKEES 9.</div>

 

Kennedy sharp in debut as Yankees edge Devil Rays

<h3>NY YANKEES 9, TAMPA BAY 6</h3>By Larry Fleisher
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- Ian Kennedy became the eighth rookieto start for the New York Yankees. And chances are he had the mosteventful debut out of anyone.


Kennedy pitched seven solid innings and Alex Rodriguez drove infour runs as the Yankees posted a 9-6 victory over the Tampa BayDevil Rays on Saturday afternoon.


The Yankees (76-60), who won for the fourth time in fivecontests, are two games in front of the Seattle Mariners (73-61)for the wild card lead.


New York also is 4 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox in theAmerican League East. The Red Sox face the Baltimore Orioleslater Saturday night.


They also had their second straight eventful victory.Saturday's contest featured two bats confiscated and threeerrors by Tampa Bay shortstop Josh Wilson and one by Rodriguez.

The drama began to unfold in the top of the second during rookiethird baseman Akinori Iwamura's second at-bat. With a 2-2count, the Yankees had the umpires inspect the bat.

With runners on first and second, Yankees manager Joe Torre cameout to complain about Iwamura's bat, which has the end cut flatinstead of rounded, which is how most bats look.


Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon conferred with all four umpires andfirst base umpire Doug Eddings took Iwamura's bat, which likelywill be sent to the commissioner's office.


After the brief interruption, Iwamura struck out to end theinning. When Rodriguez came up for his second at-bat, Maddondid the same thing since the rules entitled him to do so.

Rodriguez singled to left on the next pitch and the Yankeesscored twice in the inning to take the lead for good and thenadded three in the fourth as Rodriguez had a two-run double thatgave New York a 7-2 advantage.


That was enough support for Kennedy (1-0), who, with theexception of a 36-pitch second inning, was effective filling infor struggling righthander Mike Mussina. Considered to be asimilar to the veteran righthander, Kennedy allowed a two-rundouble to Wilson in the second and a solo shot to B.J. Upton inthe sixth.


After putting two runners on in the third with the game tied,Kennedy got Delmon Young to hit into an inning-ending doubleplay and that began a stretch of eight straight retired battersbefore Upton homered.


Following Upton's home run, Kennedy retired the side in theseventh and his final pitch was a strikeout of Wilson on a 94miles-per-hour fastball. After the inning ended, Kennedyreceived spirited handshakes from his teammates in the dugout.

The Yankees have used rookies to start 43 games this season.Earlier this campaign, they employed Chase Wright, TylerClippard and Matt DeSalvo to fill for some injured veterans.

But they have big expectations for Kennedy.


The rookie righthander was staked to a 2-0 lead when Rodriguezhit his 45th home run of the season and 509th of his career inthe first. But the slugger also contributed to Tampa Bay'stwo-run second when he dropped a foul pop by Brendan Harris, whowould have been the second out.


Harris singled and, two batters later, Wilson lined a two-rundouble. But the Yankees seized the lead for good in the thirdthanks to Wilson, who also had three errors at shortstop,including a throwing error that allowed Melky Cabrera to scoreon Bobby Abreu's fielder's choice.


The Yankees added another run on Jason Giambi's RBI groundoutand scored three more in the fourth. Wilson booted a grounderby Jose Molina that would have been the first out and DerekJeter and Abreu drew consecutive one-out walks.


Abreu's walk made it 5-3 and chased Tampa Bay starter EdwinJackson (4-13) from the contest. Jackson, who beat the Yankeesand Mussina here on July 20, lasted just 3 1/3 innings and wascharged with seven runs and five hits.


After Rodriguez's double, the Yankees added a pair in theseventh off Juan Salas. Molina and Cabrera had consecutive RBIsingles to cap the scoring.


Those runs would turn out to be crucial as Luis Vizcaino allowedthree runs in the eighth, forcing Torre to use Rivera. Thefuture Hall-of-Famer recorded the final out of the eighth andhurled a scoreless ninth for his 23rd save.

 

Kennedy sharp in debut as Yankees edge Devil Rays

<h3>NY YANKEES 9, TAMPA BAY 6</h3>By Larry Fleisher
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- Ian Kennedy became the eighth rookieto start for the New York Yankees. And chances are he had the mosteventful debut out of anyone.


Kennedy pitched seven solid innings and Alex Rodriguez drove infour runs as the Yankees posted a 9-6 victory over the Tampa BayDevil Rays on Saturday afternoon.


The Yankees (76-60), who won for the fourth time in fivecontests, are two games in front of the Seattle Mariners (73-61)for the wild card lead.


New York also is 4 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox (80-55)in the American League East. The Red Sox face the BaltimoreOrioles later Saturday night.


They also had their second straight eventful victory. Saturday'scontest featured two bats confiscated and three errors by TampaBay shortstop Josh Wilson and one by Rodriguez.


The drama began to unfold in the top of the second during rookiethird baseman Akinori Iwamura's second at-bat. With a 2-2count, the Yankees had the umpires inspect the bat.

With runners on first and second, Yankees manager Joe Torre cameout to complain about Iwamura's bat, which has the end cut flatinstead of rounded, which is how most bats look.


"The rules state that it has to be smooth surface, and it justlooked like the bat was sort of sawed off," Torre said. "That'sthe only thing I asked the umpire to check the bat. Icertainly wasn't out there to try the old gamesmanship stuff. Iwas just curious. I've never seen that before.


"But I know if you get a bat made longer than the specifics andmake it heavier, make it more solid without being heavier. Youcut off the end of the bat, and that's what it looked like tome."


Crew chief Dana DeMuth explained that he was just following therules.


"Manager Joe Torre contends that no manufacturer makes a batsawed off at the end like that, and he wanted to determinewhether it was a legal bat or an illegal bat," DeMuth said. "Werespected his request."


Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon conferred with all four umpires andfirst base umpire Doug Eddings took Iwamura's bat, which likelywill be sent to the commissioner's office.


The bat is made by Nike and Iwamura has been using it allseason. The only time it was challenged was in Arizona on June<div class="pre">18, when Tim McClelland - who also umpired the famous "Pine Tar</div>Game" between the Yankees and Kansas City Royals in 1983 -deemed it acceptable.


"I played the whole year with the same exact bat," Iwamura saidthrough an interpreter. "Not only against the Yankees, butsince the whole season started. Since then, I have kept usingthe same exact bat until today."


"I had no idea what was going on," Kennedy said. "I'm glad hedid because I had too many pitches that inning. Jose had noidea, Jeter had no idea either so we were kind of guessing.When they took the bat away, we kind of figured because it'sflat on the end."


After the brief interruption, Iwamura struck out to end theinning.


"It upset Aki at that particular moment because he didn'tunderstand what was going on," Maddon said. "He thought theywere accusing him of doing something illegal, which he was not.I was trying to settle him down, continue his at-bat.

"'That's not the case, you are not cheating there is nothingwrong. They are making these accusations. You get your batback (Sunday),' trying to do the interpreter things, butnevertheless, I think it did bother him."


When Rodriguez came up for his second at-bat, Maddon did thesame thing since the rules entitled him to do.


"Joe Maddon contends that there is something inside the bat thatalters the distance of the ball," DeMuth said. "He also isentitled to a challenge by rule so we also honored his request."

"Just retaliation," Maddon said. "There is nothing wrong withAlex Rodriguez - he's a great player. Tit for tat entirely. Isaid it's an illegal bat, I can't see inside it, but there mightbe something inside that bat, I don't have X-ray vision. He'sgot 45 home runs on September 1."


Rodriguez singled to left on the next pitch and the Yankeesscored twice in the inning to take the lead for good and thenadded three in the fourth as Rodriguez had a two-run double thatgave New York a 7-2 advantage.


"I was hoping they would take my glove too after that pop up,"Rodriguez said. "But he wanted the bat. I thought it waspretty funny. I hope I get it back. I like that bat."

That was enough support for Kennedy (1-0), who, with theexception of a 36-pitch second inning, was effective filling infor struggling righthander Mike Mussina. Considered to be asimilar to the veteran righthander, Kennedy allowed a two-rundouble to Wilson in the second and a solo shot to B.J. Upton inthe sixth.


"That first inning it felt like an outer body experience,"Kennedy said. "My adrenaline was pumping so much. I triedcontrolling it, but I'm glad I got through it."


After putting two runners on in the third with the game tied,Kennedy got Delmon Young to hit into an inning-ending doubleplay and that began a stretch of eight straight retired battersbefore Upton homered.


"After that (the third inning), it was back to normal," Kennedysaid. "I got a feel for my fastball. Location was a littlebetter along with my off-speed pitches."


Following Upton's home run, Kennedy retired the side in theseventh and his final pitch was a strikeout of Wilson on a 94miles-per-hour fastball. After the inning ended, Kennedyreceived spirited handshakes from his teammates in the dugoutand a hug from pitching coach Ron Guidry in the dugout.

"It goes back to his poise," Torre said. "He just seemed veryprepared to pitch this game and again he didn't let the factthat we scored two, and he gave two back real quick get in theway."


The Yankees have used rookies to start 43 games this season.Earlier this campaign, they employed Chase Wright, TylerClippard and Matt DeSalvo to fill for some injured veterans.

But they have big expectations for Kennedy, whom Torre said willlikely start next week in Kansas City.


Kennedy mixed speeds well while working with catcher Jose Molinaas he struck out six and walked two. He threw 96 pitches butonly 34 in the final four frames.


"Innings are very valuable and he didn't look like he wassuccessful based on the fact that they hadn't seen him before,"Torre said. "Because when you go to the seventh inning, theyhave a pretty good idea of what you're doing but he still wasable to change location and change pitch speed."


The rookie righthander was staked to a 2-0 lead when Rodriguezhit his 45th home run of the season and 509th of his career inthe first. But the slugger also contributed to Tampa Bay'stwo-run second when he dropped a foul pop by Brendan Harris, whowould have been the second out.


Harris singled and, two batters later, Wilson lined a two-rundouble. But the Yankees seized the lead for good in the thirdthanks to Wilson, who also had three errors at shortstop,including a throwing error that allowed Melky Cabrera to scoreon Bobby Abreu's fielder's choice.


The Yankees added another run on Jason Giambi's RBI groundoutand scored three more in the fourth. Wilson booted a grounderby Jose Molina that would have been the first out and DerekJeter and Abreu drew consecutive one-out walks.


Abreu's walk made it 5-3 and chased Tampa Bay starter EdwinJackson (4-13) from the contest. Jackson, who beat the Yankeesand Mussina here on July 20, lasted just 3 1/3 innings and wascharged with seven runs and five hits.


After Rodriguez's double, the Yankees added a pair in theseventh off Juan Salas. Molina and Cabrera had consecutive RBIsingles to cap the scoring.


Those runs would turn out to be crucial as Luis Vizcaino allowedthree runs in the eighth, forcing Torre to use Rivera. Thefuture Hall-of-Famer recorded the final out of the eighth andhurled a scoreless ninth for his 23rd save, ending the game witha strikeout of Iwamura.


Rodriguez had a chance for the cycle but the Yankees removed himas a precaution after he slid headfirst into second base. Torresaid he consulted with Rodriguez and the third baseman saidthat the achievement was not that important.