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Yankee reaction to 8-7 win over Red Sox

By STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Things looked bleak for the New York Yankees.

They were down, 7-2, heading into the eighth inning at Fenway Park Friday night. Boston manager Terry Francona was deploying his bullpen as if he figured all the Sox had to do was win one of the games of this three-game series to virtually secure the American League East title.

So he had his two-headed bullpen monster of Hideki Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon in the game earlier than usual, intent on nailing down the victory even if he wouldn't normally use them with such a big lead.

"Okajima and Papelbon have been throwing as well as anyone in the American League," said the Yanks' MVP lock, Alex Rodriguez.

But New York devoured Okajima and Papelbon to the tune of six runs in the eighth before an out was recorded as the Yankees roared back for an 8-7 win that stunned the Red Sox. It also sliced Boston's division lead to 4 1/2 games and maintained the Yanks' 3 1/2-game advantage over the Detroit Tigers in the wild-card chase.

"That's the biggest win of our season," said A-Rod, who delivered the tie-breaking hit, a sizzling single to left-center off Papelbon.

"Any time you can score so many runs off those two guys it's special," added Rodriguez. "Being down five runs and with the guys they have in their bullpen, you kind of feel like you stole one."

New York manager Joe Torre could only take a deep breath and marvel at what his team had done, especially after sloppy play had helped put the Yankees in their five-run hole.

"We lucked out. That eighth inning was incredible," said Torre. "It hadn't been one of our better efforts. We have away some runs and had so many chances we didn't take advantage of, but it was a good result for us. We knew it was ugly but this ballclub never gets to the point where it feels it can't win the game."

The big inning began with a bang when Jason Giambi, whose defensive lapses cost the Yankees three runs, crushed a pitch from Okajima over the New York bullpen. That made it a 7-3 game. It was hardly in the bag for the Yanks at that point, but when Robinson Cano followed Giambi's blast with one of his own, into the center-field bleachers, it was suddenly 7-4, the Sox' fans were squirming a bit and Papelbon was heating up in the bullpen.

Then came a walk to Melky Cabrera and Johnny Damon's double to left-center, sending Okajima to the showers and bringing Papelbon into the game. And at the plate was Derek Jeter, the Yanks' Mr. Clutch.

"We always feel great when Jeter's up in those situations," said Damon, the ex-Sox center fielder who was 4 for 6 with a pair of doubles as New York's designated hitter.

Jeter didn't wait around. He sliced the first pitch he saw for an RBI single to right and it was 7-5 with the tying runs on base.

"You don't like to be facing (Papelbon) down one run, let alone three," said Jeter. "You want to be aggressive. You can't give him too many (strikes) because then he can go to his other pitches."

Bobby Abreu was aggressive also, crushing an 0-and-1 pitch to center for a two-run double that tied the game, as Jeter fairly flew around the bases.

And then it was A-Rod's turn. Again, it was a quick at-bat, with Rodriguez drilling an 0-and-1 pitch to left-center for his major-league-leading 141st RBI, giving the Yanks an 8-7 lead that Luis Vizcaino and Marian Rivera (27th save) preserved.

The win was big, said the Yanks, and beating the top two in Boston's bullpen made it all the sweeter.

Maybe getting to know Okajima, the left-hander from Japan, has been helpful for the Yankees, who now have faced him 10 times this season. He has been scored upon by New York in four of his last five appearances and overall has coughed up 9 runs on 12 hits in 9 2/3 innings versus the Yankees.

Papelbon, meanwhile, has been tagged for the late-inning loss in the last two games between the two teams here at Fenway Park, having surrendered a homer to A-Rod on June 3.

"I'd like to say that (beating Okajima and Papelbon) gives us an edge," said Torre. "It certainly makes us feel better."

They couldn't have felt much better, having stolen one from the Red Sox.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 12:34 AM | Permalink

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Wayne Van Wagner | September 15, 2007 4:28 AM link