Orlando Hernandez got the ball to start the game and the Sox immediately pounced on him in the top of the first. Jose Offerman flied to centerfield on the third pitch. Last week's hero Trot Nixon flied out to left but Carl Everett doubled off the bottom of the centerfield wall. Manny Ramirez had been hitting .242 since June 5 but he singled home Everett here to make it 1-0 Sox. Brian Daubach doubled over the glove of Chuck Knoblauch in left to score Ramirez. Troy O'Leary flied out to left to end the inning but the Sox led 2-0. The injured Pedro Martinez took the mound in the bottom of the first and got Knoblauch to ground out to Mike Lansing at short. Randy Velarde flied out to center as Sox analyst Jerry Remy said Pedro's velocity was down. Bernie Williams grounded out to second to end the inning.
Hernandez settled down in the top of the second. Scott Hatteberg flied out to center, Shea Hillenbrand grounded out to third and Lansing struck out to end the inning. The Yankees figured out Pedro's fastball was gone so they teed off on him in the bottom of the second. Sox analyst Jerry Remy said his delivery was off as Tino Martinez chopped a single past a diving Lansing into center for a base hit. David Justice doubled into the left field corner and Tino scored on the groundout by Jorge Posada. Sox manager Joe Kerrigan brought the infield in since the Sox have been utterly useless at the plate lately. It didn't matter as Paul O'Neil singled into right to score Justice to tie the game. Alfonso Soriano then singled past the diving Lansing to move O'Neil to third. That's twice now Lansing could have made a play. It got even worse when Enrique Wilson grounded right to Lansing....right out of his glove, scoring O'Neil to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Knoblauch walked to load the bases as Sox analyst Jerry Remy said Pedro shouldn't be out there and should shut it down for the season. Sox broadcaster Sean McDonough said Pedro was too proud to quit which is why he took the ball. Right on cue Pedro struck out Velarde and Williams grounded out to end the inning.
Hernandez cruised in the top of the third inning. Offerman flied out to the right field wall, Nixon grounded out and Everett flied out to the right field wall as well to end the inning. Pedro returned for the bottom of the third and got Posada to pop up to third. Justice walked but Posada struck out on a foul tip. O'Neil looked at strike three to end the inning.
The Sox got off to a good start in the top of the fourth when Ramirez hit a ball beyond the third base line that struck the ballboy's chair, somehow it was ruled a double. Daubach crushed one to the wall but Williams snared it, but it was a productive out as Manny moved to third. Manny was stranded when O'Leary whiffed. Hatteberg walked but Hillenbrand popped up to end the inning. Pedro was done as Tim Wakefield was brought in to pitch the bottom of the fourth. Soriano beat out an infield single and advanced to second on the ground out by Wilson. Some fan ran on the field and slid into second and third before being tackled and arrested. Knoblauch was hit with a pitch and both runners moved over on the ground out by Velarde. Williams grounded out to end the inning.
Hernandez cruised in the top of the fifth. Lansing grounded out, Offerman flied out to the wall in right and Nixon hit a rocket to Martinez at first to end the inning, Wakefield returned for the bottom of the fifth and Martinez reached on a ground ball booted by Offerman. Justice singled to center but Posada flied out to left. Martinez got picked off and O'Neil popped up to end the inning.
Another fan ran onto the field to begin the top of the sixth as Yankees PA announcer Bob Shepard warned fans not to run out on the field. Bob should have said "The next person to run out on the field will be shot!" Everett swung for the fences on a 3-2 count...and missed. Ramirez grounded out and Daubach struck out to end the inning. Wakefield returned for the bottom of the sixth after a commercial for the movie Rock Star. Marky Mark as a rock star, yeah that makes sense. Soriano struck out but Wilson hit a little flare in front of Everett for a single. Wilson was thrown out trying to steal and Knoblauch looked at strike three to end the inning.
Hernandez cruised in the top of the seventh. O'Leary watched strike three go by, Hatteberg grounded out and Hillenbrand popped up to end the inning. The Sox got their lone late inning highlight when Velarde singled and O'Leary gunned him down at second trying to steal. Williams walked but Martinez and Justice flied out to end the inning.
Ramiro Mendoza took the mound in the top of the eighth. Lansing grounded out, Offerman flied out and Nixon grounded out to end the inning. That's 13 in a row retired by Yankee pitching. Rod Beck was brought in to pitch the bottom of the eighth. Posada walked and moved to second on the ground out by O'Neil. Soriano whiffed and Hillenbrand made a diving stab to rob Wilson of a hit to end the inning.
Mariano Rivera got the ball in the top of the ninth. Everett broke his bat on a liner to Soriano, Ramirez grounded out and Daubach whiffed to end the game. The Yankees had won it 3-2, not allowing a baserunner after the fourth inning.
Jackass of the night is Mike Lansing. His horrid defense allowed the Yankees to beat around Pedro in the second inning when a few plays would have kept the Yankees off the scoreboard. He was also 0 for 3 with a strikeout.
The Good:
Manny Ramirez was 2 for 4 with a run and an rbi.
The Bad:
Jose Offerman and Trot Nixon were both 0 for 4. Troy O'Leary was 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts. Shea Hillenbrand was 0 for 3. Pedro Martinez took the loss only lasting 3 innings while giving up 3 runs on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3. He never should have been out there. Tim Wakefield was outstanding, tossing 4 innings of scoreless relief to keep the Sox in the game. Rod Beck pitched a scoreless eighth inning.
The Ugly:
Carl Everett was 1 for 4 but scored a run. Brian Daubach was 1 for 4 but drove in a run. Scott Hatteberg was 0 for 2 but walked.
Final Thoughts:
As if things weren't going down the drain to begin with, the loss of Martinez pretty much puts the exclamation point on this miserable season. Nomar Garciaparra never got out of the box after suffering the wrist injury in spring training, Pedro Martinez blows his shoulder out in May, Jason Varitek breaks his elbow in June, Derek Lowe suddenly went from one of the best closers in the game to one of the worst, they fired the manager when he was twelve games OVER 500 and replaced him with a pitching coach who apparently isn't as respected as we all thought. Bret Saberhagen's comeback was short lived. Craig Grebeck was super utility man last year and his career evaporated this year. Don't forget the Sox pitching staff holds the Yankees to 6 earned runs, ONE by the starters last week and they fired John Cumberland the new pitching coach. Manny Ramirez has been useless since July and Carl Everett has been mediocre since the second half of LAST year. Where would the Sox be without Hideo Nomo and Rich Garces this year? I really don't want to find out. The loss puts the Sox at 72-67, 11 games behind the Yankees for first place with just 23 to go. The Sox hope to bounce back tomorrow with David Cone (8-4) up against last week's near perfecto Mike Mussina (14-11).
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