Game 155 Recap: Yankees improve to 8-9 against Red Sox on season; shut Boston out for third time

I’ve attended two no-hitters at Yankee Stadium:

Yesterday afternoon started off in somewhat similar fashion, as my dad and I watched CC Sabathia cruise through 3 2/3 perfect innings until walking Victor Martinez in the fourth, and the no-hitter fell as Mike Lowell led the fifth off with a single. Still, Sabathia stayed strong, and he, Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera combined to not only 2-hit the Red Sox, but shut the Red Sox out for the third time this season at home, as the Yankees won 3-0. That’s absolutely ridiculous, considering the kind of offensive team the Red Sox are. Granted, JD Drew and Jason Bay didn’t come to bat until the 8th inning, but it’s still damn impressive. The only thing more amazing would have been if the Yankees had shut the Sox out three times at Fenway Park this year.

Sabathia ended up tossing 7 innings of shutout ball, striking out 8 and walking two. Phil Hughes pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning, and Mariano Rivera picked up his 43rd save despite bringing the tying run to the plate with a 3-run lead.

The Yankee bats were mostly quiet, seemingly stymied by Daisuke Matsuzaka. It’s near-impossible to pick up pitch movement when you’re attending a game, especially from section 331, but based on the Yankees’ sheer number of off-balance swings and weak pop outs, it seemed like Dice-K had great stuff. The most frustratingly maddening sequence came in the 5th, as the Yankees appeared to be set-up, loading the bases with no outs, and A-Rod at the plate. The next three players then made out in just about the weakest possible ways, plating no runs while making Matsuzaka throw approximately four pitches.

Thankfully Robinson Cano came through in the 6th, belting a line drive shot that actually bounced off the top of the left field wall and just made it out for a solo home run. The Yankees picked up a couple of insurance runs off Billy Wagner in the 8th; although the Cano home run would end up being enough.

Another great win for New York, as the Yankees take the series and drop their magic number to 1. AL East crown, here we come.

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