Earlier today, I wrote about the good and the bad things that’ve entailed Andy Pettitte‘s comeback. Once the game started, Andy showed us all nothing but the good. He was vintage Andy…hell, he was better than that. Going 7.1 fantastic innings, Pettitte allowed just four baserunners–a pair of walks and hits each–and struck out ten Tampa Bay batters (four of them multiple times), and of course, he didn’t allow a run as the Yankees coasted to a 7-0 victory over their division rival.
Given Pettitte’s nearly perfect pitching performance, the Yankees got all the runs they needed, thanks to an Elliot Johnson throwing error. With the bases loaded and two down, Raul Ibanez hit a rocket up the middle. Johnson, however, was positioned perfectly and scooped the ball off the infield. All looked doomed for the Yanks, as things with the bases loaded usually have this year, but Johnson bounced the ball on its way to first baseman Carlos Pena and both Curtis Granderson (on board with a single) and Alex Rodriguez (on with a walk) scored to give the Yankees their first runs of the game.
Things would remain calm for two more turns through the order until the bottom of the fourth, when, after a Mark Teixeira fly out, the Yankees loaded the bases (Raul Ibanez walk, Nick Swisher single, Eric Chavez walk). Russell Martin then stepped up to the plate. He quickly went down 0-2 and there was that “here we go again” feeling. But, Mr. Martin allayed our fears as he took that 0-2 pitch into the right field stands for a grand slam, putting the Yankees up 6-0. They added a seventh run in the fifth on a double by Nick Swisher.
This was a nice, clean, and easy win for the Yanks. More of these, please. Ivan Nova will go against Alex Cobb tomorrow and the Yanks’ll have a chance to grab first place in the division.
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