Yanks take series

With the rain lashing down in the Bronx, Wednesday's match-up has been shelved meaning that the Baby Bombers have taken this shortened three game set whatever Thursday's result. The weather gives everyone a chance to catch their breath after a quite awesome game on Tuesday, which came very much against the advertised billing, a pitching duel and a game won by great defense.

It is hard to start anywhere else by with that catch in the top of the eighth, two out, no-one on for Manny who got into one, launching a deep fly ball to death valley. Melky dashed to his left, Johnny raced to his right, Melky has a beat on it, glances at the wall, times his leap, goes over the wall and brings back the ball, stumbling forward and falling face first on to the turf clutching the ball whilst Johnny Damon pumps his fist. The 2B ump rushes out and holds his right arm aloft, the crowd goes bananas, players swear in England and Spanish, Michael Kay, Don Orsillo and John Sterling are all calling the play and they all are eulogising over it. The kid done good.

That catch preserved the Yankees lead which they had taken in the bottom half of the seventh after a two-out rally. Cairo tapped a comebacker to the rookie pitcher Pauley, who'd pitched brilliantly on his Yankee Stadium debut and only his second big league start, however the ball rolled under his glove and Loretta couldn't make the barehand play and Cairo reached. Johnny Damon then served a single the other way and Melky Cabrera reached on a four pitch walk. Pauley was lifted leaving the bases loaded for Jason Giambi. The Yankees DH does what everyone expected, worked the count full before laying off an inside breaking ball and earning the bases loaded walk, forcing Cairo home from third. Yankees up 2-1 and that is how it would stay.

Wang gave up a long HR to David Ortiz and struggled early before settling down and ending up with the line of seven IP and only one run given up. Bernie Williams lined the first pitch of the fifth over the wall in RCF for his first HR lefted hander of 2006 to tie it up at one. Mariano nailed down the save in the ninth with a five pitch outing. This match was a very well played ball game with Andy Phillips showing off stellar defense at first catching a Nixon liner and stepping on first for a DP and taking another hit away from the Sox, going up the ladder to snatch one away.

Things seem to be going the Yankees way, Long DFA'ed, Small's start being skipped due to tonight's rain out, the Yanks actually finding some D, whatever next, a Posada inside the park HR? Now that I'd love to see!