Good Riddance
Posted on Jul 9, 2009 9:27 pm
By Cliff Corcoran
As much as I value baseball’s history, from landmark moments such as Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier all the way down to tacky embarassments such as the White Sox’s short pants and Ten-Cent Beer Night, I’m glad the Yankees have played their last game at Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. It’s not that the Yankees didn’t do well there, they finished with a 77-64 (.546) record in the dome and went 4-0 there in the playoffs. It’s not that the place was devoid of history; it hosted two World Series Game Sevens, including the legendary extra-inning Game 7 in 1991, as well as an ALCS, three ALDS, an All-Star Game, Dave Winfield’s 3,000th hit, all of Kirby Puckett’s Hall of Fame career, three Cy Young seasons (by Johan Santana and Frank Viola), and a pair of Rookie of the Year campaigns (Chuck Knoblauch and, uh, Marty Cordova). The problem wasn’t what took place there, it was the place itself. Baseball simply wasn’t meant to be played indoors, on artificial surface, under a baseball-colored roof that disguised fly balls, in front of huge air conditioning vents that mysteriously blew harder when the home team was batting, with a oversized Hefty bag for an outfield wall.
Next year, the Twins will be playing outdoors, on grass, in an actual ballpark rather than a multi-purpose dome. Had that been the case on Thursday, the game would have taken place on a lovely, warm, sunny afternoon. Instead it took place inside under gloomy artificial light. Not that it cast much of a gloom over the Yankees dominance of the Twins.
With Chien-Ming Wang on the disabled list, Joe Girardi tabbed Alfredo Aceves to start on Thursday, but saddled him with a 65-pitch limit that gave him no room for error. Unfortunately, error showed up in the second, when Jason Kubel led off with a homer to dead center and throwing errors by Aceves himself and Cody Ransom, starting at third base, plated a subsequent walk to Mike Cuddyer. Aceves got into trouble again in the fourth when Cuddyer connected for a one-out double which was followed by a Brian Buscher single. Aceves then hit Mike Redmond with pitch number 65, putting him at his limit and handing a bases-loaded situation over to the team’s middle relievers.
Girardi called on rookie David Robertson to get out of Aceves’s jam despite the fact that Robertson has the highest walk rate of any of the men in the Yankee pen. Robertson got the second out by striking out Nick Punto with a 3-2 fastball, but then walked Denard Span and the woeful Matt Tolbert to force in a pair of runs before getting Joe Mauer to groundout on a curveball.
Fortunately, the Yankees had already scored five runs off Nelson Liriano by then, the first two of which came without the benefit of a hit in the second inning. That frame began with a walk and a steal by Alex Rodriguez, a pitch that hit Jorge Posada’s foot, an error by Tolbert that loaded the bases, a walk to Ransom, and a RBI groundout by Brett Gardner. Derek Jeter then drove in the third run with the Yankees’ first hit of the game.
With the Yankees clinging to a one-run lead in the fifth, Mark Teixeira, who set a personal record with his 95th homerless at-bat in the third, broke the streak with a solo shot to left. Robertson then returned to strikeout Justin Morneau, but after a walk to Jason Kubel, Girardi got fed up and called on Jonathan Albaladejo who combined with the Phils and Mariano Rivera to shut the Twins out the rest of the way to preserve the 6-4 win.
The win completed the Yankees’ dominance of the Twins this season. After winning four games against them in May by a total of just five runs, they outscored them 20-9 in these three games and never trailed in Thursday’s finale, sweeping the season series in the process. I didn’t much like the Metrodome, but it gave the Yankees a very fond farewell.
Print This Post
 |
 |
 |
RSS 2.0 You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Much as outdoor baseball is better, it’s going to be interesting to see what happens in early April home games in the Twin Cities.
[1] They’ll have to be day games.
Ryan Freel just walked! Go Go Royals!
Good lord. The Boston bullpen simply cannot get Ryan Freel out. I’m not even sure they can slow him down.
This is just great. The Yanks have already won, I have some good scotch, and the Red Sox are being embarrassed.
[3] Good scotch…hm….excellent thought.
Oh hell yes.
I never thought I’d be so happy to see a Willie Bloomquist triple.
[3] Indeed! Happy here too, it’s friday and am out tonight with the missus for some 結婚記念日 celebration, a good summer eve for us all..
as long as Joakim Soria can close it out for KC of course…
btw, Youkilis has really cooled down..even with Big PooPoo kinf of back, their lineup is not the monster it used to be..
Note to Joe Girardi:
Can get Billy Butler out by throwing 99 mph fastballs.
[6] Happy anniversary!
Mine was yesterday, as it happens. Very nice, low key, no pressure. I’m a lucky husband.
Let the meltdown begin…
[8] Thanks! Quick work on the kanji there :)
Think the Sox will re-sign Bay? Bay and Holliday worry me..for long-term deals I mean..
I can’t believe the ROYALS are winning! All I wanted was to trail the AL East by 2 games at the break and looking at the schedule 2 weeks ago that looked like a TALL order.
Now if we could just take 2 games in LA….even 1 game wouldn’t be so bad.
Frankly I think the Sox HAVE to re-sign Bay. He is their best to 2nd best offensive player. They can’t afford to let him go.
Jesus. 2 walks to lead off the inning. What a tease the Royals are.
[10] Very hard to say. I think at a ‘reasonable’ price they will sign him up again; they like him, they’re not worried about him wilting in the spotlight, etc. They offered him an extension a month ago or so, and it was clear he wanted to play out his contract and test the FA market. So, nobody knows. If I had to guess, I’d guess they’ll hold onto him.
Amazing. With a three run lead in the eighth, they walk Ortiz and Bay. It’s Robertsonesque.
Good ol’ Els.
Tek’s turn. Come on, Cap, a nice GIDP, please.
Good God, take the damn sure out at 1B with a three run lead. Meanwhile, no neighborhood call n that play at 2B.
DAMN! What happened to the ball beating the runner is an out?
Doesn’t anybody want to win this game?
Seriously..are the Royals just a baseball vortex where all talent dissapears??
Apparently the home plate umpire thinks an injustice was done on the previous play, so all pitches to Mark Kotsay will be called strikes.
Kotsay catches on and decides to swing at all pitches.
The umpire tires of meting out justice on the seventh pitch.
[17] That’s only on a NON-force play.
You can all but smell a shit storm coming here….
A Piazza moment there.
Soria for a 4-out save!
[24] Yep. I thought that was going to clear the bases off the bat.
.179 CAREER BA against Soria..that is damn good..
Nick Green swings from the heels.
[28] Except when he’s caught back on his heels by a killer curve ball.
Ladies and gentlemen, the shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, Nick Green!
I love everything about Nick Green. Have you seen him play the position? He’s bad. And the Sox are also stuck using Youk as their 3B, I love that. Talking to the Rockies about Garrett Atkins.
Greenie has a .717 OPS. That ain’t bad for a UINF.
Every other time I’ve seen Nick Green this year, he’s getting some critical hit or blasting a moonshot. I know this is perception over reality, I just haven’t had teh will to look up the numbers and prove it to myself.
[32] Oh, he’d be a very good bench player. It’s just that he’s their starting shortstop.
F***, Daniel Bard throws really hard. Let’s hope he turns into Farnsworth 2.0.
Well, what’s going to happen?
Papi with a 2-run shot to tie it? Bay with a walk-off? Or Beantown humiliation?
[35] Somehow, no matter what, Youk and Papi must bat in the 9th. I expect typical Beantown Magic followed closely by unwatchable Sportscenter.
Cripes. Just throw him strikes.
Home plate umpire does seem insistent that Papi should bat.
[37] Well, he’s doing that, kind of.
[2] Freel is cool. FARNEY!!! a buddy of mine and i always get a kick outta his imaginary friend!
I like Trey Hillman… he *looks* like a baseball manager.
And now they’re even being called strikes.
Oh, nice job. Good Dusty!
If the Red Sox lose this game, after leading 3-0, at Home no less, I think you must call it… must say it’s…. have to admit it’s…. (what is the word I’m searching for?)
1 out to 1st place…
[38] It is a great burden to be the arbiter of justice.
[43] unacceptable!!!
i accept FIRST PLACE!!!! : )
Oh, too beautiful.
Goooooood baseball today! Tied with the Sox at .600, pretty good win for us, magnificent Mariano finish, and a very satisfying Boston bullpen choke job.
Now one more finger of scotch, and I’m done…
Bonus! Rogers Sports Pacific is carrying Seattle-Texas. Not much of an inspiring matchup, but more baseball nonetheless.
[48] enjoy, my friend! i’m about to start – first beer is on deck! : )