Live Blog: Yankees vs. Angels
FINAL: YANKEES 7, ANGELS 5
WP: Pettite (2-0) 6 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 0 ER, 6 K
LP: Santana (0-2) 5.2 IP, 8 H, 5 BB, 5 ER, 7 K
HR: Johnson (1), Jeter (1)
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Top of the 9th -- David Robertson comes in and immediately makes a six-run game interesting. He gives up a grand slam to Bobby Abreu to cut the lead to 7-5 and forces the Yankees to call for the services of Mariano RIvera. The sound of "Enter Sandman" saves Robertson from being booed off the field. Rivera strikes out Hunter and Matsui fittingly makes the final out of the game. Yankees hold on and have now won 12 of their last 13 home openers. Yankees 7, Angels 5.
Bottom of the 8th -- Posada drives in Johnson with an RBI-double then gets thrown out at the plate on a single by Granderson after Teixeira scored. Johnson led off with a double to reach base for the fourth time today. He needs no help with his on base percentage but could use some assistance with picking out his walk-up music. He has selected Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A" to play before his at-bats. This is worrisome. Or as Michael Kay says, "There's nothing wrong with Miley Cyrus....if you are a teenage girl." Yankees 7, Angels 1.
Top of the 8th -- Park allows the Angels to get on the board after Morales parks (pun intended) a solo home run into the second deck. Yankees 5, Angels 1.
Bottom of the 7th -- Jeter hits into a doubleplay to end the inning. It must be hard to bat with five rings on one hand.
Top of the 7th -- Chan Ho Park works a scoreless inning in relief of Pettitte, who in his first two starts of the season has allowed one earned run in 12 innings to the tune of a 0.75 ERA. Look out Bob Gibson.
Bottom of the 6th -- Walks to Swisher and Johnson ended Santana's day. Jason Bulger comes in and follows suit with a walk to Teixiera to load the bases. A-Rod hit a grounder between second and third that was knocked down by a diving Brandon Wood at third but trickled into the outfield as Swisher and a hustling Johnson came around to score. Yankees 5, Angels 0.
Top of the 6th -- It appeared that Pettitte's shutout was in jeopardy until his best friend, the doubleplay, showed up. After allowing a pair of singles to Morales and Juan Rivera to put runners on first and third, Pettitte induced a 6-4-3 double play by well-known Yankee killer Howie Kendrick. Pettitte shows some Joba-like theatrics, with an animated fist pump as he leaves the mound.
Bottom of the 5th -- A-Rod and Posada each pick up a base hit, but like many today they are LOB.
Top of the 5th -- Pettitte allows the first two batters on base but nothing more. It looks like he is headed for another quality start on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium. Judging by his early succcess this season, he could be back for another next year.
Bottom of the 4th -- With the bases loaded and the infield in, Erick Aybar makes a beautiful diving backhanded play and threw out Robinson Cano at home to rob Gardner of an RBI or two. Jeter answers with an infield single to bring in a run. Johnson strikes out with the bases loaded to end the inning. Yanks score one, but it could have been many. Yankees 3, Angels 0.
Top of the 4th -- Pettitte puts down the Angels in order for the first time today. He strikes out two more to bring his total to six through four innings. Look out Nolan Ryan.
Bottom of the 3rd -- Jeter puts one into the bullpen in right for his first homer of the season. Second of the day for the Yankees. How long until Newsday is running the box for the number of home runs hit at Yankee Stadium again? Poor Mark Teixeira is robbed by a diving Morales at first, who turns a potential extra-base hit into a doubleplay. Yankees 2, Angels 0.
Top of the 3rd -- Hang up two more "K" signs for Pettitte.
Bottom of the 2nd -- Robinson Cano leads off with a double and Jorge Posada follows with a walk but Santana strikes out the side to end the inning. It was three ugly strikeouts for the Yankees as Curtis Grandson struck out while trying to check his swing, Nick Swisher goes down on three pitches for the easiest strikeout in the history of organized baseball, and Brett Gardner goes down on a questionable called third strike on a checked swing.
Top of the 2nd -- Pettitte allows a single to Kendry Morales and walks Howie Kendrick but the Angels strand the runners. It could have been worse after Morales, oblivious to the number of outs, took off for third on a flyout to Swisher for the Angels second out and was nearly doubled off at second. Little League coaches everywhere grimace.
Bottom of the 1st -- It takes the Yankees all of two batters to hit their first home run of the season at the Stadium. Nick Johnson smashes a shot into the seats in right-centerfield to put the Yanks on the board. Yankees 1, Angels 0.
Top of the 1st -- It seems like just yesterday that a babyfaced, 23-year-old Andy Pettitte was battling the snow on Opening Day in 1996. Yet here we are, 14 years later for what could be his final Opening Day. Pettitte allows a leadoff hit but strikes out former teamates Bobby Abreu and Hideki Matsui, who recevied his third ovation of the day. Curtis Granderson makes his first putout in center as a Yankee on a flyout by Torii Hunter. It may not be the hallowed ground once patrolled by DiMaggio and Mantle, but it's still centerfield at Yankee Stadium.
1:05 p.m. -- Bernie Williams throws the ceremonial first pitch in the dirt but it won't change Yankee fans' undying affection for him.
First pitch is just minutes away.....
