Pop-up was a downer for Cervelli, Yankees

The second-inning pop-up off the bat of Mike Lowell went up and up in front of home plate, which seemed like the start of something good for the Yankees.

Javier Vazquez came in from the pitcher's mound. But everyone knows the pitcher is supposed to back off on pop flies, even if catching the ball would be the easiest thing for a player whose glove should be more than a uniform accessory.

Francisco Cervelli moved forward from the catcher's position. The unwritten baseball rule states the pitcher can't be involved, so the ball was Cervelli's to capture.

"I think I should have called it," Vazquez said. "I'm a pretty good fielder. I thought it was an easier play for me."

Countered Cervelli: "I called off Javy. You never let the pitchers catch a fly ball."

As Cervelli reached up to catch it, Vazquez didn't quite back off enough. Nor did the pitcher try to catch it himself. The two almost bumped. Vazquez was stuck in no-man's land, and he took Cervelli with him.

The ball glanced off Cervelli's big mitt and fell to the ground for an error charged to the catcher. Lowell was safe at first base. Cervelli's shoulders slumped as he slowly retrieved the baseball.

"I just dropped it," he said. "That's it. That's my fault."

To make matters worse, the play began with Adrian Beltre at second base. Cervelli's nonchalance allowed Beltre to take third base without a throw. It was the start of something bad for the Yankees.

Cervelli's error - and Vazquez's assist - led to three unearned runs. That turned out to be Boston's margin of victory in its 6-3 win at Yankee Stadium on Friday night.

"The thing with pop-ups," Vazquez said, "once you're in the minor leagues, they teach the pitchers if a position player calls it, to let that position player get the ball. For me, I grew up as a shortstop in Puerto Rico. I think that I can make any plays that are hit around me. After he went after the ball, I definitely thought, 'Man, I should have called it.' "

After the error, Vazquez needed just three pitches to strike out rookie Ryan Kalish for the second out. The Yankees held a 2-1 lead, and all Vazquez had to do to maintain it was retire No. 9 hitter Jed Lowrie.

But Vazquez fell behind Lowrie 3-and-0 and walked him on a 3-and-2 pitch. Another walk to Jacoby Ellsbury allowed Beltre to score and tied it at 2. Then a two-run double down the leftfield line by Marco Scutaro gave Boston a 4-2 advantage.

The two-run homer Kalish hit off Vazquez in the sixth inning didn't help, either. But it was the botched pop-up that will stick with Vazquez and Cervelli for a while.

The Yankees had not committed an error in 1142/3 innings with Vazquez on the mound. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that's the most of any major-leaguer in 2010.

"Really?" Vazquez said. "I didn't know that."

It's OK. It's over now, anyway.