As expected, Philly's new pitcher, Happ, who was making his first start of the season, dominated the Yankees for 5 innings yesterday. The Phillies held a three run lead, and as the bottom of the 6th approached, it looked as though the Yankees were on track to lose their second straight game, and the series, to the world champion Phillies.
But everything changed with one pitch. Facing the Yankee batting order for the third time, Happ left one up for Jeter, who punished it into the seats in left field, rudely interrupting an in-game interview with the father of one of the home run hitters for the Phillies.
Now the Yankees had momentum. Pettitte silenced the Phillies in the seventh. Coke did the same in the 8th and 9th, with some help from Veras, and the Yankees stayed within striking distance, at 4-2.
In the bottom of the 9th, Johnny Damon came to bat and worked a walk from Brandon Lidge, the World Series winning closer last year. Teixeira struck out. One out, and A-Rod came to the plate. Lidge greeted him with 5 straight sliders, first getting ahead of A-Rod 1-2, then nibbling until the count was full. And on his first fastball, A-Rod crunched the game-tying home run.
Fox began showing replays of previous Yankee walk-off hits, group hugs, and pies in faces. Cano singled. Yankee stadium was going berserk. Melky was up, and Fox replayed both of Melky's game-winning hits. On the second pitch to Melky, Cano stole second. The crowd was on its feet, roaring, chanting, suffocating the opposition. And then he hit it. Cano, knowing the ball would drop, never stopped as he rounded third.
The bench emptied, Gardner reached Melky first to hug him, the bullpen came running out, Melky was hoisted into the air and pied in the face, and the Yankees, who are now the most fearsome late-inning team in baseball, had tied the series.
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