Yankee Stadium's long-awaited debut was supposed to be filled with action, drama, and awe.Thanks to two members of the Yankees struggling bullpen, it quickly turned into a tear-jerker before ending with nothing but nervous laughter.
After Phil Coke escaped a daunting jam in the top of the sixth inning, it appeared that the new stadium may open with a bit of the magic displayed for 86 years across the street.
Once Jose Veras took the mound, however, the team’s hopes for a victory sank deeper than the Titanic.
It all started with a leadoff walk; the death sentence of so many games of the past.
Before fans were able to finish squirming in their couches, the Yankees already faced a rapidly escalating deficit.
Damaso Marte was supposed to stop the bleeding. He instead decided to perform an amputation without the use of a tourniquet; a medical mistake New York was never able to recover from.
By the time Marte had finally left the mound, the Yankees had flat-lined with no hope of revival.
The Cleveland Indians had enjoyed an in-game version of batting practice, and were now embarrassing New York by a score of 10-1.
The only true bright spot of a dreadful afternoon was the guile displayed by ace C.C. Sabathia.
Clearly left unarmed in terms of dominating stuff and pinpoint location, Sabathia battled for most of the game.
In a performance inspired by Andy Pettitte, he was able to limit the damage and maintain striking distance.
Sabathia threw 122 pitches in just his third start of a very young season, which may earn manager Joe Girardi many negative reviews in the mainstream media.
Regardless of that fact, it was encouraging to watch the Yankees ace pitch well enough to win without any true weapon to go to.
This is an invaluable talent that fellow starter Chien-Ming Wang has thus far been unable to master.
Thursday’s game will go a long way in reigniting the seemingly endless debate regarding Joba Chamberlain’s status.
Whispers and water cooler chatter have quickly developed into a haunting crescendo.
Chamberlain will now be viewed as the only hope for a besieged bullpen, and New York’s already limited patience will become nonexistent.
The pressure will continue to mount if Chamberlain is unable to perform at the highest of levels in his next start tomorrow.
The Yankees had finally begun to breathe a sigh of relief with the recent dominance of relief pitcher Brian Bruney. The team had seemingly found its eighth inning mainstay, ending concerns of an immediate bridge to Mariano Rivera.
The recent performances of the Yankees middle relief have created an entirely new list of worries, and represent issues that may not be solved quickly.
Though I suggest leaving the panic button inside of its protective casing, it is unlikely that many fans will be able to remain lucid amidst so much failure.
Who would have ever imagined that fans could begin wishing Kyle Farnsworth was still around?
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It hasn't come to that for me - wishing Farnsworth was still around! Never!
ReplyDeleteHaha there is a small part of me that actually began to appreciate the Kyle Farnsworths and Tom Gordons of the world...I really hope that someone makes me snap back to reality VERY soon Jane.
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