Yankees Get Rare Pitching Gem, Stomp Indians
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Gary Sheffield had three RBI to reach 100 for the seventh time, Alex Rodriguez hit a three-run homer, and Jon Lieber pitched seven shutout innings to lead the Yankees to their second straight win, 9-1 over the Cleveland Indians last night.
With its AL East lead over second place Boston cut to 3 1 /2 games, the Yankees have faced a torrent of questions this week, especially following Tuesday night’s 22-0 loss to Cleveland. The Yankees rebounded with a 5-3 victory Wednesday, then quickly broke on top last night when Jorge Posada hit an RBI single in the first and Rodriguez hit his 33rd homer to cap a five-run second against Cliff Lee (10-7).
Sheffield hit an RBI single off third baseman Casey Blake in the second, had a run-scoring double in the fourth against Kazuhito Tadano, doubled again in the sixth, and added a sacrifice fly in the eighth to raise his RBIs total to 101.
Lieber (10-8) followed Orlando Hernandez’s seven innings of one-run ball Wednesday with a stellar effort of his own. He didn’t allow any runs for the first time in 22 starts this year, and let just one runner get past first base. The 34-year-old right-hander gave up five hits, struck out three, and walked one – his first scoreless appearance since he pitched eight shutout innings for the Chicago Cubs against the Mets on April 9, 2002.
Paul Quantrill pitched the eighth and was followed by Steve Karsay, who had been sidelined since the end of the 2002 season with back and shoulder injuries that needed operations. After receiving a big ovation when he was introduced, Karsay allowed a home run on his first pitch to Victor Martinez, who reached 100 RBI for the first time. Karsay then struck out Travis Hafner and Blake, and retired Ben Broussard on a popup.
Miguel Cairo also homered for the Yankees, giving him homers in consecutive games for the first time in his career. Bernie Williams added an RBI single.
Lee allowed six runs and five hits in 1 2 /3 innings and is 0-6 in nine starts since beating Seattle on July 16 to improve to 10-1.
The series marked the start an 11-game home stand for the Yankees, who play three games against Baltimore this weekend followed by five against Tampa Bay.
