Bad Breaks Cost Yankees Double

Lose Game and Hideki Matsui in 5-3 Loss

It would have been bad enough if the Yankees had just lost last night's game to the Red Sox, 5-3, but the Yankees may have lost their starting center fielder for the remainder of the season. With Gary Sheffield already on the disabled list, Hideki Matsui badly broke his wrist in the first inning trying to make a sliding catch on a sinking blooper off the bat of Mark Loretta. Matsui's body slid on the grass, but his glove and wrist stayed put and it was clear that the man who played in 1,768 straight games for the Yomiuri Giants and the Yankees was in pain.

To make matters worse the Yankees squandered a 3-1 lead, and a defensive lap by right fielder Bernie Williams helped cost them the game. When Matsui was injured Bubba Crosby moved over from right field to left and Williams entered the ball game. The defense actually had been stellar leading up to the 7th as both Crosby and Johnny Damon took home runs away with over the wall leaping grabs. Robinson Cano also had a nice running grab on a blooper with the bases loaded to help quash a rally.

After a one-out single by Doug Mirabelli off of Ron Villone, Alex Gonzalez lofted a high fly in the right field corner. Williams raced towards the line expecting to make a leaping attempt into the seats to catch a foul ball. But the wind took the ball back into play and Williams overran it, reaching out in vain as the ball bounced in fair territory and hopped in the seats for a ground-rule double (the original ruling of a two-base error was changed after the game).

Kyle Farnsworth relieved Villone (0-1) as the top of the Red Sox order got ready to hit. Lead off man Kevin Youkilis hit a bullet, but right at Robinson Cano for the 2nd out of the inning. New Yankee nemesis Mark Loretta struck again hitting a ball in the hole between short and third. Derek Jeter made a diving stop and threw from his knees to try to catch the speedy Loretta. Jeter's throw pulled 1st Baseman Miguel Cairo off the bag and Cairo's sweeping tag dislodged the ball from his mitt. Mirabelli scored the tying run and Gonzalez, running all the way with two outs, scored easily from 2nd with the go ahead run as the ball rolled away from Cairo. It was Loretta's second and third RBI of the game. You could immediately feel the air sucked out of Yankee Stadium as the fans sat in stunned silence.

Jeter tried to rally the troops in the bottom half of the 7th against Mike Timlin. Jeter lined a one-out single to right and then stole 2nd base, his third steal of the night. Timlin overpowered Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez with a pair of strike outs to end the threat.

The Yankees failed to get the tying run in again in the 8th after Bernie Williams lead off double. Keith Foulke got Jorge Posada to fly out and Robinson Cano to bounce out to first. With the tying run at 3rd and two out manager Terry Francona opted to go to his closer Jon Papelbon to face Miguel Cairo. Cairo who had a rough night against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (3-4) struck out to end the inning.

The Red Sox added a big insurance run off the suddenly shaky Mariano Rivera in the 9th. Youkilis delivering a two-out single drove in Willie Harris from second with the Sox fifth run of the game. The Yankee had one more shot in the 9th when Jeter drew a two-out walk, but Giambi popped out to Gonzalez at short to end the game.

The Yankees had taken a 2-0 lead in the first after loading the bases on a single by Derek Jeter and walks to A-Rod and Bernie Williams. Jorge Posada delivered a single to plate a pair. David Ortiz's RBI ground out in the 3rd cut the lead in half, but Jeter's RBI single in the 4th made it a 2-run game again.

Notes

Derek Jeter had 3 hits and tied a career high with 3 stolen bases. He raised his batting average back up to .349.

Johnny Damon is just 1-16 with 1 RBI against his former teammates. George cannot be happy!

The victory was Tim Wakefield's 9th against the Yankees; his 6th at Yankee Stadium.

Kevin Reese was called up after the game to take Hideki Matsui's spot on the roster.