Yankees Bloop and Single Mets To Victory

After a Saturday win over their crosstown rivals that was spurred on by four home runs, the Yankees dinked, blooped, and bounced their past the Mets Sunday afternoon with an eight run 7th inning.

Ivan Nova battled his way through six plus innings, but trailed 3-1 to Mike Pelfrey. That's when the Yankees sluggish offense awoke and not in it's usual manner. Brett Gardner started things off with a single through the box that an angry Pelfrey felt he should have fielded. Pelfrey proceeded to load the bases by walking Chris Dickerson and plunking Francisco Cervelli, who had squared to bunt, in the left shoulder. With Al Leiter in the YES booth, Derek Jeter bounced one back through the middle that, although it didn't take as many hops, reminded everyone of Luis Sojo's 2000 World Series Game 5 winner off the Mets' lefty. The single scored two to tie the game and sent Pelfrey to the showers.

Left-hander Tim Byrdak came on and to everyone's surprise and no one's surprise, team home run leader Curtis Granderson (he hit his 16th home run earlier in the game) laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position. The Mets opted to intentionally walk Mark Teixeira to load the bases for Alex Rodriguez. Needing one more bases loaded home run to tie Lou Gehrig for the most career grand slams, Rodriguez simply singled off Pedro Beato to plate the go ahead run.

Robinson Cano followed with an RBI single of his own for 5-3 Yankees advantage before Jorge Posada was called out looking on a controversial strike three pitch for the second out...but the Yankees were not through. Gardner got his second hit of the inning, a double off of new pitcher Pat Misch to put the Yankees up 7-3 and the left-handed hitting Dickerson went the other way for a single to drive home the final two runs of the inning.

Luis Ayala picked up his first win as a Yankee after retiring the final batter in the 7th inning. He also pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning before turning things over to Lance Pendleton, who was recalled earlier in the day (Amaury Sanit was sent down).