David Phelps pitched 4.2 innings of a perfect game and the Yankees' offense scored nine runs. It was looking to be a promising game, an easy win, and a nice breakout day for the offense. Then Curtis Granderson was hit by a pitch and broke his hand. Then Phelps was hit on his pitching arm by a comebacker and had to leave the game. We won the game, but lost a lot doing it.
Phelps was great, pitching 7.2 innings giving up four runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Either he was remarkably efficient, or the Rays were ridiculously agressive because he got 11 fly outs over the course of the game and was able to keep his pitch count down.
The Yankee offense broke out and hit starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez early and often. In the top of the second Travis Hafner doubled and David Adams reach on an infield single that replay showed he might have been out on. Lyle Overbay then doubled off the right field wall to make it 2–0 and Jayson Nix singled to score Overbay and make it 3–0. In the fourth inning Chris Stewart singled in his first game back from a long layaway, then Brett Gardner homered to right field to make it 5–0 and knock Hernandez out of the game.
The fifth inning is when the game started to go downhill, even though the Yankees kept on hitting. Granderson was hit on the hand, because of course he was, but seemed to be ok. Adams and Overbay singled to load the bases and Nix walked in a run. Stewart singled and Robinson Cano was hit by a pitch (HE WAS FINE) and it was 8–0. Ichiro Suzuki came in for Ichiro after that and the worrying began. The Yankees
Phelps gave up the perfect game in the bottom half of the inning, then in the sixth Jose Lobaton and Yunel Excobar singled, Matt Joyce doubled, Ben Zobrist grounded out and Luke Scott hit a sac fly and it was now 8-3. Phelps had not completely come undone, but he was unable to pitch as effectively as he had been before.
Jayson Nix tried to cheer us all up with a triple and then scored on a wild pitch, but it probably didn't work too well. The Rays scored another run on a sac fly and then David Phelps was hit by a pitch and had to leave the game and everyone freaked out.
By that point I was sufficiently done with this game and stopped caring. Boone Logan struck out the remaning batter of the inning and then Shawn Kelley gave up only a hit, but managed to not die and end the game.
The Yankees' 6-9 hitters all had two hits, but here's the box score if you want to look at other stuff.
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