Randy Johnson pitched the way we had hoped he would when he got here. His slider was nasty and fastball was consistent.
The Pirates aren't the Orioles, but a complete game, eleven strikeout, five hit performance is what we needed and have expected from him. A sweep gives us some nice momentum facing the Cubs this weekend.
Our offense was good, and Giambi got another long double so who knows what to espect from him. One thing is certain. The team is really pulling for him as evident by the reception he got at the plate last night after the game winning HR.
The bigger story I think is that Posada is out and Flaherty is in as Randy's personal catcher the rest of the season. That's not a new phenomenon in baseball, but it proves the quiet rumblings that Johnson was not happy with Jorge behind the plate.
I think it works in the Yanks favor because it will give Posada extra rest throughout the season and keep him as fresh as possible. He usually has a good start to the season then runs out of gas by September. I'm not a big fan of his defense anyway and Johnson looks so much more comfortable with John behind the plate.