This was actually a pitcher's duel until the sixth, with the Yankees again having trouble with Sean O'Sullivan. The hitters finally broke through with three solo homers in the sixth from A-Rod, Posada and Granderson, making it 4-1. Phil Hughes ran into a bit of trouble and bad luck in the bottom of the inning, letting Kansas City crawl within one.
From there A-Rod took control, belting a pair of two-run homers in the seventh and ninth innings. He became the first Yankee to hit three long-balls in a game since way back... in May, when Mark Teixeira hit three in Fenway Park. A-Rod took over the league lead in RBI with five tonight and 97 on the year (it was the fourth three-homer game of his career).
Hughes had the definition of a quality start (6 ip, 3 er), but failed to strike out a batter for the first time this season.
What a difference Teixeira makes at firstbase, especially evident after Lance Berkman's adventures there in the Texas series. He seemed to average a great play every inning and was a pleasure to watch.
Play of the Game: A-Rod's second homer that made the score 6-3 in the seventh (+19%).
Comment of the Game: RicketyCricket, not just for one but for a variety of great comments.