This was all about the pitching. Phil Hughes threw a "quality start," continuing his strong run while dropping his ERA below 5.00 for the first time since his initial start. He tossed six innings, allowing single runs in the third and fourth, that forced the Yanks into a 2-0 hole.
The Bombers quickly got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to a long Robinson Cano solo homer. It only took until the next frame before they scored twice and took the lead. Mark Teixeira singled through the shift, reaching second on an error. Russell Martin took one for the team and jogged to first. Dewayne Wise dropped a beautiful bunt down the third base line that turned into an infield single. Derek Jeter stepped to the plate with RISP! He looped a single into shallow right field and the contest was tied 2-2. A Curtis Granderson groundout gave the Yanks a 3-2 lead, one they would narrowly hang onto the rest of the night.
Joe Girardi used five pitchers to get the last nine outs of the game. To his credit, it worked: Wade, Logan, Eppley, Rapada and Soriano.
The last play of the game put my heart in my throat. With the tying run on third, SS Alcides Escobar, a fast runner, hit a third-base-line-hugging-grounder that A-Rod fielded deep behind the base; he gunned the ball high to first, and it took an incredible stretch by Tex to get the out, preserving the win. Whew.
Going back to Hughes, he didn't throw as hard as he had previously (generally 91-92 MPH), but he featured a solid curveball and great changeup. He's so confident in his change, in fact, that he's throwing it to righties, a rarity even for aces like CC Sabathia. He struck out seven and walked two, allowing five hit (including a homer to Jeff Francoeur).
Play of the Game: One of those rare occasions where it came from the losing side - Alex Gordon's one-out double in the ninth that represented the tying run (-14%).
Comment of the Game: loadtimes for posting Tex's "insano" face.