If you didn’t watch today’s game between the New York Mets and New York Yankees, I envy you.
I am a baseball junkie, I love to just watch the game; Any two teams at any time.
However, today’s game was a painful one to sit through, and if it were not for the fact that it was a Mets game, the television would have been shut off after the fourth inning.
Sorry for the editorializing.
Johan Santana had his worst start of the season and perhaps his career, lasting just three innings and yielding nine earned runs. His fastball was slower than normal and he wasn’t as sharp as he normally is. But, before the Yankees nine-run bonanza in the fourth, there was some hope.
The Bombers took a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Some mistakes were made, such as Fernando Martinez badly missing his cut-off man, a play that could have ended the inning. Francisco Cervelli was caught between second and third and the correct throw would have gotten him.
But in the new Yankee Stadium, a four-run lead is nothing. And the Mets nearly made that the case.
Two walks and a hit loaded the bases in the top of the third inning and Burnett, all of the sudden staked to a 4-0 lead, began to look absolutely terrible. After running a full-count, the Yankees scored an extremely generous call when it was ruled Alex Cora had gone around on what looked to be ball four. Fernando Martinez then came up and ran a full count, but he too struck out swinging. Beltran then lined a shot to Derek Jeter at short and the inning was over.
That call on Cora completely changed the game, and a questionable call it was. But, from there on, there was little doubt about the outcome. The Yankees exploded in the fourth, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano both went yard to right field in the frame and Nick Swisher walked and scored twice in that inning.
13-0 at the end of four and the final five innings were spent going through the motions. Fortunately, for those Mets fans watching television, Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and Keith Hernandez kept things light and entertaining, sharing a few funny yarns to keep a good mood. For Mets fans actually attending the game, any baseball fans will would be tested in a game like this. It was that bad.
It’s a little disturbing that in the Mets two losses to the Yankees, they had A.J. Burnett on the ropes in one game and in the other, Joba Chamberlain walked the entire building. But, the Mets couldn’t make either bad performance stick. Burnett’s final numbers looked good, seven innings, four hits, four walks, eight strikeouts, but the Mets were on the verge of knocking him out of the box early.
Adding further to the quagmire that was this series, Francisco Rodriguez confronted Brian Bruney before the game about comments Bruney made to the media about Rodriguez, something you see a bit more often in the NHL. However, neither pitched in today’s game.
The Mets will try to regroup with a day off tomorrow and the head to Oriole Park at Camden Yards to face the Baltimore Orioles in a three-game set. Mike Pelfrey will be the first to take the mound against Jeremy Guthrie on Tuesday, June 16. First pitch will be at 7:05 PM.
Mark Krulish is a contributor to HowBoutThemMets.com and can be reached at arwing26@gmail.com
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