New York Yankees extend division lead with 8-6 win over the Tampa Bay Rays
There is no better way to cap off a night where your late owner is being honoured than with a win that could very well be the key victory in securing the division title.
A statue of the late George Steinbrenner was unveiled behind the centre field fence, right before his former team, the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-6 on Monday in a crucial match to extend their
division lead. Steinbrenner’s monument joins ones of Miller Huggins, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Joe Dimaggio.
Derek Jeter’s could very well be there some day as well as he continues to play at a high level. It was his single in the sixth that knocked in the go-ahead run; he also scored two runs joining Mickey Mantle
for third on the all-time Yankees list with 1677 runs scored.
Ivan Nova pitched well once again, but failed to factor into the decision. He retired the side in three of the first five innings and only gave up one run and a walk. With a four run lead going into the sixth
inning he looked like he might finally get that elusive second win. However, after letting the first four batters reach base and then getting Evan Longoria to hit into a double play he was pulled out with the score 4-2 and two outs. The Rays scored two more
before the inning finally ended.
"I'm doing something I'm not supposed to be doing, and I have to figure it out," Nova said of his disconcerting habit of allowing the big inning. "I was pitching good the first five innings, and then one
inning, boom, it was gone."
The Yankees answered the Rays four-run inning with a four-run inning of their own. Derek Jeter hit a single to centre field that scored Brett Gardner. Curtis Granderson hit his second home run of the day,
a three-run shot to right field to make the score 8-4.
Granderson had hit one in the first inning to open up the scoring and give the Yankees an early 2-0 lead.
Tampa Bay scored another run in the seventh inning off a sacrifice fly by Evan Longoria. Longoria hit a RBI single off Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning to close the lead to 8-6. Two batters latter Rivera
got Matt Joyce to hit a ground ball to first for the final out of the game.
With the win the Yankees improved to 91-59 on the season and increased their lead over the Rays to one and a half games. However, Tampa Bay still holds the advantage in the season series between the two teams,
8-7.
Scheduled to take the mound for the Yankees in the second game of a four game series with Tampa Bay is Phil Hughes with James Shields set to do so for the Rays. The two faced off less than a week ago at Tropicana
Field. Hughes was credited with the loss in a 4-3 Tampa Bay victory.
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