The Yankees and Red Sox put on another memorable show on Opening Night.
But the ending is one the Yanks would like to forget. And the stars who flubbed
their big moments - Jorge Posada and the bullpen - will have 17 more chances against rival Boston to get it right.
The two powerhouses supplied some serious bang for the buck for the 37,440 at Fenway Park and a national television audience.
"It seems like a lot of games go like this," Derek Jeter said. "There's something about this field; it always seems like the game's not over with."
The Yankees are hopeful that they won't see many more games like this one, which saw them cough up leads of four runs and two runs over the final four innings, ultimately falling by a 9-7 final.After living up to their light-hitting reputation through the first four frames, the Red Sox pounced on CC Sabathia and a suddenly suspect bullpen for eight runs during their final four at-bats, showing the Yankees - and the rest of the league - that they don't plan on being the 98-pound weaklings everyone perceives them to be.
"I know they have a very explosive offense and they can get to you quickly," Girardi said, apparently not buying into the hype. "That's what they did tonight."
As difficult as the loss was for a Yankees team with its eye on a repeat, the mantra inside the clubhouse was predictable: It's only one game.
"You don't make too much out of one game - either way," Girardi said. "It's a long season."
As Sabathiawalked to the mound in the fifth inning with a 5-1 lead and only one hit against him, the Yankees appeared to have the game in control. But as anybody that has played here will tell you, no lead is safe in this ballpark.
One Boston run in the fifth and three more in the sixth and the game was tied, destined to be another one of these never-ending marathons between the two American League East heavyweights.
The Yankees jumped back on top with two runs in the seventh, hoping their bullpen could bridge the gap to Mariano Rivera. With all the talk about who would pitch the eighth inning, the seventh turned out to be a much bigger problem.
Chan Ho Park served up a two-run homer to Dustin Pedroia that tied the game at 7. Kevin Youkilis doubled, moved to third base on a Damaso Marte wild pitch and scored on a passed ball by Posada, bringing the Fenway faithful to their feet as the Sox led for the first time.
"You can't get comfortable with a lead here," Posada said. "You have to keep going."
How close have these teams been to each other during the past seven years? Since 2003, they've played 145 games in the regular season and postseason, with the Yankees holding a 74-71 advantage. It's no wonder they have combined for 12 of a possible 14 playoff appearances during that stretch, a trend that could easily continue six months from now.
"I've had a chance to see a lot of crazy games here," Girardi said. "When you have two teams that are very talented, you can have a lot of runs put up or both teams can be shut down by good pitching."
A solo homer and a leaping catch at the wall, both in the second inning, made it look like Curtis Granderson's first foray into Yankees-Red Sox would be a smashing success. But there he was in the ninth inning, facing Jonathan Papelbon with two outs representing the tying run. Granderson grounded out to third baseman Adrian Beltre to end the game, sending the Yankees into the off-day with an 0-1 record. "The one that will be remembered is the fact that I didn't come through at the end of the game," Granderson said, choosing to focus on his final failure rather than his early-game heroics.
The Yankees dropped their first eight games to the Red Sox last year, leading many to question whether Boston had taken up residence inside the Bombers' heads. Last night's opener was the furthest thing from dominant, but it was certainly entertaining.
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