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04/28/2005: "Project Baseball: Parts 6 & 7"
The day started just before 10 AM, when the 7 train went out of service at 111 Street, one stop before Shea Stadium, leaving me to walk the rest of the way and finding intense stomach discomfort once I got there -- and not just from a lousy ballgame.
The day ended with me griping about Jorge Posada and the difficulty of being a fan of a team that can never hope to exceed expectations because the expectations are for perfection.
Still, deep down, I had fun, thanks largely to the fact that, hey, it's baseball, and I was with good people. A little more beer would have helped, though.
April 27
Braves at Mets
Seats: Mezzanine Box 530 (just left of home plate)
Who I Went With: George and Joe
Hot Dogs: 1
Beers: 1
Game Highlight: Andruw Jones' homer off Heath Bell in the seventh inning was as towering a shot as you'll ever see and landed well up in the left field bleachers.
It Was Over When: Eddie Perez and Wilson Betemit hit back-to-back homers off Tom Glavine in the fifth inning to make it 7-3. The Braves won, 8-4.
Go To The Ballpark & See Something You've Never Seen Before: Glavine faced 26 batters. He gave up seven runs on 12 hits and three walks. I've seen guys give up more hits, runs and walks, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone last over four innings and get pounded that badly, especially not a future Hall of Famer.
April 27
Angels at Yankees
Seats: Loge Box 444 (on the third base side)
Who I Went With: Andy, Caroline and Eric
Hot Dogs: 1
Beers: 1
Game Highlight: Derek Jeter walked to lead off the first for the Yankees and Bernie Williams doubled down the left field line. Luis Sojo waved Jeter home, but a perfect throw from Garret Anderson nailed him at the plate.
It Was Over When: Down 5-1, the eventual final score, the Yankees had two on and one out in the sixth inning. Andy Phillips hit into a double play to end the inning.
Go To The Ballpark & See Something You've Never Seen Before: Two games in two parks in one day? No, I did that in Chicago and Milwaukee last year. For this game, I'll go with this: I've never seen anything as dumb as Jason Giambi. Down four runs, Giambi pinch hit to lead off the ninth inning. The Yankees needed one thing: baserunners. I can understand him not wanting to bunt against the shift simply for the purpose of breaking out of his hitting woes, but I can't fathom why he wouldn't drop one down the third base line there. Instead, he tapped in front of the plate to make the first out of a 1-2-3 inning.
Season Totals (7 Games)
Teams Seen (8 of 30): Angels (1-0), Astros (0-1), Braves (1-0), Devil Rays (1-0), Marlins (1-0), Mets (1-2), Red Sox (1-1), Yankees (1-3)
Hot Dogs: 10
Beers: 6
Game Log
Home team in CAPS
April 5: YANKEES 4, Red Sox 3
April 6: Red Sox 7, YANKEES 3
April 13: METS 1, Astros 0 (11)
April 17: Marlins 5, METS 2
April 19: Devil Rays 6, YANKEES 2
April 27: Braves 8, METS 4
April 27: Angels 5, YANKEES 1
Games decided in the 8th inning or later: 3 of 7
Home Runs (18)
Garret Anderson, Angels (off Mike Mussina)
Wilson Betemit, Braves (off Tom Glavine)
Victor Diaz, Mets (off A.J. Burnett)
Steve Finley, Angels (off Mike Mussina)
Cliff Floyd, Mets (off Mike Hampton)
Jason Giambi, Yankees (off Hideo Nomo)
Derek Jeter, Yankees (off Keith Foulke)
Andruw Jones, Braves (off Heath Bell)
Tino Martinez, Yankees (off Tim Wakefield)
Hideki Matsui, Yankees (off Matt Clement)
Doug Mientkiewicz, Mets (off Mike Hampton)
David Ortiz, Red Sox (off Carl Pavano)
Eddie Perez, Braves (off Tom Glavine)
Eduardo Perez, Devil Rays (2 off Randy Johnson)
Alex Rodriguez, Yankees (off Tim Wakefield, Jarrod Washburn)
Jason Varitek, Red Sox (off Mariano Rivera)
Three-Hit Games (8)
Garret Anderson, Angels (April 27)
Derek Jeter, Yankees (April 19)
Andruw Jones, Braves (April 27)
Hideki Matsui, Yankees (April 5)
Kevin Millar, Red Sox (April 6)
Bill Mueller, Red Sox (April 5)
David Ortiz, Red Sox (April 6)
Gary Sheffield, Yankees (April 27)
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