GAME 81: Brian Roberts accomplished what the high-priced sluggers rarely have this season — came up with the big hit when it was needed most. Roberts hammered a dramatic 365ft. rocket off the face of the second deck in right off Tampa reliever Joel Peralta, knotting the game at 3.
With Derek Jeter on second and two out in the bottom of the tenth, catcher Brian McCann struck out, and no Yankee reached base after that. Tampa Ray Logan Forsythe‘s RBI single in the top of the 12th off Jose Ramirez was enough for the 4-3 final.
After the game, McCann summed it up perfectly:
“That was a tough one. We fought, B-Rob came up with a huge home run, we got some good pitching tonight. We just didn’t get the big hit when we needed it.”
Since we’re down to moral victories these days, how about not letting nemesis Chris Archer notch his 5th consecutive win against New York in his first 5 career starts against New York. How about that? Here’s the box score and recap.
MEMORY LANE: On June 30th, 1997, the Yankees defeated the Atlanta Braves, 1-0 in ten innings in an inter-league matchup. Andy Pettitte, Kenny Rogers, and Mike Stanton combined for the shutout victory. A Luis Sojo single in the bottom of the 10th scored catcher Joe Girardi for the win.
