YANK NOTES
Second baseman Chuck Knoblauch’s fifth-inning throwing error was his team-high 15th error of the season. Knoblauch, who won a Gold Glove two years ago with the Twins, came into yesterday’s game leading all American League second basemen in errors and with the worst fielding percentage.
Boston’s Jose Offerman was a distant second, with 10 errors. Knoblauch did, however, go 3-for-4 at the plate and lead off the game by getting hit by a pitch. He is hitting .375 in his last 40 at-bats.
* Detroit first baseman Tony Clark’s seventh-inning home run off Andy Pettitte yesterday carried 429 feet to dead center in the Stadium, out into the “black” section of the bleachers. It marked only the 17th time in the 24-season history of the remodeled Yankee Stadium that a home run had reached the black, and Clark was only the 14th player to do so.
Clark is the only player to reach the “black” this year; Darryl Strawberry (April 30), Bernie Williams (June 7) and Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen (July 1) all did it last season.
* Despite the Yankees’ merry-go-round in left field – Bombers have started five players there this year – manager Joe Torre has said he is going to stick with Shane Spencer for the foreseeable future.
“Everybody knows the situation; he’s been given a chance to secure it because he gives us something the other guys don’t – power,” Torre said. “He’s our left-fielder. The only thing he doesn’t have going for him is the track record. But I’m not looking to replace him or for him to fall on his face.”
Spencer had been struggling on the field and suffering off it, and came to Torre during the team’s series in Tampa Bay and apologized for letting personal matters – death of a grandparent among them – get in the way of his play. And Spencer has been red-hot of late, with 10 hits in his last 27 at-bats and three homers in his last five games.
“He came in and talked to me in Florida and apologized for not – in his words – being there. That sort of (explained) how he was doing so well and tailed off,” Torre said. “He came into me and apologized to me for seemingly how it affected him. He needed to come in and, in his mind, tell me the reason he wasn’t doing well. His mind was elsewhere, which we can’t allow to happen. We’re not allowed to be human in this game.”
* Shortstop Derek Jeter has reached base safely in all but one of his 74 games. He went 1-for-5 to stretch his hitting streak to 10 games, his fourth double-digit hitting streak of the year. Center fielder Bernie Williams went 1-for-3 to stretch his hitting streak to 11 games.
* Detroit catcher Brad Ausmus served his one-game suspension yesterday.
* Righty Hideki Irabu (4-3, 4.73) closes out the Detroit series at 7:35 tonight against Dave Mlicki (3-7, 5.00). David Cone (8-2, 2.60) opens the Baltimore series tomorrow night at 7:35 against Jason Johnson (1-2, 7.26), while Orlando Hernandez (9-6, 3.91) goes against Sidney Ponson (7-5, 3.69) Saturday at 4:35 p.m.