Bring on the varsity.
After playing the role of Secretariat against claimers and easily winning three from the Devil Rays, the Yankees open a three-game series with the Mariners tonight at Yankee Stadium.
“It’s important because we can measure ourselves against the best team right now,” Joe Torre said of the Mariners. “I think it will be a test for us.”
That’s why having the putrid Devil Rays on the schedule couldn’t have come at a better time for the Yankees, who needed to nurse the welts put on them by the A’s last weekend.
To their credit, the Yankees took advantage of the soft spot by punishing a collection of Triple-A players, completing the three-game sweep with a 12-5 drubbing yesterday in front of 43,600.
Even though Sterling Hitchcock wasn’t sharp in five innings and didn’t show signs of improved arm strength, topping out at 85 mph, it didn’t matter. David Justice hit a three-run homer in the first, Paul O’Neill drove a grand slam into the upper deck in the second and Bernie Williams provided a three-run double in the sixth. All of the bombs were served by Ryan Rupe (5-10).
Working with a large cushion early, Hitchcock evened his Yankee record at 2-2 with a 67-pitch effort. He gave up three runs and seven hits.
With a 72-49 record, the Yankees hold a 5-game lead over the Red Sox.
“I doubt it’s the stuff I want to have,” Hitchcock said. “But you go out there, make your pitches, battle and hopefully good things happen.”
Helping Hitchcock was the double play balls he fed Brent Abernathy in the third and Jared Sandberg in the fourth.
Justice’s 14th homer came off a 3-0 pitch and provided Hitchcock with an early cushion. However, he gave an indication it wasn’t going to be easy by walking the leadoff man, Greg Vaughn, to start the second. Aubrey Huff and Felix Martinez drove in runs to pull the visitors to within, 3-2.
“There are aggressive hitters at 3-0 or passive hitters and I am aggressive,” said Justice, who has also been selective since he has walked five times (one intentional) in the past two games.
O’Neill made sure the Devil Rays didn’t gain confidence when he crushed a 2-2 fastball into top tier of seats in right for his 18th homer.
“He had just thrown a fastball by him,” Torre said of Rupe. “He had him 2-2 and tried to do it again and Paul was ready for it.”
Ramiro Mendoza followed Hitchcock and retired all six batters he faced. Mike Stanton gave up two hits but not a run in the eighth before Randy Choate’s inability to throw strikes consistently surfaced and forced Torre to bring Mark Wohlers in with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth.
While working to Abernathy, Wohlers watched Todd Greene get charged with a passed ball. That scored Huff from third. When Greene’s throw to Wohlers got past the pitcher, Martinez tried to score and was out thanks to a sharp throw by first baseman Luis Sojo.