Yankees 11 – Rangers 1
Is there such a thing as a Big April Game? When the Yankees inhabit last place in the AL East, the answer is an emphatic YES.
So fixed on getting right was Derek Jeter that the captain called a players-only meeting after batting practice in which several of the Yankees spoke. It’s believed to be the first such meeting since 1999 when Don Zimmer was filling in for Joe Torre as Yankees manager.
Against that backdrop, the Yankees turned to Randy Johnson and begged their ace to pitch like one, halt a two-game slide and avoid a sweep by the Rangers. Johnson rewarded George Steinbrenner’s faith in him by overpowering the muscular Rangers on the way to an 11-1 victory in front of 42,732 at Yankee Stadium.
The victory gave the Yankees an 8-11 ledger, the same as it was a year ago after 19 games – although the sky seems to be falling quicker this time.
Johnson cost Steinbrenner $57 million and the blueprint didn’t call for the Hall of Fame lock to pitch Big Games in April. Johnson is a Yankee to beat the Red Sox in October.
Yet, if there ever was a Must Win in the first month of the season, yesterday was it and Johnson responded with a brilliant eight-inning effort in which he gave up one run, three hits and fanned seven.
“Obviously we needed a win but I didn’t go out there thinking that way,” said Johnson, who improved to 2-1 with his 248th career win, good for 42nd place all-time.
The only Ranger hit through 5 2/3 innings was Kevin Mench’s bloop single to center in the second that was in the air long enough to be caught by Bernie Williams or Tony Womack. Mench was the lone Ranger baserunner until Alfonso Soriano singled with two outs in the sixth. He scored on Gary Matthews’ triple. Johnson appeared to falter when he walked Michael Young, but he stranded both runners by getting Mark Teixeira on a fly to left.
“You couldn’t ask for him to be any better,” said Jeter, who went 3-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs.
Johnson watched the Yankees score four runs in the second off Pedro Astacio. Jorge Posada, Andy Phillips, Jeter and Womack drove in runs. The Yankees stretched the lead to 7-0 in the fifth when Jeter, Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez drove in runs. Jeter homered in the sixth and Phillips, who went 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs in his first start, hit a three-run homer in the eighth to finish the spanking.
He hasn’t been a Yankee very long, but Johnson has bought into pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre’s theory that today’s starter is the No. 1 chucker.
“We have a rotation that is capable of ending losing streaks,” Johnson said. “I never liked [being called an ace]. We have three [Johnson, Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown] who have all led staffs.”
With Brown struggling and Jaret Wright (shoulder) out for four-to-six weeks, the burden of leadership is on Johnson’s 6-foot-10 shoulders. Yesterday, he accepted the challenge after giving up five homers in his previous two starts.
“The biggest thing a starting pitcher has to do is put up zeroes and let our hitters get into the flow of the game,” Johnson said.
Brown gave up five runs in the first three innings Friday and Wright surrendered six in the initial three Saturday. Thanks to Johnson, the Yankees didn’t have to climb out of a ditch yesterday.
“We gave him something to work with,” Torre said of the early run support. “He was very economic pitch-wise. I couldn’t be happier.”
After all, his ace copped a Big April Win.