Indians 5, Yankees 4
The New York Yankees came into the final game of a four game series leading the AL East and looking to take game number three away from the Indians. The Yankees sent out Phil Hughes to the mound to face former Yankees and Marlins pitcher Carl Pavano.
The beginning of the game was not a great one for Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes. In the third, Hughes gave up a two-run single off of third baseman Jhonny Peralta, which scored Trevor Crowe and Asdrubal Cabrera moving right fielder Ben Francisco. Mark DeRosa, on the next at-bat, flied out to right scoring Francisco.
Hughes would let up three runs that inning.
Hughes would only pitch five innings giving up a total of four runs and striking out six. By that time, the Yankees were down 4-0 heading into the top of the sixth.
But all would change in the sixth from the bat of Mark Teixeira. Big Tex would homer off of Pavano scoring Johnny Damon to cut the lead in half, 4-2.
Then in the eighth off of Rafael Perez, Teixeira hit a double scoring Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon. Teixeira had four RBI’s accounting for all of the Yankees four runs.
In the ninth, Phil Coke tried to extend the game into extra innings. He led off the inning with a walk to Trevor Crowe. Then Cabrera bunted to move Crowe over with one out.
Coke was taken out for David Robertson who walked Ben Francisco. Then on the next pitch, Jhonny Peralta singled past the diving A-Rod to score Crowe, and for the Indians to win in the ninth.
Coke was charged with the loss as he dropped to 1-3.
Chien-Ming Wang pitched three innings and struck out three, letting up zero hits, and walking one batter.
Francisco Cervelli started for Jorge Posada but went 0-for-2. Posada did eventually pinch hit for Cervelli.
