July 4 New York, NY.... Kevin Youkilis made the final Fourth at the ballpark truly memorable, sparking a come-from-behind 6-4 victory for the Red Sox on Friday with one of the strangest triples you'll ever see.
Mike Lowell drove in four including a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the fifth against Darrell Rasner (4-7), who lost for the seventh time in eight starts. But Youkilis created the lasting memory, hitting a drive that left New York's Johnny Damon with a sprained and bruised left shoulder, a momentum turner that sent the punchless Yankees to their fifth loss in six games.
Mike Lowell drove in four including a tiebreaking, three-run homer in the fifth against Darrell Rasner (4-7), who lost for the seventh time in eight starts. But Youkilis created the lasting memory, hitting a drive that left New York's Johnny Damon with a sprained and bruised left shoulder, a momentum turner that sent the punchless Yankees to their fifth loss in six games.
With New York leading 3-1 in the third, Youkilis hit a two-out scorcher with two on. Damon raced back, jumped and gloved it but as he crashed into the left-field fence, the ball popped out of the webbing of his glove. It bounced up off the top of the wall. And bounced. And bounced.
The ball came to rest on top of the fence, which was shaking from Damon's impact. The sellout crowd of 55,130 at Yankee Stadium wondered: Would it fall behind for a home run, roll back onto the field or just sit there?
Finally, the ball dropped back in and landed near Damon, who was sprawled on the warning track. A fan behind the fence frantically pointed to the ball. Youkilis cruised into third base as Boston tied it at 3. Damon checked his glove to determine whether he made the catch. Then he looked around for the ball. "I had no clue," he said. "When I didn't see it at first, I thought it might have been a home run."
Damon threw the ball back to the infield, threw his glove down and left the game. An MRI revealed a sprained acromioclavicular joint, and Damon said he would be out at least a few days. If the pain doesn't subside, he could wind up on the disabled list for the first time in a 14-season major league career.
New York fell into fourth in the AL East, percentage points behind Baltimore, six games back of the Red Sox and a season-high nine games behind division-leading Tampa Bay. The Yankees scored eight runs in their last five losses, batting .179. A day after going 0-for-10 with runners on base, the Yankees were 2-for-14. Josh Beckett (8-5) recovered from a three-run first that included a two-run double by Alex Rodriquez, A-Rod came in on Giambi's sacrifice fly, but New York didn't score again until Jeter's RBI double with two outs in the ninth off Jonathan Papelbon, a ball center fielder Coco Crisp gloved with a diving catch. Bell admitted umpires blew the call.
The battle resumes today with Justin Masterson (4-2 3.75) on the hill for the Sox opposing Mike Mussina (10-6 3.87).
The ball came to rest on top of the fence, which was shaking from Damon's impact. The sellout crowd of 55,130 at Yankee Stadium wondered: Would it fall behind for a home run, roll back onto the field or just sit there?
Finally, the ball dropped back in and landed near Damon, who was sprawled on the warning track. A fan behind the fence frantically pointed to the ball. Youkilis cruised into third base as Boston tied it at 3. Damon checked his glove to determine whether he made the catch. Then he looked around for the ball. "I had no clue," he said. "When I didn't see it at first, I thought it might have been a home run."
Damon threw the ball back to the infield, threw his glove down and left the game. An MRI revealed a sprained acromioclavicular joint, and Damon said he would be out at least a few days. If the pain doesn't subside, he could wind up on the disabled list for the first time in a 14-season major league career.
New York fell into fourth in the AL East, percentage points behind Baltimore, six games back of the Red Sox and a season-high nine games behind division-leading Tampa Bay. The Yankees scored eight runs in their last five losses, batting .179. A day after going 0-for-10 with runners on base, the Yankees were 2-for-14. Josh Beckett (8-5) recovered from a three-run first that included a two-run double by Alex Rodriquez, A-Rod came in on Giambi's sacrifice fly, but New York didn't score again until Jeter's RBI double with two outs in the ninth off Jonathan Papelbon, a ball center fielder Coco Crisp gloved with a diving catch. Bell admitted umpires blew the call.
The battle resumes today with Justin Masterson (4-2 3.75) on the hill for the Sox opposing Mike Mussina (10-6 3.87).
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