Okay, so this game was basically the struggle between nature and baseball from before the game began. With storm clouds threatening over the Bronx, the game was briefly delayed its starting time by 21 minutes. Perhaps, in afterthought, this might not have been the greatest thing. Actually, playing the game in general may not have been the greatest thing as the majority of the game was playing in pouring rain.
Okay, the Rangers are in town for a 4-game series this week, and the weather certainly didn’t seem happy about it and certainly didn’t cooperate. For most of the game, despite the rain, the Yankees and Rangers had a bit of a back-and-forth in their own struggle for dominance, or a fairly normal game.
Ivan Nova got the start, throwing 94 pitches through his 5 innings, giving up 6 hits, 3 walks, and 4 runs, and striking out 4 Texas batters. It wasn’t his best outing, but it wasn’t that terrible all things considered. A 1-out solo home run in the 1st kicked things off for the Rangers. In the 3rd, a lead-off walk moved to 3rd on a double and scored on a ground out. And with the bases loaded in the 4th and 2 outs, a long single scored 2 runs before Nova closed out the inning with a nice strikeout.
But the Yankees seemed to answer back every single one of these offensive strikes from the Rangers. The Rangers’ starter also only went 5 innings, and in that time, the Yankees racked up 10 hits and 5 runs. In the 2nd, Teixeira singled, moved to 2nd on Gregorius’ 1-out single, and scored on Chase Headley’s single. And Aaron Hicks’ ground out scored Gregorius to give the Yankees the lead.
In the 3rd, with bases loaded, Starlin Castro’s single scored the lead runner and kept the bases loaded, but a double play ended that possibility. And in the 5th, Gardner and Beltran singled, and Brian McCann’s single scored Gardner. And two outs later, Didi Gregorius’ single scored Beltran.
Into the bullpen, both teams went and the 6th inning was the first of the game that no one scored a run, thanks to Richard Bleier’s 13-pitch efficient outing. Betances continued this for the Yankees in the 7th inning.
The Yankees gave themselves an insurance run in the bottom of the 7th when Mark Teixeira led-off with a solo home run to the right field seats (his 399th career homer). But then the Rangers answered back in Miller’s 8th inning when a 1-out solo home run kept the score within 1 run.
It was pouring buckets now, but still the game played on. Aroldis Chapman came on for the 9th inning to try to close out the game as part of the Warriors Three. But he had trouble gripping the ball in the rain, walking the 1st batter he faced and getting up to a 3-1 count before the umpires decided to delay the game.
It was 10:40 pm local time. And so we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And 3 hours and 35 minutes later, the rain was clear, the tarp (and it’s inches of rain collected on it) was off the field, drying agent applied to the infield, and the game was back on. Only about a hundred people had waited out, but they were given choice seats to see how this crazy game would pan out.
Chapman was out, and Kirby Yates took over. It was 2 am. He finished off the batter Chapman started with a nice strikeout. But then he hit 2 batters to load the bases. Apparently, the mound was a bit slippery. A single scored 2 runners putting the Rangers into the lead. Another hit-by-pitch loaded the bases again, and a fly out split the remaining fans in cheering. Another single scored 2 more runs and gave the Rangers a very secure lead before Yates got the last out.
So the Yankees came back in the bottom of the 9th to see if they could do anything with the now 3-run deficit. Castro led-off a single (which was challenged by the Rangers, but upheld, and seriously questioned by me as it was super late and why both delaying the game further). Castro moved to 2nd on a ground out, hung out there on Headley’s walk, and moved to 3rd on a fielder’s choice. But a line out ended the hope and the game.
{Media link: the rain, the delay, the Rangers’ comeback — mostly Rangers’ feed, but it shows what kind of wrath nature seemed to unleash over the Bronx tonight.}
Final score: 9-6 Rangers
Girardi (and many others) really questioned why the game was delayed when it was, and more precisely, why it wasn’t delayed much earlier. That heavy of rain can lead to injuries and illness, and it’s really not worth just pushing on for no solid reason other than it’s scheduled and it’s “not that bad”. It’s ridiculous actually. And most of the fans hung out on the concourses or in the stadium’s lounges or restaurants rather than camp out in their ponchos to watch the game.
One beat reporter put this online in the middle of the 8th inning before everything changed.
32,914 drenched fans in attendance tonight at the Stadium
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) June 28, 2016
Basically, it wasn’t a pleasant game for most anyone except the Rangers after 2 am. One broadcaster described the Rangers’ dugout atmosphere as if they had won the World Series. Okay. Time to regroup and pray for clear skies in the Bronx the rest of the week.
Roster news: recently designated for assignment, Ike Davis cleared waivers and was outrighted to AAA. Bascially, this was what he wanted after receiving his walking papers. Davis played for the Mets and loves playing in New York. With the way this season is going, chances are we’ll see Davis back in the Bronx again at some point.
Go Yankees!
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