Game 43: Loss to Yankees
Yankees 2, Mets 1
Did you ever see a movie that you were REALLY excited to see? A movie that was REALLY interesting and totally lived up to its expectations for about 90 minutes, until something totally unbelievable and ridiculous happened that it totally took you out of the movie? You were suddenly aware that you were watching a movie and not just any movie, but a REALLY BAD movie?
Yeah, tonight’s game was like that. And Elmer Dessens was that unbelievable and ridiculous moment.
On a personal note, Dessens destroyed my fantasy team once and I wrote him off as a guy that really had no business on a Major League team since then.
That was in 2003.
Sorry for the tangent, but really, the Mets were lucky to get out of the 7th inning down 2-0. Say what you want about John Maine’s weird exit last night – but Maine deserves a spot on a team that employs Dessens in the bullpen.
Ugh. I digress (again).
Howie Rumberg of the Associated Press summed up this game in a paragraph:
Javier Vazquez pitched one-hit ball for six innings before becoming the latest pinstriped player to leave with an injury and the Yankees took advantage of more inept Mets play to win the opener of the Subway Series 2-1 on Friday night.
The only other thing you need to know is exactly how the scoring occured and Rumber has that covered, concisely:
Kevin Russo got his first hit of the season and first two big league RBIs and Mariano Rivera struggled to earn his first save after two subpar outings, helping the makeshift Yankees win their fourth straight game at Citi Field after sweeping the series last year.
Rivera gave up consecutive two-out doubles to Jason Bay and Ike Davis in the ninth inning, bringing a record Citi Field crowd of 41,382 to life before getting David Wright grounding to second for his eighth save in nine chances.
With both teams struggling – the Yankees because of injuries to several key players, and the Mets because of an anemic offense and a rotation in disarray – Vazquez and spot starter Hisanori Takahashi engaged in a fantastic pitchers’ duel for six innings.
The two big bright spots here are obvious – Takahashi continues to impress and Ike Davis is just… well, let’s not jinx it, although it does appear that second base is made out of kryptonite – or whatever Ike is allergic to.
Next Game
Mike Pelfrey (5-1, 3.02) takes the mound for the Mets on Saturday. Phil Hughes (5-0, 2.25) will start for the Yankees. First pitch at 7:10pm.
Enjoy this video of Opening Day at Shea Stadium, circa 1982. Sorry, I’m on a nostalgia kick:
