PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski throws out the first pitch Tuesday, June 24, before the Pirates game against the New York Yankees at PNC Park.Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review
Three months ago, during a spring training game, the New York Yankees showed up the Pirates by putting comedian Billy Crystal into their starting lineup against them.
Tuesday night, it was a laugher of a different sort.
The Pirates mashed two home runs, banged out 19 hits and mauled the not-so-mighty Yankees, 12-5, before a delirious, standing-room crowd.
With fans packed shoulder-to-shoulder on the left-field rotunda, the gathering of 38,867 was the third-largest in PNC Park history.
"I haven't seen that many people since we opened the stadium," shortstop Jack Wilson said. "When we scored in the first inning, you really heard it."
Said catcher Ryan Doumit, "It was a playoff-ish atmosphere."
Jose Bautista hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning off right-hander Darrell Rasner (4-5). Doumit, back in the lineup for the first time in a week after sustaining a concussion, hit a long solo shot in the fifth.
Adam LaRoche nearly went deep on the pitch after Doumit's homer, but the ball hit inches from the top of the center field wall. LaRoche wound up with his first triple in two years.
The Pirates amassed a season-high nine extra-base hits, including six doubles.
"Maybe it's contagious," Doumit said. "We got one big hit after another."
The Pirates' Ryan Doumit celebrates his fifth-inning, solo home run against the New York Yankees Tuesday, June 24, at PNC Park.
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review
Nate McLouth and Jason Bay each doubled twice. Freddy Sanchez had three hits. LaRoche also had a pair of RBI singles to notch his third three-hit game of the season.
It was the Pirates' first regular-season victory against the Yankees in 10 tries. It snapped a 48-year wait for a win in Pittsburgh, which began after Maz's homer soared out of Forbes Field in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.
"Nobody was intimidated," LaRoche said. "Nobody's looking over into that dugout thinking, 'Oh, man, I can't believe we're playing New York.' No. It's another team, another chance to win a game, and we took advantage of it."
The scoring spree allowed the Pirates to overcome another uneven outing by left-hander Tom Gorzelanny.
Gorzelanny (6-6) went six innings, and each of them involved heavy lifting. He gave up three runs on six hits and five walks and hit one batter.
Of Gorzelanny's 99 pitches, only 47 were strikes. The Yankees might have put up a few more runs if Derek Jeter had shown more patience at the plate.
"I got in some ugly situations," Gorzelanny said. "But when it came down to it, I made some pretty big pitches."
Pittsburgh Pirates' Jose Bautista, left, heads home after hitting a two-run home run off New York Yankees starting pitcher Darrell Rasner, right, in the fourth inning of the baseball game in Pittsburgh, Tuesday, June 24, 2008.
(AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Melky Cabrera walked to lead off the game. But on a 2-0 pitch, Jeter grounded into an easy double play.
The Pirates were leading, 2-0, in the third inning when Gorzelanny threw two strikes to Rasner. Gorzelanny's next 10 pitches were balls.
With two runners on base, Jeter jumped at a 3-1 pitch and hit a comebacker. Gorzelanny snagged the ball, looked briefly toward third, then turned and threw to second base.
Again, Gorzelanny's throw was slightly off-target. But Wilson lunged to make the catch and get a force out.
Three pitches later, Bobby Abreu grounded into an inning-ending double play.
"Gorzo did a great job battling through his stuff today," Wilson said. "He didn't really make a lot of good pitches early on, but he made the good pitches when it counted and got us the double-play balls."
Gorzelanny got two quick outs in the fourth, then gave up Jorge Posada's double, Robinson Cano's RBI single and Justin Christian's first major-league hit.
When Rasner walked again, loading the bases and drawing boos. But Cabrera grounded into a fielder's choice, snuffing the threat
"The whole game bothered me," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "We stunk, is the bottom line. We stunk."
The Yankees' big guns -- Jeter, Abreu, Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi -- went a combined 2 for 15.
Rob Biertempfel can be reached at rbiertempfel@tribweb.com or 412-320-7811.
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