On this date: Posada powers a comeback
BRONX, N.Y. — It was a wild west shootout in the South Bronx. The seesaw affair saw the New York Yankees overcome a nine-run deficit to defeat the Texas Rangers 14-13.
Some of the Yankees 2005 pitching saviors were battered around in the early going of this 2006 contest. Shawn Chacon was lit up for seven runs in 1.1 innings of work.
Yet, the pinstripes would chip away against Rangers starter John Koronka. A Miguel Cairo single to left in the second stanza got the Yankees on the board. Derek Jeter, who collected four hits on the evening, delivered an RBI-double to center in the third inning. Later in the frame, Jorge Posada plated Jeter with a single to center.
During the fifth frame, Posada lifted a sac fly RBI to left and Robinson Cano followed with an RBI groundout.
Posada was also a rock behind the plate. During the sixth inning, on a two-out Hank Blalock double to left off Ron Villone, future Yankee first baseman Mark Teixeira rounded the bases and headed for home but was cut down at the plate, as Posada withstood the collision and held onto the ball for the final out.
With the Bronx Bombers trailing 10-5 in the sixth inning, Jeter clocked a three-run homer to right off reliever Scott Feldman. Later in the inning, a Bernie Williams RBI-double to right off Joaquin Benoit pulled the pinstripes within one. Two batters later, Cairo provided the pinstripes their first lead with a two-run single to left.
Yet, there was no time to rest and the lead was short-lived. Brad Wilkerson socked a two-run tater to right off Scott Proctor in the seventh.
New York would pull even in the home half, as Posada hoisted a sac fly RBI to left.
In the ninth inning, Texas scrapped away against Mariano Rivera and reclaimed the lead on a Rod Barajas RBI-double.
However, in the home half, the Yankees still had more hits in their 17 hit barrage on the night. Facing Akinori Otsuka, Johnny Damon reached on an infield single.
With the Bronx Bombers down to their final out, Posada blasted a two-run homer to right-center and it was bedlam in the Bronx!