Game 8 - AJ Saves the Day

Capitalism 1, Socialism 1.  Not enough superlatives could describe the performance by AJ Burnett today.  After watching Wang do his best impersonation of a pitcher who does not belong in the major leagues (hell, I've seen better pitchers in my slow pitch softball leagues), Burnett tossed 8 solid innings, striking out 9, and provided a huge shot in the arm to a depleted bullpen. 

Burnett pitched a no-hitter through 6 innings, till he gave up 3 consecutive singles and a sac fly in the 7th, allowing the penny pinching Rays to tie the score 2-2.  The revenue sharing, keeping the rest of the league afloat, Yankees, recaptured the lead in the top of the 8th on a Mark Teixeira sac fly, and blew the game open with 4 runs in the ninth with Brett Gardner driving in a run with a double and Jeter following up with a 3-run HR.  Brian Bruney struck out the side on 10 pitches in the ninth to help the boys from Gotham tie up the series.  

Nick Swisher kept up his hot hitting, with his team leading 4th homer in the fourth inning, after being brushed back with a high fastball - possibly retaliation for his previous night's stint on the mound where he seemed to enjoy himself.   Swisher played in LF for Damon, who sat this one out, but Girardi did the right thing and kept the 53-year old on the bench and used Posada as the DH.  And this just in - after last night's APB for Derek Jeter's whereabouts, he was spotted going 3-5 along with that HR he hit.  Gardner also went 3-5, showing some pop in his light bat with 2 doubles.  Thank God he's gotten off to a decent start, otherwise we'd be talking about Melky possibly replacing him, or worse, trading for Mike Cameron - another low contact type hitter this team can't afford to have in the lineup (another 10 Ks for the team tonight).  

Burnett, though, was the story of the night.  Once again, he was called upon to stop a 2 game losing streak.  He retired the first 6 batters he faced before walking Pat Burrell on a full count. He proceeded to retire the next 12 batters before Carl Crawford laced an opposite field single to left on a 1-2 count.  Perhaps shaken up, Longoria and Pena followed with singles as well and with Burrell's SF, the Yanks 2-0 lead was gone.  However, the Yanks regained the lead in the top of the 8th, and Girardi did the right thing by sending Burnett back out to the mound in the bottom of the frame as he retired all 3 batters.  Brian Bruney harnessed the ghost of Goose Gossage in the ninth, throwing pure gas to end the game.  It makes one wonder why relief pitchers can't perform this way when the game is on the line with a 1 or 2 run lead.  It was the best I've ever seen of Bruney.  

Yanks Record:  4-4