Tonight was the first time in years where Mariano did not jog out of the bullpen to "Enter Sandman". Instead, it was David Robertson who got the call and came out of the pen to "Sweet Home Alabama". Mariano Rivera would have probably had a 13 pitch inning with at most, one runner on. Robertson loaded the bases before striking out Carlos Pena to end the game. Different tune. The result however, was the same as Yankees fans have experienced for years. While listening to the game on my MLB app at work, I was shaking when Pena stepped up. I knew that he would either strike out, or hit a big fly. I was pleased with the outcome. Robertson's ERA remains perfect even though he bent quite a bit tonight. Houdini did what Houdini does best.
The Yankees offense tonight was just what they needed. They got the big hits when runners were on. Ibanez had a monster game tonight, with two laser shots into right. Nova pitched brilliantly with the exception of the two solo home runs he gave up. He is striking guys out at a staggering pace, crushing his 2011 K rate per 9 innings. Teixeira may be coming out of his slump with a clutch RBI double to pad the Yankees lead for Robertson who ended up not needing the run anyway.
The fact that the Yankees got to James Shields and the Rays speaks volumes about this team. It shows that they are ready to fight back for getting swept out of the gate at Tropicana Field. The Yankees are carrying all of the momentum heading into game two of this series, which is a toss up. David Phelps will get his second start of the season and will go against Jeff Niemann. Also, Andy Pettitte will make his debut at the Stadium on Sunday against the Mariners. Given that it's a day game and the fact that the Mariners have a light hitting offense, the odds are in Pettitte's favor. He loves pitching day games.
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