Hafner's hit beats Yanks as Indians grab 2-0 series lead

06.10.2007 03:00 Sport and Travel - Source: USA Today

The pesky Cleveland Indians knocked off the Yankees, 2-1, in 11 innings at Jacobs Field on Travis Hafner's two-out, bases-loaded single, leaving the Yankees gasping for breath in this American League Division Series.

GAME REPORT: Indians 2, Yankees 1 (11 innings)PHOTO GALLERY: How are the playoffs looking?

The Indians lead 2 games to 0 with the best-of-five series continuing Sunday night at Yankee Stadium.

"This couldn't have gone any better," says Indians first baseman Ryan Garko. "We've been bragging about our two aces all season, and now everyone has a chance to see it first hand. We couldn't waste this pitching performance.

"If we had lost tonight, it would have been a tough plane flight and a long off-day."

Now, that feeling will belong to the Yankees, who not only dodged a bizarre scene of insects flying in their face, but yet another dazzling pitching performance, this time by Indians starter Fausto Carmona.

New York managed just three hits and reached second base just three times the entire game, with Melky Cabrera the lone Yankee to touch third base on his third-inning home run.

Yet, it was almost good enough. The Indians, who went 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position, remained scoreless until the eighth.

That's when things turned, well, buggy.

Yankees rookie reliever Joba Chamberlain came out to the mound but was soon followed by trainer Gene Monahan, who noticing that a sea of midges — an insect related to mosquitoes — infiltrated the ballpark, ran out with bug spray. He sprayed Chamberlain's hat. His shirt. His neck. His pants.

Soon, he was spraying every Yankee with bug spray, but instead of acting as a repellent, it's as if it attracted the gnats like cheap perfume. Chamberlain, clearly bothered with the tiny bugs covering his neck and face, even flying into his mouth, walked Grady Sizemore on four pitches.

"I've never seen the bugs like that here," said Indians left fielder Kenny Lofton, who called for assistance when a bug flew into his eye. "It was crazy."

Chamberlain kept trying to concentrate, but looked around, and there was his whole infield jumping up and down, swatting away the nasty insects. Shortstop Derek Jeter looked like he was being attacked by face-eating locusts, swatting the bugs away with his hand and cap between pitches.

"He was having trouble seeing out there," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "I'll tell you one thing about (Chamberlain), he never lost his composure.

"Unfortunately, it came at a bad time."

Chamberlain, after walking Sizemore, threw a wild pitch and then asked for another dose of spray. Home-plate umpire Laz Diaz also stepped in and got sprayed.

Asbrubal Cabrera then sacrificed Sizemore to third. Hafner then lined a bullet to first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, who was playing in for the second out. But Chamberlain unleashed another wild pitch, this time one that bounced to the backstop before caroming back to catcher Jorge Posada.

Sizemore sprinted from third and just beat the throw from Posada to Chamberlain, who was knocked over by Sizemore.

"I've never seen anything like it," Garko said of the bugs. "It was unbelievable. You saw what happened to their guy. But our guy never flinched.

"Hey, what are you going to do? It's just bugs. It's what you make of it. You can make a ton of excuses, but you just deal with it."

Crew chief Bruce Froemming, a Wisconsin native used to mosquitoes, said he never considered delaying the game.

"No, because it was just a little irritation," Froemming said. "We've had bugs before. I've seen bugs and mosquitoes since I started umpiring. It might not be a perfect scenario.

"It's just like a rain situation, almost, except a little more irritating."

The bugs finally went away, but the Indians didn't. Carmona pitched brilliantly for nine innings, yielding just three hits. Rafael Perez came into the game in the 10th and retired all six batters he faced.

"It was unbelievable," Hafner said of Carmona's performance. "To go up against that lineup and give up one run, it's amazing."

The Yankees matched the Indians, with closer Mariano Rivera pitching two shutout innings, until the 11th.

Luis Vizcaino, the fourth New York pitcher, ran into immediate trouble by walking Kenny Lofton and giving up a single to Franklin Gutierrez. Casey Blake sacrificed the runners and Sizemore was intentionally walked.

Cabrera, who didn't hit the ball out of the infield all game, popped up to first baseman Shelly Duncan for the second out, bringing up Hafner. He worked the count full, and then slammed a single into right field, while his teammates ran out of the dugout mobbing him.

"I think last year that was a game we would lose," Hafner said. "We would miss some opportunities, and lose. But this year it's different. We find a way to cover up mistakes and find a way to win."

And the Yankees, who have lost 12 of their last 15 postseason games, continue to find ways to lose.

They have beaten Cleveland 17 of 20 games since 2002 at Yankee Stadium, but must find some way to re-ignite an offense that has disappeared. New York, producing its lowest postseason hit total since facing Randy Johnson in Game 2 of the 2001 World Series, is hitting just .121 through two games. Nos. 4 through No. 6 hitters —Alex Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada— are hitless.

Yet, once again, no one is struggling like Rodriguez, who went hitless in four at-bats while striking out three times. He is hitting just .085 (4-for-47) without an RBI in his last 14 postseason games.

I'm pressing," said Rodriguez, hitless in his last 28 postseason at-bats on the road, "but I've got to swing at strikes. I've got to stop swinging at bad pitches."

The Indians, who haven't won a World Series since 1948, now have a chance to put the Yankees away for good Sunday against Roger Clemens. The Yankees, who have won 26 World Series titles, haven't been swept in a postseason series since 1980 when Kansas City beat them for the American League pennant.

"We've got to keep playing our game," Indians catcher Victor Martinez said. "It's brought us this far, why change now?"

And if the Yankees don't soon change, well, there could be plenty during a long, cold winter.

"We've been in a hole all year," Rodriguez said. "A big win right now would take a lot of pressure off all of us."

  Add comment

Name:
E-Mail:
Comment:
Enter code: