Boomerang

Wells struggles in Red Sox debut, can't beat Yankees in return to the Stadium

April 04, 2005|Globe Staff

NEW YORK -- This felt like October, a chilling 43 degrees at gametime, bunting lining the facing of the second and third decks at Yankee Stadium, flashbulbs illuminating the 54,818 fans, most of whom, given the cold, came wearing hues appropriate for a funeral.

This, however, was a resurrection. The Yankees, buried in unprecedented fashion in four games last October, reintroduced themselves to the Red Sox in forceful fashion, pounding the defending World Series champions, 9-2.

David Wells, given the ball for his experience (86 career appearances) and dominance (2.94 ERA as a visitor) in the house that his idol, Babe Ruth, built, lasted just 4 1/3 innings. The 41-year-old was knocked around for 10 hits -- matching his season high with San Diego last season -- twice hit Jason Giambi, and walked one. Boomer threw 80 pitches, 52 for strikes, but too many in far-too-hittable locations. Fellow 41-year-old Randy Johnson, meanwhile, looked unaffected by age or expectation. Combining his 2005 base pay and the money the Yankees tossed into the deal with the Diamondbacks, Johnson will cost George Steinbrenner about $900,000 per start this season. If one man can be worth that much, Johnson was, for reasserting Yankee dominance for one night.

"A loss was imminent," Johnny Damon said. "Everyone's glad this first game is behind us. We know we didn't play well. But we can relax. There was so much hype. A lot of pressure is off our team."

Damon and his top-of-the-order teammates managed next to nothing all night. Damon, Edgar Renteria, Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz combined to go 1-for-16 with six strikeouts, all of the whiffs coming against Johnson.

Hideki Matsui, "Mr. Clutch," according to Damon, provided the game's two foremost turning points. He saved two runs with some spectacular mid-air retrieval work in the second inning. In a scoreless game, with Ortiz on second, Matsui went into Row 1 of the seats to take away what would have been a two-run homer for Kevin Millar.

Then, in the eighth, Matsui lost a Matt Mantei pitch over the wall in right-center field, turning a 6-1 game into an 8-1 Yankee lead. Matsui, Millar acknowledged, has come to be the player the Sox expect to do something special more than any other Yankee.

"The ball he hit tonight, if it wasn't windy, that might have hit the last row [of the bleachers],"

Damon said. The Sox meanwhile, didn't help themselves by playing poor defense. Damon allowed Alex Rodriguez's single to bounce off his chest in the sixth inning, scoring Derek Jeter and giving Rodriguez second base. Jeter would have scored anyhow, so Rodriguez was credited with a single and an RBI. Yet Ruben Sierra doubled two batters later, scoring Rodriguez.

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