LIVEBLOGGING: New York Mets vs New York Skankees. 6/29/08
A Sunday morning game on TBS means it's a Mets-Yankees game I actually get to see. That's pretty damn rare these days as I haven't the slightest idea when the Mets will be on national TV again. And they sure ain't coming to California again for the rest of the season unless they AND the Dodgers or Giants or Padres somehow miraculously make the playoffs.
But I'll take the few games I can watch and try to enjoy. With Oliver Perez on the mound for the Mets, the "try" part may prove difficult.
One thing I HAVE grown a bit tired of when watching the highlights of the last couple of games recently, is shots of little kids together. One wearing a Met hat, one wearing a Yankee hat, and the two kids are BEST FRIENDS! Fuck that, you can't be friends with the enemy! You have to bludgeon them with a bat! Even at age 7.
Tell little Antonio that the douchebag next to him wearing a Derek Jeter t-shirt stole his iPod, and watch the havoc ensue.
Onto the game!!!
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Top of 1st Inning:
10:11am: Johnny Damon goes down swinging. 1 out.
10:13am: On the off chance that Oliver Perez ends up pitching wildly today, I'd at least like him to hit Yankee batters in the face with the ball. Especially Derek fucking Jeter.
10:14am: Derek Jeter grounds out sharply to 2B Luis Castillo, 4-3. 2 out.
10:15am: Alex Rodriguez fouls out to 1B Carlos Delgado. 3 out.
Bottom of 1st Inning:
10:17am: Jose Reyes lines a 0-1 pitch into short rightfield for a leadoff single.
10:18am: Luis Castillo squares to bunt but pulls back at the last second. Jose Molina can't catch the ball and it goes to the backstop. Jose Reyes takes 2nd on the Passed Ball.
10:21am: Luis Castillo fails to bunt or even make contact as he watches strike 3 go by him on the outside corner. 1 out.
10:22am: David Wright hits a long long flyball to deep right-centerfield, but RF Justin Christian pulls it down just in front of the wall. Jose Reyes tags up to 3rd. 2 out.
10:25am: Carlos Beltran walks. Runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 out.
10:26am: Jose Reyes is dancing off 3rd to a ridiculous degree.
10:27am: With Carlos Beltran running on the 0-1 pitch, Carlos Delgado flies out to CF Melky Cabrera. 3 out.
Top of 2nd Inning:
10:31am: Jorge Posada strikes out. 1 out.
10:34am: Wilson Betemit strikes out swinging. 2 out.
10:36am: Melky Cabrera groundsout to SS Jose Reyes, 6-3. 3 out.
Bottom of 2nd Inning:
10:39am: Ryan Church returns!!! And now endless second-guessing about the concussion handling resumes...
10:40am: Ryan Church lines out to 1B Jorge Posada. 1 out.
10:42am: Endy Chavez hits a ball into the shallow right-centerfield Bermuda Triangle that no one can get to. Chavez on 1st with a single.
10:44am: Brian Schneider hits a groundball between 1st and 2nd for a single. Chavez to 2nd base.
10:45am: Oliver Perez lays down a sac bunt towards 3rd. Alex Rodriguez fields it and throws to Posada at 1B for the 2nd out. Schneider and Chavez move up a base.
10:46am: TBS lets us know that Yankees pitcher Darrell Rasner's has an 0-3, 10.93 ERA over his last 3 road games.
10:47am: Jose Reyes takes an intentional unintentional walk to load up the bases.
10:51am: Luis Castillo works a full count from Rasner and hits a chopper up the middle for one of his patented infield singles. Derek Jeter makes a nice play and throws to Posada at 1B but Castillo beats the throw. Endy Chavez scores. Mets up 1-0. Bases loaded for David Wright with 2 out.
10:54am: David Wright grounds out to 3B Alex Rodriguez, who runs to third base for the out before Jose Reyes gets there. 3 out.
Top of 3rd Inning:
10:59am: Jose Molina strikes out swinging. 1 out.
11:00am: Justin Christian pops out to 1B Carlos Delgado. 2 out.
11:02am: Pitcher Darrell Rasner strikes out looking. 3 out.
Bottom of 3rd Inning:
11:05am: Ron Darling reminds us that no Met has ever pitched a no-hitter. *sigh*
11:06am: Carlos Beltran pops up to 2B Wilson Betemit. 1 out.
11:09am: Carlos Delgado hits a mammoth HR just to the right of the Apple, which hits off the scoreboard. 2-0 Mets.
11:10am: Ryan Church hits a flyball into shallow LF that SS Derek Jeter cannot get to. Church on 1st with a single.
11:12am: With Ryan Church running on the pitch, Endy Chavez hits a 3-1 chopper right down to 1B Jorge Posada, who steps on the bag for the out. 2 out.
11:14am: Brian Schneider is intentionally walked so Darrell Rasner can face Oliver Perez.
11:16am: Oliver Perez strikes out swinging. 3 out.
Top of 4th Inning:
11:20am: The lights are on at Shea with darkening skies and the threat of rain looming.
11:21am: Johnny Damon strikes out. That's 6 K's in 4 IP. 1 out.
11:22am: Derek Fucking Jeter breaks up the perfect game with a basehit to RF.
11:23am: Oliver Perez throws a Wild PItch that gets past C Brian Schneider, although it probably was a ball Schneider should have handled. Derek Jeter to 2nd on the WP.
11:24am: Alex Rodriguez hits a MONSTER moonshot foul into the mezzanine level. Perez better not give him another one like that.
11:25am: Perez is taking it to A-Rod in this battle. It's a full count and A-Rod is fighting pitches off. A light rain has begun in Flushing.
11:27am: Perez wins the battle by blowing one by A-Rod that he can't catch up to. 7 strikeouts for Perez. 2 out.
11:29am: Jorge Posada grounds out to 2B Luis Castillo. 4-3. 3 out.
Bottom of 4th Inning:
11:33am: Jose Reyes grounds out to SS Derek Jeter. 6-3. 1 out.
The rain is getting heavier. The Mets need to get through the top 5 of this game, as the thunderstorms forecast in the area may be too much for a simple "delay."
11:34am: Luis Castillo squibs a single down the leftfield line.
11:35am: David Wright flies out to RF Justin Christian. 2 out.
11:36am: Carlos Beltran strikes out swinging at slop. 3 out.
Top of 5th Inning:
11:44am: Wilson Betemit hits a 3-2 fastball directly at 3B David Wright for a lineout. 1 out.
11:45am: Melky Cabrera strikes out swinging. 2 out.
11:46am: Jose Molina flies out to LF Endy Chavez. 3 out.
Bottom of 5th Inning:
11:51am: Carlos Delgado hits a couple of hard balls foul, but ultimately foul pops out to C Jose Molina. 1 out.
11:52am: Ryan Church grounds out to 2B Wilson Betemit. 4-3. 2 out.
11:53am: Endy Chavez lines a single to RF.
11:57am: Brian Schneider flies out to LF Johnny Damon. 3 out.
Top of 6th Inning:
11:59am: The rain seems to have stopped for now, and the game is now official anyways. It's now the 6th inning, so this is either the time that Perez falls apart, or shows us greatness.
12:01pm: On a 3-2 pitch, Justin Christian flies out to RF Ryan Church. 1 out.
12:02pm: Chad Moeller pinch-hits for Darrell Rasner, as the Yankees need some runs. I hope they don't get shit, obviously.
12:03pm: Chad Moeller just misses a HR by a couple of feet, flying out to deeeeeep LF, but Endy Chavez pulls it down just in front of the wall. 2 out.
12:04pm: Johnny Damon lines a ball into deep RF. Ryan Church gets a glove on it but it deflects off the mitt to the wall, but Damon is held to a long single.
12:05pm: Derek fucking Jeter hits the first pitch he sees for a groundball to 2B Luis Castillo. Castillo flips to Jose Reyes at second for the 3rd out. 4-6. 3 out.
Bottom of 6th Inning:
12:08pm: David Robertson is making his MLB debut for the Skanks, pitching in relief of Darrell Rasner.
12:09pm: Perez goes flat on his back after Robertson throws high and inside, but it wasn't nearly as close as Perez' flop made it look.
12:11pm: Oliver Perez has a good AB but ultimately strikes out swinging. 1 out.
12:12pm: Jose Reyes singles to CF.
12:16pm: Luis Castillo singles down the leftfield line bringing him to 3-for-4 on the day. Reyes to 2nd base. Is a double-steal coming?
12:17pm: With David Wright batting, Robertson's first pitch is in the dirt and it gets away from Molina enough to allow Reyes and Castillo to move up 90 feet.
12:19pm: David Wright flies out to RF Justin Christian. Reyes and Castillo tag up on the play, Reyes scores. Mets up 3-0, 2 out.
12:20pm: Carlos Beltran flies out to CF Melky Cabrera. 3 out.
Top of 7th Inning:
12:22pm: The sun is shining bright at Shea Stadium again. No signs of rain for now.
12:24pm: Alex Rodriguez hits a first pitch that just goes foul down the LF line. The 2nd pitch he hits is a very high flyball just left of the pitcher's mound, David Wright catches it for the 1st out.
12:27pm: Jorge Posada hits a flyball to deep RF that Ryan Church takes a tough route to, but brings it down. 2 out.
12:29pm: Wilson Betemit hits a tape-measure HR blast over the picnic bleachers in leftfield. Yankees now on the board but trail 3-1.
12:31pm: Melky Cabrera hits a grounder to SS Jose Reyes who throws high to Carlos Delgado at 1B. Delgado should've caught it, but the Error goes to Reyes. The ball went into the dugout, so Cabrera takes 2nd base.
12:33pm: Jose Molina hits a flyball to RF Ryan Church. 3 out. We move into the 7th-inning stretch with the Mets up by a score of 3-1.
Bottom of 7th Inning:
12:38pm: Carlos Delgado hits a high flyball deep to RF, but Justin Christian catches it on the warning track. 1 out.
12:39pm: Ryan Church singles to RF.
12:40pm: Endy Chavez hits the ball the opposite way to LF for a base hit. Church to 2nd. Both Castillo and Chavez are 3-for-4 on the day.
12:42pm: Brian Schneider hits the first pitch into a 4-6-3 double play. 3 out.
Top of 8th Inning:
12:45pm: Met manager Jerry Manuel makes a double switch. Pedro Feliciano is on to pitch the 8th inning and will bat 5th in Carlos Delgado's spot, Fernando Tatis replaces Carlos Delgado at 1B.
12:48pm: Justin Christian flies out to LF Endy Chavez. 1 out.
12:49pm: The golden-thonged mustache Jason Giambi pinch-hits for David Robertson, and promptly hits the first pitch to LF Endy Chavez for out 2.
12:52pm: Joe Smith warming up in the bullpen in case Feliciano can't get Johnny Damon.
12:53pm: Pedro Feliciano strikes out Johnny Damon looking. 3 out.
Bottom of 8th Inning:
12:56pm: TBS announcer Chip Caray says that they were mistaken earlier about a double switch being made. There were two player changes (Tatis for Delgado, Feliciano for Perez) but they were not changed around in the lineup. Edwar Ramirez now pitching for the Yankees.
12:57pm: Marlon Anderson is in to pinch-hit for Pedro Feliciano. He flies out to CF Melky Cabrera. 1 out.
12:58pm: Jose Reyes flies out to shallow LF with SS Derek Jeter running it down. 2 out.
1:00pm: Luis Castillo flies out to LF Johnny Damon. 3 out.
Top of 9th Inning:
1:03pm: Enter Sandman. Billy Wagner is on to close out the game for the Mets. But he'll be facing Jeter, A-Rod and Posada in doing so.
1:05pm: Derek fucking Jeter lines a single up the middle that 2B Luis Castillo dives for but can't get to.
1:06pm: Billy Wagner throws a Wild Pitch in the dirt, Jeter to 2nd as the ball goes to the backstop.
1:07pm: A-Rod hits a shot that makes it to the LF warning track, but Endy Chavez catches it. 1 out.
1:08pm: Jorge Posada grounds to SS Jose Reyes, 6-3. Derek Jeter can't advance.
1:11pm: Billy Wagner throws a slider down Broadway and Betemit is frozen. Strike 3, 3 out. Game over. Mets win 3-1.
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- Oliver Perez has his best start of the season, with only a Wilson Betemit solo bomb to taint an otherwise great performance. 7IP, 3 H, NO WALKS, 1 ER, 8 strikeouts.
- Carlos Delgado's moonshot HR to put the Mets up 2-0.
- Both Luis Castillo and Endy Chavez knocked out 3 hits each, accounting for half the Met offense. Ryan Church and Jose Reyes had 2 hits each.
- Feliciano perfect in the 8th, Wagner scares us in the 9th by allowing a leadoff single from Derek fucking Jeter, who then gets to 2nd base thanks to a Wild Pitch, but ultimately Wags gets the job done by then retiring A-Rod, Posada and Betemit.
The Mets finish up the first 81 games of the season at 40-41, and win the season series from the Yankees 4-2.
