Barton Silverman/The New York Times
Ichiro Suzuki's hit off R. A. Dickey was his 2,722nd in the majors, to go with 1,278 he had in Japan. More Photos »
With a slight flick of the wrist, a familiar sight for so many of his hits, Ichiro Suzuki sent a dancing knuckleball into left field, creating a unique milestone.
Suzuki's first-inning single against Toronto Blue Jays starter R. A. Dickey in the Yankees' 4-2 win Wednesday night gave him a total of 4,000 hits as a professional, 1,278 while playing for the Orix Blue Wave in the Nippon Professional Baseball League and 2,722 — 189 as a Yankee — in the major leagues.
The validity of Suzuki's mark — only Pete Rose and Ty Cobb have reached 4,000 hits solely in the majors — has been debated, but for his teammates and supporters, the milestone helps cement Suzuki's status as one of baseball's greats.
Suzuki was surprised when his teammates poured out from the dugout to embrace him, forcing the game to be halted for several moments. Suzuki said he attempted to stop the celebration before it started so the game could continue uninterrupted.
"The Yankees are so used to these things happening, they are so good at ceremonies like these," Suzuki said through an interpreter.
Suzuki bowed toward the crowd in appreciation before play resumed.
"I was really overwhelmed," Suzuki said.
Even Dickey could not get too annoyed at the stoppage of play. "You never want to be the guy that gives up the milestone, at least I don't," Dickey said. "That being said, what an incredible achievement, and the manner in which he has done it has been equally impressive."
When Suzuki's magic moment ended, the Yankees got back to the business of winning an important game. After stumbling in midseason, the Yankees have thrust themselves back into playoff contention.
By the time Alfonso Soriano hit a deciding two-run homer in the eighth inning against Dickey, Suzuki's milestone was a distant memory. The home run, which snapped an 0-for-17 streak, was Soriano's ninth since he was reacquired July 26. Dickey, who allowed four runs in eight innings, estimated the pitch to Soriano was only one of five knuckleballs all night that did not flutter.
"As hot as he had been, he was due," Manager Joe Girardi said of Soriano, who was named American League player of week after hitting .484 (15 for 31) with 5 home runs and 18 runs batted in last week. The surging Yankees have won four in a row and 10 of their past 13 games and stand only four games behind the Oakland A's in the wild-card standings.
Girardi, who admitted to checking the standings each day, said his team, despite some still long odds, believes it is in the hunt.
"I think they believe a lot," Girardi said. "You can tell by the way they're playing."
For several moments, the game appeared to be the latest chapter in the Subway Series. The Blue Jays had the former Mets Jose Reyes starting at shortstop, Dickey on the mound and Josh Thole behind the plate. All three were the center of attention.
Reyes was ejected in the second after being called out on strikes by the home plate umpire Ted Barrett. In the bottom of the inning, Dickey broke Yankees third baseman Jayson Nix's left hand with an 80-mile-per-hour fastball.
Perhaps the most surprising contribution of the night came from Thole, whose monstrous solo home run to center field in the fourth tied the game at 2-2. It was the first home run of the season for Thole, who hit one home run last season for the Mets in 354 plate appearances.
But the Nix injury was the toughest blow for the Yankees. Although he is not an offensive force (a .616 on-base plus slugging percentage), Nix's versatility had helped the Yankees endure the injury losses of Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Eduardo Nunez this year.
"He's going to be out for a while," Girardi said. "I'm not sure what we're going to do. I feel really bad."
Yet it was hardly a night to be somber, with Suzuki reaching the record books, and with the Yankees making another move in the standings.
"It's supposed to be a number special to me," Suzuki said. "What happened tonight, I wasn't expecting. I wasn't expecting so much joy and happiness from them."
INSIDE PITCH
Derek Jeter, on the disabled list with a strained right calf, will begin his latest minor league rehabilitation by playing five innings for Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday. On Wednesday, Jeter worked out and ran the bases in Tampa, Fla., and reported no pain. He will play at least two games for Scranton, Joe Girardi said. ... Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth to record his 37th save.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Yankees 4, Blue Jays 2: Suzuki Reaches 4,000 Hits as Yankees Gain in Playoff Race
Dengan url
https://dunialuasekali.blogspot.com/2013/08/yankees-4-blue-jays-2-suzuki-reaches.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Yankees 4, Blue Jays 2: Suzuki Reaches 4,000 Hits as Yankees Gain in Playoff Race
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
Yankees 4, Blue Jays 2: Suzuki Reaches 4,000 Hits as Yankees Gain in Playoff Race
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar