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| Thursday, June 15 | |||||
| Klapisch: Yanks win, lose Rocket, eye Sosa Special to ESPN.com | |||||
| The day started with every possible image of a pitching masterpiece in our minds: Roger Clemens vs. Pedro Martinez ... nine innings of fastballs and adrenaline, with the Yankees-Red Sox turf war as the perfect backdrop.
By the end of the afternoon, however, the landscape was oh-so-different: The Yankees did squeeze out a 2-1 win, taking a one-game lead in the East, but Pedro wasn't Pedro, Clemens wasn't a factor and the most important Yankee on the field was Ramiro Mendoza, who was rushed out of the bullpen when a groin injury prevented Clemens from taking the mound in the second inning.
While the Rocket is headed for almost-certain disablement, Mendoza limited the Sox to just one run in the next 5 2/3 innings, which is why Tino Martinez' solo HR in the eighth inning made all the difference.
And that only raised the temperature on the Sammy Sosa debate, which has already divided the Yankee camp in two: There are those, like George Steinbrenner, who believe the Bombers, ranked 13th in the AL in offense, need the muscle -- not to mention the glamour -- of Sosa's 500-foot home runs; but others, like Joe Torre, prefer to hunt for another pitcher, especially if Clemens will be on the DL for more than two weeks.
As the manager said, "if you trade a pitcher, you have to get a pitcher back. That's what's made our team so great, that we've had pitching insurance. Making a move that helps the offense but doesn't help the pitching staff, doesn't help the team."
On and on it goes in the Bronx, where the talk is all about Sosa. Still, the Yankees can't move any closer to a trade without the Cubs' cooperation, and NL executives say the Tribune Company still hasn't decided whether to sever its ties with Sosa, no matter how overheated the discussion becomes.
"It could take weeks, even months," is how one high-level Cubs official put it the other day . If that's true, the Yankees could turn their gaze to Juan Gonzalez -- whom Torre and his coaches prefer anyway -- or Jose Canseco or Matt Stairs.
In any scenario, however, it's clear Steinbrenner is unwilling to watch his Yankees struggle to hold off the Sox. "We better do something, don't you think?" Steinbrenner said on Tuesday, following a dismal 5-3 loss to Boston.
Still, it's possible the Yankees will plod along exactly as they're constructed today: aging, but still dangerous, relying on Clemens and David Cone to pitch like younger men, and Tino Martinez to return to his days as a monster-run producer.
Martinez's HR off Tim Wakefield was only his seventh of the season, and it's obvious he's no longer the long-ball threat who slammed 44 homers in 1997. Still, Martinez believes, "the players we have, if we don't get (Sosa), we still think we can win."
The same proclamation comes from left fielder Ricky Ledee, who'll be the first casualty in any deal the Yankees make. Despite a disappointing .242 average, Ledee says, "I know I'm going to get the job done, whether it's here or somewhere else. I have no doubt at all. All they need with me is some patience."
But when has patience ever run deep in the Bronx? Every sign points to a rest-of-the-summer fight for the division title, and it could only get uglier for the Yankees, too, if Clemens doesn't heal quickly -- or, even if he does, he continues to pitch so poorly.
Since his 13-strikeout, miniature classic against Pedro on May 28 -- a 2-0 loss that some Yankees called one of the best regular-season games they'd ever played in -- Clemens had allowed 12 earned runs in his next 10 innings entering Wednesday's game, including three home runs.
With an ERA that stood at a season-high 4.82, the Yankees held their breath as Clemens took to the mound to face Pedro on Wednesday. They were waiting -- hoping, actually -- for the real Rocket to finally return. They waited. And waited. And waited.
Finally, when the game's start had been dealyed by six minutes, and Clemens still hadn't appeared on the mound, it became obvious there was a problem. As Pedro later said, "I'd never seen Roger do things like that, weird things. Either he was hurt, or didn't want to pitch."
Indeed, Clemens had strained a groin muscle earlier in the week, and was making a last-minute effort to re-wrap the leg, hoping he could last all nine innings. Instead, it was Mendoza who rescued the Yankees, winning what Torre called, "a very, very important game for us.
"You just don't want a team you're competing against thinking they can beat you in your own house," Torre said. "This meant a lot."
It also elevated the Sosa-thon into a full-blown obsession in New York. The rumor buffet has never been this appetizing.
Bob Klapisch of the Bergen (N.J.) Record writes his Baseball in the Big Apple column throughout the season.
| ALSO SEE Yankees beat Red Sox 2-1 on Tino Martinez homer Clemens strains groin, ending matchup with Pedro Red Sox reportedly get serious about Sosa sweepstakes Gooden signs minor league deal with Yankees | ||||