Ortiz 0-for-5 as Yanks delay Red Sox clincher
GARY SANCHEZ and Tyler Austin are just starting their major-league careers. David Ortiz’s is coming to an end. The two rookies each belted a two-run home run on Tuesday night to put the celebrations for Big Papi and the Red Sox on hold by powering the Yankees to a 6-4 victory over first-place Boston at the Stadium. The retiring Ortiz finished 0-for-5 in the first game of his final series against the Yanks, who staved off mathematical elimination from the wild-card race while preventing the Red Sox from clinching the AL East crown and halting their 11-game winning streak. “We don’t pay attention to what they’re doing. We pay attention to what we’re doing here. What we want to do is win the five games that we have (remaining) and that’s it, that’s what we focus on,” Sanchez said through a translator. “Ortiz has been great, he’s a really good ballplayer, possibly a Hall of Famer…I’m hoping that my career, I can have a career just like his, a good career.” How’s this for starters? Sanchez’s first-inning blast against David Price matched the major-league record for the fastest to reach 20 career homers. The catcher got there in just 51 games to tie Wally Berger’s longstanding mark with the 1930 Boston Braves. “I can tell you Gary’s meant as much to this team as any rookie in the big leagues this year, and he’s only been here what, a month and a half?” Joe Girardi said. “That’s how important he has been. I think (Detroit pitcher Michael) Fulmer’s had a great year, but if I had a vote (for top rookie), it’d be for Gary.” Ortiz, the Yankees’ longtime nemesis, received a mixture of boos and cheers before each at-bat. The Red Sox (92-65) maintained a magic number of one — five games ahead of second-place Toronto in the divisional race with five games to play. “I was 0-for-5, so I ain’t got s--t to talk about. ... I don’t talk about that. That ain’t fun,” Ortiz said. “They got me out. Just put it down like that. They tricked me tonight. Too much talking between the pitcher and catcher. I’ll trick them tomorrow.” The Yanks will honor the 40-year-old designated hitter – batting .318 with 37 homers and 124 RBI, a final season Girardi deemed “incredible” — with a pregame ceremony before Thursday’s game, his last one in the Bronx over 20 big-league seasons. “He’s been someone that we’ve never figured out,” Yanks GM Brian Cashman said. “He certainly likes hitting against us. It doesn’t matter if it’s a high-end
I’m like, ‘what are the chances that he’s coming up in this situation?’ And you know it’s just kind of the way fate had it tonight. JOE GIRARDI ON FANNING DAVID ORTIZ FOR FINAL OUT
superstar pitcher with years of success, or if it’s lowhanging fruit. Either way, he’s been someone we’ve never been able to figure out a way to send back to that dugout more times very consistently without him hurting us. That’s what the great ones do, and he’s been one of the greats.”
Rookie righty Luis Cessa contributed six innings of two-run ball to help hold Ortiz hitless, including a key strikeout on a 3-2 slider with two runners in scoring position for the second out the sixth.
“It’s a tough lineup. I think it’s the best in the league,” said Cessa, who noted that he had to stretch out a tightening lower back before the start of that inning. “You need to execute the pitches and throw it down in the zone. For me, it’s a really good night.”
Didi Gregorius also belted his 20th homer in the sixth against Price, who now sports a 4.55 career ERA against the Yanks. Austin took the veteran lefty deep to right to snap a 4-4 tie with a two-run shot one inning later, his fourth of the season, all to the opposite field.
“My approach is always that way. I try to drive the ball that way,” Austin said.
Ortiz is 17th on the all-time list with 540 homers, but the lefty slugger also struck out against Tyler Clippard with the tying runs on base for the final out of the night.
“I’m like, ‘what are the chances that he’s coming up in this situation?’” Girardi said. “And you know it’s just kind of the way fate had it tonight.”