Tuesday, March 23, 2021

#187---NYA @ CLE, 7/14/2002




Mike Mussina v. Chuck Finley seemed like a decent matchup, but the Yankees led the Indians 7-0 after five, with the Moose having yielded just three baserunners. In the sixth, Jim Thome hit a three-run blast to cut it to 7-3, with Mussina departing after that frame having made 110 pitches. A two-out double from Omar Vizquel off Ramiro Mendoza in the seventh made it 7-4. Meanwhile, in relief Chad Paronto, Mark Wohlers, and Ricardo Rincon had unspectacularly (except maybe Rincon, who retired all five batters he faced) shutout New York for 5 2/3 innings.

Still, Mariano Rivera loomed with a three-run lead in the ninth. But John McDonald, Eddie Perez, and Omar Vizquel all singled (with a Chris Magruder comebacker mixed in) before Ellis Burks doubled. Now, with one out, it was 7-6 and the winning run was on second. So Joe Torre ordered Thome intentionally walked, and Rivera struck out pinch-hitter Travis Fryman on three pitches. That left it up to journeyman Bill Selby. Who hit a walkoff grand slam to right.

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