With Eric Hinske making his first Yankees appearance, naturally yesterday’s matinee came down to his final at-bat. From his diving catch in the first inning to his solo home run in the fifth, Hinske’s pinstriped debut was flawless — right up until he struck out with the tying run on first to end the Yanks’ 7-6 loss to Toronto.
After not playing for five days since being acquired from Pittsburgh for two minor-leaguers, Hinske went 2-for-4, but struck out swinging on Jason Frasor’s full-count, backdoor slider, stranding Cody Ransom and ending the Bombers’ rally.
“It was fun, but we couldn’t get a win. It was a great experience for me, but the bottom line is about the team. We came up on the short end,” said Hinske, only the 16th player to slug a homer as his first Yankees hit, and just the 10th to go deep in his home debut.
“It’s always encouraging when you can produce right away. But the bottom line around here is winning ballgames, so unless I get a hit in that last at-bat to help win the game it doesn’t really matter.”
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Because Xavier Nady likely is out for the year, Hinske was acquired as insurance and he looked well worth the investment.
After playing his entire career in the AL East with Toronto, Boston and Tampa Bay, yesterday he answered the Bleacher Creatures’ homage by turning and flexing back at them.
“Brett Gardner and Joba [Chamberlain] were on me, saying ‘You’ve got to do something cool, you can’t just point at them,’ ” said Hinske. “The only thing I could think of was flexing. I pulled my shirt up and flexed a little. I think they liked it.”
They loved what he did next, going airborne to rob Vernon Wells of a bloop hit to end the first inning and earn an ovation.
“To hear them chanting my name was really cool. They’re awesome fans. I’ve been on the other side of those cheers for seven years, so it was good to have them in my corner,” said Hinske, who in the fifth inning clubbed an 85 mph, 2-2 pitch off the foul pole screen to snap Ricky Romero’s 24-inning scoreless streak.
“It was a very cool experience. You couldn’t ask for anything more, really. I was just trying to get a hit. Honestly, I just didn’t want to go 0-for-4.”
Manager Joe Girardi has far higher hopes for Hinske.
“I thought he had a great day for us,” Girardi said. “He has the ability to do that. We’ve seen him do it against us and now he’s going to be able to do it for us.”