THERE were seven batters hit by pitches in the Yankees’ victory over the Red Sox on Saturday and a hockey game never broke out.
A record was tied, but tempers never were lost. Context is everything. It was obvious the pitches were errant, not purposeful. So everyone took their plunk with stoicism, went to first base, no fireworks.
But when Joba Chamberlain threw behind Kevin Youkilis in the sixth inning last night, there was context that stretched from last year and into the fifth inning of this very game. And, of course, there is edgy history everywhere in the Rivalry. So it doesn’t take a lot to stir emotions, percolate anger, stoke the bad blood. It is like a dormant virus, just waiting for a trigger to become active again.
Red Sox personnel reacted to Joba’s near miss on Youkilis by hopping to the top step of the dugout and hollering toward the field. Retaliation did not come because of the closeness of the contest. But there are nine more games between the clubs this year – three in Fenway in less than three weeks – and you sense as long as Youkilis and Chamberlain remain hotheaded parts of this reunion then there will always be fuel to unleash more fire, especially since Joe Girardi is now in a leadership role.
As Yankees manager, Girardi clearly has demanded his pitchers work inside more and also he has shown much more of an eye-for-eye belief than his predecessor, Joe Torre. There had been a sense for years that the Red Sox were hitting Yankee batters, specifically Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, with impunity. That is more unlikely to continue, at least the impunity part.
In this game, the hotheaded Girardi was upset at several ball-strike calls from home-plate ump Laz Diaz. He lost his restraint in the sixth, his fury leading to an ejection and more than a minute of a face-to-face scream-athon with Diaz. Girardi left to applause and the Yanks rallied from two different two-run deficits. They finally won 5-4 in the 10th when rookie Brett Gardner delivered a two-out RBI single off Jonathan Papelbon.
That allowed the Yanks to split these four games after losing the first two and slide within three games in the loss column of the Red Sox. That presages plenty of meaningful moments still to come between the rivals in 2008, a few more chances for Chamberlain vs. Youkilis to re-ignite passions.
Chamberlain had been more efficient over the first four innings then in any of his seven major league starts. But for the second time in this game, Youkilis stroked a single to right on an 0-2 pitch leading off the fifth. Sean Casey singled. Chamberlain then bounced ball four to Coco Crisp and Youkilis charged toward home. He slid hard into Chamberlain, who was trying to block the plate. There seemed like no words were exchanged and Chamberlain afterward said, “there was nothing wrong” with Youkilis’ slide.
However, in the following inning, Chamberlain whizzed a fastball behind Youkilis’ back. It was a reminder that on Aug. 30 last year, Chamberlain threw two fastballs over Youkilis’ head. He was ejected and subsequently suspended for two games.
In this case, both Chamberlain and Girardi insisted he was merely trying to throw a two-seamer in after Youkilis had singled twice on pitches away. That is what they have to say to avoid suspension. Red Sox manager Terry Francona, however, noted these two players have “history,” and Youkilis said, “What I want to say I am not going to say because I’ll probably get fined by Major League Baseball.”
We are not yet up to Thurman Munson vs. Carlton Fisk in Yankees-Red Sox animus. But there is legitimate dislike here. Joba has a bit of the gunslinger in him. And Youkilis’ every-pitch intensity is the type that makes teammates love him and rivals, well, less than love him. Chamberlain and Youkilis are young cornerstones for their teams, so we should see the nastiness ferment for years.
Throw into this brew Girardi and, well, you sense the Rivalry is not going to be losing its heat any time soon. There are still those nine games this season between the Red Sox and Yanks. Circle July 25-27 at Fenway for the next encounter. Cue the fireworks.