‘ED’-UCATION: Eduardo Nunez runs down the firstbase line after hitting a ground ball to Brandon Moss. (Paul J. Bereswill (2))
Eduardo Nunez had one thought when he saw his slow ground ball heading toward Brandon Moss at first base in the 14th inning.
“We’ll win,” Nunez said after the Yankees’ wild, 10-9, 14-inning win over the A’s at the Stadium in a game that lasted 5 hours and 43 minutes.
It was an odd notion for someone who hit a dribbler with two outs in a tie game, but the spin Nunez put on the ball when he hit it off the end of his bat changed everything.
And when Moss did let the ball bounce off him, allowing Nunez to reach safely and Ichiro Suzuki to score from third, the Yankees had their seventh straight win and were able to hold onto their one-game lead over the Orioles in the AL East.
“Right now, every game is magnified,” said Raul Ibanez, who homered twice, including once in the 13th inning when his two-run shot capped an improbable four-run rally to tie the game.
Yesterday had added significance since the Orioles already had beaten the Red Sox in extra innings, forcing the Yankees to win to stay ahead.
Their prospects didn’t look good when Freddy Garcia, pitching for the first time in nearly two weeks, allowed back-to-back homers in the 13th and Justin Thomas surrendered one more to give the A’s a 9-5 lead. That was after manager Joe Girardi decided not to use the heavily taxed David Robertson and Rafael Soriano.
“Obviously, no one was happy about the four runs,” Ichiro said through a translator. “But nobody was giving up.”
Cory Wade, once destined for the scrap heap, followed the 13th-inning rally by pitching a perfect 14th.
Eric Chavez led off the bottom of the inning with a single and was replaced by Melky Mesa, making his major league debut.
Derek Jeter bunted Mesa to second and after Ichiro was walked intentionally, Alex Rodriguez smacked what appeared to be a game-winning single to center.
But Mesa missed third and had to go back to the bag.
“He didn’t compound it by continuing to go,” Girardi said.
But another problem almost arose.
“On that play, usually I just run straight to third,” said Ichiro, who is 14-for-20 with seven runs, two homers, five RBIs and five stolen bases in his last five games. “For some reason, I stayed. … When I stepped on home [with the winning run], I felt relief that I can go home and eat, but I was thinking back on that play.”
Robinson Cano nearly ended it, but Tyson Ross somehow fielded Cano’s comebacker and unleashed an accurate throw home to force Mesa — all while falling to the ground.
Nunez managed to deliver in his own way.
“That ball was tough and I thought he was going to miss and he missed it,” Nunez said of Moss. “I hit it off the end of the bat and knew he was going to be in trouble.”
The error ended the longest game in duration the Yankees have played since May 17, 2002 against the Twins, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, but it was worth it to Girardi.
“[A loss] would have been tough, especially after you come back and tie it up again,” the manager said. “We knew the importance of that game and every game the rest of the way out.”
And those seven straight wins have the Yankees feeling pretty good, especially after consecutive walk-off wins, with Russell Martin’s homer finishing Friday’s 2-1 victory.
“When [the A’s] scored four runs, a lot of fans went home and I’ll bet they were shocked to see the score,” Ichiro said. “I think the momentum is coming on our side now and we just have to ride it.”