Johnny Damon was released by the Indians last week, not long after Hideki Matsui met the same fate with the Rays.
Raul Ibanez, whom the Yankees signed instead of those two veterans, keeps on hitting.
The 40-year-old homered in the fifth to pad a one-run lead and drove in two more with a single off Oliver Perez after Mark Teixeira was walked intentionally in the sixth in the Yankees’ 6-2 win over the Mariners.
“He’s had a knack [for important hits] in his career,” manager Joe Girardi said after Ibanez homered for the third time in his last eight games. “Raul never tries to do too much. He’s able to relax in big situations.”
And he has found himself at the plate at key times a lot this season.
“I just try to keep my emotions out of it,” said Ibanez, the designated hitter yesterday with Ichiro Suzuki in left.
Ibanez’s timely hitting and four shutout innings from the bullpen helped make a winner of another old-timer, Freddy Garcia, after he lost his previous three starts.
Like Ibanez, Garcia’s best days are behind him, but he was once again able to summon enough stuff out of his ragged right arm to last five innings and improve to 5-5.
“It was a long day for me,” said Garcia, who gave up two runs in five innings, walking four along the way as he earned career win No. 150. “I [couldn’t] get a good feel for any pitch. It was a battle all day.”
Despite not being able to blow hitters away anymore, like he could when he pitched for the Mariners, he was still able to impress a former — and current — teammate.
“A lot of pitchers have short careers because they can’t make an adjustment,” Ichiro said through a translator. “Freddy, back in 2001, was throwing 95-96 [mph], but as time went along, he had to adjust to where his arm is.”
Garcia has been able to stick around a long time, even if at times this season, he didn’t look as if he’d be here much longer. But with Andy Pettitte out until next month, Garcia has survived, if not flourished.
He hasn’t given up more than four runs in a start since being reinserted into the rotation on July 2. After the Yankees were steamrolled by Felix Hernandez on Saturday and with a series starting in Detroit tonight, Garcia gave his team what they needed again.
Chris Stewart wasn’t surprised Garcia managed to get the win despite the struggle.
“He’ll throw anything at any time,” said the catcher, who also stole the first base of his career. “Guys can’t sit on anything and he’s not gonna give in to anybody.”
Boone Logan, David Robertson and Rafael Soriano tossing four no-hit innings of relief didn’t hurt Garcia’s cause, either.
The only late-inning drama came from Ichiro, who was trying to keep his hitting streak alive since joining the Yankees.
He lofted a routine fly ball to center in the seventh, but Michael Saunders lost it in the sun. The double extended the streak to 12 games, tying the longest such streak in team history. Don Slaught also began his Yankees career by hitting in a dozen games in a row after being traded from the Rangers prior to the 1988 season, according to Elias Sports Bureau. But Ichiro knows there are more important goals in The Bronx.
“Playing on this Yankees team, you don’t really worry about that kind of stuff,” Ichiro said.