BOSTON — Chris Stewart had a word for his day behind the plate for the Yankees yesterday: unconventional.
That works. As would “weird,” “bizarre” or “freaky.” But if you want to call tagging out one runner at home, feeding a pitcher to cut down another trying to score and then — weirdest, most bizarre and freakiest of all — diving into the stands to catch a foul pop before firing to second for a huge eighth-inning double play “unconventional,” feel free.
Oh, yeah, Stewart also caught Hiroki Kuroda plus the bullpen combo of David Robertson and Mariano Rivera in a much-needed, 5-2 Yankees victory.
But the double play stood out.
“That was a first for me,” said Stewart, who retrieved Dustin Pedroia’s pop behind home to the third-base side. “To be able to pop out of the stands and make the throw down to Robbie [Cano] and for him to put the tag down, it’s a pretty good play.”
With the Yankees up, 4-2, Daniel Nava laced a one-out single. As David Ortiz waited on deck, Pedroia lifted an up-and-in Robertson offering behind the plate. Stewart chased, flung the mask, reached high, caught the ball and tumbled in the stands in basically one motion. Nava tried to advance. Stewart unleashed a one-hopper to Cano. End of inning.
“That’s an extremely tough play, and it’s a huge play because of the guy who’s on deck and you have a two-run lead,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “So it’s not how you plan rolling up a double play, but we’ll take it.”
Nava said, “That was one of those times I wasn’t on top of what I should have been on top of, which is just those little things.”
All in a day’s pay, Stewart insisted. Even if his professional pay never covered that situation before.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen it turned,” Stewart said. “It was one of those rare things that happened. Fortunately, all the stars aligned for us.”
As did the fans. Not a single tire iron or glass of beer was employed to deter Stewart.
“I was surprised I had such a clear path to the ball,” Stewart said. “I jumped in there and didn’t see anybody trying to go after it. I was able to catch it because of that and I was able to hop out quickly, too.”
The other two big plays seemed boring in comparison. In the first inning, Nava was thrown out at home by Vernon Wells trying to score from second on a single to left by Ortiz.
“The ball was right to him,” Stewart said, “and he made a good strong throw right to me.”
In the fifth, Mike Carp tried to score when a Kuroda slider eluded Stewart, who retrieved the ball and hit Kuroda in stride covering the plate.
“The ball didn’t go all the way to the backstop,” Stewart said. “Fortunately … I could bounce on it pretty quickly and was able to slide, pick it up and kind of make a throw all in one.
“It was kind of an unconventional day of outs.”