They booed the wrong guy.
Robinson Cano returned to The Bronx Tuesday night wearing a Mariners uniform and listened to a two-thirds empty Yankee Stadium welcome him back with loud boos.
“It doesn’t bother me at all,’’ Cano said following a 6-3 Mariners victory during which the announced crowd of 37,484 sat through temperatures in the 40s, a brisk breeze and rain to shower Cano with abuse. “There is nothing I can do. I can’t control that.’’
Cano went 1-for-5, scored a run and stole a base. Afterward he admitted it was different playing at the Stadium in a road uniform.
“It was weird the first three or four innings,’’ Cano said.
Those who booed Cano had their reasons, but the boos could have been directed at the Yankees’ lineup that produced five hits and two runs through eight innings and CC Sabathia who had a 2-0 lead going into the fifth and gave up four runs and five hits. The key blow was two-run, two-out Corey Hart double.
“I felt I made good pitches to get two outs,’’ said Sabathia, who gave up three singles to start the frame and load the bases. “I didn’t make a good pitch to Corey. A changeup or a two-seamer would have been better pitch. It was a fastball over the middle of the plate and he put a good swing on it.’’
Justin Smoak followed with an RBI single to make it 4-2 and the Mariners added two runs in the seventh.
A big hit was a bunt single by Abraham Almonte with runners on first and third and the Yankees playing Brian Roberts closer to second base looking for a double play. With first baseman Mark Teixeira charging and Roberts unable to get over to cover first, Sabathia had to eat the ball after fielding it and the bases were loaded.
“Someone has to get there,’’ Yankees manager Joe Girardi said.
Sabathia (3-3) allowed five runs and nine hits in five-plus innings.
The Yankees scored once in the ninth, but with Carlos Beltran at the plate with two on and trailing by three runs, Fernando Rodney slipped a 3-2 pitch by a looking him to end it.
Princeton product and ex-Met Chris Young, who didn’t pitch in the big leagues last year because of shoulder woes, allowed two runs (one earned) in 5 ²/₃ innings for the victory.
“Chris Young is a guy who pitches up in the zone and you have to lay off pitches up in the zone,’’ Girardi said of the 6-foot-10 right-hander who gave up a homer to Teixeira in the second inning and an unearned run in the third. “It seemed like we squared some balls up, but it didn’t seem like we squared them up enough. It’s frustrating, it started off good and didn’t end so well.’’
By the time Beltran looked at the third strike, the conditions were very difficult. Beltran said it was the coldest conditions he has played in.
“The wind was blowing all over the place. You can’t do anything about the weather,’’ said Derek Jeter, who went 1-for-5 and struck out swinging in front of Beltran in the ninth. “Not ideal conditions.’’
Asked if he was surprised Cano was booed as heavily as he was in light of some Red Sox fans applauding Jacoby Ellsbury in Fenway Park last week, Sabathia said, “We didn’t have a video [tribute].’’
Would have Sabathia liked to have seen a tribute to Cano?
“That’s out of my control,” Sabathia said. “Ask somebody else who has control.”