With two on, one out in the top of the ninth, Yankees closer David Robertson, in a non-save situation, fell behind Houston’s Chris Carter 3-0. So he tried to locate down and away. He didn’t.
Think plywood barrier in front of a 100 mph 18-wheeler.
“I tried to make a good pitch down and away and instead I threw it right in his bat path and he put it 30 rows deep,” Robertson said of the monstrous three-run homer Carter delivered to send the Yankees to a stinging 7-4 defeat Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
Though Carter’s 30th homer which looked to enter at least Canadian — if not European — air space was decisive, it was what went before that bummed Robertson (1-4) who had not allowed a homer in his previous 27 games dating to June 3.
With one out, he walked Robbie Grossman and then Jose Altuve. Maybe on another day, Robertson gets a call on Altuve who worked his way back from 0-2. Maybe not.
“I thought he made a good pitch on Altuve, 2-2 pitch. Didn’t get the call,” said manager Joe Girardi.
Nope, didn’t get much Tuesday.
“I didn’t make good pitches. That’s the biggest thing. I walked two guys. Can’t do that in a tie ball game in the ninth inning,” Robertson said.
Robertson had been lights out — 21 straight saves (again, this wasn’t a save spot) but the Yankees are accustomed to him succeeding.
“A little blip on the radar. We all have days like that. You know he’s going to have few and far between,” said starter Chris Capuano.
“It’s the law of averages. That catches up to you. He’s been so good. Every now and then you have a hiccup,” Mark Teixeira said.
“He’s been really, really good, as good as anyone could have expected,” Girardi said. “I’ve talked about the pressure that was on him, who he was replacing.”
That would be that Mariano Rivera chap, in case you spent the last 12 years underwater.
“He’s come in and done a marvelous job,” said Girardi, who probably wanted that 3-0 pitch to Carter back as much as Robertson did.
“You know that he’s swinging there. You can’t just groove one,” Girardi said. “I’m sure if he had it back, he wasn’t trying to throw it there. It’s just kind of the way the night went for him.”
Robertson surrendered an infield hit after the Carter blast and was done, allowing more than two runs for just the second time this season and at least two walks for the third time.
“When you’re not making quality pitches and not throwing the ball where you want to, you’re not going to get outs,” Robertson said. “I struggled out there tonight and I blew it for our team.”