The last-place Tampa Bay Devil Rays were thoroughly outclassed in the first game of a three-game series, with the New York Yankees taking a decisive 11-1 victory back to the clubhouse. It was the night following a blown lead in the Bronx to the Detroit Tigers, and the Bombers came out in full force.
However, just as the Yankees followed that poor performance up with a drubbing, the Devil Rays did just the same in the middle contest of this three-game series as the New York pitching staff got pounded.
July 22: Yankees 4, Devil Rays 12 (box score)
Record: 50-42 (1st place in AL East, 1.0 games ahead)
Miserable struggles marred David Cone’s 2000 campaign. It felt as if there was no middle ground for the then-37-year-old right-hander. His best starts were generally just above-average, and more often, he looked his age in terrible showings, putting the Yankees in a tough position to win most nights. The former Cy Young Award winner finished the season with a 6.91 ERA, and another dud came during his start against the Devil Rays.
Cone fanned the first two batters of the ballgame, inspiring some at Yankee Stadium with the thought that the Better Cone might be on the mound that day. Maybe the high socks he adopted from El Duque would change the vibe. After falling behind 3-1 to left fielder Greg Vaughn though, he gave up a solo home run, putting the visitors up 1-0 early.
The Yankees went down in order in the bottom of the first at the hands of Ryan Rupe, who entered play with an ERA north of 9.00 but did not show it that day. Tampa Bay then bolstered the lead in the top of the second after a José Canseco walk and a John Flaherty one-out double put two men on base for Miguel Cairo, who lined a single to left field and scored another run (in a rally involving three future Yankees). It took two innings for the Yankees to tie it, thanks to three singles in the bottom of the second and a Chuck Knoblauch solo shot in bottom of the third.
The game stayed quiet until the sixth inning. The top half of the frame gave the Devil Rays the lead again, as Cone once again saw the first two batters of the inning set down by lineouts but couldn’t close things out. Fred McGriff smacked a single to right field and promptly stole second base — just his second in the last year and a half combined. Canseco followed that up with a walk, and a single from Steve Cox brought the Crime Dog around to score for a 3-2 game.
No action occurred for the Yankees in the bottom of the sixth, as Rupe completed six innings of two-run ball, lowering his ERA on the season to a only-slightly-less-ghastly 8.53. The Devil Rays added on against Yankees reliever Jeff Nelson in the top of the seventh. Two walks and a sacrifice bunt set up Russ Johnson for the perfect insurance run opportunity. A single to right field scored both runners to put Tampa Bay up 5-2.
The Yankees did make things interesting after the seventh inning stretch thanks to two RBI singles from Derek Jeter and Paul O’Neill against Rays relievers Jim Mecir and Mark Guthrie, but the top of the eighth inning would prove to be the dagger. Veteran Jason Grimsley and forgotten one-year player Darrell Einertson got absolutely lit up by Tampa Bay to the tune of seven runs on six hits. It was such a bad inning that even old standbys hurt the Yankees, too. Derek Jeter made a costly error, rendering all four runs charged to Einertson unearned, and Bernie Williams played a shallow McGriff single with the bases loaded too casually in center, leading to all three runners scoring.
Take a peak on this death by a thousand paper cuts:
- José Canseco double vs. Grimsley
- Back-to-back walks to José Guillén and John Flaherty, loading the bases
- Einertson replaces Grimsley
- Miguel Cairo RBI single
- Félix Martínez K (a comparative oasis)
- Gerald Williams two-run single
- Russ Johnson reaches on Jeter’s throwing error
- Greg Vaughn foul out
- Fred McGriff clears the bases on a liner to right-center
- Bubba Trammell plates seventh with RBI knock
Grimsley felt miserable about it in the postgame.
“I stunk ... That’s what happens when you don’t throw strikes.
“It was a matter of me not throwing good pitches. That’s how easy it is. It’s frustrating to get this close and then I [bleep] the bed.”
Now armed with a 12-4 lead rather than just 5-4, the Tampa Bay bullpen shut things down with ease. Acquired late the previous day, new Yankee Glenallen Hill arrived at the ballgame prepared to pinch-hit if needed, but with the score out of hand, he remained on the bench. Mark Guthrie allowed two hits in the bottom of eighth, but no damage was done, and Rick White diced through the top of the Yankees lineup in order to close the game out.
Once again, the 2000 Yanks would have to turn the page after a tough loss.
Read the full 2000 Yankees Diary series here.
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