New York came into their July 20th matchup fresh off thumping Detroit behind a standout performance from Roger Clemens. For this one, they had the reliable Andy Pettitte on the bump and he came out on cruise control.
Unfortunately, things fell apart late in the game. Despite a 3-0 lead, the Yanks let this game slip away in an ugly sixth inning. You can’t win them all, but this is one of those losses that had to sting — and the ballclub admitted as much.
July 20: Yankees 3, Tigers 5 (box score)
Record:
49-41, .544 (0.5 GA)
About that 3-0 lead? It did not take long for the Yankees to build it. Leading off the second, David Justice crushed a pitch from Tigers starter Willie Blair out to right field for this 26th home run of the season and fifth as a Yankee since arriving in a trade that already looked brilliant. It marked the third consecutive game with a long ball for Justice.
Following a walk to Tino Martinez, Jorge Posada launched a moonshot of his own to center. His two-run blast extended New York’s lead to three and, with still no one out, it looked like maybe a monster inning. Alas. Blair recovered from there and held the Yanks down.
Meanwhile, Pettitte was dealing. After retiring the Tigers in order in the first on fly outs, Pettitte broke out the strikeout pitches. He whiffed two Detroit hitters in the second then struck out the side in the third. Through five, there was little reason to believe a three-run lead wouldn’t hold up.
And then the sixth inning arrived. No. 46 immediately lost the strike zone, walking the first two men he faced. After a Bobby Higginson RBI single made it a 3-1 game, Pettitte bounced back to strike out the next two men he faced.
All of a sudden, he was one pitch from escaping with the lead intact. That pitch never arrived. Two more Tigers singles scored three runs, giving Detroit a 4-3 lead before Pettitte managed to get back to the dugout.
The Yanks had a chance in the bottom of the seventh. With two on, Bernie Williams hit a ball up the middle that looked like it would at worst load the bases. Tigers second baseman Damion Easley had other ideas. Ranging to his left, he made a diving stop and managed to flip the ball to second for the force. One groundball later and the Yanks had squandered a scoring chance.
They had one more, in the ninth after the Tigers tacked on a fifth run. With runners at first and second, Paul O’Neill stepped to the dish and hit one hard. Unfortunately, it was on the ground ... and at an infielder. The twin killing ended the rally and the game, handing New York a tough 5-3 loss.
The Yankees knew they’d blown this one. “We felt like our pockets were picked,” skipper Joe Torre told the New York Times. Pettitte lamented the sixth inning, noting his two walks that set the stage for the Tigers rally.
The loss left New York a half-game ahead of Toronto for the lead in the American League East as the trade deadline approached and the second half of the season headed toward the dog days of August.
Read the full 2000 Yankees Diary series here.
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