In the span of eight days in August 2000, the Anaheim Angels and New York Yankees competed in seven games and two separate series, one at the Big A and the other in the Bronx. The Yankees lost the first in Anaheim after dropping the first two games, and heading into the Saturday matinee in New York — the third game of the four-game set — the two teams had split the first two games.
The Yankees’ loss in the second game of the series came after an uncharacteristic blown lead from Mariano Rivera (and
a five-run lead at that). However, the Bombers did not let the issues of the prior night hold them or their offense at bay. Instead, it seemed to fuel them.
August 19: Yankees 9, Angels 1 (box score)
Record: 67-52 (1st in AL East, 3.0 games ahead)
In front of almost 50,000 people, the Yankees made sure to come out of the clubhouse firing after the last game’s tragic end.
Yankees starter Andy Pettitte worked through the first three Angels batters with precision, putting them away in order. Then, Angels starter Brian Cooper blinked first, hitting leadoff batter Derek Jeter with a pitch, the second of his at-bat. Luis Sojo stepped up to the plate, and instead of seeing the second pitch plunk him, he saw the pitch go right where he wanted and smacked it over the fence in left field for a two-run home run. Paul O’Neill and David Justice found their way on base via a walk and a single to right, and the first out didn’t come until the following batter, when Glenallen Hill popped up into foul territory on the first base side.
Tino Martinez followed that up with a flyout to center, but Jorge Posada and Scott Brosius both singled to the outfield and scored O’Neill and Justice to put New York up 4-0.
Pettitte cruised through the rest of the Angels’ order in the top of the second and third, putting them all away without a hitch. And in the bottom of the third, the Yankees tacked on.
Hill walked to lead off the inning, and Tino Martinez doubled to left, putting two runners in scoring position with no outs. Posada stepped up and sent a ball into left field, which Ron Gant dropped, giving Hill the green light to head to home plate. Martinez went to third and Posada made it to second as a result. Then, Brosius and Clay Bellinger both hit sacrifice flies to plate Martinez and Posada as well, putting the Yankees up 7-0 by inning’s end.
In the top of the fourth, Pettitte gave up his first baserunner via the walk, but didn’t give up anything after that other than a stolen base.
The Yankees added more insurance courtesy of Justice on a flyball to the right-field seats to take their lead up to eight runs, and Pettitte was still cruising. It wasn’t until the top of the sixth that Pettitte gave up his first hit, a double off the bat of Orlando Palmeiro. And there was no issue on the scoreboard until the top of the eighth, when the only blip on the radar popped up via a solo home run from Troy Glaus.
Justice smoked another home run, his second of the game, this time to center field, putting the Yankees up 9-1. And the game closed without an issue, with Pettitte working the final three outs in the top of the ninth to finish the five-hit complete game, his third of the season. The offense brought the lumber on this day, but No. 46 sure did his part to put behind the bad memories of the night before.
Read the full 2000 Yankees Diary series here.
