The Yankees needed to get Orlando Hernández back on track. The 34-year-old right-hander had established himself as one of the league’s premier big game pitchers across his first two seasons in pinstripes. Even before suffering an elbow sprain while surrendering nine first-inning runs against the White Sox on June 18th, however, El Duque did not look like his typical self. In fact, since allowing five runs in 6.2 innings to the Red Sox five days prior to the original injury, he had allowed 39 earned
runs in 44 innings across eight starts, striking out just 23 and walking 17.
With David Cone’s inconsistency and Denny Neagle beginning to flop as a midseason trade acquisition, the pressure was on for Hernández to right the ship and restore some order to a Yankees rotation that needed reinforcement. When he took the mound in the Bronx on August 21st, he began that process.
August 21: Yankees 12, Rangers 3 (box score)
Record: 68-53 (1st in AL East, 3.0 games ahead)
There’s really not much to say about Hernández’s outing. The overall statline is impressive enough — three runs on six hits in seven innings, striking out five and walking just one — but that in truth does not tell the whole story. The Rangers scored their first run off a Rafael Palmiero solo shot to lead off the second inning. Their second run came on a Rusty Greer solo home run with two outs in the sixth. Mike Lamb tripled in Ricky Ledée, who had reached on a single, with one out in the seventh for the third run of the ballgame. Otherwise, it was smooth sailing for Hernández; these were the only three instances where a runner even reached scoring position, and in six of the seven innings he was out there, El Duque faced four or fewer hitters. It was exactly the sort of efficient outing the Yankees were looking for out of their postseason weapon.
Part of what allowed Hernández to be so efficient was the lineup’s ability to put up a crooked number early, thanks to a little bit of help from the Rangers defense. Clay Bellinger led off the third with an infield single on a grounder to the pitcher; he would advance to second on the play due to a throwing error by the pitcher. Luis Polonia then worked a walk to put runners on first and second. Derek Jeter then hit a routine ground ball to short, just a few feet to the side of the third base bag, a perfectly earmarked 6-4-3 double play that would bring the Yankees’ mini rally to a screeching halt. Royce Clayton muffed the ball in the transition, however, and everyone was safe.
Paul O’Neill popped out to third and Glenallen Hill struck out, leaving the Yankees on the precipice of a NOBLETIGER (for the unfamiliar, Nobody Out Bases Loaded Ends with Team Incapable of Getting Easy Runs). Fortunately for them, the next five Yankees that came to the plate drove in at least one run. Tino Martinez worked a bases loaded walk, bringing home Bellinger. A Jorge Posada single up the middle plated Polonia and Jeter. Luis Sojo then singled in Martinez, Scott Brosius singled in Posada, and Bellinger — up to the plate for the second time in the inning — singled in Sojo. Just like that, it was 6-1 Yankees — and unfortunately for Rangers starter Brian Sikorski (or maybe fortunately for his statline), all six Yankees runs were unearned thanks to the pair of errors.
From there, the Bombers just continued to pile on. Hill got in on the RBI parade in the fourth, driving in O’Neill on a one-out double. Two batters later, Posada hit the Yankees’ first home run of the afternoon. The sixth inning saw Jeter deposit a leadoff homer into the seats in right. O’Neill followed that up with a walk, setting the stage for Hill to continue his Ruthian stretch. The right-hander deposited the second pitch he saw into Monument Park in left for his 11th home run in 60 plate appearances as a Yankee; at the conclusion of the game, he had an absurd .446/.483/1.107 slash line in just 18 games since being acquired ahead the trade deadline.
The final two frames would go quietly, as both bullpens danced around a minimal amount of traffic to keep the score right where it was: a 12-3 Yankees win.
Read the full 2000 Yankees Diary series here.
