Satan's Luau

TOP 1: Sele starting today for the M's -- Jeter grounds a single up the middle and into centerfield -- Cano hits a tough grounder to short, the force play is made at second, one away -- Sheffield draws a walk on four pitches, the runner on first moves up to second

Runners at first and second, one down for Matsui, he goes down looking uno dos adios, two away -- ARod grounded to third, Beltre steps on the bag to force the runner and retire the side

BOT 1: Wang starting for Yankees today -- Ichiro singled to center, and steals second on the 2-0 to Winn -- Winn grounds to short, one down

Runner at second, one out for Beltre, he lines a single to right, Ichiro rounds third but holds -- Runners now at second and third for Sexson, he goes down on a checkswing, two away

Runners at second and third, two down for Ibanez, he mashes a double to center over Bernie's head, two runs score, the M's lead, 2-0 ... mannn, these two out hits this season, killers!

Boone hits a sharp grounder at third, ARod gloves, drops, and slips to the ground, no play, infield single, runner to third on the play

Two down, runners at the corners for Reed, he flies to left to end the inning

TOP 2: Tino grounds to second, one down -- full count to Bernie, he draws a walk -- Runner on first, one down for Giambi, he goes down looking, two away

Two down, runner at first to Flaherty, the runner goes, he bloops a single to right, the runner goes to third on the play -- runners at the corners for Jeter, he
grounds to short, force is made at second to retire the side

BOT 2: Olivo flies to the gap in left center, Bernie runs it down, one away --
Bloomquist grounds to short, two away -- first pitch swinging, Ichiro hits a laser right at Sheffield to end the inning

TOP 3:
Cano absolutely bombs one to center off the wall, in for a double ... he is really coming around with the bat lately -- Sheffield draws his second walk

Runners now first and second, none out -- Matsui chops out to second, the runners move up to second and third on the play, one down

ARod grounds to third, one run scores, the Ms lead is now, 2-1

Tino receives the intentional pass -- The reset, runners at first and second, two away for Bernie, he grounds to first to end the Yankee rally

BOT 3: Winn grounds to third, one away -- Beltre grounds to short, two down -- Sexson goes down looking to end the inning

TOP 4: Giambi grounds to first, first pitch swinging, one down -- Flaherty flies to left, two away -- Jeter inside outs an opposited field single to right -- Cano lines an atom ball at third to retire the side

BOT 4: Ibanez grounds to second, one away -- first pitch swinging, Boone grounds to first, two down -- Reed hits a comeback chopper to the pitcher to end the inning

TOP 5: Sheffield draws ANOTHER walk, that's his third today ... he does that typical indifference steal, but this time is caught by Sele holding on to the ball longer, one down -- Matsui grounds to first, two away

Two down for ARod, he works the count full, then draws a walk -- Runner at first, two down for Tino rips a single past Sexson and into right

Still two down, runners for first and second for Bernie, he flies to

BOT 5: Olivo grounds to third, one down, great throw by ARod -- first pitch swinging, Bloomquist grounds to second, two outs -- Ichiro grounds to second to end the inning

TOP 6: Giambi down swinging, one away -- Thornton and Hasegawa warming for the M's -- Flaherty also down swinging, two away -- Jeter also down swinging-- Sele has struck out the side the hard way

BOT 6: Wynn grounds to first for the first out -- Beltre goes down swinging, two away -- full count to Sexson, the payoff is blown by, he goes down swinging to end the inning

6:00PM HST

TOP 7: Hasegawa in, in relief of Sele the starter -- Cano grounds to second, one away -- Sheffield hits a sharp grounder to deep short, Bloomquist gloves it and that's all, infield single -- Matsui pounds one to right, off the wall, Ichiro guns it back in and saves the double, Matsui heads back to first, the runner advances to third on the play ... that is a GREAT defensive play by Ichiro

Runners at the corners, one down for ARod, Hasegawa falls behind 3-0 to ARod, then loses him on a four pitch walk -- Bases loaded for Tino, only one away

Hargrove hooks Hasegawa and brings in the just called up lefty Sherrill to face Tino -- Tino shatters his bat, grounds to third, Beltre goes home with the force, the catcher's throw to first eats up Sexson, safe, now two away

Two down, bases still loaded for Bernie -- Hargrove brings the hook one more time, Putz will pitch for the M's

OH JEEBUS!!!, first pitch swinging, Bernie just bombed one to center for a bases clearing grand slam, the Yankees take their first lead of the day, 5-2

Giambi goes the opposite way and singles to left -- Flaherty also singles to left, the runner advances to second -- Runners now first and second, two away -- Womack sent in to PR for Giambi at second -- Nelson warms for M's

Yankees bat around this inning, getting 5 hits -- Womack advances to third on a wild pitch on 0-2 to Jeter -- Runners at the corners now for Jeter, he works the count full after falling behind early, Jeter goes down looking to retire the side

Seventh Inning Stretch, Yankees lead, 5-2

BOT 7: Since the first inning, Wang has retired 16 in a row -- Ibanez flied to left, one away -- Boone hits a sinking liner at center, Bernie dives but does not catch the ball, the ball rolls away, Boone in at second with a double

Runner at second, one away for Reed, he bombs a double over Bernie's head in center, another double, one run scores -- Yankees lead is cut to 5-3

Torre is out to the mound to get Wang, despite his trouble here, a very solid performance by Chien Ming Wang -- Sturtze in to face Olivo

Olivo down swinging uno dos adios, ball is dropped, he is put out at first, two away -- Hansen PH for Bloomquist, he fouls out to third to end the rally

TOP 8: Nelson now pitching for M's, and Valdez in to play short -- first pitch swinging, Cano lines a single to center -- Sheffield rips a grounder at Boone, it goes off his glove and into short right, runner to third on the play ... and it is called a SINGLE, wow

Runners at the corners for Matsui, he grounds to second, just beat out by the throw, one run scores ... and the Yankees now lead 6-3

The umpires confer ... apparently the call is that Matsui double contacted the ball, so it is a foul ball, the score goes back to 5-3, and all runners return to their bases ... odd play

The reset, none out, runners at the corners, Matsui goes down looking, two away -- Now one out for ARod, he grounds a single through the left side of the infield to left, one run scores, the other runner to second, the Yankees really do lead, 6-3 now LOL

One down, runners at first and second for Tino, he flies to right, two away ... and he just missed parking that one, the runners hold -- Two down now for Bernie, he grounds to first to end the rally

BOT 8: Gordon now pitching for Yankees -- Ichiro grounds to first, one down -- Winn draws a walk, advances to second on a 2-2 wild pitch -- full count to Beltre, the payoff ... he goes down on strikes, two away -- runner at second, two down for Sexson, he pops out to Tino in foul territory near the tarp to end the inning

7:04PM HST

TOP 9: Guardado in for M's -- Womack to hit as DH after replacing Giambi, he goes down swinging, one away -- Mo warming for Yankees -- Flaherty grounded to third, two away -- Jeter goes down looking to retire the side

BOT 9: Mo in for the Yankees -- Ibanez draws a walk -- Boone hits a sharp grounder at short, he hits into a 643 double play -- Mo absolutely shards another bat, but Reed bloops a single to center to keep the inning alive -- Dobbs in to PH for Olivo -- the 1-2 pitch goes by Flaherty for a passed ball, the runner advances to second -- Dobbs goes down swinging to end the game

7:21PM HST

Well, the Yankees above .500 for the first time since being 3-2 very early in the season, the winning streak is stretched to an improbable NINE games

FINAL: Yankees win, 6-3

Another well pitched quality start for the Yankees, again the grit to come back from an early lead by the opposition, and the big resounding return of Bernie to the lineup as he came up with a clutch GRAND SLAM to put the Yankees ahead for good in the top of the seventh with two down

Tomorrow, Pavano goes for the Yankees against Mateo for Seattle, who is making his first major league start

20UP 19DOWN ... the streak is now 9