Satan's Luau

The roof is open on the former Skydome for the day game between the Jays and the Yankees

TOP 1: Downs going for TOR -- Jeter lines to right, one down -- Cano lines to the gap in left center .... Johnson dives ... he can't come up with it and rolls over the ball ... Cano hustles in with a double -- Sheffield goes down swinging, two away -- full count to ARod, the payoff ... inside, he draws a walk, runners now first and second -- Matsui goes down swinging to retire the side .... and scoring opportunities go by the board

BOT 1: Unit going for NY -- Adams draws a leadoff walk -- Johnson is plunked with the first pitch, runners now first and second -- Wells goes down swinging (RJ 1), one down -- Hillenbrand lines a single to left center, one run scores -- Jays lead, 1-0

Runners now first and second for Hill, he also lines a single to left center, another run scores -- the score is now TOR 2-0

Runners at the corners for Zaun, he goes down swinging (RJ 2) ... Hill going on the pitch ... he is thrown out at second for a strike em out, throw em out double play to end the rally

TOP 2: Giambi grounds to first, the pitcher covering, one down ... and on the play a piece of Giambi's bat gets the home plate ump on the leg, and he is down -- after a delay, the umpire has to leave the game

When play resumes with a replacement ump, Posada lines a singled through to left -- Bernie lines a single to right, runner to third on the hit

Runners at the corners for Flaherty, he draws a walk, the bases are now loaded -- Jeter sharply grounds back to the mound ... through the wickets ... past the diving second baseman, and into center, two runs will score -- the game is tied at 2-2

Runners at first and second for Cano, he grounds to first, the force is made at second, the relay to the pitcher covering pulls him off the bag, two away

Runners at the corners, two out for Sheffield, he lines a single to left center, another run scores -- the Yankees edge ahead, 3-2

Runners now first and second for ARod, he goes down swinging to end the rally

BOT 2: Rios goes down looking (RJ 3), one down -- Unit gets out in front 0-2 on Menechino ... Menechino blasts the 2-2 to left for a solo shot -- the game is evened at 3-3

Hudson grounds to third, two away -- Adams hits a flare to shallow center ... it falls in for a two out single -- Johnson grounds a single through to right, runners now first and second -- Wells battles with a two strike count ... then lines a hit to center, one run will score, Wells to second... Cano is the cutoff man and makes a great throw to the plate to get Johnson at home to end the rally -- Jays back ahead, 4-3

TOP 3: Matsui goes down swinging, one down ... looks like he is doing the pull off thing again -- Giambi also goes down swinging, two away -- Posada grounds a single past short and into center for a two out single -- Bernie grounds to third ... the throw to first is offline, great swipe tag made by the first baseman to retire the side

BOT 3: Hillenbrand lines the first pitch for a leadoff single to right -- Hill grounds to deep third, ARod makes great diving stop to prevent extra bases, his throw to first .... not in time, an infield single for Hill -- runners now first and second for Zaun, he pops foul to first, one down

Rios grounds to third, the force is made at second, two away -- runners at the corners for Menechino -- OHWHATTHEHELLNEXT! ... Johnson checks back the runner at first, they send Hillenbrand home ... the throw from Giambi, is so off as to be ridiculous, Hillenbrand steals home ... and the runner to third on the overthrow -- Jays extend to 5-3

Menechino grounds to second to end the two out rally

TOP 4: Flaherty flies to the track in left, one down -- Jeter grounds to short ... the throw from short is way offline, he reaches on an infield single -- Cano grounds a single through to left, runners now first and second -- Walker warms for TOR -- Sheffield draws a four pitch walk, the bases are now loaded

Gibbons out to the mound to take the ball, Walker will pitch for the Jays -- bases
loaded for ARod, he grounds to third, one run scores -- the score is now TOR 5-4

Runners now at the corners, two away for Matsui, he goes down looking to end the rally ... and it should have been more than one run, missed opportunities

BOT 4: Hudson grounds to third, one down -- Adams grounds to first, the Unit over to cover ... and MISSES THE BAG?!?!?!?! (he also steps awkwardly on the play but seems okay), Adams on first on the error by Unit

Johnson grounds a single up the middle, runner to third on the hit -- runners at the corners for Wells, he grounds the first pitch for a single to right, one run will score -- Jays now lead, 6-4

Stottlemyre out to confer -- Hillenbrand grounds to into an inning ending 463 double play to end the rally

TOP 5: Giambi draws a leadoff walk -- Posada flies to center, one away -- Bernie also flies to center, two gone -- Proctor warms for NY -- Flaherty flies to right to retire the side

BOT 5: Proctor in to pitch for NY, a very shaky performance by the Unit today --
Hill bloops to center, it falls in for a leadoff single ... Proctor looks a bit disgusted that it fell in -- Zaun hits a soft flare off the jumping Cano's glove ... and into center for a single, runners now first and second

Rios pops to right, one down -- Hinske in to PH for Menechino, he flies to center, runner tags and advances to third on the play, two away -- runners at first and third for Hudson, he goes down swinging to end the inning

TOP 6
Jeter lines the first pitch into center for a leadoff single -- Cano pops the first pitch foul ... great effort by Hudson ... INTO THE SEATS ... he doesn't come up with it, and is shaken up but will stay in -- Cano grounds to second, the play is made at first, runner to second on the play, one down

Arnsberg out to confer, Schoeneweis warms for TOR -- runner at second for Sheffield, full count, he draws a walk -- runners now first and second for ARod, he grounds to short, the force play is made at second ... Hudson can't unglove it to turn two, two away

Gibbons out to take the ball, Schoeneweis now pitching for TOR -- runners at the corners for Matsui, he grounds weakly to second to retire the side ... as more opportunities go by the board

BOT 6: Proctor continues for NY -- Adams pops foul to third, one down -- Johnson goes down looking, two away -- Wells lines a two out single through to center

On the pitch to Hillenbrand, Wells goes ... he steals second and the throw from Flaherty is offline and into center, he gets to third on the error

Hillenbrand gets all of the 2-1 and sends it to left ... a two run shot -- Jays now double up, 8-4 ... Hill flies to center to end another two out rally

TOP 7: Giambi attempts to defeat the shift with the surprise bunt but bunts back to the mound, one down -- Speier warms for TOR -- Posada pops to center, two away -- Bernie flies to left to retire the side

Seventh Inning Stench, Jays lead, 8-4

BOT 7: Proctor continues for NY, Frankin warms -- Zaun pops the full count payoff foul to the catcher, one down -- Rios goes down swinging on a foul tip, two away

That will be all for Proctor, Franklin in to match L-L -- Hinske pops to third to end the inning

TOP: Speier now pitching for TOR -- Womack in to PH for Flaherty, he pops foul to third, one down -- Batista warms for the Jays -- Jeter goes down looking, two gone -- Cano grounds to second to retire the side

BOT 8: Franklin continues for NY, Posada in at C -- Hudson battles then flies to right, one away -- Adams grounds to third ... ARod guns, and JUST gets him (replay: closer than that, might have been safe), two down

That will be all for Franklin, the new pitcher is Felix Rodriguez --
Johnson lines to center ... Bernie makes a great sliding catch to end the inning

TOP 9: Batista in to close for Jays -- Sheffield blasts the 0-1 to left .... gone, a leadoff solo shot -- the score is now TOR 8-5

ARod goes down looking, one away -- Matsui grounds to second, two gone --
Giambi draws a two out walk -- Posada pops to left center to end the game

FINAL: Jays win, 8-5

Ugly all around.

At the 2/3rds mark of the season, many of the same constants apply that make the Yankees look like they will be hovering around .500 for the remainder of the year, and tease the playoffs

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