Game 22: Apr 29, 1999 (L: 5-3)
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Commentary (by me)

Well, we went back to our usual result againt the Yankees - A loss.  We lost two out of three in this series with the Yankees (making us 1 for 5 so far this season against the World Champs).  However, I liked the way we played.  We didn't just roll over and die, although you'd think we did with the season series results.  The Yankees are the yardstick.  We still don't measure up against them, and that's still because of our pitching.  These guys can pitch circles around everyone, but it was nice to see us not just wilt.  Of coure the Tigers spanked the Yanks a week ago, what's that say about them?  :)

I had that same kind of bad omen I got on opening day.   My wife and I are big fans of the NBC Thursday night TV lineup, so we watched mostly that while flipping to the Ranger game during commercials.  Oh man, an inside the park Home Run by Mr. Twinkie, Chuck Knoblauch.  Ugh..  Well, we stayed with them for awhile, and then when I got done watching Frasier, I flipped back, and it was 5-0.  I thought we were done for, but we did manage to hold them to no more runs after they got to 5.  We did battle back, but it wasn't enough against Yankee pitching.  

Old Man Morgan (I don't like the nickname "The Mo Man" - sounds dippy) pitched well, but some defensive blunders gave him the loss.   He only got charged with one earned run, the rest were unearned.  The inside the parker was a blunder by Tom Goodwin, and Todd Zeile made a bad throw that Stevens couldn't dig out which led to a few Yankee runs.  Mike ended up leaving the game after being hit on the shin by a batted ball.  He looked OK, but Johnny took him out anyway.  Given the score, I think it was more to get him out before more damage was done.  I wasn't watching the game completely, but from what I saw, he didn't seem like he was pitching that bad - just caught a few bad breaks.  Mike Venafro looked good from what I saw in the line score (only saw him pitch to two batters) and from what Jim said below.  I like sidearm pitchers, they just seem "cooler" to me.   :)

I agree with Jim below, it's a game we should have won, but didn't.  Still, I liked that we didn't look like total crap against the Yankees.  On another note, I wish Don Zimmer well, this is the last time the Rangers should see him, and he seems like a nice guy from what I can tell.  I know you'll never see this Zim, but one Ranger fan wishes you well!

As a side note, after ER last night, my wife and I watched Field of Dreams.  It's a spectacular movie if you've never seen it.  A bit on the weird side for me, but still very well done.  That and Bull Durham.  :)    Also, what was with the AL West yesterday?  22 runs by the Mariners?   17 by the Angels?  Cripes!

Commentary (by Jim Meeks)

Two Rangers defensive blunders cost them a ball game Thursday night.

The game's first batter, second baseman Chuck Knoblauch, hit a liner to center fielder Tom Goodwin, who dove, missed the ball and let it skip by him all the way to the wall. Knoblauch scored on what should have been a single and a three base error but the official scorer deemed a home run.

A bad throw by third baseman Todd Zeile couldn't be handled by first baseman Lee Stevens in the third inning and the Yankees scored 4 unearned runs in the inning. The Yankees only scored 5 runs total and all 5 should have been unearned.

This marks the first game the Rangers have lost this year due to lousy defense. The Rangers have actually played above-average defensively all year.

Mike Morgan didn't pitch badly but was charged with the loss.

Mike Venafro pitched 4 perfect innings in relief and probably earned himself a permanent stay with the big club. He's pitched extremely well since his call-up. Danny Patterson is likely the odd man out when John Burkett returns.

Rafael Palmeiro stroked a 2-run homer in the 8th, but it was too little and too late.

This was a game they could've and should've won. Let's hope the Rangers don't lose the division by one game.

Game Recap

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (TICKER) -- It's only fitting that Ramiro Mendoza treated interim manager Don Zimmer to a win.

Mendoza allowed three runs over eight innings as the New York Yankees defeated the Texas Rangers, 5-3, in what might have been Zimmer's last game in a major league uniform.

Zimmer, 68, earlier said his chronic right knee problem would force him to leave the team as early as Friday. Joe Torre, who has been recovering from treatment for prostate cancer, could return this weekend in Kansas City.

Mendoza (3-1) was given a spot in the rotation to start the season by Zimmer, who defied owner George Steinbrenner's wishes to go with maligned Japanese righthander Hideki Irabu. Mendoza has responded, going 2-1 with a 2.48 ERA in four outings.

Chuck Knoblauch started the game with an inside-the-park homer and Tino Martinez added a three-run shot in the third inning for the Yankees, who have baseball's second-best record (14-6) under Zimmer.

Mike Morgan (4-1), the first pitcher in baseball to win four games this year, had his shortest start. He allowed five runs -- one earned -- and six hits over four innings.

Photos
(Click on any of them for a larger image

Don Zimmer & Johnny Oates share a laugh before the game	Tom Schieffer during the game.  Tom announced today that he was resigning as the Rangers president	Mr. Twinkie scores on his inside the park HR	Tino Martinez watches his 3 run HR fly	Scott Brosuis and the Yanks celebrate the win

Box Score

Line Score
AL  FINAL
                    1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9     R  H  E
                    -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -     -  -  -
NY YANKEES          1  0  4   0  0  0   0  0  0     5  6  0
TEXAS               0  0  1   0  0  0   0  2  0     3  9  1   (FINAL)

BATTERIES:  NYY - RAMIRO MENDOZA, MARIANO RIVERA (9TH) AND JORGE
                  POSADA
            TEX - MIKE MORGAN, MIKE VENAFRO (5TH), TIM CRABTREE
                  (9TH) AND IVAN RODRIGUEZ

             WP - RAMIRO MENDOZA (3-1)
             LP - MIKE MORGAN (4-1)
           SAVE - MARIANO RIVERA (6)

HOME RUNS:  NYY - CHUCK KNOBLAUCH (2) OFF MORGAN IN THE 1ST, 0 ON
                  TINO MARTINEZ (4) OFF MORGAN IN THE 3RD, 2 ON
            TEX - RAFAEL PALMEIRO (5) OFF MENDOZA IN THE 8TH, 1 ON

     TIME:  2:26     ATT:  35,573

PROBABLES:  NYY - ANDY PETTITTE (0-0, 2.08)
            KAN - JAY WITASICK (0-1, 4.91)

            CLE - BARTOLO COLON (3-0, 2.35)
            TEX - RICK HELLING (1-3, 6.92)



Box Score
NY YANKEES (5) AT TEXAS (3) - FINAL

NY YANKEES             ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Knoblauch 2b            4  2  2  1   0  0   0  .347
Jeter ss                4  0  1  0   0  1   0  .403
Oneill rf               3  1  0  0   1  0   1  .257
B Williams cf           4  1  2  1   0  0   1  .296
T Martinez 1b           4  1  1  3   0  1   1  .239
C Davis dh              4  0  0  0   0  1   0  .362
Posada c                3  0  0  0   1  0   0  .158
Curtis lf               4  0  0  0   0  1   1  .179
Brosius 3b              3  0  0  0   0  0   0  .111

Totals                 33  5  6  5   2  4   4

BATTING: HR - Knoblauch (2, 1st inning off Morgan 0 on, 0 out);
T Martinez (4, 3rd inning off Morgan 2 on, 2 out).
RBI - Knoblauch (11), B Williams (8), T Martinez 3 (9).
2-out RBI - B Williams, T Martinez 3. Runners left in scoring
position, 2 out - B Williams 1. GIDP - Oneill.  Team LOB - 3.

FIELDING: DP: 2 (Knoblauch-T Martinez, Knoblauch-Jeter-
T Martinez).

TEXAS                  ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
T Goodwin cf            5  0  0  0   0  0   2  .192
Mclemore 2b             3  1  1  0   1  1   0  .284
Greer lf                4  0  2  1   0  0   1  .326
J Gonzalez rf           3  1  1  0   0  1   1  .294
R Palmeiro dh           3  1  2  2   1  0   2  .300
I Rodriguez c           4  0  0  0   0  0   1  .267
Zeile 3b                4  0  1  0   0  1   1  .260
L Stevens 1b            4  0  1  0   0  2   2  .342
Clayton ss              4  0  1  0   0  1   1  .150

Totals                 34  3  9  3   2  6  11

BATTING: 2B - Greer (12, Mendoza). HR - R Palmeiro (5, 8th
inning off Mendoza 1 on, 2 out). RBI - Greer (14), R Palmeiro 2 (14).
2-out RBI - Greer, R Palmeiro 2. Runners left in scoring position,
2 out - R Palmeiro 1, J Gonzalez 1, L Stevens 1, T Goodwin 1.
GIDP - I Rodriguez, L Stevens.  Team LOB - 7.

FIELDING: E - Zeile (2, throw). DP: 1 (Mclemore-Clayton-
L Stevens).

NY YANKEES                   ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Mendoza (W, 3-1)              8       8   3   3   2   4   1   2.40
M Rivera (S, 6)               1       1   0   0   0   2   0   2.61

TEXAS                        ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Morgan (L, 4-1)               4       6   5   1   1   3   2   3.26
Venafro                       4       0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00
Crabtree                      1       0   0   0   1   0   0   6.43

Morgan pitched to 2 batters in the 5th.

WP - M Rivera. HBP - J Gonzalez (by Mendoza).  Pitches-strikes:
Morgan 78-49; Venafro 31-21; Crabtree 13-9; Mendoza 102-69;
M Rivera 15-12.  Ground balls-fly balls: Morgan 5-4; Venafro 9-2;
Crabtree 0-3; Mendoza 18-2; M Rivera 1-0.  Batters faced: Morgan 20;
Venafro 11; Crabtree 4; Mendoza 33; M Rivera 4.

UMPIRES: HP--Jim Evans. 1B--Larry Mccoy. 2B--Chuck Meriwether.
3B--Dale Ford.
T--2:26.  Att--35,573.   Weather: 75 degrees, cloudy.   Wind: 13 mph,
in from left.


AL       NY YANKEES AT TEXAS
         NOTE:  THE HOME RUN BY NEW YORK'S CHUCK KNOBLAUCH LED OFF THE
                GAME AND IT WAS ALSO AN INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN.

AL       NY YANKEES AT TEXAS
         NOTE:  TEXAS STARTING PITCHER MIKE MORGAN LEFT THE GAME IN THE
                FIFTH INNING AFTER BEING HIT BY A DEREK JETER LINE DRIVE.

AL       NY YANKEES AT TEXAS
         NOTE:  TEXAS' MIKE MORGAN LEFT THE GAME IN THE FIFTH INNING WITH
                A BRUISED LEFT SHIN AND HE WILL BE RE-EVALUATED LATER
                TONIGHT.

Game Log

Ny Yankees Starting Lineups -- Chuck Knoblauch 2B, Derek Jeter SS, Paul Oneill RF, Bernie Williams CF, Tino Martinez 1B, Chili Davis DH, Jorge Posada C, Chad Curtis LF, Scott Brosius 3B, Ramiro Mendoza RHP.

Texas Starting Lineups -- Tom Goodwin CF, Mark Mclemore 2B, Rusty Greer LF, Juan Gonzalez RF, Rafael Palmeiro DH, Ivan Rodriguez C, Todd Zeile 3B, Lee Stevens 1B, Royce Clayton SS, Mike Morgan RHP.

Umpires -- Evans (HP), L Mccoy (1B), C Meriwether (2B), Ford (3B).

Gametime Weather: 75 degrees, Cloudy, wind in from left at 13 mph.

NY YANKEES 1ST: Knoblauch homered to center. Jeter struck out looking. Oneill grounded out to shortstop. B Williams singled to left. T Martinez grounded out to third. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 1ST: T Goodwin flied out to left. Mclemore grounded out to second. Greer singled to left. J Gonzalez singled to right, Greer to third. R Palmeiro grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TEXAS 0.

NY YANKEES 2ND: C Davis struck out looking. Posada flied out to right. Curtis struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 2ND: I Rodriguez grounded out to third. Zeile grounded out to shortstop. L Stevens struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 1, TEXAS 0.

NY YANKEES 3RD: Brosius grounded out to shortstop. Knoblauch safe at first on 3rd baseman Zeile's throwing error. Jeter grounded out to shortstop, Knoblauch to second. Oneill walked. B Williams singled to center, Knoblauch scored, Oneill to second. T Martinez homered to right, Oneill and B Williams scored. C Davis grounded out to first. (4 Runs, 2 Hits, 1 Error) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 3RD: Clayton grounded out to second. T Goodwin grounded out to shortstop. Mclemore singled to right. Greer doubled to deep left center, Mclemore scored. J Gonzalez struck out swinging. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 1.

NY YANKEES 4TH: Posada flied out to left center. Curtis popped out to second. Brosius lined out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 1.

TEXAS 4TH: R Palmeiro walked. I Rodriguez grounded out to third, R Palmeiro to second. Zeile grounded out to shortstop. L Stevens struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 1.

NY YANKEES 5TH: Knoblauch singled to right. Jeter reached on infield single, Knoblauch to second. Mike Venafro relieved Mike Morgan. Oneill grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Jeter out at second, Knoblauch to third. B Williams grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 1.

TEXAS 5TH: Clayton grounded out to second. T Goodwin grounded out to first. Mclemore walked. Greer grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Mclemore out at second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 1.

NY YANKEES 6TH: T Martinez struck out swinging. C Davis flied out to shallow center. Posada grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 1.

TEXAS 6TH: J Gonzalez grounded out to third. R Palmeiro singled to center. I Rodriguez grounded into double play, second to first, R Palmeiro out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 1.

NY YANKEES 7TH: Curtis grounded out to third. Brosius flied out to deep center. Knoblauch grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 1.

TEXAS 7TH: Zeile singled to left. L Stevens grounded into double play, second to shortstop to first, Zeile out at second. Clayton singled to left. T Goodwin grounded into fielder's choice to second, Clayton out at second. (0 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 1.

NY YANKEES 8TH: Jeter grounded out to second. Oneill grounded out to shortstop. B Williams grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 1.

TEXAS 8TH: Mclemore struck out looking. Greer flied out to left. J Gonzalez hit by pitch. R Palmeiro homered to right, J Gonzalez scored. I Rodriguez grounded out to shortstop. (2 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 3.

NY YANKEES 9TH: Tim Crabtree relieved Mike Venafro. T Martinez lined out to first. C Davis flied out to left. Posada walked. Curtis flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 3.

TEXAS 9TH: Mariano Rivera relieved Ramiro Mendoza. Zeile struck out swinging. L Stevens singled to left. L Stevens to second on M Rivera wild pitch. Clayton struck out swinging. T Goodwin grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 5, TEXAS 3.