The journey to the World Series and championship number 28 begins Friday evening in the Bronx. The Yankees will host Detroit in the best of five ALDS for the first two games Friday and Saturday evening.

In fact, the Yankees, even with a share of injuries to players, and with a suspect pitching staff went beyond expectations even if they had the highest payroll in baseball. Because they utilized veterans Freddie Garcia and Bartolo Colon, at the backend of a rotation, they got more than expected and with the ineffectiveness of A.J. Burnett, Garcia and Colon made a difference on the mound. Though Colon, in the second half, showed age and innings got to him and was not that effective.

Despite the outspoken objections from GM Brian Cashman about spending $43 million on the contract of bullpen set-up man Rafael Soriano, who sat out two months with a shoulder injury, the pen is one of the strong points that favor New York in October. In the end, Soriano in the pen makes the Yankees tough to beat in later innings that are close. Manager Joe Girardi can get seven innings from his starter, and it is a perfect set up getting to Mariano Rivera baseball’s all-time saves leader after he reached a milestone 602 save in mid September. And there is David Robertson the one-out specialist who leads all American League relievers in earned run average.

Robinson Cano had a MVP type season, the captain Derek Jeter achieved a milestone 3,000 career hit, showing no signs of an aging veteran, and Alex Rodriguez with knee, hip and thumb ailments is still a viable threat in the lineup. A potent lineup that once again led baseball in home runs, maybe attributed to the friendly confines of the new Yankee Stadium.

Regardless of how far they go, networks that televise the baseball post season, Fox and TBS, are thrilled that the Yankees are playing in October again and hope that they go deep and advance to another World Series. Because the Yankees are a vital cog to baseball network coverage when it comes to the ratings and revenue, and fans will watch because most of America has that anti Yankees approach. They like to see the second most expensive sports franchise go out the window early.

But an early exit for the Yankees may not happen. If their ace on the mound, CC Sabathia goes deep into the ballgame, the pen will take over. Rivera, who had some struggles, a 42-year old arm will do that from time-to-time, is considered the best post season reliever in baseball history. The rotation is set with the rookie Ivan Nova making more of an impression with every start. A.J. Burnett could come out of the pen and Phil Hughes, questionable for the first round, in September showed some side effects from a bad shoulder that sidelined him most of the season.

Yes, there are questions and a first round best of five with Detroit could be trouble for New York. There could be an eventual showdown with the Boston Red Sox, the adversaries and a team New York had constant struggles with again in 2011, that is, until the Red Sox had a late season collapse. But that showdown would be ideal for the networks because New York and Boston is the rival series in sports. A best of seven and who goes to the World Series will be a ratings bonanza.

But what defines the 2011 Yankees is their versatility and awareness once again that they came up short in 2010.  The veterans such as Jeter, Alex Rodriguez,  Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera, as well as the manager Joe Girardi  know anything less than an appearance or winning of the World Series is a failure.

So the mission since leaving the field and losing to Texas in the ALCS last October was try and forget how close they got to defending championship number 27, and get number 28, back to the Bronx. Ownership, Cashman, Girardi and the Yankees believe they have the nucleus to do that, and saw a solid year from Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson and possible MVP candidate Robinson Cano.

They may be older, this Yankees roster that begins the October part of their campaign, the second oldest in baseball. Though the wave of talented youngsters in the organization made some stops in the Bronx this season including rookie catcher Jesus Montero, considered one of their top prospects. And Eduardo Nunez, the 22-year old got a taste of the big club last season and is a versatile infield backup who filled in when Jeter and Rodriguez hit the disabled list.

Brett Gardner and Jeter, they get on base and what follows is a lot of runs scored again. In the end it comes down to that starting pitching. All in all, predicting the outcome of a short series in October is not easy. Good pitching will get you far in the post season.

But, will that pitching be enough for the Yankees to get championship number 28 and another parade down the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway? Time will tell as October baseball is here.

-email Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

The Yankees are showing their age, led on also by the contracts granted to Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and down the line possibly the deal that Mark Teixeira has. And forget about the rumors Monday surfacing that the Yankees had a potential deal going with the cross-town Mets for Carlos Beltran.

With the first installment of the Subway Series at Yankee Stadium Friday night, Beltran rumors only add to headlines as the two teams play the first of six games, the other three next month at Citi Field. But, seriously speaking, with the Yankees slipping and the Mets trying to stay competitive, it certainly is different to see the Yankees getting controversial headlines.

Does Posada get the blame for pulling himself from the lineup an hour before the first pitch Saturday night, reportedly because he was put ninth in order of manager Joe Girardi, or was it a bad back that Posada reportedly had? And was the situation handled properly by the Yankees? That is a question still under review, though the Yankees say that the problem is in the past and it is time to move on.

But where do the Yankees go from here is the ultimate question. Girardi handled the awkward situation graciously and offered a sympathetic tone about Posada, a catcher turned to a fulltime designated hitter with a .155 batting average and hitless against left handed pitching.

This is drama, maybe more than the theatre that was played when the late George Steinbrenner picked up the phone in anger and called the Yankees dugout as a game was in progress.  Posada, from reports, wanted an immediate release form the team, but the realization is that would be difficult to do with the huge salary and last year of a contract.

But from all intents and purposes, and from a perspective of those who analyze and break down baseball, the beginning of more to come is now a part of these New York Yankees. How do you part with Posada, a 17-year career Yankee, a five-time all-star and part of that core four of players that contributed big time to five world championships?

It is a dilemma that the captain, Jeter, also has to address. Because Jeter, the 36-year old shortstop and showing signs of decline, signed a lucrative contract that takes him through the 2013 season with an option for another year. And on the verge of reaching the 3,000 career hit milestone, and if Jeter continues to decline, do the Yankees have another aging player and another Posada situation?

In all probability, the Yankees look to avoid any similarity. But listen to how Jeter responded to all the Posada talk. He defended his longtime teammate. But the Yankees hierarchy spoke to their captain Monday down in Tampa Florida before the start of a series with the first place Rays.

“If I thought he did something wrong, I’d be the first to tell him,” Jeter said when asked by reporters about Posada. He said there was no need for Posada to apologize to his teammates, yet reportedly team President Randy Levine, general manager Brian Cashman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner seriously contemplated releasing Posada.

And after speaking with Jeter Monday, everyone is on the same page. But are they? Because Posada is not helping the Yankees with his lack of hitting and the damage has been done. When Jeter supported Posada, it was more than being a longtime friend or, as he said supporting someone that he considers a brother.

It was also about Jeter’s future, and the long term commitments that the Yankees have made with an aging roster of players. The Yankees learned a lesson about Posada and Jeter was obviously consulted about not putting the organization in a similar situation, if and when the skills of Jeter continue to decline.

There is a consensus that owners are getting away from the long term contracts and going more towards homegrown talent from their minor league system. The Kansas City Royals offer an example. In the Bronx last week, the Royals took two of three from New York.

A Royals franchise with a $50 million dollar payroll, enriched with young talent that has Baseball America listing them with the top prospects in the game and on the verge of being one of the premiere teams in the game. In essence getting away from the long term lucrative contract may be something for the Yankees to examine as an aging roster of players is coming to fruition.

Posada has become a victim of the aging ballplayer with a contract granted out of loyalty, as the Yankees do have that generous approach of taking care of their core/franchise player. Perhaps, when Bernie Williams felt insulted a few years ago, and then walked away, it was the right move.

For the moment, as the Yankees say, the Posada dilemma is over. But is it? Because through all of this, the Yankees have to still figure a way to win ballgames and hope the Mets don’t cause additional embarrassment when they come to the Bronx Friday night.

e-mail Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

But Swisher has made it a habit of hitting the “walk- off” win this season. The last two Yankees walk-off wins have come off Swisher’s bat, but this one may have been more important as the Yankees prevented Baltimore from the sweep with a 3-2 win Wednesday afternoon in the Bronx.

As they embark on a nine-game road trip that takes them to American league western leading Texas for three, and three to Tampa Bay in what is a key AL east divisional series, the Yankees know how important this win was Wednesday afternoon.

“We put ourselves in a great spot, we just have to keep it going,” said Swisher about where his team stands. The Yankees have 22 games remaining, 15 on the road, two games ahead of Tampa Bay with the best record in baseball.

And his home run, 26^th of the season came at the right time because up until that ninth inning Baltimore pitching once again had the Yankees perplexed at the plate. Right hander Brad Bergesen went 6.1 innings, allowed four hits, and a run, exiting with a 2-1 lead.

With Eduardo Nunez at first, pinch running for Alex Rodriguez who led off the inning with a single, Swisher got hold of a 2-0 pitch and hit it to the opposite field. With a bad knee, Swisher got two hits on the day after going 0-for his last 14.

“The wind was blowing out and it was a big win to end the home stand,” commented Swisher. The Yankees finished 7-3 in their longest home stand of the season.

Yankees starter Ivan Nova allowed two runs on six hits and did not figure in the decision. The bullpen went three innings without allowing a run. Joba Chamberlain (3-4) got the win, and Nova’s only mistake was a 3-0 pitch to Matt Wieters in the fifth that went over the left field fence with one on that gave the Orioles their two runs.

Nova would get out of a jam in the fifth inning. With runners on first and second Orioles’ Cesar Izturis popped out to Derek Jeter at short. That kept the score at 2-1. Nova would pitch one more inning, the sixth and allowed one hit.

“If we lose today it is not a good home stand,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. “It was a big swing,” he said about Swisher’s home run. “Was the whipped cream fresh? They hadn’t done it in a while,” he commented about the traditional “walk-off” cream pie that went in the face of Swisher after the big home run that was hit off Orioles loser Koji Uehara (1-1).

The Yankees snapped a three game losing streak and remain the only team in baseball without a losing streak of at least four games this season.

The Yankees had their chances, and as in their previous three games failed to capitalize with runners on base. Francisco Cervelli ended the seventh grounding out to third stranding Robinson Cano at second and Marcus Thames at first, who pinch hit for Curtis Granderson.

After the game Girardi revealed that catcher Jorge Posada, not in the starting lineup, wasn’t available off the bench. The night before Posada was nipped behind the plate by a foul tip which may have caused a minor concussion.

Posada had a restless night and Girardi said, “He had concussion type symptoms after the game.”  Posada saw the team doctor, was not at the ballpark and met with a neurologist. It was determined that Posada would travel to Texas with the team after tests came back negative.

When asked about Posada’s condition and availability for the upcoming road trip, Girardi said “If tests come back today that are okay we will take him with us.”  Girardi also envisioned the worst possible situation, his starting catcher out indefinitely due to the severity and caution of concussion symptoms.

“I have contemplated not having him a little bit. If that’s the case we will have to deal with it,” he said.  And as of now, the Yankees switch hitting catcher is day-to –day.  However, as with all type of concussion type of symptoms, the Yankees will be cautious and monitor Posada before he is cleared to take the field.

There was concern in the Yankees clubhouse for their teammate. Before the results came in they had no time to reflect on how important the win was that kept the Yankees for the moment two games up on Tampa.

“He’s a big part of our ball club and hopefully he will be back in the lineup in a couple of days,” commented Brett Gardner who drove in the Yankees first run of the day in the third. His double to left scored Curtis Granderson who singled and stole second.

It was Swisher’s third career game ending home run. “I guess it’s my day,” he said. “It’s a monster win for us.  “Obviously it’s a concern,” he said about Posada’s condition.

For the moment the Yankees condition is sitting well despite another brief losing streak. And they do expect Andy Pettitte to rejoin the pitching rotation in the next few days. Pettitte was scheduled to have a rehab assignment at Double A Trenton and if all goes well he could get a start on the road trip.

e-mail Rich Mancuso:  Ring786@aol.com

AJ Burnett again did not have full control of his pitches. In seven innings on the mound, the right hander walked four, threw a wild pitch and surrendered four earned runs. It was his fourth straight loss in a game that he had pitched at least seven innings.

The defeat was the fifth suffered by Burnett im his last seven starts. The defeat dropped his record to 10-13 and his earned run average climbed to 5.15. Despite the disappointing stats, Yankee manager Joe Girardi was pleased by Burnett’s outing, “I like the way he threw the ball today. I think it was a step forward.”

The Yankee manager’s opinion was seconded by Yankee captain Derek Jeter, “I really thought he threw the ball well. He looked a lot sharper today. It was a step in the right direction.”

Burnett was not satisfied at his inability to prevent the Orioles from coming back and taking the lead after the yanks had scored, “I take pride in shut downs. Every time, you want to shut them down. I get the lead and I blow it. That’s the story today.”

One of the bright spots for the pinstripes was how Alex Rodriguez swung the bat. In his second game after a stint on the 15-dat DL, Rodriguez drove in two runs to reach the century plateau. In the fourth, he took a 2-1 pitch into the stands in left-center to tie the game at one. Rodriguez’s 22^nd round tripper for the season was the 605^th of his career.

In the sixth, with the bases loaded, Rodriguez flied deep to right for a sacrifice fly. His second run batted in gave him 100 for the 2010 season. He tied Hall of Fame sluggers Lou Gehrig and Jimmy Foxx with 13 consecutive seasons of having achieved at least 100 runs driven in. He now holds the career mark with 14 such productive seasons.

When informed by official scorer Bill Shannon of A-Rod’s accomplishment, Girardi commented, “This shows how consistent he’s been, how healthy he’s been. He came up at a very young age and was productive right away.”

The events of the Monday’s game seems inconsistent with the fact that the two teams have exact records in reverse. The Yanks, 86-52 and the Orioles, 52-86. Yet, the yanks still have the best record in the majors and remained 2.5 games in front of the second place Tampa Rays.

The above standings are exactly where Girardi want his team to be, “Our focus is on [winning] the division. I want to have the best record and have home field advantage.”

In the second of the three game series, CC Sabathia will be attempting to win his 20^th game of the year. Jake Arrieta (4-6) will oppose him on the mound. The final game of the 10-game homestand will be the sixth afternoon game in the last seven on Wednesday.

Most would wonder why Pena had to even step in today, well before Friday’s game even got started some sports reporters were on hand to witness a moment that would make most Yankees fans heart drop. As All-Star third baseman Alex Rodriguez, who was shagging baseballs during batting practice was drilled by a Lance Berkman ball. The ball made a bee line for Rodriguez’s leg and would leave the slugger on the ground for a good five minutes before paramedics and trainers could attend to the injury.

“I hit it and obviously had a great view of it. I was just [saying], ‘Look out!’” said Berkman who was taking some right-handed at bats at the time. The switch hitter continued by saying, “It was on him. I just remember hitting it and cringing. It was headed right for him. It was hard. I hope he’s not out very long.”

The newly acquired designated hitter felt bad saying, “I just told him when he was coming off the field, ‘Sorry about that.’ I clearly didn’t mean to it wasn’t like I was trying to hit him. That is just one of those things about batting practice. I think we’ve all been hit before.”

Rodriguez finally got up and walked slowly into the New York dugout, to get X-Rays which later turned out to be negative. Thankfully for the 49,716 in attendance Ramiro Pena stepped in and has done what he has all season long, produce with runners in scoring position. Pena who has hit safely in five of his last eight starts, going 7-for-25 for a .280 batting average, with four runs batted in and three runs in those contest.

In Friday’s huge start against the Red Sox Pena was 1-for-3 while driving in two runs. The second run that Pena drove in gave the Yankees the 5-2 lead and the eventually victory. There were other highlights in same game as the utility player put on a display of speed and fine defensive plays helping to turn several ground ball outs for New York.

“Pena has done a tremendous job for us this season,” manager Joe Girardi said of his young utility player after the game. “He has done a really good job for us in many key situations without getting much playing time and it is amazing to see.”

The utility player had this to say of his performance today, “I feel good about it, it was good to be given the opportunity, and it’s tough because of Alex’s injury. You just want to help the team win and that is it-that is my job.”

Pena along with a fifth-inning rally helped to propel the Yankees to a huge Game Two victory over the Red Sox. As the team now improves to 2-3 on their current home stand, that coupled with Tampa Bay’s loss to Toronto helps to extend the Yankees lead in the American League East to 1.5 games.

Also monumental in the victory today was the pitching of lefty C. C. Sabathia, who in recording his 150^th win of his career, benefited from not only a day off but a birth in his family. The starter went eight innings that were of the grind it out variety, giving up six hits, striking out four batters while only giving up two runs one walk and one home run. Two of the biggest strike outs for Sabathia in today’s game were both against designated hitter David Ortiz.

“Sabathia is a guy with a high winning percentage,” Girardi said after the game. “He eats up a lot of innings so usually the bullpen isn’t going to be used on most of the days that he starts.

For Sabathia he was able to snap a two-game losing streak, while winning for the 10^th time in his last 13 starts. The lefty is now undefeated in his last 18 starts at Yankee Stadium since the 2009 All-Star Break, going 13-0 with a 2.25 ERA.

“Sabathia really stepped it up for us today, he only gave up two runs in that first inning and for the most part he shut them down,” Girardi said after the game. “This Boston team still has a lot of dangerous bats and for the most part he was able to shut them down.” The manager would continue to say, “C. C. is a really special pitcher. Who knows maybe by getting this win today he will be on a roll now.”

When asked after the game how he felt the lefty had this to say, “I feel good, my fastball was working today along with my secondary stuff. Overall my command was good and it helped us get the win.” The lefty would also go on to say about the extra day, “It did help, it is an exciting week for us and I am glad to have been able to go out there and get us the win.”

On his milestone Sabathia said, “It is very cool and is something that I will celebrate later on. Right now I am worried about the next start and continue to pitch like I did today.”

Also contributing to the Yankees offense in the victory over the Red Sox was outfielder Curtis Granderson. Who before the game started Girardi had hoped would start to go on a hitting streak. Well nothing starts a hitting streak better than a 2-for-4 day, which includes a hard hit triple (8) off the center field bullpen wall, to set the stage for Pena. The utility player would hit a ground out which would plate Granderson and tie the score 2-2 in that inning.

New York would have that bottom of the fifth-inning rally, as four batters all were able to lace singles. Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada were all involved in giving New York a 4-2 lead. Posada was able to steal his first base of the 2010 season during Lance Berkman’s at bat to try to force in another run. Unfortunately for the designated hitter, Berkman continued to struggle and heard some boos from the Yankee Universe.

The Skipper is not concerned about his new acquisition saying, “He seems like an even keel guy, I am sure he (Berkman) has been through slumps before and knows how to work his way out of it.”

Leading the way for the Red Sox was starter John Lackey, who did well but could not make it through a very daunting Yankee lineup. The righty went six innings, giving up eight hits while striking out seven batters. Lackey gave up five runs and walked three in what was a solid outing. The lone offense for the Red Sox came off the bats of Victor Martinez who clubbed a home run (10) to left field over the State Farm sign. Adrian Beltre (2-for-4) ripped a double (33) down the left field line to set the stage for Mike Lowell who would bring Beltre home with a double (6) of his own.

Game three of this four-game series will take place on Sunday, August 8 as righty A.J. Burnett (9-9, 4.93 ERA) takes on righty Josh Beckett (3-1, 5.70 ERA) with the first pitch scheduled for 8:05 p.m. for the ESPN televised game.

Story originally posted on www.latinosports.com

The Yankee captain and shortstop Derek Jeter set the stage by driving a single to left field. With two outs in the inning the crowd started to chant, “Let’s go A-Rod” in the hopes of witnessing a milestone moment. The third baseman strode to the plate digging into the batter’s box, and was greeted with two fastballs outside the strike zone. Finally the third fastball found the strike zone as the slugger lifted it into Monument Park for a monumental milestone moment. That homer also gave the New York Yankees a 2-0 lead over the Blue Jays.

“It is a special number to be able to reach 600 homers for my career,” Rodriguez said after the game. “I am really proud to have been able to reach this milestone and it is something that I am going to treasure.”

Rodriguez seems to like August 4^th for his milestone moments as three years ago today, he was able to lift his 500^th career home run in similar circumstances, today was different because it was a different team and because Rodriguez the player is a different person.

“Earlier on in my career I would do a lot of talking and my play would not match that,” the third baseman said. “Now I am really trying to walk the walk and talk the talk. So much has changed like the way I play the game and go about my business. I try to do the little things more that help the team win games and win a World Series. There is no personal achievement that compares to winning a World Series.

The 2-0 lead was enough for starting pitcher Phil Hughes (13-4) to help him go on and pitch brilliantly in spite of a head cold. The righty went five and one-thirds innings giving up four hits and striking out five batters. For Hughes today must have felt like déjà vu, as the last time he was on the mound was when Rodriguez hit career home run 500 three years ago.

“It feels like something great is always happening with this team,” Hughes said after the game. “Especially with all of these great players on the team, you are expecting something great to happen.”

When asked about the slugger’s monumental homer Hughes had this to say, “It is nice for Alex to get the weight off of his shoulders and to get the home run at home.” Of his performance with the head cold the righty had this to say, “I didn’t feel great today but I was able to keep their guys off base and fortunately we were able to get the win.”

Rodriguez who dreamed of playing in New York one day and had one part of his life growing up in the city had a lot of compliments of the fans and making history at home. “There is nothing more special than to be able to hit a home run here in New York. “It really makes you wish that ‘The Boss’ George Steinbrenner was around, because he loved big moments like this.” On the fan support throughout the quest he said, “The fans have been remarkable throughout this whole thing. I kept them waiting quite a while and they were just remarkable and so patient towards me throughout. I am really thankful for their support.”

It seemed as if the weight was off the Yankees as well as they were able to add on run support as first baseman Mark Teixeira, went 2-for-3 in today’s game and drove in three runs. Also having a good day at the plate was the captain Derek Jeter collecting a season-high four hits, his most in a game since 7/10/09 versus the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim. Both players helped to lead the Yankees to the 5-1 win and snapping their season-high-tying three game losing streak, while also avoiding a sweep against Toronto.

Jeter had a conversation with Rodriguez that went a long way into the monumental homer. Rodriguez shared the story after the game. “Jeter was telling me to just get a base hit, to drive someone in, even try laying down a bunt. But after I got the home run he said to forget about bunting.”

The Captain had this to say of his teammate’s moment, “He got a good pitch to hit and he was able to do what he’s done 600 times already. He’s got a long career ahead of him and a lot of great moments to come.”

In what was a great moment for both the Yankees and one lucky security guard, who was able to grab the milestone baseball. The young man who was later identified as Frankie Babilonia, kept the ball safe and gave it to the All-Star after the game. “I feel blessed that one of our guys was able to get the ball. It is very generous of him to give it to me and I am sure I will do something special with it.”

Babilonia, who is in his second season with the Yankees as a part of the security staff, has been stationed in center field for most of the season.  When asked where this moment would rank he said, “This is going to be ranked at the top of my list. I am going to be able to tell my kids that I was able to be a part of Alex Rodriguez’s milestone moment is awesome.” The guard who received an autographed bat from Rodriguez was even able to take a picture with the slugger after the game. “I am sure my phone is blowing up right now.” Frankie who told numerous jokes to the journalist afterward said, “I just hope there aren’t too many people knocking at my door right now.”

For the Blue Jays were kept off the board until the top of the fourth inning. Outfielder Jose Bautista got the inning going with a single to left field. Three batters later Lyle Overbay hit a double (12) off the right field wall, which plated Bautista and plated the lone Toronto run. Starter Shaun Marcum (10-5) went six innings gave up eight hits, five runs, one while, while striking out five batters.

“Well overall our guys played good.” Toronto manager Cito Gaston said after the game. “The Yankees are a tough team. You always want to take the last one, but we’ll take what we can.”

After a rare off day on Thursday, the New York Yankees look to continue their winning ways. New York opens up a huge four game set against the Boston Red Sox to close out this week. Game one will take place on Friday at 7:05 p.m. as Javier Vazquez (9-7, 4.61 ERA) takes on Clay Buchholz (11-5, 2.59 ERA).

“We felt that it was important that we won today,” manager Joe Girardi said after the game. “We have an important series coming up so it was good to get that positive momentum going our way.”

Yankees starter Andy Pettitte continued his daytime undefeated streak. The lefthander hurled seven innings and gave up only one run, a lead-off, solo homer by Jhonny Peralta in the second. Pettitte surrendered only three other hits and did not walk batter. He has not issued a walk in his last two starts.The last baserunner against Pettitte got on with one out in the third. Pettitte retired the final 14 batters he faced to earn his 236 career victory. The total ties the career mark of Yankees icon Whitey Ford. Pettitte said of tying Ford, “That’s awesome. That’s really special. He’s been a huge supporter of mine. We have a great relationship.”

The 37 year-old starter was asked if he was near retirement or intended to continue into his 40′s. He responded as he had previously, “I can’t see myself playing a lot longer. I can’t think long term. I don’t have personal goals.” He explained that his on-the-field performances will not be the deciding factor in determining when he will stop playing”It’ll be when I feel I have to be with my family more. I put a lot of stock in what my wife says. She’s there.”

As in the previous three contests of this series, the seventh inning saw an eruption of runs that made the outcome clear. Thirty-five of the 57 runs scored in the four games crossed the plate in the seventh inning. The Bronx Bombers lived up to the nickname during the game, especially in the seventh.

Brett Gardner led off with a single and was thrown out trying to steal second. Jeter and then Curtis Granderson singled. After a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, Mark Teixeira was walked intentionally. A study of past history by the Cleveland skipper Manny Acta could have prevented history from being repeated. Rodriguez drove the ball into monument Park in deep center field for his 20^th career grand slam. This at bat was the seventh for A-Rod after Teixeira was walked to load the sacks. Unbelievably, Rodriguez is 5 for 5 with three of hits being homers. He also drew a walk and hit a sacrifice fly. He garnered 18 runs batted in the seven plate appearances. Rodriguez drove in two other runs for a season-high of six in the contest.

The second leading hitter in the A.L., Robinson Cano followed with a solo home run. The home run gave Cano a team-high 11 homers and increased his team-high hitting streak to 14. Cano is batting .450 during the 14 games, 27 for 60. He has driven in 17 runs during the streak. Cano’s two hits raised his multi-hit games to 24.

Derek Jeter upped his consecutive game hitting streak to eight games. During that stretch, he has batted .486 (17 for 35). This was also his eighth straight multi-hit game against Cleveland, a Yankee record.

Next up, it’s A-Rod and a grand slam home run. That opened up the game and paved the way for the Yankees and starter Andy Pettitte to take the final game of a four-game series, 11-2 from the last place Indians of the AL Central division.

For Rodriguez it was his seventh home run of the season, and 20^th career grand slam. More so he is now 5-for-5 with a walk, three home runs, a sacrifice fly, and has 18 RBI in seven plate appearances after Teixeira has been intentionally walked to load the bases in front of him.

“At 3-0 on Mark, it wasn’t very difficult at all,” said Acta about his decision to walk Teixeira and get to A-Rod in the situation. “We didn’t want to take a chance and wanted to set up a double play possibility with Alex. By the time it got to 3-1, a hitter like Alex knew what was coming and he didn’t miss it.”

And it was a huge home run to deep center field off Cleveland relief pitcher Chris Perez, 590^th of his career. Rodriguez has had the hitter before him intentionally walked to load the bases 16 times in his career and has now hit three home runs in those situations.

“It felt good coming into that situation especially in a close game,” said Rodriguez about the grand slam which followed with a curtain call from the 44,796 sun drenched Memorial Day fans in the Bronx. “One thing I was trying to do was get the job done with men on base,” he said.

A-Rod had a season high three hits and six runs batted in. The six RBI were the most by a Yankee this season. He also had a two-run double to right-center in the eighth inning as the Yankees scored three more runs.

“They’re both getting much closer,” said Yankees manager Joe Girardi about Teixeira, his number three hitter and A-Rod at clean-up when it comes to knocking in runs. “When these two guys get it together we put a lot of runs on the board,” he said.

e-mail Rich Mancuso Ring786@aol.com

The one heart-stopping moment occurred with one out in the bottom of the third inning. You want to take it back. You think of him. You think of his family.  Men were on base and Alex Rodriguez was at the plate. Rodriguez lined a fastball up the middle that was deflected off the area above the left ear of Cleveland hurler David Huff. The 25 year-old immediately hit the ground with his face down. Although two runs scored and the Yanks were ahead 3-0, the attention of everyone in the ballpark was riveted upon the fallen pitcher. Cleveland infielders and training staff rushed to the mound. Rodriguez, with a stunned look of horror on his face, approached the mound.

Huff was tended to by trainers and emergency workers. He was taken on a stretcher from the field. While leaving the field, Huff raised his hand with a thumbs up salute to the cheers of the concerned fans. The sophomore major league hurler, whose first game was little more than a year ago, May 17, 2009, was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital for a CT scan. The scan was negative, and he remained at the hospital for a short while before returning to Yankee Stadium.

Rodriguez, a sensitive man, was on his way to the hospital to the visit the pitcher when the game ended, but was called back because hull was already returning. A-Rod’s statement delivered to reporters by Jason Zillo, the media relations director of the Yankees, included the following  words, “Your heart stops. You’re scared. You want to take it back. You think of him. You think of his family. When something like that happens, you think of things so much bigger than throwing or hitting a baseball.” Yankee manager Joe Girardi, commented upon the incident after the contest, “We all know how hard a baseball is and at that velocity. You’re frightened for him. Our prayers are with that young man.”

Older and knowledgeable people in the ballpark immediately thought of another frightening incident that took place in a Yanks-Indians game 43 years and 22 days earlier. Cleveland hurler Herb Score, in the third season of what appeared to be a magnificent career, was hit in the face by a line drive off the bat of Yankees infielder Gil McDougal. Several bones in Score’s face were broken and he missed the rest of the 1957 season. Whether because of that injury or one that later occurred, Score’s playing career ended prematurely and unsuccessfully. He began a lengthy and a heralded broadcasting career with the Indians in 1964 that lasted through the 1997 season.

Hopefully, Huff and Rodriguez will be able to put the incident in the past, physically and emotionally.

Negron and players for the Yankees make regular visits to schools, parks, hospitals and even a barber shop. Negron wants no credit for stimulating these frequent worthwhile endeavors. He explained, “This is a war to help those who need help the most. Those who put New York on their chests, made these players into supermen.”

On Monday, the trio was at El Nuevo Caridad, a fine eatery on 191^st Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. They were there not to eat a meal, but rather to serve meals to children of that community. The three carried plates of chicken and rice to the youngsters seated at tables. They were quite gracious and stopped to sign autographs and pose for photos.

Granderson, whose reputation for decency while a member of the Detroit Tigers preceded him to New York, answered questions while holding a baby in one arm and signing a child’s baseball with the other hand. He explained his presence at the restaurant, “Many of us are from these kinds of communities. We are no different than anyone else. Whenever we get a chance to do these visits, we go.” He is pleased that the Yankees encourage these positive activities for its players, “The organization of the New York Yankees does a great job in knowing where it is located. They know who their biggest fans are, not just the ones with the deepest pockets. They’re [his teammates] are a great bunch of guys who like to give back to the community. One of the great things we can do is show the kids we’re just like them.” Granderson, currently on the disabled list, is preparing to return to action. He said, “I’m feeling better. I hope there will be no setbacks. I intend to be ready to play soon.”

Rodriguez, who was in the same restaurant serving lunch platters to neighborhood children with general manager Brian Cashman and Cody Ransom in August, 2009,again returned to the neighborhood where he was born to mingle with the children of the community. Rodriguez was welcomed with sterling words of praise by the restaurant’s owner, Miguel Montas, and other representatives of the Dominican community in New York City. Although Rodriguez must have been pleased with the good words, his words of response were directed to the lives of the children, “First, I want to speak of the children. They are most important. If each child would read just one hour a day, it would make such a great difference in their SAT scores. It is of the greatest importance for each of them to be able to go to college.” Rodriguez focuses on the topic of the importance of education each time he publicly speaks of or to children. Rodriguez returned to the community where he was born several times last season for charitable events to benefit the residents of the area. This visit is the start of many that he plans to make this season.

Rodriguez was not weakened by his busy afternoon. He had an excellent game that evening against the Red Sox. A-Rod blasted his 588^th home run that night, putting him in second place in the career home run derby, directly behind Dominican Sammy Sosa. Rodriguez spoke of his place in the all-time home run race, “Sammy Sosa is an example to all Dominicans. Each person I pass is an idol. To be a Dominican representing all Latin-Americans is very important to me.”

Several of those entrusted by the Yankees ownership of directing community activities take their responsibilities very seriously. Manny Garcia and Vanessa Rodriguez, respectively, director and coordinator of Latino Affairs make it a point to involve themselves in these beneficial activities. Garcia explained, “Various departments work together to plan and promote these events in a very hands on way.” Rodriguez stated, “There is much more to come.” Negron quoted his musical idol, Al Jolson, by saying, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”