|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Switcheroo Posada, Williams homer from both sides of the plate
Posted: Sunday April 23, 2000 06:55 PM
TORONTO (AP) -- It didn't matter if Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada were batting right-handed or left-handed. The Toronto Blue Jays couldn't get them out either way. Williams and Posada each homered from both sides of the plate as the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-7 on Sunday. The Elias Sports Bureau said that appears to be the first time two teammates have accomplished the feat. "After we made history, he said let's get a ring," Posada said. Williams, who hit a two-run homer from the left side in the first inning, hit a three-run shot from the right side in the fourth. When he returned to the dugout, Williams said to Posada, "Why don't you do it, too." After Tino Martinez singled, Posada, who homered left-handed in the second, hit the first pitch he saw for a towering two-run homer. "After he came back to the dugout, he said, 'Me, too!'" Williams said. "It really hasn't sunk in yet, but it's one of those things that you look back on when you retire and say, 'Man guys have been playing this game for a long time and that's the first time that's happened.' It's certainly something to look back on and be proud of." Williams has homered from both sides of the plate four times in the regular season and twice in the playoffs. Posada has accomplished the feat three times. "Most of your switch hitters aren't power guys, so when you get two guys on one team do it, you know it's going to be some kind of record," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. The Yankees, who lost the first two games of the three-game series, ended Toronto's four-game winning streak. "It would have been nice to sweep the World Series champions," Toronto's Brad Fullmer said. The Yankees scored seven runs with two outs in the fourth to take a 10-3 lead. Reliever Clayton Andrews (0-1) walked Alfonso Soriano and gave up six consecutive hits. Chuck Knoblauch singled, Derek Jeter and Paul O'Neill hit consecutive RBI singles, and Williams followed with his three-run homer. After Martinez singled, Posada followed with his two-run shot. The Blue Jays hit three homers off Orlando Hernandez (4-0) in the sixth to make it 10-7. Carlos Delgado led off with a homer, Darrin Fletcher hit a two-run shot and Marty Cordova followed with a solo shot. Hernandez allowed seven runs on seven hits in 6 1-3 innings. He struck out eight and walked two. "I'm very happy the team won, but I'm not happy with my performance," Hernandez said through an interpreter. "I had good stuff, but they connected on my mistakes." The Blue Jays have scored at least six runs in 11 consecutive games. That's the longest streak in the majors since 1979, when the California Angels -- guided by current Toronto manager Jim Fregosi -- did it in 11 straight games. After Williams' homer in the first, Toronto's Jose Cruz Jr. tied it in the bottom of the inning with his third leadoff homer in the last five games. The Blue Jays scored two more runs in the inning on Brad Fullmer's RBI single, and Tony Batista's RBI groundout. Posada's solo homer in the second tied it at 3. Notes: Williams had five RBIs. ... There have been 58 home runs in 14 games at SkyDome this season. ... New York reliever Allen Watson might be placed on the disabled list in the next few days. Watson strained a muscle in his back when he slipped on the mound during Saturday's game. "It's pretty sore," Watson said. "Hopefully it's nothing bad." ... New York's Andy Pettitte, who has missed two weeks because of a strained muscle on the left side of his back, will start Wednesday. Pettitte threw about 35 pitches in the bullpen, and pitched six minutes of batting practice Sunday. "I feel like it's ready. Hopefully it holds up," Pettitte said. ... Knoblauch left the game after with sixth inning because of a sore right hand. He doesn't know why it's sore. He said he'll have an MRI exam. ... Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his sixth save.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
