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Peralta's three-run homer is big blow in win over Yankees
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Saturday, Apr 26, 2008
CLEVELAND: All the parts meshed flawlessly, like the gear box in a Porsche 911 or one of Michael Symon's impromptu concoctions on the Food Network.
Paul Byrd hung on for dear life, holding the New York Yankees' offense within manageable bounds. The Indians' on-again, off-again attack put just enough of a hurt on Andy Pettitte to forge a lead.
Then there was the bullpen.
The relievers have shown intermittent flashes of excellence and vulnerability, but on this night they held the Yankees' high-paid serfs to no hits in 31/3 innings, and the Tribe went on to win its fourth in a row, 6-4 Friday night at Progressive Field.
Listen to Byrd, who nailed it.
''I just pitched OK,'' he said. ''I have no business being interviewed. Rafael Perez shut down the Yankees for three innings (actually 21/3). Everybody helped. It was a great win.''
Perez followed Byrd (1-2, 4.85 ERA) to the mound and retired six of
the seven batters he faced. He walked Robinson Cano, who was erased immediately by a double play.
That left the ninth inning for Rafael Betancourt, who retired the side in order, striking out Hideki Matsui.
Betancourt earned his second save in as many nights after going 11 days without a save opportunity since being named interim closer in the wake of the injury to Joe Borowski.
Perez was coming off an outing in which he gave up a two-run homer to the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night in Kansas City, Mo.
''The last couple of days, my ball has not been moving that much, but today it moved a lot,'' Perez said through his translator, first-base coach Luis Rivera. ''It feels real good to pitch well against the Yankees. They have a great lineup, so it gives you confidence.''
Indians manager Eric Wedge hadn't planned to let Perez face seven hitters, but he threw only 23 pitches, 74 percent (17) for strikes.
''Rafael was really big for us,'' Wedge said. ''I didn't expect him to take it that far, but we were able to keep going with him.''
Heading into the game, the Indians ranked 10th in the American League with 18 home runs, five of those coming in the three-game series against the Royals.
And it was hardly a given that Pettitte would be the guy who served up fat pitches like it was a home run derby. But after skating out of trouble for four innings, a couple of Tribe batsmen whacked the ball out of the yard.
All of the longball damage occurred in the fifth inning. Jhonny Peralta was first to make Pettitte (3-2, 3.23 ERA) squirm, launching a drive over the wall in left to bring home Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez, who singled in front of him.
Franklin Gutierrez was the next batter. Like Peralta, he worked the count to 3-and-1 then hit a ball that landed beyond the barrier in left to make it a four-run inning and give the Tribe a 5-3 lead.
''I looked for him to come inside, and he threw a change-up,'' Peralta said. ''My hands were back, so I got a good look at it. But he never threw me a change-up all night, except then.''
Peralta didn't think Pettitte showed the same velocity he had a year ago.
''I think last year he threw harder than he does now,'' Peralta said. ''But he's got good location with the ball.''
If leveling the score with Byrd was in the back of the Yankees' minds, they won the battle but lost the war. Byrd gave up two runs in five innings in the deciding game of last October's Division Series in a start the smart money guys thought he should never have made.
That he and his 85-mphfastball would be overmatched was a foregone conclusion, according to most of the country's baseball-oriented media. Maybe some of that talk even rubbed off on the Bronx Bombers.
If so, they were ready for Byrd on Friday night. Sort of.
Byrd left with a lead after 52/3 innings, but the Yankees' power made its point. Jason Giambi went deep twice against Byrd, with nobody on in the second inning and again in the fourth, when his soaring fly carried an estimated 455 feet to right and brought home Jorge Posada, who singled one at-bat earlier.
''I thought our team could fold after that, the way Pettitte was pitching,'' Byrd said. ''But we didn't, and that's a credit to our team.''
With two outs in the sixth, Matsui locked onto to an 0-and-1 pitch for a solo blow to right, and Wedge quickly went to the bullpen.
''Giambi clipped him twice,'' Wedge said. ''Other than that, it was kind of a Byrdie type game.''
Considering the strength of the Yankees' lineup, Byrd's outing was hardly a failed effort. Four runs, six hits (three clearing the fence) but no walks.
That was the key. When the Yankees began flexing their muscles, there were precious few runners on base.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: All the parts meshed flawlessly, like the gear box in a Porsche 911 or one of Michael Symon's impromptu concoctions on the Food Network.
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