It was the team of Matt Nokes and Mel Hall, with a rookie center fielder named Bernie Williams and just one All-Star, pitcher Scott Sanderson. They were the 1991 Yankees, losers of 91 games, a distant 20 games out of first.
If these Yankees end up like that, they will have far worse problems than Gary Sheffield's fan relations. But after Friday's 8-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, the Yankees are 4-6 for the season. It is the first time since 1991 that they have had a losing record through 10 games.
"It's tough after 10 games to start saying, `Oh my God. What's going on?'" Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "This is a long season. It's just a matter of getting things going and going on a little bit of a run. If I saw a lack of effort out there, that's something we'd address. But that's not the case."
On the night after Sheffield's confrontation with a fan at Fenway Park, they put up little fight against a punchy opponent. The Yankees have lost six of their past eight games, including three of four to the Orioles, whose plan may be taking shape.
The Orioles hoped to bludgeon teams with hitters like Miguel Tejada and Sammy Sosa. To compete, they needed their young pitchers to improve. Bruce Chen is a veteran of eight teams, already a known commodity at 27. But he was tricky enough to beat the Yankees for the first time in his career, holding them to four singles and a walk for his second career complete game.
"All the people in Panama, they watch the Yankees," said Chen, who lives in Panama City. "For me to do the things that I did today against a very good team like them, it means a lot to me."
Carl Pavano started for the Yankees for the first time since facing Baltimore last Sunday, when he left after taking a liner to the head. He matched Chen for a while but fell apart in the sixth, allowing back-to-back homers to Tejada and Sosa. It was Sosa's first at Camden Yards after 575 elsewhere.
Pavano lasted five and two-thirds innings, allowing seven runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks. He and Felix Rodriguez gave up seven runs in the sixth, five coming after an error by second baseman Rey Sanchez and two outs. The Yankees have allowed 16 unearned runs in their first 10 games, but Pavano took the blame this time.
"The consistency is just not there," said Pavano, who is 0-2 in three starts. "I expect to win ballgames. I'm going to have to do a better job of that."
For Sheffield, trouble struck in the first inning on another triple to the right-field wall, like the one Boston's Jason Varitek hit Thursday night that started the incident between Sheffield and the fan. After Melvin Mora's one-out double to left, Tejada sent a pitch to the fence in right. Sheffield backtracked awkwardly and could not haul it in. Mora scored, but Pavano stranded Tejada at third.
Torre had redesigned his lineup because of Chen, who had pitched well at Yankee Stadium last week. He flipped Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui, moving Rodriguez to cleanup and Matsui to fifth. Williams was elevated to second from ninth.
Nothing worked. Chen handcuffed the Yankees, retiring the side in five of the first six innings. The only exception was the third, when he walked Tino Martinez with one out. Sanchez singled to short, where Tejada made a nifty stop in the hole but could not force Martinez at second.
After Derek Jeter popped out, Williams smacked a two-out single to center, scoring Martinez to tie the score at 1-1, but Sanchez was thrown out at third to end the inning.
It was the Yankees' last real chance against Chen, who allowed two base runners thereafter, neither reaching second. Torre compared Chen to Jamie Moyer, the Seattle changeup artist, and Jeter (0 for 4) said the Yankees never figured him out.
"He teases the strike zone," Jeter said. "He throws pitches that look good enough to hit, but they're just out of the zone. Even if you have good swings on them, you're going to pop it up and not do too much with it."
The Orioles gave Chen the lead when they rampaged through the bottom of the sixth. Catcher Jorge Posada set up outside for the first pitch of the inning, but it sailed over the middle and Tejada crushed it over the center-field wall.
Within a few batters, a pitchers' duel became a blowout. Pavano tried to bury a fastball in on Sosa, but it stayed over the middle and Sosa lined it into the left-field seats, just 366 feet away. Camden Yards became the 42nd ballpark in which he has hit a home run.
Rafael Palmeiro reached on Sanchez's error, and after two outs, the next six Orioles reached base. Felix Rodriguez faced three of them, walking the first two to force in a run. Sosa followed with a two-run double that made the score 8-1.
Torre strode to the mound and took the ball from Rodriguez, making no eye contact. He called for Mike Stanton, a favorite from the championship years. The season is very early, but those days seem far away.
Twins 3, Indians 2
Johan Santana won his 16th straight decision, pitching six strong innings as the Minnesota Twins won their fifth straight, 3-2 over the Cleveland Indians on Friday.
The 2004 American League Cy Young pitching award winner, Santana (3-0) remained unbeaten since July 11 of last season, a stretch of 20 starts that included two postseason outings against New York. He allowed two runs and six hits while striking out 10. Joe Nathan finished for his third save.
"Good pitchers find a way to win," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said, "and that's what he did."
In improving to 5-0 in his career against Cleveland and outdueling Jake Westbrook (0-3), Santana became the first pitcher to win 16 straight decisions since Roger Clemens, who did it for the Yankees in 2001.
Santana didn't win his third game until mid-May last season and then reeled off 18 more. Although he's way ahead of that pace, Santana isn't trying to duplicate what he did in '04.
Westbrook retired his final 14 batters and allowed one earned run in eight innings.
Red Sox 10, Devil Rays 0
In Boston, David Wells pitched seven sharp innings in his first Fenway Park start for the Red Sox, and David Ortiz hit a grand slam.
A day after a scuffle between New York Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield and a fan in the right-field stands at Fenway, the mood was decidedly lighter for the visiting Devil Rays. The Red Sox broke the game open with seven runs in the second on Mark Bellhorn's two-run double, Manny Ramirez's bases-loaded walk and Ortiz's line drive into the right-field seats.
Wells (1-2) allowed six hits and struck out three for his first win in six starts dating to Sept. 18 with San Diego.
Hideo Nomo (1-1), who pitched a no-hitter for the Red Sox in 2001, allowed eight runs on five hits and five walks in two innings.
Rangers 4, Blue Jays 2
In Arlington, Texas, Ryan Drese pitched eight strong innings, and Michael Young homered and drove in three runs to lead Texas over Toronto.
Drese (1-1) allowed two runs and six hits to earn the second victory by a Texas starter this season. He retired 13 in a row from the third through the seventh. Francisco Cordero got his fourth save in six chances.
Mark Teixeira also homered for Texas.
Ted Lilly (0-1) allowed three runs and five hits over five innings for Toronto.
White Sox 6, Mariners 4
In Chicago, Jon Garland retired his first 19 batters and allowed just two hits in seven innings as Chicago downed Seattle.
Garland (2-0) lost his bid for a perfect game when he walked Jeremy Reed on a 3-2 pitch with one out in the seventh. Adrian Beltre followed with a single up the middle on a 1-2 pitch for Seattle's first hit.
Chicago's Juan Uribe drove in four runs with a two-run homer, a single and a sacrifice fly. Jermaine Dye added a solo shot. Dustin Hermanson finished for his second save.
Bret Boone drove in all four Seattle runs with two two-run singles. Joel Pineiro (0-1) allowed five runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings.
Aaron Heilman threw a one-hitter for his first complete game, and Mike Piazza broke out of a slump with three RBIs Friday to lead the New York Mets over the Florida Marlins 4-0 for their fifth straight victory.
"It was just an outstanding job by Aaron," manager Willie Randolph said. "He kept the ball down. He had location and movement. He threw a great game. When the ball moves like that, you get lots of groundballs."
Piazza doubled twice off Josh Beckett (2-1), who did not allow a run in his first two starts this season. But Heilman (1-1) outpitched the 2003 World Series most valuable player, giving up just an infield single to Luis Castillo in the fourth to help the Mets even their record after an 0-5 start.
Heilman struck out seven and walked three, by far the best performance of his brief career.
Piazza, batting just .148 with one RBI in the first nine games, drove in two runs on a fifth-inning double after Marlins first baseman Carlos Delgado made two errors on one play.
Braves 11, Phillies 4
In Philadelphia, Raul Mondesi and Rafael Furcal each hit two home runs, Adam LaRoche added a two-run shot as Atlanta downed Philadelphia.
Furcal went 3-for-4 and scored four runs, and Brian Jordan had a three-run double to help Atlanta snap a two-game losing streak and get the Braves off to a good start on their seven-game road trip.
Atlanta manager Bobby Cox earned career win No. 2,008, tying him with Leo Durocher for eighth place on the career list.
Horacio Ramirez (1-0) lasted 5 1-3 innings for Atlanta, allowing three runs on six hits. Gavin Floyd (1-1) gave up eight runs in 3 1-3 innings in the loss.
Cardinals 3, Brewers 0
In Milwaukee, Jeff Suppan took a five-hitter into the ninth inning, Albert Pujols homered and the St. Louis shut out Milwaukee to spoil Ben Sheets' record payday.
Sheets, a two-time All-Star, signed a US$38.5 million, four-year contract with the Brewers before the game, the richest deal in team history.
Suppan (1-1) struck out three and walked two in 8 1-3 innings. Jason Isringhausen got the final two outs for his third save.
Sheets (1-2) went 7 1-3 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, and five hits. He struck out seven and walked one.
Pujols hit his second home run of the season, a solo shot in the fourth.
Giants 13, Rockies 6
In Denver, Pedro Feliz hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high five runs, and Noah Lowry pushed his undefeated streak to 22 games as San Francisco trounced Colorado.
Marquis Grissom hit a two-run homer and had three hits, and San Francisco had 17 hits for its first road victory.
Lowry (1-0) gave up nine hits and six runs in 5 2-3 innings.
Clint Barmes was 4-for-5 with two homers and career-high four RBIs, and Preston Wilson also homered for Colorado.
Jamey Wright (0-1) allowed nine runs in four innings in the loss.
Dodgers 4, Padres 0
In Los Angeles, Derek Lowe pitched a three-hitter and drove in two runs, and Jeff Kent and Milton Bradley hit consecutive homers to help Los Angeles beat San Diego.
The Dodgers, who wore "Brooklyn" jerseys on Jackie Robinson Day, have won seven of their first nine games. It's their best start since 1983, when they opened 7-2 and won a division title.
Pitching for the first time since his trip to Boston to pick up his World Series ring, Lowe (1-1) recorded his second shutout and third complete game in 123 career starts. The right-hander struck out five and walked one in a game that took just 2 hours, 8 minutes.
Lowe showed no effects of Craig Counsell's line drive that hit him just above his pitching elbow and forced him out of Sunday's outing at Arizona. He gave up singles to Xavier Nady, Sean Burroughs and pitcher Woody Williams (1-1).
Bradley celebrated his 27th birthday by hitting a homer and escorting Robinson's widow, Rachel, to home plate for a pregame ceremony.
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