Jays Roundup - Yeah They Ran Through The Briars

Tuesday, September 21 2004 @ 09:29 AM EDT

And they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico

Jays 6 - Yankees 3

1. Recaps:
   
   • Spencer Fordin:
     
     
     As far as improbable endings go, this one has to rank high on the "Rudy" scale.
     
     Gustavo Chacin was the ultimate underdog on Monday night, a Double-A pitcher summoned to face the toughest team in the American League. Despite long odds, the rookie stuck to the unlikely script. Chacin made his first appearance memorable by pitching Toronto to a 6-3 win over New York.
     
     
     
   • Mark Feinsand:
     
     
     Chacin, who went 16-2 with a 2.92 ERA in Double-A this season, became the first visiting rookie to win his big-league debut at Yankee Stadium since Jason Dickson did so in 1996 with the California Angels.
     
     "He pitched well," said Derek Jeter, who left the bases loaded in both the eighth and ninth innings. "We really didn't know what to expect, but he had a good idea of what he was doing. He had command of his pitches. He did well."
     
     
     
   • Mike Rutsey:
     
     
     Chacin was sailing along but then couldn't retire a hitter in the eighth after giving up a walk, a ground-rule double and then hit Kenny Lofton to load them up.
     
     Miguel Batista, the Jays' new closer, came on at that point and allowed a two-run single by Alex Rodriguez before getting out of the inning.
     
     He closed it out in nail-biting fashion as with two out and the bases loaded, Russ Adams made a great play on a roller up the middle to retire Derek Jeter for the final out.
     
     Adams also did it at the plate with three RBIs including a leadoff homer in the first.
     
     The night, though, belonged to Chacin.
     
     
     
   • Ben Walker:
     
     
     The loss to last-place Toronto was the Yankees' fourth defeat in 15 games. They were coming off an emotional two days in which they battered Boston, outscoring the Red Sox 25-5.
     
     Alex Rodriguez reached 100 RBIs for the eighth straight year as New York remained 4 1/2 games ahead of Boston, which lost 9-6 to Baltimore.
     
     A crowd of only 10,732 saw a game rescheduled less than two weeks ago. This three-game series was supposed to open Tuesday night, but was pushed up to accommodate a makeup against Tampa Bay caused by Hurricane Frances.
     
     
     
   • Geoff Baker:
     
     
     Those tempted to use this as proof Chacin is the next great Jays mound hope should remember the last Toronto lefty to win his debut as a major-league starter at Yankee Stadium. That would be Chris Michalak, who'd made just a pair of big-league relief outings in a decade-long professional career before blanking the Yankees over 5 1/3 innings of a 3-2 win in 2001.
     
     
     
   
   
   
2. Fordin Notes on Gustavo Chacin:
   
   
   Welcome to the big leagues, rookie. Now get out there and face Derek Jeter. If that sounds like an unfair assignment, you may have sympathy for Gustavo Chacin.
   
   The southpaw stepped off the minor-league shuttle on Monday and took the ball in Yankee Stadium, the home of the most decorated franchise in the history of professional sports. Twenty-six World Series winners have hailed from the Bronx, but just four have come in Chacin's lifetime.
   
   
   I didn't realize that 10 Jays made their major league debut this year. When Brandon League makes his major league debut the 2004 Jays will equal their franchise record in this regard.
   
   
3. Rutsey Notes on Miguel Batista, Gustavo Chacin, and Frank Menechino:
   
   
   Frank Menechino was Gibbons' pick to DH last night. Why Menechino?
   
   "Reed (Johnson) has a tough time with (Javier) Vazquez," Gibbons said of Johnson who is 2-for-13 lifetime against the former Expos right-hander. But that isn't all.
   
   "Frank's a hometown kid," Gibbons said with a laugh of Menechino who was born and still resides in Staten Island.
   
   
   
   
4. Allan Ryan talks to former Blue Jay General Manager Pat Gillick in "Gillick's ready to Stand Pat":
   
   
   Pat Gillick is perhaps best known as the principal architect of the Toronto Blue Jays' two grandest seasons, the World Series years of '92 and '93.
   
   For a spell, he was known as "Stand Pat" — at least until his signature trade of December, 1990, when he dealt Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff to San Diego for Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar.
   
   And, way before that, Earl Weaver, one of his managers during a brief minor-league career, had tagged him with "Yellow Pages" because of his uncanny memory and penchant for numbers.
   
   
   
   
5. Tonight's 7:05PM EST: It would be tough to have a game that was more anticipated than last night's, but this one will top it. RHP Roy Halladay (7-7, 4.35 ERA) vs. RHP Esteban Loaiza (9-7, 5.52 ERA). More details in Spencer Fordin's game preview.
   
   
6. I'm not the only one excited about Halladay's return. In "Halladay gears up for return to action" Larry Millson talks to the Blue Jays ace:
   
   
   Halladay, who won the 2003 Cy Young Award, has twice been on the disabled list this season because of the shoulder problem that first caused him to miss a start in late May in Seattle.
   
   And he will be on a pitch limit of between 60 and 65 pitches tonight.
   
   "But it doesn't affect your preparation or your game plan or anything like that," he said.
   
   "I feel good, otherwise I don't think I'd be trying to pitch."
   
   
   
   

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