June 15, 2006: Cleveland 8, N.Y. Yankees 4
Well, not a great day for the Yankees, but a pretty good day for Bubba. It was an early game - 1pm - and he was there before it started, so he must have taken the redeye or gotten up pretty early in the morning after that night game.
From Gannett:
Bubba's back: Outfielder Bubba Crosby, who had been on the disabled list since May 19, was activated.
Crosby was 3 for 16 in five minor-league rehab games but homered and hit the ball hard two other times Wednesday night playing for Class AAA Columbus.
Crosby played two innings in center for Damon and was 1 for 2 with a double.
"I guess I'm fine if I can run to second," he said.
Crosby provided a good scouting report on right-hander Octavio Dotel, who is close to joining the Yankees after having elbow surgery a year ago. Dotel is now with Columbus.
"A couple of his outings down in Tampa were so-so. He was kind of all over the place," Crosby said. "But (Wednesday) night he was throwing 93 to 95 and throwing strikes with a lot of movement. He had a lot better command."
Crosby said Dotel needed to refine his slider and get used to warming up quickly. His next outing with Columbus, probably tomorrow, will be in the middle of an inning.
All things considered, he did pretty well. He didn't start, but he came in for Damon at the top of the 8th inning. That meant he led off in the bottom of the inning, and started a Yankees rally with a double. Okay, it was barely a double. The papers described it as a "bloop hustle double," and it was. He did eventually come around to score - the only run scored that inning.
I thought for sure they'd score more, but Giambi just missed grounding into a double play (they only got Jeter), and A-Rod and Posada struck out. Sigh. A-Rod was so mad he was repeatedly slamming his bat at the bat rack, too upset to get it in. (Sheesh. I hope never gets that frustrated with his wife.)
Bubba also made the last out of the game. Fouled out to right. A very high foul.
He hit what should have been a double on his last play before he went on the DL. So in a way, it's like he never left: started off with another double. This time, he could run fast enough to actually get to 2B.
I must say, though, that should-have-been a double was a lot better than today's bloop. He smoked the first one down the line into the right corner. Would have been an easy double if he could run normally. Today's came close to being a fly out, and he barely beat the throw.
I'm sure he's feeling the pressure, with Melky, KT, and Bernie doing so well in his absence. It must be tempting to try for homers, especially since he's had some success with that in the past. But I hope he remembers to go for contact rather than power. He was getting so good at keeping the ball low and spraying it all over the field. That "walkoff homer swing" of his produces fly outs to right far too often.
Go for contact, Bubba. The homers will come.
