The Yankees increased their winning streak to eight games last night and moved within 8 1/2 games of the Red Sox thanks to a winning performance from Mike Mussina:
Their seats are in the front row of Section 616, in the upper deck behind home plate at Yankee Stadium, a convenient spot for paying homage to the Yankees? starting pitcher. Gary DeSpirito and his son, Anthony, from Hawthorne, N.J., attend eight games a year in those seats, and most of the time the pitcher is Mike Mussina.
Before their last game, the DeSpiritos searched Google for a picture of a moose and printed a bunch to tape to the awning in front of them after each strikeout. But Mussina pitched badly, as he often has this season. The father and son hung just two moose that night.
?He lost that game,? Anthony said, ?so we?re trying something different.?
This time, they brought 10 copies of an image of Bullwinkle, the cartoon moose. At the end of each inning from the third through the seventh, Mussina put them to work. Spotting his fastball and curve with uncanny precision, Mussina struck out seven over seven and two-thirds innings, leading the Yankees to a 7-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Mussina allowed six hits and no walks, and he left to a standing ovation from the crowd of 53,891. He waved twice on his way to the dugout ? once to the fans, he said, and once to his family.
?The crowds here at Yankee Stadium now, they?re into the games, and they like the way we?re playing now,? Mussina said. ?There?s some excitement. It?s nothing like it was four weeks ago.?
The Yankees nudged their record over .500, at 32-31, ran their winning streak to eight and gained ground in two races. The Yankees trail Boston by eight and a half games in the American League East, and trail Detroit by four and a half for the wild card.
This season may just turn out to be something worthwhile.
