There’s no other way to describe last night’s game in Cleveland except bugs, lots and lots of bugs:
CLEVELAND, Oct. 5 — It is natural to be drawn to Joba Chamberlain, to the irresistible story of the rookie fireballer from Nebraska who saved the Yankees’ season. But nobody expected the bugs from Lake Erie to care.
Yet they were attracted to Chamberlain as much as the most rabid Yankees fan, and a sudden swarm in the eighth inning helped derail the Yankees in Game 2 of their American League division series against the Indians. Swatting at the air with his glove, wiping his face with his sleeves and covered in bug spray, Chamberlain came unglued and the Yankees now stand at the brink of elimination.
Chamberlain lost Andy Pettitte’s lead in the eighth, Luis Vizcaíno lost the game on Travis Hafner’s bases-loaded single in the 11th and Cleveland stole away with a 2-1 victory at Jacobs Field. The Yankees trail in the series, two games to none, and face elimination in Game 3 Sunday at Yankee Stadium, where presumably the bugs will stay away.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Pettitte said. “It’s crazy. It’s a shame that had to happen in such a pressure-packed situation like that. Their guy had to deal with it, and he was still lights-out in the ninth inning. But that’s a shame.”
So now, the the Yankees head back to the Bronx down 0-2 and hoping to pull this out. Maybe we can arrange for a few Jersey mosquitoes to go after the Indians.
October 6th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
What a beautiful game up until the bugs showed up. Frustrating at times, but who can argue with a pitching duel?
Hopefully the Yanks have an easier time of it at home and the bugs are gone by the time Game 5 comes around.
November 24th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
[...] Back on October 5th, the Yankees lost a Division Series game in Cleveland thanks, in part, to a heck of a lot of bugs. [...]