Yesterday I bailed out of work early to attend the Yankees-Diamondbacks game. Unfortunately, just like last year's Ditch Day, Mike Mussina had less than his best stuff and made a mess of things. Mussina fell behind most of the hitters, including going 2-0 on .154-hitting backup catcher Rod Barajas, who hit a 2-run homer in the second inning. Some stellar defensive plays on hard-hit balls (including a John Vander Wal collision with the rightfield wall) kept things close for awhile, but Steve Finley took Moose over the wall (again on a 2-0 pitch) for a 3-run shot in the 5th. Ugh.
That blast made the score 6-1, and when the rain began falling in the top of the next inning, it was pretty obvious that once again, it was time to ditch Ditch Day. On our way out of Yankee Stadium, we checked in with a view from the leftfield corner as the Yanks cut the lead to 6-2, but the weather wasn't improving, so we fled. I checked in as I got home to discover that Shane Spencer had gotten the Yanks back into the game with a 3-run homer, but it was to no avail, as Finley hit another homer in the 9th.
I won't make the same mistake next year. Instead of picking a day game along with all of my other tickets in the winter, I'll choose a one a couple of days in advance and walk up to buy tickets. You can be damn sure Mussina won't be pitching that game; I'd like to make sure I enjoy my days off.
