End of a Winning Streak

The Yankees lost to the Mariners 7-6 Wednesday night, failing to win eleven games in a row for the first time in twenty years. Mike Mussina struggled through five innings, but left the game with a chance to win and his team leading 6-4. The Yankees defense would not cooperate as catcher, Jorge Posada, made a key error on a strikeout with two outs in the sixth inning allowing the Mariners another chance with two runners on. They took advantage of it when Wilson Valdez singled in a run and Gary Sheffield’s throwing error on the play allowed the tying run to score.

The Mariners went ahead in the eighth inning, again with the help of the Yankee defense. Rookie, Jeremy Reed, hit a hard smash down the line that former infielder, Tony Womack, misplayed, allowing Reed to get all the way to third. Two batters later, the Mariners got the winning run on a single to centerfield.

The Yankees had a chance in the ninth, putting two runners on with one out, but they couldn’t get the hit they needed. Alex Rodriguez grounded into a fielder’s choice and after Jorge Posada reached on an infield single to load the bases, Jason Giambi took a called third strike to end the game. It was a bittersweet ending to the west coast trip for both Giambi and the Yankees. While the team went 5-1 and Giambi showed signs of life with his bat, they blew a four run lead and had a chance to extend their winning streak to eleven. Now, the Yankees will look to start a new streak this weekend at the expense of their crosstown rivals, the Mets.

Photo by AP/John Froschauer via ESPN