March 13, 2012
Major League Baseball Spring Training
George M. Steinbrenner Field
Tampa, Florida
The Rivary.
It does not matter where they meet. Yankee Stadium. Fenway Park. Steinbrenner (Legends) Field or Jet Blue Park, the atmosphere will always be the same. Competitive.
It is a Spring Training Game. A night game. There isn’t a seat available in the ballpark. Sold Out! Every available member of the media covering the two teams and Major League Baseball is in attendance. YES, CBS, ESPN. MLB.com. Asian Media. Spanish language Media. They are all here. During batting practice, the field in front of the dugouts is crowded with reporters, just as if anticipating the playing of a World Series game. Photographers are posted at every angle to catch an image of a player. TVcameras are in place and microphones are tuned to receive that special interview – the player image and voices of the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees large Press Box is filled past capacity.
Boston pitches Felix Doubront. A 26 yr. old Rookie from Venezuela. 23 games in the Major Leagues, 3 starts. It is his first start during Spring Training.
The Yankees start Ivan Nova. A 26 yr. old Rookie from Dominican Republic. 10 games in the Major Leagues, 7 starts. Nova has open two games during Spring.
The line-up of both teams reads like a line-up of Spring Training. A mix of old and new.
From the Yankees – gone, super-star #20 Jorge Posada, after 17+ seasons behind the Yankees catcher’s mask. Two new pitchers have been added to the rotation; RHP Michael Pineda and RHP Hiroki Kuroda. RHP Joba Chamberlain is still a fan favorite. LHP C.C. Sabathia remains the heart of the pitching roation and RHP Mariano River (nearing the end of his career) is the team’s savior. The outfield is covered by Curtis Granderson and Nick Swisher. Mark Teixeira at 1st, Robinson Cano at 2nd, “El Capitan”, shortstop, Derek Jeter and Alex “A-Rod” Rodriguez at 3rd complete the shine of the baseball diamond of the Yankees. Expectations are high for the 2012 season.
Boston is sporting a “real” new look – Bobby Valentine is the New Manager, and Boston also has a new General Manager, a new Spring Training ballpark, a new Closer RHP Andrew Bailey and a new shortstop Mike Aviles. Returning are RHP Josh Beckett, RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka, Infielders David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Outfielders Jacoby Elllsbury and Carl Crawford are the more familiar faces of the 2012 team.
The competition is fierce as the teams play 8 complete scoreless innings. At the top of the 9th Boston scores a run and records the first game win of Spring Training vs. the Yankees. “Let’s play two”. The teams meet again on March 22 in Ft. Myers for a repeat performance. The Yankees will play to win………so will the Red Sox!
Final Score: Boston 1 – Yankees 0
Time of the game: 2:46
Attendance: 11,048 – the 5th sell-out game of Spring Training for the Yankees.