YANKEES 5, RANGERS 4
ARLINGTON — Brent Lillibridge was headed for goat-ville Tuesday night after his sixth-inning fielding error opened the door for a big inning by the Rangers.
Instead, he found himself playing the role of hero for the first time since joining the Yankees — and took his manager off the hook following a questionable pitching change.
Lillibridge’s RBI single in the ninth inning lifted the Yankees to a 5-4 win over the Rangers in front of a stunned crowd of 42,739 at Rangers Ballpark.
“You come in here as a new guy, you want to just make the plays, do your job, not make too many waves and get yourself comfortable,” Lillibridge said. “I was able to make up for (the error) in a big win. I was just excited to help.”
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Eduardo Nunez had tied the game moments earlier with a triple that scored Vernon Wells, handing Joe Nathan, who closed the All-Star Game after Mariano Rivera pitched the eighth inning, his second blown save in 33 opportunities this season. The ninth-inning heroics saved Joe Girardi from being a goat himself for his decision to pull Phil Hughes with two outs in the sixth despite a low pitch count and what had been a strong performance by the righthander.
“I thought Phil battled,” Girardi said. “I didn’t think he had his best stuff tonight but I thought he found a way to keep us in the game.”
Boone Logan made the decision look foolish, serving up a go-ahead, two-run home run by Mitch Moreland that had the Yankees headed straight for their fourth loss in five games since the All-Star break before the unlikely combo of Nunez and Lillibridge rescued them.
“It could have been a bad night for us, but to get this win was big,” said Hughes, who allowed three unearned runs in 5.2 innings. “Hopefully it gives us some momentum going forward.”
The Yankee bats showed some early signs of life, snapping a 22-inning streak without an extra-base hit in the third as Melky Mesa and Austin Romine each doubled against starter Alexi Ogando for a 1-0 lead. Ichiro Suzuki added an RBI infield hit in the inning. Hughes worked out of jams in the first and third, stranding two runners on base in each inning. His lone strikeout of the game came in the third against Nelson Cruz with two men on base, a huge turning point that helped him escape the inning.
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