Good riddance for now, Tropicana Field.
After making his pitching debut yesterday, Dean Anna was again put in an interesting spot today. With the bases loaded with two outs in the 12th, Anna came to the plate in the biggest at bat of the game. Anna didn't hit a bases clearing double or a grand slam. He just walked. But that walk was enough to score a run and spark a rally that put the Yankees ahead for good. After Anna's walk the offense added a couple more runs to put the Yankees up 5-1 and salvage a split in Tampa.
Neither team could get anything going offensively early. Both Vidal Nuno and Cesar Ramos made it through the first innings with relatively low pitch counts. The Yankees finally broke the deadlock in the top of the fourth inning. Alfonso Soriano led off the inning with a double. After Mark Teixeira flew out and Yangervis Solarte lined out, Brett Gardner came to the plate. Gardner hit one to the wall to right field. Wil Myers jumped at the wall and the ball ended up in his glove. At first it appeared as if he made the catch, but on second look, the ball bounced off the top of the wall and into Myers' glove. Myers attempted to sell that he made the catch for the third out, but the Yankees decided to review the play. Gardner ran hard the whole time and actually did run around all the bases, even when the call on the field was an out. After reviewing the play, the umpires put Gardner on second and had Soriano score on the play. The umpires probably could have or should have put Gardner at third at least, but oh well. Brian Roberts couldn't bring Gardner home, but the Yankees had a 1-0 lead.
The Yankees nearly gave that lead right back in the bottom of the fourth when hits by Ben Zobrist and Logan Forsythe put runners on second and third with just one out. But Nuno struck out Evan Longoria and got Myers to ground out to keep the lead intact.
After Nuno stranded more Rays in the fifth, his day was done. Nuno went five innings, allowing no runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out six. David Phelps came in to start the sixth. Phelps pitched the sixth and got the first out of the seventh without allowing a baserunner. Matt Thornton then came in for Phelps to face James Loney. After giving up a single to Loney, Thornton nearly got Brandon Guyer to ground into a double play. However, Roberts couldn't handle Solarte's thrown and both runners were safe.
Thornton was then taken out in favor of Adam Warren. The first hitter Warren faced was Yunel Escobar who hit a grounder that just eluded Derek Jeter and loaded the bases. Warren then got pinch-hitter Matt Joyce to fly out, but it was deep enough for Loney to tag up and score. Warren struck out David DeJesus to get out of the inning, but the game was now tied. Adam Warren would also pitch the eighth inning without much trouble.
After the Yankees couldn't do anything in the top of the ninth (with Teixiera striking out looking on a very low strike three), Shawn Kelley came in to pitch the ninth. Kelley got in a bit of trouble after allowing a lead-off walk to Loney. But he would escape and strand two runners to send the game to extras.
Neither team could score in the 10th with both teams' closers going a second inning. Neither team could then do anything in the 11th either. In the top of the 12th, the Yankees finally got some offense going. Following a Solarte lead-off walk, Gardner grounded into a force out at second. Brian Roberts then lined out, bringing Brian McCann to the plate. McCann singled, moving Gardner to third. Gardner possible could've scored on the play, but he was held up at third. The Rays then decided to intentionally walk Jacoby Ellsbury to load the bases for Dean Anna. Anna fell behind in the count but battled back and eventually drew a walk to drive home a run.
After the eleven innings of nothing, the Yankees added a couple more in the 12th. Carlos Beltran singled to drive home two more runs and then Soriano blooped a single into right field to score another. The Rays got Teixiera to ground out to end the inning, but the Yankees now led 5-1.
Preston Claiborne (who had pitched scoreless inning in the 11th) allowed a lead-off double to Escobar to start the bottom of the 12th. He struck out Joyce but then walked Jose Molina to put two on. However, after the walk Claiborne got the next two hitters to fly out to end the game. The Yankees finished off a long game, and a long series, with a 5-1 win.
The Yankees have the day off tomorrow before heading to Boston for a series starting Tuesday.