Yankees Beat A's With Record Three Grand Slams and Posada Playing Second Base

Robinson Cano, Russell Martin and Curtis Granderson each belted a grand slam as the New York Yankees rallied to beat the Oakland A's, 22-9, at Yankee Stadium today.

The three bases-loaded home-runs are a MLB record for most grand slams by a single team in one game.

Phil Hughes started the game and was hit hard early.  He went 2 2/3 innings and gave up six runs.

After a rain delay of almost an hour-and-a-half, the Yankees were looking up a 7-1 A's lead.  After four innings, the home team then scored 20 runs to rally for the victory.

Cano hit the first grand slam off A's starter Rich Harden, in the fifth, to knock the deficit down to one and Russell Martin followed up with his slam in the sixth to put the Yankees in the lead.  Granderson put the game in the record books with his home-run in the eighth.

The wild and lengthy game ended with the appearance of Jorge Posada grabbing a mitt and playing second base in the top of the ninth inning.  It was garbage time, with a big Yankees lead, and there was no chance of blowing the game because A.J. Burnett was no where near the mound.

Posada, the former-catcher, appeared rusty.  In the game's final at bat, he fielded a routine grounder and almost, single-handedly, made it look difficult.  It seemed like he was gunning out a base-stealer at second from behind the plate, after he drilled the ball into the dirt in front of the first baseman.

Nick Swisher, playing first, scooped up the ball and rolled over the base for the out as the hitter jumped over him.

Posada and Swisher had a good laugh afterwards.  Posada, who played second base in the minors, volunteered to take the position in the top of the ninth and the Yankees leading by 12 runs.

"I wanted to give Russell [Martin] a break and grabbed a glove and said put me in," said Posada.  "It's been a while since I've been in the middle of the infield."

Martin had two home-runs and the catcher recorded a career-high six RBI's in the game. 

Too bad Hughes couldn't have reaped the rewards of this historic slugfest.  He had won his last two outings but it took 78 pitches to get eight outs in this game.

Derek Jeter got his 3,056 hit to pass Rickey Henderson as No. 21 on the all-time hits list.  He is now batting .299.

The game lasted four-hours and 31 minutes.

Minor League Team to Donate $2,000 to M.A.D.D. on Beer Pong Night

An Atlantic League baseball team, the Newark Bears, is giving departing pitching coach Jim Leyritz a send-off party as the end of the season nears.  As you might recall, Leyritz-- the former-New York Yankees catcher and World Series hero--  was acquitted of DUI manslaughter last year.  As part of the farewell,  the New Jersey team will donate $2,000 to Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

A nice gesture, except the festivities will be held the same night as the Bears' weekly Thirsty Thursday promotion which includes a beer-pong tournament.

The team apparently thinks any publicity is good publicity but combining the two events on this upcoming Thursday night is, not surprisingly, drawing criticism.

Everyone deserves a second chance but the team might have used any night but Thirsty Thursday to say goodbye to Leyritz and commend the work of M.A.D.D..

The team released a statement explaining its position:  "Although a beer-pong tournament will be hosted that night, the owners thought by hosting the event with all the parties and attractions, it would support the important need of how people can have fun responsibly."


The Atlantic League is a member of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball and Newark was once home to one of Rickey Henderson's many comeback attempts.


Leyritz is the author of a book Catching Heat and will sign autographs before the ceremony along with the team's other coaches including Tim Raines and Ozzie Canseco-- who was arrested for DUI in Florida in January.