No sooner had Brett Gardner made it off Route 80 East from Scranton than he was in the starting lineup, batting first. Joe Girardi said that when a player is called up, he might as well play. The manager said there is no sense keeping him around for a couple days, thinking about it, getting nervous.
Gardner had been in the Stadium once before, when he played in the minors for Staten Island. He and some teammates took a tour of the park while the Yankees were out of town. But he did make a point to check out leftfield, study the way the ball caroms off the fence and just "see how big it is" before the game.
Girardi likes the plate discipline and basepath aggressiveness Gardner showed in Triple A. Then again, as the young outfielder from Holly Hill, S. C. said, "I've got to get on base first."
--Mark Herrmann at Yankee Stadium
* * * *
Tonight's lineup
1. Gardner LF
2. Jeter SS
3. Abreu RF
4. Rodriguez 3B
5. Giambi 1B
6. Posada DH
7. Cano 2B
8. Cabrera CF
9. Molina C
Mussina P
Comments (1)
VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE
FOR THE YANKEES IN THE ALL STAR GAME
YOU CAN NOW VOTE ONLINE 25 TIMES A DAY EVERYDAY
LET'S GET OUR GUYS IN THERE
VOTE EVERY DAY 25 TIMES A DAY AT YANKEES.COM