2009 was filled with exciting moments, thrilling performances, and events that instantly emblazoned themselves onto our memories. Here are some video montages of the regular season and postseason highlights. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

Check out the recaps of April, May, June, and July.

August Record: 21-7
Hitting Stars (OPS): J. Damon (.994), D. Jeter (.977), R. Cano (.943), A. Rodriguez (.942), H. Matsui (.918)
Pitching Stars (ERA)(>6 IP): M. Rivera (0.79), B. Bruney (0.87) P. Hughes (1.74), A. Pettitte (2.50), CC (2.64)

The Yankees started their best month of the year in inauspicious fashion, dropping their third straight to the White Sox. AJ Burnett got rocked for 7 runs, and the Yanks lost 14-4 in Jerry Hairston’s first game as a Yankee. The next game saw the Yankees break their losing streak with an 8-5 victory. The Yanks scored 3 runs in the 2nd off Mark Buehrle on a 3 run homer by Melky Cabrera, but CC Sabathia allowed back to back homers to Dye and Thome to fall behind 4-3. Hits by Melky in the 4th and 5th set up two runs in each inning, and Melky came to the plate in the 9th needing a triple for the cycle….and he got it.

The Yankees then took a short two game series from Toronto, beating Roy Halladay again in the opener. The score was 2-1 Yankees going into the 8th, when Damon and Teixeira went back to back off Doc, and Matsui homered off him in the 9th as well. Mariano Rivera allowed a 2-run double to Vernon Wells in the 8th, but held on for a 5-3 victory. The Yanks trailed 3-2 into the 7th the next night, but Nick Swisher homered, Matsui added an RBI single, and the Yankees eventually won 8-4.

The Yankees returned home for a rumble with the Red Sox, who had taken an 8-0 lead in the season series to that point. The Yankees trailed the opener 3-1 heading into the bottom of the 4th, with a Damon homer off John Smoltz representing the only run for the Yankees. Dustin Pedroia and Casey Kotchman had homered for Boston, with Dustin’s being the first opposite field homer of his career. However, the Yankees broke the game open with an 8-spot in the 4th. Robbie Cano had an RBI single, Melky Cabrera added a huge 3-run homer, and Jorge Posada launched a 3-run shot off Billy Traber to give the Yanks a 9-3 lead. Joba ran into trouble in the 5th, loading the bases and allowing a run with one out before striking out Kotchman and Lowrie. The Yankees held on for a 13-6 victory. Yankee Stadium played host to a thriller the next night, as the Yankees defeated Boston 2-0 in 15 innings. AJ Burnett and Josh Beckett pitched shutout ball, with Burnett allowing just one hit and 6 walks in 7.2 innings. Alfredo Aceves and Brian Bruney combined for 5 shutout innings of relief, while the Red Sox needed a spectacular play from JD Drew on an Eric Hinske drive in the 14th to extend the game. In the 15th, Alex Rodriguez finally sent everybody home with a 2 run shot deep into the night.

A shift in the Yankee-Red Sox dynamic had begun to take effect, and CC Sabathia kept the ball rolling the next day with 7.2 innings of 2 hit, 1 run work in which he carried a no hitter into the 6th. Ramon Ramirez hit A-Rod after the Yankees extended the lead to 2-0 in the 7th, and was ejected. Jeter added a 2-run homer to cap off the 5-0 victory. Oh, Youkilis dropped one in left field and looked awful out there. The next night saw another epic battle between these two clubs. Andy Pettitte and Jon Lester traded zeroes into the 7th, where Jon cracked first by allowing a solo homer to A-Rod. Phil Coke, rather than the unavailable Phil Hughes (we didn’t know at the time that he was unavailable, which made for some indignant fans), came in to start the 8th, and promptly served up a two run shot to Victor Martinez, sending the Boston dugout into a frenzy. However, in the bottom of the 8th, the Red Sox vaunted bullpen failed. After two quick outs, Johnny Damon lined a Dan Bard fastball over the right centerfield wall, and the crowd went crazy. With the upper deck still shaking, Mark Teixeira looked for a breaking ball and put one into the seats down the line in right, and there was pandemonium in the Bronx. Nick Swisher added a 2-run single, and the Yanks pulled out a thrilling 5-2 win. The victory all but ended the race in the division, with the Yankees moving 6.5 games ahead of Boston.

The Yankees then pulled out an exciting 2-1 series win over Toronto. They dropped the opener 5-4 after Sergio Mitre made an important error on a throw to 2nd that cost him 3 runs. Cano and Hairston did go back to back in the game. The Yankees trailed 4-3 headed into the 8th the next night, but scored 5 to pull out a 7-5 win. Hideki Matsui hit a solo homer to tie the game, and Jorge Posada followed with a homer that scraped the wall and was reviewed before they let him touch home with the go-ahead run. The Yankees captured the finale and the series in walkoff fashion. AJ Burnett allowed 12 baserunners in 6 innings and threw 3 wild pitches, but was able to hold the Jays to 3 runs. With the game tied at 3 in the 11th due to a strong Yankees debut for Chad Gaudin, A-Rod was HBP (as was Jeter earlier in the game), moved to 2nd on a Posada single, and came home on a Cano “single” to the wall in right.

The Yankees started the next series with an 11-1 laugher over the Mariners, behind CC Sabathia’s 8IP, 1R, 10K performance. They took the next game 4-2 in exciting fashion, as Mark Teixiera broke a 2-2 tie in the 9th with a solo shot to right. The Yankees won the next one 5-2, as Sergio Mitre pitched well into the 6th inning. The Yankees scored 4 in the 2nd, with an error by the excellent Franklin Guttierez setting up an inning that was capped off by a two run homer from Nick Swisher. The finale went to the Mariners 10-3, with Joba Chamberlain and Alfredo Aceves each allowing 4 runs. This game was notable for Derek Jeter’s 2,674 hit as a SS, allowing him to pass Luis Aparicio for the most ever by a SS.

The Yankees went into Oakland and took 2 out of 3, losing only the opener 3-0 due to 5 shutout innings from former Yankee Brett Tomko. The Yankees loaded the bases with one out in the 3rd before A-Rod hit into a double play, and they wasted a solid 8 inning showing from AJ Burnett. CC Sabathia allowed single runs in the first 2 innings the following night, but shut it down from there as he turned in an 8 inning performance. The game was tied at 2 entering the 6th, before Derek Jeter notched an RBI single that opened the floodgates on a 5 run inning. One memorable event was CC throwing behind Suzuki, followed one pitch later by Suzuki launching one into the left field seats. Chad Gaudin pitched well into the 5th in his first start for the Yankees in the finale, and a 2 run shot from Tex provided the margin in a 3-2 victory. The Yankees also turned two important double plays, as Aceves got one with the bases loaded in the 5th and Hughes earned one after letting the first two hitters reach in the 8th.

The Yankees then went into Boston and took 2 of 3 to put the season series at 6-9 for the Red Sox. Brad Penny and Michael Bowden allowed 15 runs as the Yankees took a 20-11 victory. Jorge Posada knocked in 2 in the first, Teixeira added two RBI’s in the 2nd, and Matsui had two homers and 7 RBI’s to power the Yankees. The Yanks dropped the next one 14-1, as Junichi Tazawa shut them down while AJ Burnett allowed 9 runs in 5 innings. This was the game where Burnett allowed a home run to Papi and started shouting “Why, Why, Why,” which some interpreted as questioning his catcher. The next night was a ton of fun, as the Yankees scored 8 runs off Beckett in 8 innings, including 5 homeruns hit out of that Boston bandbox. Jeter led off the game with a shot, Matsui did the same in the 2nd, Cano got into one in the 4th, A-Rod put the game away with a 2 run job in the 5th, and Matsui capped things off with a solo homer in the 8th.

The Yankees then dropped their first series of the month, losing 2 of 3 to Texas. The first game was a thriller, as Joba Chamberlain wasted a 4 run Yankee first by allowing 7 runs in 4 innings. The Yankees trailed 10-5 heading into the 9th, but rallied when Matsui, Posada, and Cano hit bases loaded singles to score 4 runs and leave runners at 1st and 2nd and nobody out in a 10-9 game. However, Joe Girardi had Nick Swisher bunt (a move I agreed with and still believe was correct), and Swish popped the bunt up. Melky then lined into a double play to end the game. The Yankees took the next one 9-2 as they got a good game from Andy Pettitte and knocked around Derek Holland. AJ Burnett pitched well in the next game, striking out 12 and allowing just 2 hits, but made one mistake to Ian Kinsler to account for 3 runs and left trailing 3-2. Phil Coke entered and quickly gave up 3 runs on a homer to Chris Davis, and the Yanks dropped a 7-2 decision.

The Yankees then swept the White Sox, gaining a modicum of revenge for the 3-1 loss they endured in the previous series between the clubs. The Yankees took the opener 5-2 on a 3-run walkoff homer from Robbie Cano in the 10th. Jeter homered to leadoff the 1st and Johnny Damon did the same in the 3rd, giving CC a 2-0 lead he carried into the 7th. The Sox scored twice in the 7th but the Yankees threw out 2 runners at home in the inningand A-Rod made an important diving stop, setting up Cano’s heroics in the 10th. Sergio Mitre allowed 1 hit in 6.1 the next day prior to leaving with an injury and combined with Gaudin on a one hitter as the Yankees won 10-0. The sweep came on a 8-3 victory in Joba Chamberlain’s first shortened start, a 3 inning job in which he allowed 2 runs. Alfredo Aceves pitched 3 shutout to help the Yankees get the win, with a 5 run 7th geared by a 3 run Tex homer powering the Yankee offense.

The final August game was a contest in which Andy Pettitte carried a perfect game into the 7th. After getting the first 20 outs, one on a nice play by Jerry Hairston, a routine grounder to Hairston at 3rd was booted, and Markakis followed with a single to end the no hitter as well. Pettitte allowed one run in the 8th, but the Yankees held on for a 5-1 win, with Nick Swisher providing the offense.

Check out the recaps of April, May, and June.

July Record: 18-9
Hitting Stars (OPS): E. Hinske (1.464), H. Matsui (.967), R. Cano (.916), A. Rodriguez (.905), D. Jeter (.902)
Pitching Stars (ERA)(>6 IP): M. Rivera (0.00), P. Hughes (0.61), AJ Burnett (2.43), J. Chamberlain (2.73)

The Yankees started July sporting a six game win streak, and took their second game from the Mariners to push the streak to 7 before dropping the finale. In the first game, the Yankees got a reviewed homer from Melky Cabrera and a tie breaking two run shot from Alex Rodriguez in the 6th to win 4-2. The finale went to the Mariners 8-4, as CC Sabathia had a poor outing.

The next series saw the Yanks take 3 out 4 from the Blue Jays, dropping just the last game. In the first game, they won 4-2 behind a strong outing from AJ Burnett, who beat his former team for the first time. The next game was a thriller, as the Yankees beat Roy Halladay for 5 runs and 3 home runs(including a game tying shot from Damon in the 7th), and CM Wang pitched into the 6th before leaving with injury. The Yankees won in the 12th on a walkoff single from Jorge Posada. The Yankees took the next contest 10-8, after Joba Chamberlain turned a 4-0 lead into an 8-4 deficit by the 4th inning with some “help” from Cody Ransom. The Yankees scored 3 in the 4th and 3 in the 5th to pull out the win, with Alfredo Aceves providing 4 stellar innings and Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter coming through with important homers. The finale saw the Yankees falling just short of recovering from a 7-1 7th inning deficit. The 1st inning saw Derek Jeter thrown out at 3rd in the infamous “the ball beat you there” play, and there was another controversial call in the 7th, involving a not even close neighborhood play and Eric Hinske at 2nd base. This was Hinske’s first game as a Yankee, and he homered in the 5th, but made the last out with a runner on first in a 7-6 game.

The Yankees continued their hot play by taking 3 from their favorite whipping boys, the Twins. The Yankees won the opener 10-2, with the only memorable play being Carlos Gomez’ amazing catch robbing A-Rod of a grand slam. The Yankees took the next game 4-3 behind AJ Burnett in a throughly unremarkable game that was interesting only because it was the first contest streamed online in-market. The Yankees won the finale 6-4 in the infamous “starting Aceves” game, which some claimed destroyed the balance of the solar system. Aceves pitched poorly, but Francisco Liriano did the same, and both pitchers were the victims of some bad defense (Cody freakin’ Ransom). Ransom did have 2 RBI’s, as did Brett Gardner, and the Yankees swept a snoozer of a series from the Twins after taking 4 from them over “walkoff weekend.” The vicotry allowed them to move into a tie for first place in the AL East.

The final series prior to the ASB helped wipe out some of the good feelings the Yankees had engendered over the prior weeks, as the Yankees dropped 3 to the Angels in Anaheim. In the first, Joba cruised into the 5th with a 5-1 lead, but left with the score tied after a 3-run shot from Kendry Morales. Mark Melancon allowed 2 runs in the 6th, and then put a runner on in the 7th, before Bruney walked a hitter and then allowed a 3-run shot to Erick Aybar to put the game away at 10-6. Jorge Posada did make a barehanded catch in the game. The next game unfolded similarly, with Andy Pettite turning a 4-1 lead into an 8-4 deficit in the 5th with some help from David Robertson. The Yankees did cut the deficit to 10-8 in the 8th, but Phil Coke allowed 4 runs to let the game get out of hand. A-Rod and Eric Hinske both had two homers in the game. The final game was more frustrating than those two doozies, with the Yankees dropping it 5-4. CC Sabathia allowed 4 runs in the 4th to put the Yankees behind 4-1, and John Lackey held that score into the 7th. Jorge Posada had a RBI double with nobody out, and the Yankees loaded the bases without an out. However, Mark Teixeira struck out and A-Rod hit into a hard DP to end the threat. Sabathia gave the run right back on a two out double from Figgins and a single from Izturis. The Yankees loaded the bases with nobody out in the 8th, and got a RBI single from Melky, but could only get one more run on a sac fly to keep the deficit at 1 after Nick Swisher lined into a DP. The Yankees went 1-2-3 against Fuentes in the 9th to finish an awful sweep.

However, the Yankees came out of the ASB red hot, taking the first 8 contests of the second half. They started with a sweep of the Tigers in a tightly contested series. The Yanks trailed 3-2 in the 7th inning of the opener before Teixeira hit a 3 run blast to give the Yankees the 5-3 win. Phil Hughes struck out 6 in 2 innings. CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander locked horns the next day, keeping the game scoreless into the 7th. A-Rod led off the inning with a solo homer, Melky added a RBI single, and the Yanks held on for a 2-1 win. In the finale, Joba pitched into the 7th while allowing just one run and 8 K’s, and A-Rod and Teixeira hit solo homers off Edwin Jackson for the 2-1 victory.

The Yankees followed up with another sweep, with the Orioles playing the victim. The series kicked off with a doozy, as the Yankees won 2-1 on Hideki Matsui’s walkoff solo shot in the 9th. This game featured two plays at the plate in a 1-1 game during the top of the 8th. With 2nd and 3rd and one out, the infield was back, yet Teixeira came home anyhow on a hard grounder, and nailed Izturis at home. Phil Coke threw one in the dirt on the next pitch, Brian Roberts broke for home, and he was nailed at the plate by Jose Molina. One inning later, Hideki ended it. The Yanks took the next one 6-4 in Sergio Mitre’s first start of the year, and moved into first place. They took the finale by the same tally, with AJ Burnett taking a shutout into the 7th and Nick Swisher making a nice grab at the wall.

The Yankees then took 3 of 4 from Oakland, with the first game being a makeup for a rain out. The Yankees trailed 3-0 into the 4th before getting to Vin Mazzaro for 4 runs, coming on a 2-run shot from Tex and RBI hits from Posada and Hinske. Phil Hughes finished off a 6-3 victory with a two inning save, the first save of his short career. Joba Chamberlain had another strong outing the next day, going 7 innings while allowing just 1 run as the Yanks battered the A’s 8-3. The Yankees dropped the next game 6-4 in a game most fans will remember for the first real implosion from Alfredo Aceves. Aceves entered for Pettitte with the bases loaded and one out in a 1-1 game, and got Mark Ellis to pop out. However, Landon Powell singled, and two hits later, it was 6-1. The Yanks cut the lead to 6-4 on homers from Jeter and Teixeira, but Jorge Posada killed the rally with a DP in the 9th. Brett Gardner made two nice catches, but also injured his thumb and was lost for a few weeks. The next day, the Yankees won 7-5. The scored 4 in the first, with a bases clearing double by Cano the big shot, but trailed 5-4 in the 6th after Phil Coke served up a 2-run shot to Mark Ellis. The Yankees came right back with 3 runs, with a Derek Jeter 2-run single being the key hit. The Yanks also turned a stellar double play.

2 of 3 from Tampa came next, with the Yankees winning the first game 11-4 behind AJ Burnett and two homers from Nick Swisher. They dropped the middle game 6-2 as Sabathia struggled while Kazmir cruised. The finale was a 6-2 Yankees win behind another stellar outing from Joba, who turned in 8 shutout frames.

The last series of the month went poorly, as the Yankees lost the first two games of a series they would drop 3-1 to the White Sox. The first game was tied at 1 in the 7th when Andy Pettite exited with two runners on and Phil Hughes entered. He got a DP ball from Quentin, but Cano threw the pivot away and a run scored. With 2 outs in the 9th, Swish stuck it to Ozzie with a solo homer to tie the game. However, in the bottom of the frame, Hughes put two on with one out before making way for Phil Coke. Coke got an out before serving up the game winning single to the immortal Dewayne Wise. July’s final contest saw Alfredo Aceves turn a 6-5 deficit into a 10-5 hole after David Robertson allowed the tie breaking run. Robertson did perform a Houdini act after allowing the run, escaping a 2nd and 3rd, 0 out situation in a performance that foreshadowed a similar feat in the ALDS.

Check out the recaps of April and May.

June Record: 15-11
Hitting Stars (OPS): B. Gardner (.918), M. Teixeira (.886), Johnny Damon (.885), N. Swisher (.885)
Pitching Stars (ERA)(>6 IP): P. Coke (0.71), A. Aceves (1.32), P. Hughes (1.38), A. Burnett (2.10), D-Rob (2.70)

June began with the Yankees wrapping up a 3-1 series victory over the Indians with a 5-2 win. Joba Chamberlain went 8 innings and allowed 2 runs, and the Yankees scored 4 in the 7th behind 2-run hits from Nick Swisher and Alex Rodriguez. The play of the game came from Joba, who went airborne to catch a bunt and turn a big DP. In this game, the Yankees set the MLB record for consecutive games without an error, with 18.

The Yankees then took 2 of 3 from Texas. In the first game, a Jorge Posada error ended the errorless streak, but 12 runs by the Yankees helped make up for that. Mark Teixeira was hit twice by Vicente Padilla, and words were exchanged. On the next play, Tex broke up a double play with a hard slide, and extended what became a 7 run inning. The Yankees lost the middle game 4-2 as Andy Pettitte walked 6 in 5 innings and was outpitched by Scott Feldman. In the finale, the Yankees won 8-6 despite CM Wang’s struggles in his return to the rotation. Mark Teixeira had an important bases clearing double, and Melky Cabrera broke a 6-6 tie with a two run shot in the 8th.

After a rainout, the Yankees took 2 of 3 from the Rays. The Yankees lost 9-7 in the opener in a memorable game. CC Sabathia allowed a 3-run shot to Willy Aybar to give the Rays a 5-3 lead in the 6th. The Yankees scored two in the 8th to tie it, and Mariano Rivera entered and promptly allowed 4 runs (3 ER), the last two of which were allowed by Phil Coke in relief of the ineffective Mo. The Yankees scored two in the 9th, but were unable to complete the comeback. They bounced back the next day, taking a 4-3 victory behind a 3 run 8th. The comeback was helped by an error on a DP ball by Willy Aybar that likely would have ended the inning with the score 3-2. They took the final game behind Andy Pettitte and a tie-breaking homer from Johnny Damon in the 6th. This game also marked Phil Hughes’ first one inning relief appearance of the year.

The Yankees followed up these victories with another awful series in Boston. They lost the first game 7-0, as Burnett failed to make it out of the 3rd and Josh Beckett shut the Yankees down. The Yankees lost the following game 6-5 in a game where they fell behind early due to CM Wang and got some solid relief work from Phil Hughes, as well as some fun Nick Swisher plays in the outfield (one awful, one great, one ridiculous). They entered the 7th down 6-3, but got back to back homers from Damon and Tex off Ramon Ramirez. They put a runner on 2nd with one out in the 8th and 9th, but Jeter, Damon, Cano, and Posada all failed to come through. This set up the finale as the most heartbreaking game of the season, and the moment where many of the bandwagon fans jumped off until August. CC Sabathia and Brad Penny (who hit A-Rod with a pitch in the 1st) dueled through 6 innings, after which Boston led 1-0. However, Manny Delcarmen entered in the 7th and allowed 3 runs, with the big blows being a RBI double from Frankie Cervelli and a two out, two run double from A-Rod. CC pitched into the 8th, where everything unraveled. Nick freakin Green singled, Pedroia walked in a 10 pitch AB, and Drew singled to send CC to the showers. Aceves entered, Youkilis singled to load the bases, Bay singled to tie the game, and Mike Lowell put the Sox ahead with a sac fly. Phil Coke ended the threat, but the damage was done. The Yankees fell to 0-8 against Boston, and there was panic in the streets of NY. Thankfully, the Mets were on their way in.

The first game of the 2009 Subway Series was an epic. Joba Chamberlain struggled through 4 innings, Brett Tomko gave up 4 runs prior to getting 3 outs, and the Yankees trailed 6-4 going into the bottom of the 6th. A single and a walk chased Livan Hernandez, and Hideki Matsui sent a 2-0 pitch from Jon Switzer over the wall in right for a 7-6 lead. Dave Robertson and Phil Coke combined to allow a run in the 7th, and then Coke got the first two outs in the 8th. Joe Girardi went to Mo Rivera in the tie game, at which point Beltran walked and David Wright doubled him in for an 8-7 lead. In the 9th, Derek Jeter singled off K-Rod and stole second. With two outs, the Mets walked Teixeira to face A-Rod, and the move paid off, as A-Rod lofted a pop-up to the second baseman Castillo……WHO DROPPED THE BALL!!! Teixeira, running hard all the way, scored easily, and the Yankees had an amazing win. The Yankees lost the next day to Fernando Nieve, and things were looking grim with Johan Santana looming. However, the Yankees dominated Johan, scoring 9 runs off him in 3+ innings, while AJ Burnett shut the Mets down over 7 for a 15-0 win. The key hit was a 2-out RBI single by Frankie Cervelli in the 2nd for the game’s first run, setting up a 4 run inning that included a 2 out, 2run hit from Johnny Damon. The Yankees then scored 9 in the 4th, with Hideki Matsui’s homer blowing the game open. Prior to this game, K-Rod and Brian Bruney had their little confrontation. Also memorable was AJ Burnett escaping a bases loaded, nobody out jam in the 3rd while the game was still in doubt, and a Nick Swisher catch that injured the scoreboard.

The Yankees followed that feel good series up with what many consider to be their worst stretch of the season, as they lost 5 of the next 7 to the Nats, Marlins, and Braves. They took the first game against the Nats in comeback fashion, as the Yankees got shut down by Shairon Martis but notched two runs in the 7th to pull out the victory. The big hit was a Robinson Cano double, which erased Anderson Hernandez’ 3 run homer off CC Sabathia. The next night, the Yankees were shut down by John Lannan, but had a chance to tie the game with runners on the corners and one out in the 9th. However, Cano could not come through again, and hit into a DP to end the game. Craig Stammen shut the Yankees out the next night in the first homerless game at NYS, and the Yankees had dropped a series to the worst team in baseball.

The next series was equally frustrating. The Yankees once again took the first game, notching a 5-1 victory behind Andy Pettitte and his RBI double. The Yankees lost the next game 2-1 in frustrating fashion, with a Johnny Damon error leading to the winning run. The Yankees put two on with nobody out in the 8th, but a Derek Jeter DP killed the rally. The Yanks dropped the finale 6-5 in a game that saw CC Sabathia leave in the 2nd due to tightness in his arm. Brett Tomko allowed 3 runs over two innings, while Phil Coke and David Robertson allowed one each to put the Yankees in a 6-3 hole entering the 9th. Brett Gardner laced a 2-run triple to bring the Yankees closer, but Derek Jeter left runners at the corners when he grounded out to the end the game. The Yankees protested this game due to a Marlins lineup snafu that you can read about by clicking the link.

The final loss of this awful stretch was in the first game of a series in Atlanta, and dropped the Yankees 5 games behind the Red Sox in the AL East. They lost 4-0 to Tommy Hanson, and Brian Cashman flew to Atlanta to give the struggling club a pep talk. For the first 5 innings of the next game, it looked like nothing had changed, as the Yanks trailed 1-0. However, everything changed in the 6th. Brett Gardner was picked off first on what seemed to be a bad call, and Joe Girardi got ejected. Seemingly fired up, Frankie Cervelli drilled his first career homer during the next at-bat, and A-Rod (who was in a huge slump and had just gone through that whole “needs more rest” snafu) added a two run single in the inning. Up 4-1 going into the 7th, Joba Chamberlain gave back two runs, but a great catch by Nick Swisher kept the Yankees in the lead, and they eventually won 8-4. This started a 7 game winning streak, and many view that 6th inning as the turning point of the season. The Yankees scored 8 runs in the first four innings off Derek Lowe the next night, and held on for an 11-7 victory. The tide had turned.

The Yankees then came home and beat the tar out of the depleted Mets. They took the first game 9-1 behind CC Sabathia and a 5 hit night for Brett Gardner, including a homer in cavernous CitiField. The won the next game 5-0 behind a 7 inning, 10K performance from Burnett, who held the Mets hitless into the 6th inning. Jorge Posada busted the game open with a 3-run homer. The Yankees won the finale 4-2 behind CM Wang’s best start of the year, but the story of this game was Mariano Rivera. Mo notched his 500th save and 1st RBI in this game, with the walk coming on a bases loaded walk off K-Rod.

The final game of June was an 8-5 thriller over Seattle, a game that saw Mariano Rivera start and finish the contest. The game was tied at 3 entering the 7th, where the Yankees scored two runs on an A-Rod homer to take a 5-3 lead. However, Brian Bruney gave the runs right back, allowing 3 hits and a sac fly to score two runs. In the bottom of the 8th, Melky Cabrera’s RBI double and Jeter’s 2-run single gave the Yankees the victory, and brought them within 2.5 games in the division.

Check out the recap of April.

May Record: 17-11
Hitting Stars (OPS): M. Teixeira (1.138), A. Rodriguez (.997), B. Gardner (.955), J. Damon (.920)
Pitching Stars (ERA)(>6 IP): M. Rivera (2.45), CC Sabathia (2.56), A. Aceves (2.75)

The Yankees finished their series with the Angels by splitting the final two games. In the first game, the Yankees led 4-0 heading into the 6th inning, before an implosion from Andy Pettitte, Mark Melancon, and Jose Veras put them down 9-4 going into the bottom of the 8th. The Yankees put up 4 in the 8th, highlighted by a two-run single from the suddenly productive Ramiro Pena. The Yankees then loaded the bases with nobody out in the 9th off Brian Fuentes, and Jorge Posada sent everybody home with a two run single. The Yankees started a five game losing streak the next day, falling 8-4 behind another middling outing from CC Sabathia.

The next 4 games were a pair of two games series with the Red Sox and Rays, and both were disastrous. In the two games against Boston, Hughes and Joba put the Yankees down 4-0 before home runs by Johnny Damon closed the gap. Joba actually struck out 12 batters after allowing 4 runs in the first, and drew criticism for his theatrics in a losing effort. The Yankees could never actually catch the Sox, and fell to 0-5 against Boston on the young season.

In the first game against Tampa, the Yankees trailed 3-0 in the 8th before Mark Teixeira had his “True Yankee” moment, a bases clearing double in the rain to tie the game. However, Carlos Pena homered off Phil Coke in the 10th, and the losing streak continued. The last game of the series was also a thriller. The Yankees trailed 6-4 with 2 out in the 8th when Johnny Damon launched another clutch home run to tie the game. However, Mariano Rivera entered in the 9th and served up two solo homers, one to Carl Crawford and a second to Evan Longoria, and the Yankees fell 8-6 and dropped to 13-15.

The next day changed everything, as Alex Rodriguez returned and hit a 3 run homer on the very first pitch he saw. The Yankees won the game over the Orioles 4-0 behind a CG shutout from CC Sabathia. They lost 12-5 the next day as Phil Hughes got destroyed, but the team already had a different feel about it. They won the series finale 5-3, behind a 3 run homer from Johnny Damon in the 7th inning. This game is better remembered for the Aubrey Huff fistpump that came when he homered off Joba in the 1st inning.

The Yankees followed up this series with a series victory against the Jays. They lost the first game to Roy Halladay, as AJ Burnett lost in his return to Toronto. They took the next game 8-2, behind Brett Gardner’s first career homer, starting a nine game winning streak. In the finale, the Yankees trailed 2-1 entering the 7th, but got an RBI single from Jeter in that frame and a Hideki Matsui home run in the 8th to bring home the victory.

Next up was the Minnesota Twins, and the start of what was later dubbed “walkoff weekend.” The first game was loaded. Mark Teixeira got into a war of words with a number of the Twins for running inside the baseline and nearly taking his hand off on a close play at first. Then, with the Yankees trailing 4-1 in the 7th, Brett Gardner, only in the game because Johnny Damon had been tossed, thrilled the crowd with an inside-the-park homer to draw the Yankees closer. In the 9th, the Yankees had a daunting task, with Joe Nathan in the game holding a 2 run lead. Gardner lead off with a triple, and Teixeira knocked him in with a single. After one out and another runner reached, Nick Swisher grounded a ball to the right side that looked to be a game tying single, but was robbed by Justin Mourneau. After an intentional walk to Robinson Cano, Melky came through with a 2 run single to win the game. The next day, the Yankees walked off again, as Teixeira tied it with a single in the 8th and A-Rod walked off with a homer in the 11th. The Yankees came through with a third straight walkoff the next day, with Johnny Damon doing the honors. Also memorable in this game was this play by Tex to keep it tied, and Joe Mauer’s diving play at the plate. The Yankees completed the sweep 7-6 the next day, scoring 6 in the first and then holding on with Phil Coke earning the save. Mark Teixeira hit two homers in the game and drove in 4 runs.

The Yankees followed that thrilling sweep with a nondescript mauling of the Orioles. They took the first game 9-1 behind CC Sabathia and a 7 run 7th, and won the second game 11-4 behind a solid outing from Phil Hughes (( K’s in 5 innings) and back-to-back-to-back homers from Swisher, Cano, and Cabrera. The final game of the series and the winning streak was a 7-4 victory in a game where Joba Chamberlain left with an injury in the 1st.

The next series marked a return to excitement, with the Yankees welcoming the Phillies in for what turned into a World Series preview. The Yankees lost the first game 7-3, as AJ Burnett was outpitched by Brett Myers, who was out of the Phillies rotation once November rolled around. Chien Ming Wang made his return to the mound in this game, and allowed two runs in 3 innings, including the longest homer in NYS this season. JA Happ pitched well in the next game for the Phils, but he too was not in the rotation in the World Series. Happ outpitched Andy Pettitte, and the Yankees trailed 4-2 heading into the 9th and a meeting with Brad Lidge loomed. With one out, A-Rod hit a two run homer to tie the game. Robinson Cano then singled, stole second, and scored on yet another game winning hit by Melky Cabrera. In the final game, Cole Hamels pitched well in a matchup with CC Sabathia, and the Yankees entered the 9th down 3-2. One of the Yankee runs came on a broken bat home run to left by Mark Teixeira. In the 9th, Cano and Cabrera reached Lidge again, as Cano singled, pinch runner stole second and scored on Melky’s single. The Yankees put the first two hitters on in the 10th, but Teixeira hit into a double play to hamper the threat, and Brett Tomko blew it in the 11th.

The Yankees followed up this disappointing series by taking 2 of 3 from Texas. They took the first game 11-1 behind 8 shutout frames from Phil Hughes and 5 hits from A-Rod. They dropped the middle game 7-3 as Joba went just 4 innings and Alfredo Aceves was hit around a bit for the first time. Melky left this game after slamming into the CF wall in the first inning, and missed the next 4 games. The finale went to the Yankees 9-2, as AJ Burnett chipped in 6 shutout and Hideki Matsui homered twice.

The Yankees wrapped up May by beating the Indians in 2 of 3. They took the first game 3-1 in a game that saw Andy Pettitte leave after 5 due to back stiffness. Pettitte did not miss a start. The Yankees scored all three runs off Cliff Lee, who went 6 innings and allowed 11 baserunners. The Yankees won the next contest 10-5 in CC Sabathia’s return to Cleveland. CC went 7 innings and allowed 3 runs, but did not allow a hit until the 5th inning when the score was already 7-0 Yankees. The finale was a thriller, as the Yankees trailed 4-0 through 5 innings. CM Wang pitched 3 scoreless innings in relief of Phil Hughes to keep the deficit at 4, and Mark Teixeira went to work on Carl Pavano, who was once again shutting the Yankees down. Teixeira had a 2-run homer in the 6th and then tied the game with a 2-run double in the 8th. However, in the bottom of the 9th, Phil Coke walked the leadoff man, and made way for David Robertson after a bunt moved the runner to second. After a walk, D-Rob allowed a game winning double to Jhonny Peralta. The Yankees finished the month at 29-21 overall, and were half a game ahead of the REd Sox in the Al East.

April Record: 12-10

Hitting Stars (OPS): Nick Swisher (1.121), Robinson Cano (.981), Melky Cabrera (.971)

Pitching Stars (ERA)(>6 IP): Mo Rivera (2.79), A. Pettitte (2.96), J. Chamberlain (3.13), Brian Bruney (3.38)

The season began with a fizzle, as the Yankees dropped two of three to the Baltimore Orioles. On Opening Day CC Sabathia was a disappointment, allowing 13 baserunners and 6 runs in 4.1 innings. Once the Yankees cut the lead to one run, the bullpen promptly handed 4 runs to the O’s, with Cesar Izturis providing a two run homer off Phil Coke for the big hit. The next game was no better, with Chien-Ming Wang providing a precursor to his awful season, allowing 7 runs in 3.2 innings. The Yankees notched their first win the following day, with AJ Burnett turning in a solid 2 run outing, and Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira launching their first home runs in pinstripes. (Click on the links for highlights).

The Yankees took 2 of 3 from the Royals in the next series, winning the first two games behind stellar games from Andy Pettitte and Sabathia, as well as the hot hitting of Jorge Posada and Nick Swisher. However, the single loss brought the first managerial controversy of the season. The Yankees led 4-3 in the 8th inning, and Damaso Marte got the first two outs. Joe Girardi pulled Marte for Jose Veras, who walked Billy Butler, the only guy he faced. Girardi then went to Phil Coke, who blew the game amid cries of “overmanaging” from the Yankee faithful. Looking back, I think we can all agree that pulling Veras is never, ever overmanaging.

The Yankees won the next series as well, but this one was memorable due to a loss as well. The Yankees were dropped 15-5 in the first game as CM Wang fell again. Not wanting to burn his bullpen to start a series, Joe Girardi turned to Nick Swisher to pitch an inning, and Nick came through with a perfect 8th, striking out Gabe Kapler in the process. The Yankees took the next two games by scoring in the late innings, taking the first behind AJ Burnett, Nick Swisher, and Brett Gardner. However, this game proved costly, as Xavier Nady left with an elbow injury and was lost for the season. In the final game of the series, the Yankees trailed 3-2 going into the 8th, but scored once in the 8th to tie the game and then got a Cody Ransom double (!) and Derek Jeter RBI single to give them the 4-3 victory.

The Yankees finally reached home on April 16th, and dropped the first game at the New Yankee Stadium to Cliff Lee and the Indians. CC Sabathia pitched well but did not escape the 6th inning, allowing Damaso Marte and Jose Veras to give up 9 runs in the 7th inning to turn a 1-1 tie into a 10-2 drubbing. The lone bright spot was Jorge Posada’s 5th inning homer, the first in the history of the new Stadium. The game featured 3 home runs, setting the stage for a series loaded with longballs. The Yankees trailed the following game 5-3 headed into the 6th inning due to Joba Chamberlain’s rough outing, but scored single runs in the 6th and 7th and took the lead in the 8th on Derek Jeter’s solo homer, the Yankees 5th solo homer of the day. The Yankees had their worst loss of the year the following day, losing 22-4 behind a 1.1 IP 8 ER outing from CM Wang and a 1.2 IP 8 ER relief appearance from Anthony Claggett. Another 8 homers left the park that day. In the series finale, Carl Pavano shut the Yankees down over 6 innings, allowing just 1 run on 4 hits and a walk. However, the Yankees scored 3 runs in the 7th to take a 4-3 lead that they would not relinquish, with Jorge Posada launching a 2 run homer that was reviewed and upheld in the first video review of the new season and new Stadium.

The Yankees then swept a rain shortened two game series with Oakland. In the first game, Andy Pettitte turned in another strong outing, and Brett Gardner added a two run single and a spectacular catch. The following game saw the first of the Yankees 15 regular season walk-offs. CC Sabathia had another worrying outing that pushed his ERA up to 4.81, and the Yankees entered extra innings tied at 7. 3.1 stellar relief innings from Jose Veras allowed the game to reach the 14th, where Melky Cabrera sent everyone home with a two run shot off former Yankee Dan Giese.

The Yankees were 9-6 and primed for a battle with the Boston Red Sox. What followed was an awful sweep, with each game providing at least one excruciating moment. In the first, Joba Chamberlain pitched well into the 6th, and the Yankees carried a 4-2 lead into the 9th. However, Jayson Bay nailed a two run shot with two outs off of Mariano, and Kevin Youkilis walked off in the 11th. In the next game, the Yankees scored 6 runs off Josh Beckett in the first 3 innings, but AJ Burnett flopped and allowed 8 runs over the next two innings, with a Varitek grand slam changing the game. The Yankees came back to take a 10-9 lead in the 7th, but Jon Albaladejo allowed a 3 run homer to Mike Lowell in the bottom of the inning and the Yankees lost 16-11. The Yankees lost the Sunday night contest 4-1, with Justin Masterson, Michael Bowden, and Hunter Jones combining to shut down the embarrassed Yankees. The memeorable play in this one was a steal of home by Jacoby Ellsbury, as he caught Posada and Pettitte napping. Mark Melancon did make his debut for the Yankees, and worked 2 shut out innings.

The losing streak stretched to 4 in the first game against the Tigers, as CC Sabathia pitched a complete game while allowing 4 runs, while Justin Verlander pitched 7 shutout frames. The Yankees scored 2 in the 9th off Rodney, but a Jorge Posada double play killed the rally. The Yankees won 11-0 the next day, with Phil Hughes handing in a dazzling first start of the year. He went 6 innings and allowed no runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. The Yankees scored 10 runs in the 7th, with the big blow coming on Jose Molina’s Grand Slam. The Yankees took the series when Joba followed Hughes great outing with one of his own, pitching 7 innings of one run ball. The final score was 8-6 due to Jon Albaladejo imploding in the 9th inning. The Yankees scored 6 runs off Rick Porcello, with Nick Swisher being the hitting star of the game with 2 home runs. This game was also delayed for a bit due to the emergency alarm system at Comerica going off.

The final game of the month was a victory against the Angels. The Yankees entered the 8th inning tied at 4, but got an RBI single from Melky Cabrera and a two run double for Ramiro Pena to win 7-4. The RBI’s were the first two of Pena’s career.