Chasing History: A Road to the Show Report

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JUNE UPDATE

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JUNE UPDATE

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JUNE UPDATE

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#5 6/21 - Happel gets the 1st stolen base of his MLB career


#4 6/4 - A tremendous attempt at a diving stop


#3 6/15 - A nice spinning relay to complete the double play


#2 6/22 - Happel gets the diving stop and the out at first


#1 6/24 - Chase Happel's first walk-off RBI of his MLB career

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YANKEES EDGE INDIANS IN TIGHT CONTEST
Happel Plays Big Role in Both Runs

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Simulation Sports) - It's hard to find something more American than spending the 4th of July at the ballpark eating a hot dog and watching a baseball game. While the offenses weren't exactly explosive, fans at Progressive Field still had plenty to celebrate with a well-pitched, tightly played game. But in the end, it was the Yankees who put on the slightly better performance, narrowly beating Cleveland 2-1.

"This was one of those games where you didn't see a lot going on from an offensive standpoint, but the pitching was great to watch," said New York Manager Joe Girardi. "I mean, guys on both sides were just slinging it today. We were fortunate to walk away with the win."

The pitchers were the big story in this game for both the Yanks and the Indians. New York starter David Phelps found himself in a bit of trouble for most of his start, but he was able to make quality pitches when it was needed. The right hander gave up just one run in six innings of work, despite allowing five hits and issuing four walks.

For Cleveland, Danny Salazar was untouchable at times, striking out 13 Bronx Bombers over seven innings of work. Chase Happel seemed to be one of the few hitters who could get anything going against the Tribe.

He got a rally started in the fifth inning with two outs by singling to left field. He then stole second base to get into scoring position, and Ramon Flores came through with an RBI single to left to bring Happel home with the first run of the game.

"I knew that it was going to be hard to get a bunch of runs, especially with the way he [Danny Salazar] was throwing," commented Happel. "So, I just wanted to try and get on base and put some pressure on, maybe force a mistake by being aggressive. They didn't make a mistake, but I was able to score a run because of the aggressiveness, so I'm glad it worked out."

The Indians had an answer in the bottom half of the inning with their own two-out rally that closely followed New York's scoring in the top of the frame. Jason Kipnis started it with a single. He also stole second base and came home on a single to center by Carlos Santana.

A third clutch two-out hit, this time by the Yankees rookie shortstop, would be the final difference in the contest. After Eric Sogard managed to swipe second base in the top of the seventh, Happel laced a single that barely dropped in for a hit in center field. With Sogard running on contact, he was able to score easily to give New York the lead back for good.

From there, it was basically up to the Yankees bullpen. Preston Claiborne, Matt Thornton and David Robertson combined for two and two-thirds of shutout baseball, giving up just one hit while striking out three batters.

"I was really happy with how well we played," said Girardi. "Every element of the game was there, from clutching hitting to great pitching and solid defense. This is how we need to play, and I know we're capable of it. It just needs to happen on a more consistent basis."