Hideki Matsui Rings in Angels Deja Vu

Down by six runs in the top of the 9th, the Angels got the tying run to the on-deck circle in a late comeback that fell short but could be the psychological lift they need to proceed with their miserable 2-6 start to the 2010 season. Bobby Abreu hit a grand slam to bring the Halos back from a miserable pit, but Mariano Rivera got Torii Hunter to strike out and Hideki Matsui to pop up to save the game for the reigning world champions. Matsui was given his world series ring in an emotional ceremony prior to the first pitch, and as much as one hates the Yankees, it was pretty darn classy the way the whole thing went down.

The powerhouse New York Yankees bulldozed the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the second straight game at new Yankee Stadium, albeit with a 185-day break in between the contests. Read our GAME THREAD ONE and GAME THREAD TWO for live reactions to the action.

On a day when the Angels decided to take pitches from an aging Andy Pettitte, the old man looked like Lefty Ford or Whitey Grove or Yoga Koenig or any one of the hundred cartoon character segregation-era ghosts dancing on the mound at the Yankees home opener. At one point in the game the Angels looked at 52 first pitch strikes or is that just the number on the back of Jason Bulger's jersey as he nibbles at the plate against batters instead of finishing them off?

Ervin Santana looked okay but left some meatballs up for the Yankees lineup, and in a town built on spaghetti, you know what that means. Souvenirs for the bleachers and another L for the reigning American League West champions. Unable or unwilling to measure silver linings, our SBN partner site FANGRAPHS pulled an extreme buzzkill and did not love Abreu's grand slam, calculating his WPA as the worst of the game, albeit in a blame shared by many halos. Check out their numbers and vote in the poll below...

Roll Call: eyespy, PhiSlamma, RedFog, Moondoggy, DAD OF VLAD, angels4adam, SoCalWine, ryanfea, princeton11loveshalos, desecrator09, 44FAN, SenorChuckles, Dono Romantico, ~MMP~, Mayheminthehood, cath619, Clutch, Epic Dean, Suboptimal, angelsfan7, Halowood, UK Halo, Big Easy Halofan, hk47, dulciusEXasperis, Rev Halofan, raskul, ladybug, Commander_Nate, WiHaloFan, Fred Fredrix, b0rd3rline, halofan1, AlanFalcon, Drizzy23, clover_black, ihearhowie2.0, im4kiss, chairmanofthebar, MH252525, RexTookMyStash, Slasher52, 101halo, blast21dave, K3YEROUT, LazorkoRules, foxpaw, cupie, Sam Miller OCR, steelgolf, bc56274, highlandhalo, SalmonStream, The OC Disorder, Jay Cal, deejayelleseven, Julio Lugo, blochead, BrownLunchSack, BigSnyan, matthiasstephan, leftwing, HaloBaseball4Life, SublimeStar, Anaheim71420, Quinlan's Goofy Swing, angelskid2210, firebird81, Match Day 5, hauldog, jtkelly86, scareduck, Raaddad, Hough, UpStream15, Xeifrank, surfpunk
Total Users: 77
Total Posts: 1353
Total Threads: 2