5th inning Live Tigers diary continues:
9:20 p.m.: On a 0-1 pitch, Martin calls for an up-and-in pitch and Nova goes behind Martinez.
9:22 p.m.: Nova was all over the place, but he gets Martinez swinging on the sixth pitch of the at bat.
9:24 p.m.: Avila works the count full.
9:25 p.m.: Nova’s 3-2 change goes in the dirt and bounces up underneath Martin’s right arm and nails HP ump Tony Randazzo in the right jaw. Randazzo went down and was checked on by the Yankees athletic trainer, but he’ll stay in the game. I thought he may have broken his jaw or — worse — swallowed the wad of chew he has in his mouth.
9:27 p.m.: Raburn singles to right on the first pitch. I had a feeling Avila’s walk might calm the Tigers’ hitters down a little bit.
9:29 p.m.: Peralta singles to center and the human windmill waves Avila home. Granderson-Jeter gun him out at the plate. Terrible call by Lamont, but not a very good slide/plow job by Avila, either.
9:30 p.m.: Leyland pinch hits Betemit for Inge with two on in scoring position and two out.
9:31 p.m.: Betemit falls behind 0-2 and then hits his 9-iron to left center for a routine grab for Granderson. It’s a sac fly had Lamont not been greedy with Avila the play before. Tigers have a hand in Yankees escaping a jam of their own.
Bottom 5
9:35 p.m.: Fister’s curve ball is starting out of the zone high and finishing out of the zone low. It’s pretty nasty, but falls behind 2-1 to Gardner.
9:36 p.m.: Gardner hits a routine fly ball to right field, but at Yankee Stadium it’s scary. Ordonez grabs it for the out at the warning track.
9:37 p.m.: Betemit is tested at third base on a groundball from Derek Jeter, but he makes the play with ease. Two away.
9:38 p.m.: Granderson singles to right on an 0-1 pitch.
9:40 p.m.: Cano goes oppo and hits one off the top of the wall in left, which looks like a homer. It’s an RBI double, but will be reviewed after an argument from Girardi.
9:43 p.m.: We are still in a review even though it looks pretty clear that it’s NOT a home run. Cano thinks it was a home run, though, of course.
9:44 p.m.: Apparently the dispute is whether or not it hit off a Yankees’ fan in a hoodie before it went back into the field of play.
9:44 p.m.: It’s ruled NOT a home run.
9:45 p.m.: A-Rod hits a routine fly ball to Jackson on the first pitch that gets the fans unreasonably excited.