After a perfect inning from Farnsworth in the eighth, the Yankees would have Alex Rodriguez coming to the plate to lead off the inning. Guillen left Contreras on the mound for the Sox, which would later come back to haunt Ozzie. A-Rod led off the inning with a blazing liner to left field, starting things off with a single. That would be the end of Contreras night as his line was standing at 7+ IP, 3ER, 7H, 3BB, 3SO, but he was responsible for the runner at first. Thornton would relieve Contreras, but he would do no better as Posada singled as well, setting the table for Bernie Williams. Bernie walked on four pitches, and at that point Guillen had enough of Thornton; McCarthy was the next reliever brought in by Guillen.

Andy Phillips was pinch-hitting for Guiel, and was struck out by McCarthy. Cotts relieved McCarthy to face Melky Cabrera. Melky hit a soft liner to center field that just went over the head of the second basemen as the Yankees took a 4-3 lead. The crowd roared in approval as the fans were pumped for this matchup long before the game even got underway. Cairo followed that up with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Posada to make the game 5-3. Damon then ripped a ball down the left field line scoring Bernie Williams. Jeter was intentionally walked for Giambi, which worked for the White Sox as Giambi hit one into left field, but it was fielded and Jeter was thrown out at second. With each run scored, the crowd grew louder and louder, making this game seem like it was some sort of postseason Game 7.

The crowd remained on their feet for the introduction of Mariano Rivera. The sound system blasted Enter Sandman by Metallica and the crowd sung along word for word. Flashes from cameras were going off every second and Rivera was now ready to face the heart of the Soxs order. Thome, Konerko, and Dye all singled, loading the bases with no outs. This quieted down the crowd tremendously as many thought this game was in the bag, but no such thought should be made when playing against a team of this caliber. Scott Posednik grounded out to Phillips, who seemed as if he couldve made a throw to second, but instead went for the sure out at first, leaving runners at second and third with 1 out. Juan Uribe then hit a ball down the left field line, and Bubba Crosby made a leaping catch against the wall to get another out, but Konerko and Dye tagged up.

This set the stage for a matchup between a hitter with the 9th best BA in the AL, pinch hitter A.J. Pierzynski and the best closer in the history of baseball, Mariano Rivera. There were 2 outs, a runner on third, and a 6-5 game. Rivera got ahead of Pierzynski early and managed to get ahead to a 1-2 count. Pierzynski then managed to foul off seven or eight consecutive pitches to keep his at bat alive. Rivera broke Pierzynskis bat twice as the crowd moaned every time Pierzynski fouled a pitch off to the screen, or into the stands. Rivera eventually got the best of him, cracking his bat with one more cutter to the lefty, as Bubba Crosby made the final out.

It was a great night for baseball in the Bronx as the Yankees broke Jose Contreras 17-game winning streak, dating back to August 15th, 2005. The crowd was into the game from the beginning, and most fans stayed until the final batter, although some left thinking the Yankees had the game in the bag. The Yankees managed to play Yankee Baseball, with some excellent pitching, fielding, and timely hitting. Many think the Yankees arent going to make the postseason, but if Friday nights game was any indication of how the Bronx Bombers will fare in October, this team could be special. On a warm, muggy night in the Bronx, the Yankees mustered up some magic and knocked off a pitcher that seemed unhittable to many over the past year or so. Was this game an introduction to a magical second-half of the season for the Yankees, a semblance of how the teams in the late-90s played in the Bronx, or was it merely a facade, an anomaly of what Yankees fans will truly see down the stretch.

If you ask me, it certainly isnt the latter of the two.