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Yankees begin final homestand in storied Stadium

Sep 12, 2008 - 10:11 AM Tampa Bay (87-57) at NY Yankees (77-69), 7:05 pm EDT

BRONX, New York (Ticker) -- After 85 storied years, "The House That Ruth Built" will give way to a brand new venue. And as the New York Yankees prepare to fall short of the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons, the beginning of the end for baseball's cathedral has come.

The site of 37 World Series and countless other memories, Yankee Stadium will host its final 10-game homestand beginning when the Yankees face the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.

Following this series with the Rays, the Yankees will host the Chicago White Sox for four games and the Baltimore Orioles for three.

Yankee Stadium has had a rough closing act since the Yankees are 11 games behind the first-place Rays in the American League East and 8 1/2 in back of the wild card-leading Boston Red Sox (85-60).

Tampa Bay, however, has played meaningful games all season. After losing six of seven to see their division lead slip to one-half game, the Rays took two games against the Red Sox earlier this week.

"It's huge," Carlos Pena said to the St. Petersburg Times. "Baseball is a game of momentum, and hopefully this will be a momentum shift. We were going through a little bit of a tough time there? and to win the series, hopefully the momentum is going to go our way now, things are going to start to go our way.

"It feels great to have won the series. This team, obviously, is energized because of it, and the ways we've won, it's been exciting both days."

The club has managed to overcome the sting of several injuries to key players such as Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria and Troy Percival throughout the second half. Longoria is possibly set to return after missing five weeks due to a broken wrist. The rookie third baseman had 22 home runs and 71 RBIs in 104 games before the injury.

Matt Garza (11-9, 3.55 ERA) takes the mound after manager Joe Maddon decided to switch the righthander and James Shields in the rotation to set up for the stretch run, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Garza will try to snap a personal two-game losing skid, but he has held opponents to one run or less in half of his past 10 outings.

Sidney Ponson (8-5, 5.10), who has won once in last six starts, will counter for New York.

This is the Rays' 31st and final trip to Yankee Stadium, and though Maddon's club is in a heated playoff race, he expressed some sense of appreciation.

"I'm a little bit of a history buff when it comes to that stuff," Maddon said to the St. Petersburg Times. "I will take a good look at it, and I would like to think the players will a little bit also; but do that very quickly, it's about what's going on now."