It’s not everyday that you see eight homers in a single game from the Yankees. In fact, the last time the Yankees had seven homers in a game was on May 30, 1961.

How is it that the Yankees play so well at home this season and so not so well on the road?

I have to shift gears here for a minute and talk about what an idiot Steve Phillips of ESPN is when it comes to placing a dollar sign on the muscle.

I’m driving home tonight from work and listening to Phillips on ESPN Radio in NYC on 1050 AM. He’s talking about Eric Gagne. Phillips said that he considers Melky Cabrera to be a fourth outfielder, at best, on most teams and that he would not let trading Cabrera stand in the way of his team winning a pennant – and that he would have traded Melky, in a minute, for Gagne (and that the Yankees were not smart to decline the Rangers offer of Gagne for Cabrera).

I thought of that again as Melky made a great catch early in this game and then again when he homered in this contest as well.

Steve Phillips is clueless. Melky Cabrera adds so much to this Yankees team. How many games is Eric Gagne going to pitch for the Yankees in two months? Maybe 20 times?

Oh, wait, that’s right – Cabrera is just a fourth outfielder, according to all the experts, like Phillips. Perhaps I should start calling Melky Cabrera “E4O” – for “Experts’ Fourth Outfielder”?

You know what? As a Yankees fan, I would rather not win a pennant with “E4O” on my team than win a pennant without him and having Eric Gagne instead.

Lastly, that A-Rod homer will come, really, it will. In fact, it would not shock me to see him get it on the first pitch that John Danks throws to him tomorrow.

The Yankees had guys picked off base, guys thrown out at the plate, guys failing with men on base, guys failing out of the pen, and got a somewhat struggling but gutty start from Wang. (Although, if you pay attention, you’ll know that Wang on the road is rarely lights-out.)

O.K., on the bright side, Damon got some hits and made a nice play in the field. Matsui continues to drive in runners. And, Melky’s batting average is nearly .300 for the season with another big day from him. Cano is also knocking on the door of that mark.

And, the Yankees are returning home – where they play well, as compared to how poorly they play on the road this year (24-29). Also, the Indians lost – so, New York is now just 4 back in the loss column of the Wildcard.

The Wildcard is still right there for the taking. It’s just up to the Yankees to play like champions and put the race to bed. For those who did see this game, you tell me, did this team look like that type of squad – one that is capable of grabbing the Wildcard and nailing it down in the next month or so? Me, I’m still not seeing that – even with the win here.

I wish that I felt different here. But, the three full games before this one, plus all the other slides following winning runs this season, have left me with a “I’m not falling for it again” attitude. I need to see it now, before I can believe it.

I think it’s time to face it, and admit it, that this Yankees’ team is a “C.T.” – as in “Contender Tease.” They excel at scratching at the door, making it look like they want to come in – but, when it’s time to come in the house, they shy away like a cat sensing water and flee back into the yard.

It’s just about time to start saying “Wait ’til next year!” (again).

You know, when you’re in a chase for an October play-off slot, and there’s just 60 games left to the season, and your starting pitcher (in this case, Andy Pettitte) gets you to the 8th inning where you’re just down by a run, you have to find a way to win that game.

Think about it, down by one, in the 8th, and the Yankees have their 3-4-5 hitters due up…and nothing. Then, in the bottom of the 8th, first batter up, boom, homerun – and now it’s a two-run hole heading into the ninth.

The Yankees are now 4-40 this season when they start the 8th inning of a game where they are behind in the score. This does not mean they are a terrible team – few teams have more than a half-dozen wins in a season in these situations. But, what it does mean is that the Yankees are not an above average “late comeback” team. And, one would think, given the fact that they throw names out there like Damon, Jeter, Abreu, A-Rod, Matsui, Posada, etc., that they would be the leaders of the pack in terms of coming back late in the game when down by one or two runs. Not so – especially tonight.

The Yankees still have an excellent chance to take the next two games in this series – based on the pitching match-ups. But, if they blow the next two games, and the Indians win the next two, then you can kiss the Wildcard hopes away in a hurry and use August and September to start planning for next year.

Didn’t this game have a, sort of, “Let’s watch for A-Rod’s 500th homer tonight because Igawa’s pitching and we’re going to lose” feel to it?

Is that why the Yankees batters took the night off for this contest?

Too bad. The Yankees cannot afford to be letting any games get away for them at this stage – even if they are expecting milestones or have someone like Igawa (who once again gave up too many long flyball hits) starting for them.

Switching gears, let’s talk about Melky Cabrera. Where are all those scouts, fans, and media-types who kept saying last year that Melky was not a full-time big league type player? Have we seen enough yet? How about some retractions from those critics of Cabrera now?

This was a big win for the Yankees – with the Indians beating the Red Sox.

New York is now 6 back in the loss column of Boston in the A.L. East. And, New York is now 4 games back in the loss column of Cleveland in the Wildcard standings.

If you count the suspended game in Baltimore as already being played, this means the Yankees have 60 games left after their July 26th game with the Royals.

If New York is 5 games back, in the loss column, or less, of either Boston or Cleveland with 60 games to go, you have to consider them as being legit contenders for the post-season this year. Five games with sixty to go is very doable. Therefore, to have a chance at being 5 back of Red Sox, the Yankees need to win their next game. Is Kei Igawa up to it? We’ll see…we’ll soon see…

If Igawa bombs, and Boston wins, and the Yankees fall 7 games back in the loss column of the Sox, with 60 games to go, I think it’s then time to start thinking only about the Wildcard and focus your win-loss wishes for other teams in a manner that helps the Yankees get the ‘card.

Yeah, it’s only a one game difference. But, the clock is ticking…and New York does not have a ton of games left with Boston…at least not enough to make up for 7 games in a head-to-head fashion.

Last year, Wang’s ERA was 3.03 at home and 4.35 on the road. In 2005, his ERA was 3.55 at home and 4.65 on the road.

Anyone seeing a trend here? Home ERA near three – and the ERA is around four-and-a-half on the road. I think Chien-Ming likes Yankee Stadium – or vice-versa.

It’s great to see the Yankees win these games that they’re supposed to win. Now, it’s time for Mussina and Igawa to show us something over the next two games. I’m less than sure that they will show us something good. That’s why the last two games from Clemens and Wang are so important to the Yankees recent run.

And, a tip of the cap to Clemens for his effort in this game. In his last five starts, Rocket has averaged almost 7 innings per start. I never thought we would see that from him – going this deep into games – and I was not the only one. Roger is showing us all something special here.

I caught the start of this game on the TV in my local gym. But, I was watching it in the mirror – as the big screen TV was behind where I was working out. Because I was watching in the mirror, the game was backwards. It’s strange to watch Roger Clemens pitch as a left-hander and to see Johnny Damon bat as a right-hander…but that’s what happens when you watch a baseball game on TV through a mirror. If you’ve never experienced this, try it some time. It’s very bizarre – especially when it’s players that you’re so used to seeing.

By the way, for what it’s worth, I do like Duncan’s approach and attitude. He seems like the kind of kid that you want to root for…and, he does have power. I called him “Mike Blowers” the other day and that was unfair. He just might be a “Richie Sexson” type hitter if he’s given a chance to play everyday. He’s a big dude and does not get cheated at the plate. He’ll hit mistakes out of the park.

This was only the 5th time since 1957 that the Yankees have hit 6+ homers in a game at Yankee Stadium – with the last time also coming against Tampa Bay. It’s interesting that all five times where this has happened since 1957 were for Joe Torre teams. Ol’ Joe sure has had some talented teams at his disposal, huh?

Lastly, what do you think that the last two game scores have done to the Yankees Pythagorean Winning Percentage? Will the impact make the Yankees look even more unlucky this season?

This was only the 6th time since 1957 that the Yankees have scored 17+ runs and had 20+ hits in a game at Yankee Stadium. Joe Torre has been there for five of the six. This is the 16th time that the Yankees have score 17+ runs in a game, period, for Joe Torre. Yes, they’ve won all sixteen times.

So, with this win, this is where the Yankees stand:

New York is 7 game back in the loss column of Boston
New York has 66 games left
Boston has 65 games left

So, if the Red Sox go 33-32 in their remaining games, the Yankees would need to go 42-24 in order to pass them. Let’s put in another way: Unless Boston goes into a full-blown, absolute, tank job, the Yankees can only afford to lose two dozen more games this season – over the next ten weeks.

In a nutshell, from any given Sunday through Saturday, the Yankees can only lose two games per week, until the end of the season, if they want to catch the Red Sox this year.

This is why it’s key for the Yankees to get an improvement in the rotation for Igawa, to get Mussina going right again, and for Andy Pettitte to be like he was earlier in the year.

Tomorrow is Sunday. It’s a new week. It’s also Andy Pettitte’s turn in the rotation. Andy was good his last time out – which followed three starts in a row where he was bad. Let’s hope his last time out was the start of a nice run for him. The Yankees can use it.

Either that, or, they better start scoring 17+ runs a game for Torre much more often.