BRONX JEERS FOR JUSTICE IN HOME DEBUT
Lenn Robbins
Social Links for Lenn Robbins
July 5, 2000 4:00am
How's this for pressure?
In his first home game in pinstripes, David Justice came to the plate in the eighth inning yesterday with the Yankees trailing 7-3, runners on first and second and two outs.
This is why the Yankees acquired Justice from the Indians after all the Juan Gonzalez and Sammy Sosa trade talk: One swing and Justice could have made it a one-run game.
Instead, he went down swinging, and as he walked back to the dugout, many of the 44,447 fans who were still in the Stadium, hoping for some July 4th fireworks from the Yankees, booed.
Welcome to The Jungle, David.
"I'm pressing a little," Justice admitted after a 7-6 Yankee loss. "I've got to relax, let the game come to me. I chased a couple of bad pitches and swung too hard in a couple of at-bats. I want to see myself succeed as much as anybody else."
The Yankees need Justice to succeed if they're going to improve on their status as the fourth-worst run-scoring team in the American League. Since getting Justice from Cleveland for Ricky Ledee and two players to be named by the Indians, Justice has just one hit in 14 at-bats.
Yesterday, he struck out in the first, grounded to first in the fourth, flied to short left in the sixth and struck out again in the eighth.
He now has four strikeouts as a Yankee, and while Joe Torre said he doesn't know Justice well yet, he can empathize with what the slugger is going through.
"When you come over to the Yankees, or any new ballclub, you want to make an impression," said Torre. "You'd like to make it happen, and he will."
Justice already is impressed with being a Yankee. Before the game he talked about the electric atmosphere he felt playing in the Stadium during playoff series with the Indians. He knows all about the recent tradition of the right-field bleacher fans who do the first-inning Yankee role call to greet their heroes.
Justice was the team's designated hitter yesterday so he didn't get a chance to respond to role call. He was greeted in the first inning by mild applauds from the fans, who are hoping Justice will be the team's offensive savior this season.
"Outside of the final result and my performance, it was an unbelievable experience," said Justice. "It was great. The fans want you to do well so badly and you want to do it for them.
"Any time you don't hit, it's always tough," continued Justice. "But it's not my first time around. I know there are going to be 0-for-4s – that's part of the game. Eventually you'll be asking me about my 3-for-4 or game-winning RBI."
Justice said he's starting to feel more comfortable at the plate. His first game in Yankee Stadium wearing the home uniform was another step in the acclimation process.
The 34-year-old slugger, who has hit 256 career home runs, was hitting .259 with 21 homers and 60 RBIs with the Indians before being acquired last Thursday. He got one good pitch in his eighth-inning at-bat from Baltimore's lefty reliever Buddy Groom, a 2-1 curveball that Justice took for a strike.
"I like to be up in those situations," said Justice. "A lot of times they're going to get you, but sometimes you get them."
Until Justice gets going, the going will be tough for him at Yankee Stadium.
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