The Yankees entered the day fresh off a victory against Tampa Bay the night before led by the MLB debut of Orlando Hernández, but that win was a tad pyrrhic. Derek Jeter, in the middle of an outstanding first half, strained an abdominal muscle swinging the bat in that contest. Accordingly, New York placed him on the 15-day injured list, meaning the club would miss its star shortstop for a couple of weeks.
However, his absence didn’t immediately turn this lineup into a bunch of pumpkins. Luis Sojo slid in at shortstop and hit ninth, but overall, the batting order still looked formidable.