Johnny Damon’s cash may be frozen, but his bat is heating up.
The 35-year-old celebrated the 2,000th game of his career with a 2-for-5 night, including a home run and two RBIs to help lift the Yankees to a 5-3 victory over Oakland.
“I’ve been fortunate to be able to play the game for this long without many injuries so I definitely have been blessed,” Damon said.
After batting in the unfamiliar third spot in the order Sunday, Damon was back in the No. 2 hole last night, and he got the Bombers on the board first with an RBI single to right-center to spark a four-run second inning.
Then he took advantage of the right-field wind tunnel, driving Oakland starter Dana Eveland’s 2-2 pitch for a solo shot that just carried and carried through the misty air into the loge.
“I really hit that ball well. I hit it so well [that] at the other stadium it might have been in the upper deck,” he said.Through April 13, Damon’s batting average stood at a scant .227, but he’s gone 7-for-21 over his last half-dozen tilts to raise it up to a more respectable .273.
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Damon — who’ll earn $13 million this year — has seen his finances frozen because of the Stanford Financial Group scandal. He told FOXSports.com that he has money with a Stanford company, and on Monday the SEC froze all assets of three entities managed by Robert Allen Stanford.
Still, the distraction hasn’t seemed to hinder his play.