Yankees miffed by Rays' decision to skip doubleheader

The way Evan Longoria sees it, if the Yankees truly wanted to play two games today, if they wanted to ensure Derek Jeter had three games to get the two hits needed to 3,000th for his career, then there would be a day/night doubleheader today at Yankee Stadium.

But that's not the way Yankee manager Joe Girardi and player representative Curtis Granderson see it, because there is only one game, and therein lies the controversy that grew out of Friday night's rainout.

The Yankees voted to make up the game tonight as part of a day/night doubleheader.

The Rays voted for Sept. 22, a mutual off day that comes after the teams play a two-game series at Yankee Stadium.

The makeup, after a series of discussions that involved a list of factors including the number of day/night doubleheaders each team play this season (each have two), is scheduled for Sept. 22.

"I think if they wanted the doubleheader (tonight) they would have made it happen," said Longoria, the Rays' player rep.

But that's what the Yankees wanted.

"We voted to play. They voted not to play. Not sure why," Girardi said.

The Rays played a day/night doubleheader in April in Minnesota. They have another one scheduled in August in Boston. The Yankees have two scheduled for later this summer in Baltimore.

There is a rule that says if both teams already have two day/night doubleheaders, they can vote against playing a third.

But neither Longoria nor Granderson mentioned the rule. Also, Longoria said the home team has the final say, while Granderson said the visiting team has the last word.

Longoria said the Rays opted for the Sept. 22 date because of the current health of the ball club — Longoria is nursing a sore left foot and Johnny Damon's right hand is still swollen — because the rosters will expand in September, affording both teams the chance to handle an extra game and because they would rather avoid a doubleheader, especially one at Yankee Stadium.

"A doubleheader just beats everybody up," Longoria said. "It's tough to play a doubleheader, especially in this stadium. One game is mentally draining enough. To play two and try to win two games is tough."

Jeter's pursuit of 3,000 hits was the motivation in the Yankees' vote to play two today.

"You want to have as many chances as you can for the fans, rightfully so, being the first and only Yankee to have done it," Granderson said. "It would be fitting for him to do it at Yankee Stadium, (now there is) even more pressure on him now the fact that he has the 3,000 knocking in the door."

"People have made a lot of arrangements to try and see this happen on the day that they picked," Girardi said. "It's unfortunate that we lose a game here and takes a day away from when it could have happened. That was important to us, it's important to our fans because of what our fans have meant to our organization."

Jeter did not stick around to comment on the development.

Longoria said Jeter's quest did not factor into the Rays' decision to vote for the later makeup date.

"I think we all know the reason why they'd like to get the three games in," Longoria said. "Obviously they're rooting for Derek to get his 3,000th hit in this series, and we'd like to see it, too. He has two more games to do it. But just looking forward, as far as both teams go, it's not real smart for us to play a doubleheader. It stretches guys out, it doesn't give opportunity for a couple of teams to rest who are banged up to play one and then another one."

Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher were not in Friday's lineup, and there is a chance Mariano Rivera will not pitch in this series because of a sore arm.

Yet, the Yankees wanted to play three games in the span of two days.

"The Yankees may have just conceded to the fact that this was going to be better," Longoria said. "I don't know if there was a concession. I don't know if maybe they said, 'Hey (the Rays are) right. This is the right thing to do.' I think if they wanted the doubleheader they would have made it happen. In my eyes, knowing the way things work, I think if they wanted it they would have made it happen."