truebluefan

The snarl was there. Showed up in the sixth inning after Andruw Jones waved at a hellacious 88 mph slider that dove toward his knuckles and sent Randy Johnson stomping off the mound with a fist pump and a primal grunt.

There are, of course, no smiles from the Big Unit when he's on the mound, so the snarl is the sign the Yankees seek. It means their ace is confident and composed. It means their bullpen can expect a light evening of work. It means outings like this one.

So while the Bombers were not complaining that Jason Giambi hit two home runs, the reality last night was that Johnson really only needed one. Pitching for the first time in a week, the Unit thrilled a sellout crowd at the Stadium by striking out a season-high nine and allowing four hits in seven scoreless innings to lead the Yankees to a 5-2 victory over the Braves.

Afterward, Johnson admitted he'd had some trepidation about taking the mound with two extra days of rest, the result of a five-game suspension he got for throwing at a batter during his June 14 start.

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