A Hughes Game

Marcus from Tremont Avenue removed his coat in the first inning to show off a new Phil Hughes T-shirt. He started clapping when the count ran to one ball and two strikes on Matt Stairs and then let loose with:

“Huuughes, Huuuuuughes, Huuuuuuuuughes.”

A blazing fastball. Strike three.

“Yeah,” Marcus shouted. “That’s the way you do it. Huuughes, Huuuuuughes, Huuuuuuuuughes.”

Hughes struck out Alex Rios to end the inning and Marcus cheered him back to the dugout.

“Huuughes, Huuuuuughes, Huuuuuuuuughes.”

Marcus slipped the coat back on and rubbed his hands together to warm up after a one-two-three inning.

“I’m just supporting the kid,” he explained. “I heard so much about him when he was drafted and coming through the minors that he seems like my own son.”

Marcus was down to his T-shirt for every pitch of six strong innings.

“It’s the least I could do,” he explained. “Hughes gave us his best tonight.”

The Yankees put together two late-inning rallies and pulled out a 3-2 win against Toronto.

“Hughes didn’t get the victory,” Marcus said. “But this was really his game.”

He let loose with one more:

“Huuuuuuuuughes.”