The Yankees had looked impressive in the first two games of this series, with strong starting pitching putting them on the verge of a sweep of the Angels. But with Anaheim reeling and on a six-game losing streak, the Yankees couldn’t find a way to finish the job, dropping one of their more frustrating games of 1999. June 19: Yankees 2, Angels 4 ( box score ) Record: 39-28, .
582 (0.5 GA) David Cone started on this day, and he continued New York’s run of quality pitching performances. The early innings were largely uneventful for Cone, with one massive exception: an absolute moonshot off the bat of brief ‘96 teammate Matt Luke .
Right fielder Paul O’Neill hardly bothered to move as Luke’s two-run shot flew deep into the third deck at Yankee Stadium, giving the Angels a 2-0 second-inning lead. Cone was otherwise solid, giving his offense a chance to chip into the deficit. They did so in the third, with Bernie Williams sending a solo shot out to center for his tenth of the year to make it 2-1.
But the lineup couldn’t get much else going against Tim Belcher, a 37-year-old who entered the game with a 6.95 ERA on the year. They did put two on in the first, with Derek Jeter singling with two out from his relatively new spot in the three-hole and Tino Martinez drawing a walk, but O’Neill grounded out to leave a pair.
With the offense struggling against Belcher, it was Cone’s defense that failed him in the fifth. With two down and none on, Jeff Huson reached on an infie.
