NEW YORK, June 7 (UPI) -- A new system of interleague play in the majors starts Friday night, and one of the most intriguing matchups occurs at Yankee Stadium.
Lefthanded slugger Barry Bonds is expected to take aim at the short right-field fence at Yankee Stadium when the San Francisco Giants face the New York Yankees for the first time since the 1962 World Series.
Bonds began the season in seventh place on the all-time home run list, but already has risen to fourth. He tied Frank Robinson for fourth place on Sunday, then moved past him with a grand slam in Wednesday's 12-2 win at San Diego, which brought him to within 73 of his godfather and Giants legend Willie Mays. His blast hit the base of the scoreboard in right field and was the longest hit in Qualcomm Stadium since distances were
first recorded in 1988.
The Giants have won four consecutive games after a four-game slide and are trying to win five straight for the first time since a seven-game run in early May.
The teams have not met since Oct. 16, 1962, in San Francisco, when the Yankees posted a 1-0 victory in Game Seven of the World Series.
Livan Hernandez (5-5, 3.92 ERA) makes his 13th start of the season for the Giants, and is trying to avoid falling under .500 for the first time this year. The Cuban righthander began the season with four consecutive wins and a 2.03 ERA, but is 1-5 with a 4.93 in his last nine outings. He is 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA in two career starts against the Yankees, which came when he was with the Florida Marlins.
The Yankees are 2-4 on their 13-game homestand and have hit a major league-leading 97 homers. Because of a rainout on Thursday, Mike Mussina (8-2, 4.26) makes his 13th start on five days rest. He is second in the American League with eight wins behind Boston's Derek Lowe, who notched his league-leading ninth victory on Wednesday.
Mussina is 5-0 with a 3.91 ERA in six starts since suffering consecutive losses from April 25-May 1. He defeated Boston on Saturday, allowing two runs and five hits in seven innings. The veteran righthander has never faced the Giants.
San Francisco is 43-31 in interleague play and the Yankees are 48-36.
Other games include Robbie Alomar's return to Cleveland when the Indians host the New York Mets; defending World Series champion Arizona at Boston; Florida at Minnesota in a battle of two teams that have been mentioned about possible contraction; and Los Angeles at Baltimore.
