Godzilla

The streak ends.

It was a horrific collision of ball, glove and ground, and Matsui's wrist was the victim. The ball popped loose as Matsui's wrist bent backward upon hitting the ground. With the glove off, his left hand dangled awkwardly in the air. He found the ball and flung it in, but grabbed his wrist in pain.

"He was just trying to make a catch," Damon said. "Sometimes your glove sticks in the ground, and your wrist is moving in one direction and your glove is moving in the other. It's only preventable if you go out there and don't try to make a play. Matsui's not that type of player."

As stomach-turning injuries go, Matsui's could rank with the broken legs of Joe Theismann on "Monday Night Football" and Tim Krumrie in the Super Bowl. The twist was that it happened to the foremost ironman in baseball.

Matsui began his streak on Aug. 22, 1993, when he was a 19-year-old rookie for the Yomiuri Giants. He finished his Japanese career with 1,250 consecutive games, and the streak continued for 518 more with the Yankees, a major league record for consecutive games to start a career.

Last night's appearance did not count as part of the streak. As stated in rule 10.24 of the rule book, a player must complete a half inning in the field or a turn at-bat to extend a streak. Matsui left with one out in the top of the first.

At 1,768 total games, Matsui's streak would rank third, behind Cal Ripken (2,632) and Lou Gehrig (2,130), had he played all his games in the majors. But for the Yankees, of course, the impact of his loss extends far beyond the record book.

All in all, a truly horrendous night.

Meanwhile, Sheffield's wrist injury may be worse than thought. The Yankees' sentimental decision to sign Bernie Williams as the reserve outfielder is really making the Red Sox look very smart. Then again, as happened last year, this may force Joe Torre to consider giving the team's appearance a more youthful touch, as Romeo might say.