Instead of continuing my Classic Era favorite player series (next week, I promise), I wanted to wrap up a little bit of some of the things happening around Yankee Universe.
Today, they announced that recent signee Masahiro Tanaka will wear #19 (yes, that was Chris Stewart’s former number).
After designating him for assignment Wednesday to make room for Tanaka on the roster, the Yankees traded pitcher David Huff to the Giants for cash considerations.
Last night, Yankee fans gathered at a local sports bar in the City, Foley’s, to celebrate its 10th year in business. It also served as a fundraiser for Yankee fans Carlos & Ashley Rivera, founder of the “Yankees Empire” fan base, whose young daughter Sophia was diagnosed with multiple tumor on her brain and spine. Their fundraising efforts have been dubbed “Smiles for Sophia”. Guest bartender and Yankee celebrity “Bald” Vinny Milano (of Bleacher Creature fame) helped bring attention to the event. They had a great turn-out and raised money to help little Sophia. Our prayers continue to go out for her and her family.
This Sunday, Yankees Stadium is freezing over. Despite the conclusion what some Boston fans might think with that statement, the infield has been transitioned into a ice hockey rink. Even with predicted snow the night before and a 19 degree high on Sunday, fans will bundle up to watch the New York Rangers play the New Jersey Devils. With all the recent snow fall and arctic blasts coming through the City, those setting up the open-air stadium have been severely hampered by such a massive task. Something that could definitely be echoed in a couple of weeks across the river in New Jersey with the Superbowl. It looks like it’s just going to be one of those years for wild, crazy weather, and those wonderful outdoor stadiums (and their fans) are certainly being affected more than their fair share. But I guess that’s what makes me happy that baseball is a summer sport. (And suddenly, I’m reminded of some of those late April snow storms from last season; but nothing’s perfect.)
And in legacy news, Cooperstown announced that, while other inductees this year won’t have a specific team designated on their Hall of Fame plaque, Joe Torre will be inducted as a Yankee. And rightfully so, I think. When people think of Torre, they aren’t thinking of the various teams he played with during his playing career, nor are they thinking of the brief managing stint with the Dodgers. No, Torre will always be remembered as the man who led the Yankees into the most recent dynasty years. And any Yankee fan today is indebted to him for his impact and legacy that the team still seems to carry with them today. As they say, “Once a Yankee…”
Well, December is upon us, and that long Thanksgiving break certainly served Yankee fans up with more than just some turkey.
First, a very Happy 44th Birthday to Mariano Rivera last Friday!
And just before turkey and stuffing, the news came out late Wednesday night that bullpen coach Mike Harkey was on his way to be the pitching coach for the Diamondbacks beginning with the 2014 season. While many fans and players will certainly miss seeing his smiling face and calming presence in the bullpen, we wish him the best of luck in his promotion and with his new team (except any time they play the Yankees!). Interviews are underway for his now vacated position with the Yankees.
Then today, they surprised everyone with a couple of big announcements. First, in an interesting trade, the Yankees traded catcher Chris Stewart to the Pirates for a player to be named later. For those of you not familiar with last year’s off-season, I’m finding this significant because the Yankees lost catcher Russell Martin to a long-term contract with the Pirates just last year. And now his former back-up will now be backing him up once again. There must be something in the water over there at PNC Park.
They also signed infielder Brendan Ryan to a 2-year contract with an option for a 3rd year. This may come as a shock to any Jayson Nix fans because this means his role as a utility player may now be unnecessary. They may use the contract option to trade him elsewhere as well.
I have to admit, I’m partly glad I don’t understand the whole contract thing — arbitration-eligible, tender, non-tender, crispy, extra spicy… it’s rather a complicated part of the business side of baseball. And while I usually have to have a Wikipedia page or some other kind of baseball reference site open while I’m researching this kind of news, it still makes very little sense to me. And here’s the thing, I’m a really smart person. Okay, I’m a smart person who didn’t go to law school, which probably explains why I don’t understand all the legalese that attaches itself to everyone’s contract.
But I must admit, I think there’s a lot of people outside of the professional side of baseball that miss the old system of either you’re on one team or you get traded to another team or you’re retired. And then, looking through my history of baseball, I realize why we have all these other parts to the contract, mainly created by the formed union to aid and benefit the players who were often at the short end of the owners’ stick of profits and decision-making of their own careers. The man behind all of this? Marvin Miller, who served as the first executive director of the MLBPA and really helped develop it into one of the best unions in the US. Currently, Miller posthumously is up for the Hall-of-Fame, as part of the Veteran’s Ballot.
And I guess, with Michael Weiner’s recent passing, I was just thinking about the legacy of Miller and how it continued to evolve and develop even through Weiner’s illness last year. So while the public (and I’m including myself in this) really don’t get when GMs toss around words like “tender” or “arbitration-eligible” and the depth of their impact on every player in MLB, I think we can be grateful they exist at all.
Without all that legalese, players would be getting short-changed in their career, which is still a gamble on both sides of the negotiation (as we are witnessing with the current Cano negotiations). When a player is 30, the world seems completely conquerable and unending of all its feats to accomplish. When the player is closer to 40, injuries, aches, and the tolls of elite-level athletics certainly are louder than the call of awards or accomplishments. A player’s professional career is relatively short compared to their lives, and so smart players use the advantage of the heavy-loaded salary well, investing, developing new businesses, getting endorsements, so that for the next 50 years of their life, they can live comfortably. And hopefully, see the day they are honored for the accomplishments on the field with a plaque at Cooperstown.
If not, the memories still live on, thanks to a few lawyers and economists who made an effort to make a better life for a couple of ball players (a couple thousand, that is).
Today was not a good day for the Yankees. CC Sabathia explained his injury and why he will be out for the rest of the season, which after tonight could be just 5 days away. And then the Yankees lose to the Tampa Bay Rays, completely shutout. One more loss or one more win by the Indians and the Yankees are officially eliminated from any Wild Card spot. Yeah, so it’s a bad day.
So I’ll make the bad news as short as possible.
Starter Hiroki Kuroda really struggled today. His 99 pitches took him into the 6th inning, but by then he allowed 5 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Those 5 runs are what really pummeled his ERA and sealed the game against the Yankees. In the very 1st inning, on the 3rd pitch of the game, he allowed a solo home run, then a single, an RBI double, and a sacrifice fly. And by the time the Yankees were finally up at bat, the Rays were up 3-0 over the Yankees. And it didn’t get any better.
In the 6th, a walk, a ground-rule double, and an intentional walk loaded the bases. An RBI double easily scored 2 of those runs. 5-0 Rays. So Logan replaces Kuroda for the final out of the 6th. Cabral got one out in the 7th, and Adam Warren came on for the rest of the 7th and the 8th and kept the possibility of a late inning rally alive for the Yankees. So Shawn Kelley takes the mound in the 9th and gives up 2 RBI doubles. When Betances took over for that last out, the Rays led 7-0.
And how did the Yankees answer the Rays’ bats? Four hits and seven walks, including a 13 pitch at-bat by Chris Stewart (he walked). They also benefited from 3 wild pitches by the Rays starter, but none of their runners could capitalize on what was really a sloppy outing by their starter. In total, Yankee batters left 24 runners on base. Tonight, neither team was playing like postseason potentials. And I’m not going to talk about the Yankee defense. It wasn’t Yankee-level defense, with some exceptions like a diving stops by Nunez in the 2nd and 4th and a sliding/tumbling grab by Soriano in the 8th.
Needless to say, it wasn’t a great game overall, and it’s even worse because how close the Yankees are to being eliminated from October baseball. But the Yankees aren’t playing October baseball, and every year they’ve gone as far as the ALCS (even if they lost the ALCS like last year), they spent September playing October baseball. Other teams are playing October baseball, and honestly deserve to play next month for that.
At this point, we all know it will be a miracle. I’m still holding out for a miracle because this is baseball and anything can happen. But the realist in me is trying to make amends with the fact that I’ll most likely be writing about non-Yankees in 6 days. Maybe ’13 really wasn’t the Yankees lucky number.
But again, it’s not over yet. And what was it Yogi said? “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” And it ain’t over yet…
Tonight’s game proved rather eventful for the Yankees — some great, some okay, some not so good, and surprisingly nothing terrible. This series is going to be a very important as the Yankees and the Orioles are so close in their race to October. And since every game is so vitally important this month, every win just tastes all so much sweeter.
Starter Ivan Nova actually had a really great outing with just 79 pitches over 6 innings. With the exception of the 5th inning, Nova was virtually flawless, just 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 strikeouts. In the 5th, he allowed 4 total hits and 4 runs. Here’s his 5th inning, 3 back-to-back singles, scoring 1 run; a sacrifice fly scored the 2nd; a groundout; a 2-run home run; and a final groundout. And suddenly the Orioles had the lead with their 4 runs.
Alfonso Soriano, hitting 1 of his 2 home runs tonight via nydailynews.com
But here’s the thing — the Yankees have Alfonso Soriano and a pretty good offense when it decides to come alive. But to start it all, the lot fell on Alex Rodriguez who doubled home Chris Stewart (who looked good tonight after his nasty bruised foot injury Sunday). And the Yankees sat there as the Orioles took the lead 4-1 in the 5th. But they answered back in the 6th, when both Alfonso Soriano and Mark Reynolds each belted solo home runs into the left field seats, still trailing the Orioles 4-3.
So when they got around to the 8th inning, the Yankees decided to pounce. So again, Rodriguez doubles to leadoff the inning and scores on Robinson Cano’s single to tie the game. Then Soriano decides to hit his second home run of the game, this time a 2-run homer. Then after a pitching change (because there’s still no outs), Curtis Granderson and Mark Reynolds hit back-to-back doubles to score the fourth run of the inning for the Yankees. A fielder’s choice, groundout, and two strikeouts end the inning, but the damage is done, with the Yankees leading 7-4.
Adam Warren came to the mound in the 7th for a quick 1-2-3 inning, replacing Nova who came out early with a tightness in his triceps. In the 8th, they sent Shawn Kelley in, who walked a batter that would tack on another Oriole run on a sacrifice fly, after advancing twice on two wild pitches. So to prevent the Orioles from creeping in on the Yankees lead, they decided to go to Mariano Rivera for a 4-out outing, something he did flawlessly getting 4 straight outs in 19 pitches. Warren awarded the win and Rivera his 42nd (magical number this season) save of the season (his 650th of his career) on tonight’s 7-5 win over Baltimore.
Also, two other injury-related events occurred during the game. Rodriguez felt a tightness in his hamstring, something which after being iced and rested, felt much better. He was replaced by David Adams on the field. And at the plate, catcher Austin Romine took a foul ball off his head and was examined for a concussion in the middle of Kelley’s wild pitch bonanza. He was replaced by JR Murphy.
Two interesting roster moves happened today as well. This morning, they moved Hafner to the 60-day DL to promote pitcher Mike Zagurski, who spent the year with AAA Scranton. And after the game, they acquired infielder Brendan Ryan from the Mariners, in exchange for a player to be named later and a roster move to be clarified later. Part of the reason they seem to have picked up Ryan was due to the fact that Jeter still isn’t doing any baseball activities yet.
I like games like the one they played tonight. It was a fun roller coaster-type run in Baltimore tonight — Yankees, then Orioles, then Yankees, then an attempt by the Orioles. Pitching isn’t anywhere near the Orioles best thing going for them, but they do like to hit so it puts a lot of pressure on the opposing team to pitch better than the Birds can hit. And then also hit better than the Birds. But as they have proven so very often this season, when the Yankees decide to win a game with their bats, they know how to do it right. And tonight, they relied on some powerful albeit late-season bats, led by (the quickly becoming legendary) Alfonso Soriano. And if they have to rely on that kind of play to make it to October, it should be a really fun September.
Well, Derek Jeter may have watched from the dugout today, resting his sore ankle, but he certainly got a first-hand view of a really wild game to close out the weekend series against the Red Sox.
Looking to stop the bleeding, the Yankees turned to a reliable source for control, despite a recent slump in reliability. So it was Hiroki Kuroda to the mound. And today, in stark comparison to the other three games, both sides put up some really great pitching and made today’s game into quite a pitching match-up. And unlike the three previous outings, the final score was low and kept low. Maybe they were tired, maybe it’s late in the season, or maybe they actually had good pitching that kept any potential offensive rallies from being too potent.
Anyway, Kuroda threw a season high 117 pitches over 6 innings, allowing just 5 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and striking out 6 batters. Those two runs came as an RBI double in the 2nd and a sacrifice ground out in the 6th. His reputation through most of the year was a tight ship with minimal runs, and today he righted his ship and stayed the course. Unfortunately, he was not awarded the win, but more on that later.
Offensively, the Yankees trailed the Red Sox 1-0 until the 4th inning, when Mark Reynolds doubled in Rodriguez to tie up the game. In the next inning, Stewart, Ichiro, and Wells all on base with back-to-back-to-back singles and 2 outs, it’s Robinson Cano to double home 2 of them, raising the score to 3-1 Yankees. With the Red Sox score in the 6, the score sat at 3-2.
Finally back from an injury to his triceps, Shawn Kelley took over for Kuroda in the 7th and kept the Red Sox planted there. (Glad to see that he’s back to his usual form.) And going into the 8th, with much of their bullpen depleted from the weekend’s strain (or injuries), they had no choice really but to ask Mariano Rivera to do something big — try to get 6 outs, or go 2 full innings for the save. Rivera made it through the 8th unscathed, but gave up a lead-off solo home run in the 9th to blow the save and tie up the game. Three outs later, the Yankees have to pull magic out of the air to make this work. I think we all knew that if the Red Sox came up to bat again, they would walk away with the game. It was now or nothing.
Fortunately, it turned out to be “now” when Ichiro Suzuki singled. He then stole 2nd and advanced to 3rd on the second out of the inning. Down to their last out, the Yankees put all their hope in Alfonso Soriano, who would hopefully at least do something to score Ichiro, just 90 feet away at 3rd base. But instead of going after Soriano, the Red Sox pitcher threw a really bad wild pitch, which the speedy Ichiro saw coming and took off for home plate. Soriano never got to swing at a ball that at-bat, but he did get to help welcome in Ichiro as the team poured out of the dugout to celebrate. Rivera may have blown the save, but he ended up earning the win instead.
Fun history note: the last time the Yankees had a walk-off wild pitch win was September 27, 1977. They won 2-1 against Cleveland, when legendary catcher and team captain Thurman Munson scored on a wild pitch. Remember, they won the World Series that year — the first time in 15 years.
And the injury update…
Boone Logan is on the mend, receiving a cortisone shot today, and should be working his way back into the regular bullpen soon. David Robertson, with tendinitis in his shoulder, is also watching from the dugout; he will continue to rest and probably isn’t available this next week. Both pitchers are so needed in the reliever front, which means that the Yankees are (rightly so) being cautious and careful with their recovery time; the last thing they need is to rush them back for a little game, and then not be available for a really big one.
And despite what some headlines might scare you to believe, Derek Jeter is resting his ankle for a couple of days and hopes to also work his way back into the line up sometime during this road trip. And Chris Stewart was pulled from the game; he got a ball thrown at his left foot during an at-bat and left the game about half-way out with what they dubbed a “foot contusion” (most people just call it a bad bruise). He will be sore for a few days, but certainly able to play. Fortunately, this comes at a time when there are actual reserves for his position. Rookies, but still available nonetheless.
Rookies as music’s trend setters: (l to r) Murphy, Cabral, Bang, Marshall, Adams, and Claiborne (Justin Bieber, Rick James, Psy, Psy’s hype man, Vanilla Ice, & Billy Ray Cyrus) via Yankees PR
Speaking of rookies, every year, most teams do a little ritual for “Rookie Hazing”. For the last few years, they have fallen on the travel day for their last major road trip. This means that lands on today. I should mention that every year there’s a theme. Last year was “Star Wars”, which meant rookies like David Phelps (who went as Princess Leia, complete with the cinnamon buns hairstyle) had to board the plane, check in the hotel, and be photographed as these characters.
This year, the theme seemed to be crazy music trends (or something like that). They are (from left to right in the picture): catcher JR Murphy (Justin Bieber), pitcher Cesar Cabral (Rick James), Ichiro’s translator Bang (Psy), pitcher Brett Marshall (Psy’s hype man), infielder David Adams (Vanilla Ice), and pitcher Preston Claiborne (Billy Ray Cyrus).
(Oh, and that is the Yankees’ clubhouse they are standing in, something you can only see if you know someone, part of the press corps, or take the official Stadium Tour. Also in the picture, you can see some of the veterans in the background, pretending they had nothing to do with this stunt.)
Sometimes I have no idea what game some people are playing when I watch a game. Sometimes the flow of the game make it seem like I’ve watch several different games, even though four hours have been solely on a single game. (Four hours always means a Red Sox-Yankees game.)
Look, Andy Pettitte was actually pretty good tonight. His 100 pitches took him through 6 full innings, where he kept the Yankees’ early lead rolling. He allowed just 5 hits, 3 walks, 3 runs, and struck out a whopping 8 Boston batters. Those runs came as an RBI single in the 2nd, an RBI groundout in the 4th, and a solo home run in the 5th. He deserved the win tonight, as the most consistent pitcher that set foot on the mound (by either team), but he wouldn’t get it. Fortunately, due to how the stats are recorded, he didn’t take the loss either.
So, the Yankees struck often and early, earning a very nice lead over the Red Sox. In the 1st inning, Derek Jeter walked and then scored on Alfonso Soriano’s 2-run homer to the (where else?) left field seats; this was Soriano’s 30th home run of the season (between his time with the Cubs and the Yankees). Then in the 2nd, with Vernon Wells on board with a walk, it’s Eduardo Nunez that triples (though his helmet only made it to 2nd), easily scoring Wells; Nunez scores on Chris Stewart’s sacrifice fly. In the 4th, Reynolds and Stewart walked and scored on Brett Gardner’s triple. Then in the 5th, Wells’ single scores Cano, Nunez singles, Mark Reynolds’ single scores Wells, but Nunez gets caught in a slow run-down before surrendering to the tag-out trying for 3rd.
And it’s a beautiful 8-3 Yankees when Pettitte leaves the mound. And then it’s the evil of the 7th inning. The Yankees opt for Phil Hughes in the 7th, his first time out of the bullpen in a while. His pitches result in: a single, a fly out, another single, a walk, and an RBI single (8-4). So they decided to try Boone Logan, who promptly strikes out the Red Sox most feared hitter (this should be a good sign, but it’s not — it’s misdirection). Logan then gives up a grand slam, and suddenly the Red Sox are tied. With just two outs and 7 batters in the 7th inning, the Yankees have blown a 5 run lead. Logan gives up another single and is pulled from the game due to an injury (a tightness in his left biceps).
So they go to Preston Claiborne, who immediately responds with the final out of the 7th. He returns in the 8th to get another out, but then things got messy. A single, a 2-run homer (10-8 Boston), and a single force the Yankees to turn the game over to Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain gets the second out, intentionally walks the big power bat, and unintentionally walks the next two batters (11-8 Boston). (I hate those kind of runs!) Another RBI single plants the Red Sox lead at 12-8. And the Yankees never recovered.
As of today, the Yankees signed Matt Daley to a major league contract, who spent the year in AAA Scranton. He was in the bullpen for the Rockies from 2008-2011 and spent 2012 recovering from rotator cuff surgery. To make room on the 40-man roster, Corban Joseph was moved to the 60-day DL after his shoulder surgery. Daley, who grew up in Queens, returned to his neighborhood tonight to pitch the 9th inning on the day he was promoted. He kept the Red Sox from adding to their total and struck out 2 of the 5 batters he faced. There was talk that his outing alone might have earned him a place in Yankee fans’ hearts by not allowing a single run — the first inning since Pettitte came out of the game.
Also, David Robertson was feeling stiff in his shoulder and an MRI revealed tendonitis. Robertson will be out 5-6 days. This could be the reason for his poor performance recently, and it really is a bummer overall because he’s been one of the most reliable things from the entire pitching staff. We wish him a quick healing, recovery, and return to all his “Houdini-ness”.
Two more games against the Red Sox, and fortunately for my personal sleep schedule (though I’m thinking some of the more vocal umpires will agree), I’m glad they’re both afternoon games. You just never know what can happen. Even when one team is just awful, the Yankees-Red Sox games are always tight and tense and worth the viewing. You just never know what’s going to happen. That’s why even as the Red Sox piled on the extra runs in the 8th, there was still hope that the Yankees bats would somehow find life against the Boston bullpen. It’s happened before; it will happen again; it just didn’t happen tonight.
I hate writing about a loss. I don’t expect many people like writing about what is essentially a failure. And it’s worse when it turns out to be a major disappointment. I guess that’s where the feeling of having the rug pulled out from underneath you comes into play. No one likes to lose, and I’m guessing no one likes to be responsible for a loss. But in a game of statistics and averages, someone is always responsible for a loss.
Today that someone is definitely not starter Andy Pettitte. He threw a really outstanding 6 innings against the Baltimore Orioles, allowing just 5 hits and 3 strikeouts with his 86 pitches over that time frame. And what was awesome was that no Birds crossed the plate at all during those 6 innings. It’s one of the better outings I’ve seen from him in a long time, and it’s thoroughly disappointing that he couldn’t walk away with the win that was needed both by him (for his own personal stats) and even more by the team itself (because the AL East just isn’t stopping).
Now, before everything fell apart. The Yankees were cruising along pretty good. In the 3rd inning, Alfonso Soriano singled and scored Brett Gardner. And in the 4th inning, with 1 out, Mark Reynolds walks, Eduardo Nunez doubles, Chris Stewart walks to load the bases, and they walk Gardner to score a run (Reynolds), keeping the bases loaded. And Derek Jeter’s sacrifice fly scores Nunez. And the Yankees kept their lead 3-0.
Until the 7th inning…
So back-to-back singles in 7 pitches from Pettitte has the Yankees calling for replacement Shawn Kelley from the bullpen. (Perhaps it was a mutual decision, but I’m thinking with the way Pettitte was pitching, a couple of runs might have scored but I think overall the Yankees would have kept their lead. I could be wrong, and we’ll never know, but it’s nice to imagine a better outcome.)
Anyway, Kelley promptly gives up an RBI single and then a 3-run homer. The Orioles are now up 4-3. And there’s no outs. So they go to Boone Logan. He then gives up a single and a walk. Still no outs. Now on to Joba Chamberlain. His first batter pops up a foul bunt to Stewart. Finally an out. But then he allows another 3-run home run. 7-3 Orioles. 1 out.
Somehow, Chamberlain gets the next two batters out — striking out swinging and a soft groundout to 1st. But the damage is done, and the Yankees never recover. Chamberlain throws the 8th inning, keeping the damage to a minimum. And Huff and recent call-up Betances split the 9th. Final score: 7-3 Orioles. The loss is clearly Shawn Kelley’s — his 2nd of the season and a big loss for the Yankees.
Two interesting things happened today. One was another show of the defense (remember, the Yankees lost due to home runs, something way out of their control) — a really snazzy double play in the 6th (before everything fell apart). Actually, I think my favorite part of today’s defense was watching Pettitte’s response to every out they made (you’ll see it at the end of the linked video clip). And the other was Jeter’s RBI in the 4th. Now an RBI, especially a sacrifice fly, usually isn’t the cause of anything particularly noteworthy, but this actually placed Jeter above former teammate Bernie Williams on the Yankees All-Time RBIs list. He currently sits in 6th place at 1258, behind Gehrig, Ruth, DiMaggio, Mantle, and Berra (mighty big company there).
I have to say that watching Pettitte pitch and cheer on his team was definitely the highlight of the game for me. It reminded me of the 90s dynasty. Other than the win, the only thing(s) missing was the other 3 of the Core Four to back him up. Then it would be “deja vu all over again”… A little nostalgia in the midst of disappointment is sometimes needed to take the edge off.
And putting things in perspective, the Yankees still won the series. Now, on to the next series. I’m feeling like a sweep is in order.
Apparently, it was deja vu all over again… again. Starter Hiroki Kuroda seemed to repeat his last start almost exactly, down to the loss and the final score. Kuroda’s 99 pitches took him through just 5 innings, giving up 9 hits, a walk, striking out 4, and allowing 7 runs to the Toronto Blue Jays. It wasn’t pretty from the start.
In the 1st inning, with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd with a walk and a double (respectively), Kuroda gave up a 2-run double and then hit the next batter with a pitch too far on the inside.
Then it gets weird: The next batter gets called out on strikes, but because Chris Stewart didn’t catch the ball in his glove and it rolled away from him, the runner ran to 1st base. Stewart grabs the errant ball and throws down the line to Overbay at 1st, but the ball hits the runner and rolls into right field, allowing two more runs to score. I have to be honest here: I hate this rule. When the batter is called out, the play should be over and the batter can’t run to 1st, nor can any other runners try to advance, even if the ball gets away from the umpire. In every other play, once the umpire makes the call, the play is over, the ball it dead. But somehow, they have ruled that a passed ball, even on a strikeout, can advance any runners until the play is considered over. Something just doesn’t set right with me. I don’t like it when it works in our favor, but I really don’t like it when it works in the other team’s favor, like tonight.
Anyway, a 2-run home run in the 2nd inning pushed the Blue Jays further ahead 6-0 over the Yankees. And a sacrifice fly scored their 7th and final run, all before the Yankees ever crossed the plate.
They finally found their opening in the 4th inning. Curtis Granderson and Alfonso Soriano walked. Alex Rodriguez singled and scored Granderson. Mark Reynolds doubles, scoring Soriano, and as Rodriguez came in to score, they tagged him out at home. And so sat the score at 7-2 Toronto for the rest of the game.
Chamberlain pitches his two innings, keeping the Blue Jays from any damage, and Kelley and Logan split the final innings, each hoping the Yankees would somehow pull off a last-minute rally. But it never came. And I was really surprised how many players (on both sides) were “called out on strikes”, meaning they struck out looking, something that isn’t as common, especially with the Yankees, who if they strike out, strike out swinging more often than not.
Okay, there was still some great defense tonight, led by Derek Jeter with this diving stop and throw from his knees right in the 1st inning. This is something the Yankees continue to have with some measure of consistency. They just weren’t hitting tonight.
Injury Update: Robinson Cano continued to rest his hand, cheering on his teammates from the dugout tonight, his bat sorely missed in tonight’s lineup. And Eduardo Nunez was on the initial roster at 2nd but was pulled following early batting practice due to continued soreness (Reynolds filled in at 2nd for him). He will have an MRI done on his knee, something he is dreading because he doesn’t want to go back on the DL… again. Either way, both of these guys will definitely have the advantage of tomorrow’s off-day to rest and heal and pray, something I imagine most of the guys on the team will be doing this week.
The guys on the team had some fun with Nunez prior to the game — putting a “chalk outline” (with exercise tape) on the field where the injury occurred and a wheelchair was waiting by his locker to “escort” him to the field, just in case he needed extra assistance. Nunez is known for being a big jokester, so it looks like the guys had a great time making sure he knew how much he meant to them.
I still maintain the dome does crazy things to people, as clearly evidenced by all crazy things that happened during this series, and, well, every series in a dome. Maybe it’s good thing they’re headed home for a long 10-game home stand. Sometimes, being at home for a bit, surrounded by people who support and love you no matter what is the exact charge you need to flip that switch and move forward into a better September, that final push toward postseason. Dorothy said it best, “There’s no place like home”, and even if she was talking about Kansas, I think she was onto something. Maybe it’s just time to go home and recharge.
First there was rain, then no rain, then a threat of rain, then it rained, and then it was hot and steamy and clear sunny skies. And then nearly 3 1/2 hours after the scheduled start time, there was a baseball game to be played. And boy, was there a baseball game!
It was the defense’s victory today to sweep the Toronto Blue Jays. Starter Andy Pettitte usually takes advantage of the strong defense of the Yankees to wield his magic on the mound, and today was no exception. Fortunately, both he and the defense were able to walk away with the win today, with some really outstanding plays all over the field show their strength and why come October, we’ll be seeing the Yankees in the postseason.
Pettitte gave an okay outing today, throwing his 100 pitches over 6 innings, allowing just 4 hits, 3 walks, and a run, and striking out 3 batters. That run came in the form of a solo home run in the 5th inning. Shawn Kelley came into the 7th and created some trouble, giving up 3 more hits, a walk, and 2 more runs (an RBI single and a run scored on a force out). Kelley only managed 2 outs in that inning, and with runners at 1st and 2nd, they went to Logan for that final out. Preston Claiborne, rejoining the Yankees again to fill in Jayson Nix’s now-vacant spot on the roster (at least temporarily assuming they get Jeter back next week), used the 8th inning to prove why he will be an invaluable member of the regular bullpen one day very soon, keeping the Blue Jays scoreless. And it’s David Robertson to grab the save for today’s game (his 2nd of the season), with a quick 1-2-3 inning.
Like I said before, the Yankees pitching staff owes the defense a load of gratitude today, with excellent plays made all over the field — including a leaping catch in foul territory by Alfonso Soriano, a strong throw by Alex Rodriguez, and a really great double play by Rodriguez.
The offense wasn’t a slouch in today’s game either. Down 1-0 to the Blue Jays in the bottom of the 5th inning, it’s Curtis Granderson to tie up the game with a really solid rocket out to the 2nd deck in right field of the stadium. And then things got weird.
(Warning: I’ve watched the replay a half-dozen times now, and I still don’t really understand what happened, so forgive me if I confuse you in the process.)
So, bases are loaded with one out (Eduardo Nunez at 3rd, Chris Stewart at 2nd, and Ichiro Suzuki at 1st), and Vernon Wells hits the ball out to center field. Now, the center fielder comes racing in to catch it, which he does (on replays it’s a really low grab right level with the field). Then he tries to fire it to 2nd base to get a runner, but he first bobbles it out of his glove, picks it up and throws it to 2nd where the 2nd baseman tags the returning Stewart and the sliding Ichiro both arriving at 2nd but both very confused (technically, Ichiro is safe at the base but Stewart is out, contrary to what the video clip says). If the guy caught it, Stewart returns back to 2nd; but if he got it on a hop, then runners advance and Ichiro’s at 2nd. The 2nd base umpire rules that the center fielder didn’t catch the ball outright but caught it on a hop, so it’s one out and Stewart is tagged out at 2nd. But here’s the real problem: none of the umpires made the call of out or safe initially, so the runners (and the fielders) had no idea if they should run or field, as the case may be.
Also resulting in that play: Nunez tags up and scores a run (making it a 2-1 game), and that would count even if they did a double play because he scored before the ball made it to 2nd base for the weird tag-out; Toronto’s manager goes out to argue for the double play and gets ejected; and then a pitcher from Toronto is shouting things at the umpire, expressing his displeasure with the sloppiness of the play and gets ejected from the game as well. Not that I like to side with people who are that vocal and angry, but I do understand the whole problem. It was a poorly handled play from the beginning. That single play didn’t cost anyone the game, but it’s a good example of how replay can be used and a loophole everyone commenting on it discovered — where do all the runners go on a replay action like that? 2014 is going to be the interesting guinea pig year for all that, and I can sense some weird plays coming into fruition.
Anyway, so the Yankees are up 2-1 by the end of that seriously crazy 5th inning. In the 6th, 3 back-to-back walks to Rodriguez, Granderson, and Reynolds loaded the bases so that a Nunez single easily scored Rodriguez and Granderson. Stewart’s groundout then scored Reynolds, and the Yankees were up quickly 5-1, earning the cushion they needed to win this game. So when Toronto made an effort in the 7th with their 2 runs, the scoreboard planted itself at 5-3 Yankees, and 6 hours and 39 minutes (3:32 delay + 3:07 game) after the scheduled start, they walked away with the sweep and into their next division rivals’ series against the Rays in Florida.
Today was a lot of baseball, and to make things a little easier, it was a lot of good baseball. Today was a doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays. The first game served as the make-up game for the rain-out from May 19.
In that first game, starter Ivan Nova gave a great outing, save a single inning. Nova threw just 88 pitches over 6.1 innings, allowing 9 hits, 4 runs, and 2 walks, striking out 2 batters. Those 4 runs came in the 2nd inning, the only inning Nova seemed to falter — an RBI single, an RBI groundout, and a 2-RBI double. But the Blue Jays wouldn’t score another run until the evening game.
Keeping Toronto scoreless, Kelley and Logan each got an out to complete the 7th inning, Robertson took his usual 8th inning stint, and Chamberlain and Rivera split the 9th inning to keep the Yankees in the lead. And the Yankees had some great defense in this game, especially in the form of Jayson Nix playing at shortstop today.
Now, the Yankees scored like Bronx Bombers today. In the 3rd inning, Brett Gardner and Ichiro Suzuki on base with a single and double, respectively, and Robinson Cano hits his 200th career home run deep into center field, onto the netting of Monument Park. But the Yankees still trailed the Blue Jays until the 6th inning. With two outs and Alex Rodriguez and Jayson Nix on base with a single and a walk, it’s Chris Stewart’s turn to hit a 3-run home run, this time to left field. And suddenly, it’s 6-4 Yankees, and they never looked back. Cano tacked on extra insurance with a double in the 7th to score Ichiro, and Gardner’s sacrifice fly in the 8th scored Nix to firmly give the Yankees (and Nova) the 8-4 win.
It should also be noted that Ichiro Suzuki is currently sitting at 3,999 combined professional hits (between his time in Japan and in MLB) with his two hits today (3,998 & 3,999). With Ichiro’s passionate following, every game has been the same waiting game as it was for Jeter’s 3000th hit in 2011. You know it’s coming, but the when and how is just around the corner.
And then we had a night game with starter Phil Hughes, who actually did a pretty good job in his 6 inning outing. During his 100 pitches, he allowed 7 hits, just 2 runs, 2 walks, and struck out 6 batters. Those two runs came as a result of a wild pitch in the 1st and a sacrifice fly in the 5th. Preston Claiborne was recalled for the doubleheader only, as per the exception that a doubleheader can hold 26 men on its active roster, and he threw 2 innings, keeping the Blue Jays at just 2 runs. And they sent Rivera out in the 9th again (though not a save situation at that point), who continued the streak.
The Yankees continued their offensive streak, but decided not to show off until the last possible minute. Going into the 3rd inning, the Yankees were down 1-0, so Cano’s hot streak of the day continued as he singled home Romine to tie up the game. In the 7th inning, the Yankees down again 2-1, and it’s Nix to tie up the game with a solo home run to left field. Into the bottom of the 9th inning, on 3rd base is Ichiro, pinch-running for Reynolds, so when Nix slices a single into left field, Ichiro then scores for the walk-off single and the win (awarded to Rivera for his efforts in the 9th).
Like I said before, it’s Jayson Nix Day in the Bronx. He’s always been a strong utility player because he works hard no matter where he’s place in the line-up or on the field. So I guess he’s my “Player of the Day”, if I had to give such an award.
Also, for those of you wondering, the pitcher who drilled Rodriguez Sunday was suspended for 5 games and fined. Girardi was also fined, which is standard practice for ejections. The Red Sox have 2 days off this week in their tour of the West Coast, and typically starting pitchers are allotted 4 games off in between starts. You do the math and decide what you think. I’m trying to be positive here, and I don’t see how people are okay with harming another person, no matter who that person is.
A great day to win a couple of ball games though! Keep the ball rolling, boys!
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