Game 55: SD vs. NYY — Wednesday matinee’s smooth sailings

This afternoon’s finale against the visiting Padres was rather reflective of a typical midweek afternoon game — decently paced (2 hours, 39 minutes), strong pitching, a little small ball, a few big ones, and a home team win on a rare cooler day in early summer.

James Paxton is back on the mound with his start today and threw 4 great scoreless innings in just 66 pitches. He only gave up 2 walks and struck out 7 San Diego batters in his brief outing. He handed the game off to a series of relievers who kept up the scoreless streak — Green, Ottavino, Holder, and Cortes to split the final 5 innings of the game.

The Yankees also gave their pitchers decent run support to help coast them into the win column this afternoon. In the 1st, DJ LeMahieu and Luke Voit hit back-to-back solo home runs to kick off the Yankees’ offense. And Gio Urshela joined in with a 1-out solo home run in the 2nd.

After a momentary offense break, the Yankees came back in the 5th for some small ball. LeMahieu led-off with a walk, and Voit hit into a slow defense, allowing both runners to make it to base safely on a fielder’s choice. With 1 out, Torres hit a short single to load up the bases, but Brett Gardner’s sacrifice fly only scored LeMahieu in that inning.

With a new pitcher an 1 out in the 6th, Cameron Maybin singled and stole 2nd. After another out, Maybin made a dash for 3rd, but thanks to a bad throwing error, he ended up scoring a run. And Voit hit a lead-off triple in the 7th and scored as part of Gleyber Torres’ big 2-run home run to cap off the Yankees’ offense today.

Final score: 7-0 Yankees, Yankees win series 2-1

Next up: The Yankees will host their long-time rivals, the Boston Red Sox, for a 4-game weekend series, starting tomorrow. After an off-day on Monday, the Yankees hit the road to face the Blue Jays and Indians. They’ll head back home briefly for a quick series against the Mets before finishing their road trip against the White Sox.

Roster moves: As predicted, the Yankees activated today’s starter James Paxton, coming off the IL after a lingering knee issue. Yesterday, they optioned reliever Joe Harvey to AAA Scranton to allow room for Paxton.

Your daily reminder to vote for your favorite players, like the Yankees, for example, for the upcoming All-Star Game. You can vote up to 5 times a day through the MLB site and once a day on Google Search. Vote early, vote often.

Go Yankees!

Game 54: SD vs. NYY — Tuesday night spells Tanaka troubles

In this second game of the midweek series against the visiting Padres, the Yankees fell just short, despite making quite the concerted effort to overcome the Padres’ early lead. Masahiro Tanaka got off to a bumpy start and really couldn’t recover after the 1st inning. Overall, he threw 100 pitches through 6 innings, gave up 9 hits, 2 walks, and 5 runs (4 earned), and still struck out 7 batters.

In that 1st inning, his lead-off batter reached on a fielding error, moved to 2nd on a single, and then scored on an RBI single. The next batter hit a big 3-run home run up the middle to shove the Padres into that early lead, all before Tanaka recorded an out. After this mess, things settled down. Until the 6th. A 1-out single moved to 3rd on another single and then scored on yet another single for the Padres’ eventual insurance run.

Joe Harvey and Luis Cessa split the final 3 innings, keeping the visitors scoreless and each collecting 2 strikeouts to carry the game through. Without that messy start, the Yankees really had quite a good game overall, pushing the Padres’ bullpen to the brink later in the game.

Gary Sanchez found the first chance for the Yankees with a 1-out solo home run in the 4th. But it was the 7th that really made things interesting for the home town crowd. With a new pitcher, Morales led-off with a walk. After a strikeout and another new pitcher, Estrada then worked a walk.

Still another new pitcher couldn’t seem to get the Yankees out, loading the bases with Gardner’s short single. DJ LeMahieu’s single scored Morales and Estrada, and Voit’s single loaded up the bases again. Aaron Hicks hit into a fielder’s choice out at 2nd to score Gardner.

And the Yankees’ rally halted abruptly as the Padres finally found relievers that kept the Yankees’ bats much quieter. Thus, the Yankees fell just short of the win.

Final score: 5-4 Padres

Roster moves: Before today’s game, the Yankees announced they were sending Didi Gregorius to join AAA Scranton to continue his rehab assignment. He was successful with the Advanced-A Tampa Tarpons, but he’ll continue ramping up his progress before setting foot back with the major league roster, making his 2019 debut after Tommy John surgery last October.

After the game, the Yankees optioned Joe Harvey back to AAA Scranton. It looks like starter James Paxton will be back in the rotation tomorrow, as scheduled. Paxton has been nursing a troubling knee injury, recently getting cortisone injections.

And it’s that time of year again. The All-Star Game voting is underway. They’re doing things a bit different than they did in previous years. Fans still get a chance to help pick their favorites to start the game, starting today. Fans can vote up to 5 times a day via MLB team sites or once a day through Google Search until June 21 at 4 pm EST.

The finalists (top 3 per position, top 9 outfielders) will be revealed June 21 at 7pm EST. Then fan voting resumes for the finalists June 26 at 12pm EST through June 27 at 4pm EST. The winners of this vote will be revealed June 27 at 7pm, and the rest of the ASG roster on June 30.

The All-Star Game will be July 9 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, with many fun local festivities leading up to the main event like the Fan Fest, Workout Day, and the Home Run Derby.

Go Yankees!

Game 53: SD vs. NYY — Memorial Day matinee with strong bats

The Yankees continue their strong season, piecing together wins however they can. I know I had some doubts about the idea of the “opener”, the 1-inning starter model first made popular a few years ago by the Rays. But since then, my initial skepticism has proven unfounded, with Chad Green leading the way for the Yankees in how this works.

For today’s opening game against the visiting Padres, Green breezed his way through the 1st inning with 3 strong strikeouts before handing the game over to David Hale for 4 innings of long-term relief. Hale’s lone problem inning was his first, the 2nd inning. After a strikeout, he gave up a single and walk. A double scored the lead runner. After a fielder’s choice out at home, another double scored the Padres’ second runner.

Then, Hale fell back into the pattern set by Green and remained strong through his remaining innings. Then the game was handed to a string of relievers — Ottavino, Kahnle, Britton, and Chapman — who closed out the game with a scoreless inning a piece.

Though the Padres struck first, the Yankees answered back quickly in the bottom of the 2nd. Clint Frazier hit a 1-out solo home run. After Urshela worked a walk, he scored on Brett Gardner’s 2-out 2-run home run to edge the Yankees into the lead. A lead they defended well for most of the game.

It wasn’t until the 8th inning, with a new reliever that they found another chance for insurance runs. With 1 out, Gary Sanchez hit a nice solo home run. Torres then doubled and scored on Cameron Maybin’s single and a fielding error. Another pitching change ended any further run insurance, but that was more than enough in the end.

Final score: 5-2 Yankees

Roster moves/injury updates: Yesterday, the Yankees utilized the Scranton Shuttle again for a fresh bullpen arm. They optioned Chance Adams back to AAA Scranton and recalled Joe Harvey. They also placed reliever Jake Barrett on the 10-day IL due to right elbow inflammation.

Finally, today we honor all those fallen in service to their country on this Memorial Day. As part of this day, the Yankees and Padres paused at 3:00 pm local time (in the top of the 7th inning) to participate in the National Moment of Remembrance. We honor the memories and legacies of all those who died in military service, including those in our own families.

Go Yankees!

Midsummer memories

Opening Day, April 5, 2016 (Photo credit: author)

Congratulations to all those who participated in the 2016 MLB All Star Game. And congratulations to the American League for their victory in this midsummer classic that highlights some of the best in baseball. It is wonderful to see these talented players, but also to see how many family-friendly events surround this yearly game that builds a strong fan base and encourages young players, boys and girls, to dream one day of “making the bigs”!

On that note, I have been thinking of all the ways baseball games are about so much more than just sitting in a stadium watching players hit, pitch, field, or run the bases. It is about family and fun and relationships built around a common interest in this great game of baseball. With the first half of the season already in the record books, it seems to be a good time to be reminded why we love to go to the ballpark. To give a nod and a bit of thanks to those who make a day at the stadium a memorable event.

For Yankee fans, the moment we get off the train and Yankee Stadium comes into view, we know it is going to be a memory-making day. From the moment our tickets are scanned at Gate 6, the excitement is palpable as we get that first view of the field from the concourse and are welcomed by the ushers as we settle into our seats. With creative verse or song, the vendors hawk their hot dogs or cotton candy while roaming the aisles. The scoreboard is lit up with baseball trivia, player interviews, and current stats.

The Bleacher Creatures are gathering and preparing for roll call. Seatmates all over the stadium greet each other with smiles in hopes for a Yankee victory. Fans continue to filter into the stands wearing a variety of Yankee shirts and jackets with numbers honoring Mantle, Maris, Berra, Munson, and others. Players on the field begin their pre-game warm-ups. The news crews and photographers roam the field looking for stories and photos. New York’s Finest takes their places to keep an eye on over-exuberant fans.

The National Anthem is sung by a Broadway artist. The ceremonial first pitch is thrown by a former player or celebrity. Inning by inning, faithful fans cheer or laugh or sigh at the plays on the field. It’s as if the fans are playing the game with the team, anticipating every pitch and every play. Yankee fans are involved in the game and seatmates who didn’t know each other at the beginning of the game are conversing and cheering together.

Even the mid-game “Cap Game” and “Subway Races” are cheered by the crowd. The birthday announcements and marriage proposals on the marquee are applauded.  The grounds crew dances their way around the bases. The crowd stands with thundering applause for the military men and women who are honored in the 7th inning as “God Bless America” is sung by another Broadway talent. And then, no matter the score, the true fans stay to end because, as Yogi used to say, “It ain’t over till it’s over!”

Exiting the stadium while Frank Sinatra serenades the fans with his iconic tune “New York, New York”, the stands empty onto the waiting trains. Another great day at the ballpark.

Across the league, this experience is repeated almost daily in different ways in different cities that best reflect their own teams. From mascot races, to running the bases, to trivia contests, to guest vocalists for the National Anthem or “God Bless America”, each team chooses what best reflects the values of their team and sets the tone to build a loyal fan base for baseball. Everyone who organizes or participates in any of these events is to be thanked by us all. You are part of why we love to come to the ballpark and call this game “America’s pastime”.

So, to include how other teams have chosen ways to celebrate the game and include fans, I have included the following videos from the first half of the 2016 season:

Our National Anthem as sung by a variety of gifted musicians including Candace Payne, aka “Chewbacca Mom” (Houston Astros); Hermina Hirsch, Holocaust survivor with the Stoney Creek High School Sign Language Choir (Detroit Tigers); the cast of Jersey Boys, Broadway musical (Washington Nationals); country singer and player’s wife Juliana Zobrist (Chicago Cubs); and the San Diego Children’s Choir Children’s Choir (Padres).

“God Bless America” as sung by Yarrick Conner, USN Petty Officer (several games including the 2016 All-Star Game); the 82nd Airborne Division All-American Chorus (Fort Bragg); and Mackenzie Walker (Houston Astros).

And here is living proof that baseball fans are ageless: we applaud the delightful Kitty Cohen, 103 years old, as she fulfills her baseball dream of running the bases at a Toronto Blue Jays game.

So here’s to a great second half of the 2016 MLB season. Looking forward to continuing the race for October! Play ball!

Go Yankees!

Game 80: NYY vs. SD — An evening of challenges

The 42,315 fans at Petco Park tonight were treated to a beautiful California coast sunset as they settled in for a night of baseball. Having toured the stadium last summer, it is fun to see how polished and ready it is for the All-Star Game on July 12. Everything looks to have a special shine to it – from the stands to the “beach” seats to the classic Western Metal Supply building that sits squarely up against the left field fence.

Tonight, the Yankees attempted to win the second game of their interleague series against the Padres. Fans for both teams enthusiastically cheered throughout the evening. Home team cheers were countered with several raucous rounds of “Let’s Go Yankees!”. It seems even the “left coast” has ardent Yankee fans.

Both managers issued challenges and requested replays in tonight’s game. Girardi’s two challenges successfully overturned calls, while the one challenge from the Padres was upheld.  There was quite a lot of chatter from sports commentators and media sites about the delays caused when it took so much time for New York to send down their decision on these challenges tonight. I do understand it does seem to break the momentum of the game when players stand around waiting for a decision. But as for me, I still think I would prefer the  “powers that be” to take their time to be sure the call is correct. I  do not miss the yelling matches between managers and umpires. Nor do I miss protesting players rushing the field.

Strong pitching from both teams made for an interesting night at the ballpark. Ivan Nova and the opposing pitcher both had solid showings tonight. Their pitching duel kept the game scoreless till the 6th inning when Ellsbury’s hit to deep right field and Gardner’s bunt landed the Yankees in scoring position. Stalin Castro’s ground out to 1st advanced Gardner to 2nd as Ellsbury crossed the plate. The Yankees were finally on the board 1-0.

Dellin Betances took over for Nova in the 6th and gave up a hit that allowed the Padres to score to tie the game 1-1. Andrew Miller replaced Betances in the 8th and the score remained tied. The Yankees were three up and three down in the top of the 9th.

Hope for a 10th inning opportunity to score was shattered with a walk-off  home run for the Padres at the top of the ninth.

Final score: 2-1 Padres

Injury updates: Carlos Beltran still has tightness in his right hamstring, but Girardi told the press that Beltran should be back in the line up next week. Rookie pitcher Conor Mullee who left the game last night with numbness in his hand has been placed on the 15-day DL.

Congratulations to the Swisher family on the birth of their second daughter, Sailor Stevie. Nick Swisher has decided to opt out of his minor league deal with the Yankees, at least for now, so he can spend time with his family. Swisher says he has not lost his passion for the game, and will reassess his involvement with baseball at a later time. He graciously thanked the Yankees for all the opportunities offered to him.You will be missed, Nick Swisher!

Go Yankees!

 

 

 

Game 79: NYY vs. SD — This team has heart!

The California coast welcomed the Yankees with clear skies and a cool evening to Petco Park before a sellout crowd of 41,231. The Yankees were hoping to extend their recent winning streak in this interleague game, but even an exciting 9th inning rally typical of the Bombers, they couldn’t overcome the strong pitching of the Padres throughout the game.

Nathan Eovaldi struggled throughout his 4 1/3 innings on the mound, allowing 6 runs, 7 hits, 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts. (We are missing “Nasty Nate”!) Eovaldi was replaced by the rookie Conor Mullee until the 6th inning when Mullee was taken out of the game due to numbness in his hand that prevented his ability to control the ball. Evaluation by medical staff is expected soon.  Next on the mound was Richard Bleier who allowed another run.

The Yankees seemed to start well but faced some tough pitching that prevented them from scoring opportunities.  In the first eight innings, there were only able to record 2 runs as the Padres kept adding to their score. In the second inning, Gregorius singled to right and then made it to second on a passed ball. A single by Ellsbury scored Gregorius to put the Yankees on the board. The next three innings were three up and three down.

But in the 6th, McCann racked up his 13th homer of the season with a long ball over the center field fence. Down 7-2 at the top of the 9th, the crowd probably assumed the Yankees would just hang up their cleats and go home. But then, these are our Yankees and they do not give up! Yogi’s famous piece of wisdom rings in my ears…”It ain’t over till…”.

Down by 5 at the top of the 9th, the Yankees regained their momentum and fought back. McCann, walked in 4 pitches, advanced to second when Castro was hit by a pitch and moved to first. Alex Rodriguez, pinch-hitting for Torreyes, singled to center field and McCann scored. Gregorius doubled which scored Castro and moved Rodriguez to 3rd. As Aaron Hicks grounded out, Rodriguez added another run. Didi Gregorius, now on 3rd, scored another run on a wild pitch.

Pitch by pitch, run by run, the Yankees were chipping away at their opponent’s lead. Beltran, not in the lineup tonight due to a tightness in his right hamstring, made an apprearance as pinch-hitter and promptly doubled to left field. Ellsbury’s ground out allowed Beltran to reach 3rd base, and the tying run seemed inevitable. However, Gardner’s ground out ended this amazing rally.

There is much to proud of with these boys in pinstripes. Their perseverance and their refusal to give up are what makes any Yankee game worth watching!

Final score: 7-6, Padres.

No worries! The Yankees are aware that their “Warriors Three” – Betances, Miller, and Chapman – are being agresssively stalked by scouts from the Cubs, Rangers, Nationals, etc. Pinstripe fans will be glad to know that the Yankees have no intention of breaking up this terrific trio at any time!

Congratulations to Aaron Judge of the Triple A Scranton Wilkes-Barre team for being named International League Player for the month of June with 9 home runs, 25 RBIs, 30 runs, 21 walks, and hitting .343.

During tonight’s game against the Padres, Alex Rodriguez almost made it back on the field. In the 9th inning as the Yankees rallied, Girardi told Rodriguez to grab his glove and be prepared to take the field. Rodriguez said later that he “felt like a little leaguer” and that he “wanted the opportunity to play a little third. It was going to be fun. I had a good feeling we were going to tie the game. I had a good feeling the way the guys came back and showed a lot of heart in the 9th”.

Here’s to a team with great heart! And, who knows, maybe this season we will get a chance to see Alex on the field again.

Go Yankees!

Game 110: NYY vs. SD — Romine shines in Hughes loss

I have to say a game where Austin Romine makes the most outstanding play isn’t probably going to be the best game in the season. Not to say that Romine isn’t a good player, but seeing as he’s considered the 3rd string catcher who’s not really known for any kind of offense, that’s certainly saying a lot.

Well, Phil Hughes became the first Yankee pitcher of season (in a long time, at least, in my memory) to earn a double-digit losing record, now sitting at 4 wins to 10 losses (read as 4-10). And really, lately every time Hughes is on the schedule, most Yankee fans are holding their breaths for a good outing, maintaining that hopeful outlook that we’ve come to have with other pitchers on the rotation like Kuroda. But today wasn’t going to be one of those days. Hughes threw just 71 pitches over 2 innings and 2 outs into the 3rd inning, allowing 5 hits and 3 walks. Now, the good news is that none of his 5 earned runs (yes, in those first three innings) were home runs, which is his usual weakness in a loss.

No, in the 2nd inning, Hughes allowed back-to-back singles, a stolen base, and a sacrifice fly to score the first run. A walk and sacrifice bunt then loaded the bases, so that a single scored two more runs before Romine threw a really great shot to Eduardo Nunez to get out another runner and stop the carnage. Then, in the 3rd, a single, a walk, a ground out, and an intentional walk loaded the bases with one out. Another sacrifice fly scored the 4th run for the Padres, and a single scored the 5th run. This forced a call to the bullpen for Preston Claiborne to close out the inning.

Claiborne got into his own bit of trouble in the 4th inning when he allowed an RBI single to make it 6-0. So it then was Warren for the 5th and 6th, Logan in the 7th, and Chamberlain in the 8th all kept the Padres from adding to their lead.

Let’s face it, no team likes to be shut out, least of all the Yankees.  So they made their impact in the 6th inning. With two outs, Robinson Cano and Alfonso Soriano each earn a walk. Then Curtis Granderson’s single scored Cano, and Lyle Overbay’s single scored Soriano. And the Yankees sliced into the Padres lead. And in the 7th inning, it was (like I mentioned above) Austin Romine would add a run of his own with his first MLB solo home run, straight out to center field and into the Padres’ bullpen. Now, what makes this extra special is that Petco Park in San Diego is considered a “pitcher’s park” because it has more room in the outfield. (Yankee Stadium is considered a “batter’s park”, much is made of its “short right porch”.)

A big congratulations to Romine and hopefully many more to come.

Anyway, the Yankees lost to the Padres 6-3 as they head to Chicago for their next series. And at this point, it seems to be still up in the air as to who will be able to play with them Monday.

Derek Jeter has now been diagnosed with a Grade I calf strain. A DL stint isn’t out of the question, but I’m guessing with all the recent talk they won’t choose that route. A few more days of rest might be a better option than another “setback”. Continued well-wishes to him and all those still trying to make their way back onto the roster.

So, there is much speculation and “sources” being tossed around regarding the upcoming results of MLB’s investigation into recent PED usage. But until there is a solid, official announcement, any speculation is just that and has no place on a blog geared for a positive outlook. Tomorrow, the MLB is said to announce any suspensions and what each player plans to do (appeal or accept). But until anything is final, nothing (and no one implicated) will appear here.

Again, it accomplishes nothing to focus on the negative except breed more negative. But positivity just encourages growth and life. People don’t succeed under shame, anger, or other negative “encouragements”. So let’s remember to be positive in our conversations and hope for the best. After all, there’s still so much left of the season and of life to live yet. You never know what can happen, and hopefully, it’ll be better than you can possible imagine, exceeding any expectations. I mean, Romine certainly proved that today. Who knows who it’s going to be next!

Go Yankees!

Game 109: NYY vs. SD — SuperNova & Granderson for the win

He isn’t called “Super Nova” for nothing. Honestly, since his stint on the DL and some time in the minors earlier this season, Ivan Nova has redefined his pitching, strengthening his control and velocity and proving to the Yankees that he’s not only worth a start, but he’s worth something to depend upon regularly. Tonight was no exception. Once again, even getting into some jams throughout the game, Nova was able to pitch his way out of them with the seeming ease of a more experienced pitcher.

Nova threw just 85 pitches over 7 innings, allowing just 4 hits and a walk, and striking out 8 San Diego batters. But his biggest feat was keeping the Padres from crossing the plate. Robertson kept the ball rolling into the 8th, like usual, and Rivera saw his first outing in Petco Park with a 9-pitch 9th inning, earning his 35th save of the season.

It actually started as a really tight pitchers’ duel, with the Yankees offense breaking through in the 7th inning. With Alfonso Soriano on 1st base, it was Curtis Granderson to swing for the fences and break the scoreless game with a 2-run home run. In the 9th inning, Granderson singled, dealt with a dispute on returning to the base on an out, stole 2nd base, and then scored his second run (and the third total run) of the game on Jayson Nix’s single. With Rivera doing his thing in the bottom of the 9th, the Yankees walked away with a 3-0 shutout win tonight.

In other news, Derek Jeter sat out tonight’s game and will be sitting out tomorrow’s as well. He has some soreness in his right calf muscle. Whether it’s related to his recent quad strain or just an awkward slide into 3rd base (my personal guess is a combination of sorts), it’s keeping him on the bench part of the roster for the weekend. Hopefully, with rest and some minor rehab, he’ll be ready to play in Chicago on Monday.

Also desiring to see his name on the starting roster in Chicago this Monday is Alex Rodriguez. Some choice words were exchanged by Rodriguez in press conferences and statements by the Yankees, but he’s determined to don pinstripes as soon as possible. Not that I blame him. I mean, if I was so close to doing something I love and it kept feeling just out of reach, I think I’d be fighting heaven and earth trying to get there. No matter who’s on that roster on Monday, it’s bound to be a big day in MLB with some changes happening all over the league.

Well, either way, it was certainly a great night of baseball. And I personally am loving the earlier night. And so that being said, I’m going to leave it there. I mentioned yesterday about wanting to sleep on yesterday’s mess and hope for a better tomorrow. Well, it’s tomorrow, and it definitely ended up better. At least in baseball world for the Yankees. But hey, on this blog, that’s all that matters anyway…

Hoping for a good tomorrow too…

Go Yankees!

Game 108: NYY vs. SD — A pitching loss

It was definitely not CC Sabathia’s night. And it hasn’t been for his last 4 starts. And tonight wasn’t going to be pretty, despite the beautiful weather in San Diego; sometimes you just know. Sabathia got into a huge jam right in the 1st inning, loading the bases with 2 singles and a walk, with 1 out. He proceeded to walk the next batter, walking in the Padres first run of the evening. A ground out scores the 2nd run. In the 4th inning, a solo home run (the first of three this evening) and an RBI triple add two more runs to their score. An RBI single in the 6th adds another, and force Girardi to make a pitching change. Sabathia’s 105 pitches in just 5.2 innings allowed 11 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks, and just 4 strikeouts.

Claiborne got the last out of the 6th inning. Then Chamberlain’s outing in the 7th and Warren’s in the 8th each allowed solo home runs to add to the Padres total. Except Claiborne, the others seemed to follow Sabathia’s lead tonight and not have the kind of control I think we’re used to seeing from the bullpen crew.

Now, this isn’t to say the Yankees weren’t hitting. They got all their 7 hits off the starting pitcher. And their only 2 runs came in the 2nd inning. Ichiro Suzuki singled and stole 2nd, scoring on Eduardo Nunez’s double. Chris Stewart advanced Nunez to 3rd on his ground out, and Sabathia scored him on his ground out. (The Padres are in the NL, so no DH tonight.) So the final score was 7-2 San Diego tonight.

I don’t want to get into the umpire issues from tonight, but let’s just say that three of the four umpires missed some really obvious calls for the Yankees — a blown call at 1st, a roving strike zone, and a dropped ball by 2nd base all accumulated to rack up some ire in both the dugout and in Yankee fan-dom.

Not that any of these would have made that much of a difference, but it’s certainly thrown the importance of instant replay into the conversation once again. They have replay in every other professional sport but will only use replay in baseball on home runs, and only after a unanimous umpire consensus. And if the manager questions a call, on a whim, the questioned umpire can toss the questioning manager. I don’t really know what the right answer would be, but it’s certainly not “as is”.

But I’m guessing MLB has something else currently occupying their conversations that something as relatively insignificant like replay isn’t on the forefront of their minds. I mean, it’s not like it affects players’ careers… oh wait…

Other interesting game news: Derek Jeter earned his first error of the season tonight on a really high overthrow on what should have been an easy out to 1st base in the 2nd inning. But my favorite play of the night came from the dynamic duo of Chris Stewart  and Brett Gardner. A batter singles out to Gardner at center field, who promptly fires it into Stewart at home, who is ready and waiting for the runner and gets him out at the plate to close the 3rd inning. And Curtis Granderson is back off the DL, in the roster, and running around in the outfield again. (To make room for him, Thomas Neal was designated for assignment, and Melky Mesa was sent back to AAA Scranton.)

I can’t imagine many Yankees are headed to bed happy tonight, but that’s the wonderful thing about sleep — it’s the reset button. Tomorrow is a new day, a new game, time to start over and learn from the yesterdays. Sometimes after a big loss, whining, pouting, worrying, denying, or rehashing isn’t your best therapy, but rather a good sleep. So if you screw up today, in the morning, you can push for something better, something new. And who knows? Maybe tomorrow’s sleep will be preceded by your best effort, something daring and challenging, maybe even a win.

Go Yankees!