Friday night’s win was a thoroughly rewarding one for the Yankees. Mark Teixeira came through with a big three-run homer to cap a comeback. Phil Hughes helped nail it down by striking out the side in two scoreless innings of relief. Mariano Rivera got the save, and everyone in the Bronx went home happy.
The win also clinched a tie in the season series with leaders of the AL Central, and most importantly, gave the Yankees the game they needed to have with the Tigers two All-Stars, Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson, scheduled to pitch the final two games of the series. Verlander goes today in a rematch with CC Sabathia. Those two last faced off in Detroit on April 27, the first game of the season series. Entering that game, Verlander was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA. That night, he shut the Yankees out for seven innings, striking out nine and walking none as the Tigers prevailed 4-2. Dating back to that start, Verlander has gone 10-2 with a 2.22 ERA, 124 strikeouts in 101 1/3 innings, a 0.99 WHIP, and a 4.26 K/BB. He’s been a bit more human of late, however, posting a 4.25 ERA over his last six starts with a 1.42 WHIP.
CC Sabathia pitched well in that April game as well, striking out seven in eight innings, but a three-run sixth inning, keyed by a two run home run by Magglio Ordoñez, cost him and the Yankees the game. After a mediocre April, CC was great in May, but has been a bit erratic since then, going 3-3 with a 4.47 ERA. In his last start, he coughed up five runs in 6 2/3 innings in Anaheim and two starts before that he allowed six runs in 5 2/3 against the weak-hitting Mariners. Like the Yankees other big-ticket free agent, Mark Teixeira, CC has a history of strong second-halves. Tex got off on the right foot last night. It’s CC turn today.
Clearly, they owe Verlander some payback. I just hope the bats are up to it. I mean it would be nice and all to be sure, but three-run homeruns aren't going to happen every day, although I would thoroughly enjoy being proven incorrect about that by the Yankees!
: )
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF
Although it's only an 8 AB sample size, I'm not sure why Melky is playing CF:
.125 .300 .125 .425
[2] Maybe Melky's two assists from last night are currently serving as the "hot hand," perhaps?
*shrug*
I'd feel a little better if CC made up for his choke job in Anaheim with a dominant performance today. It can't really make up for it, actually, but another mediocre to bad start would be tough to take.
Happy 10TH Anniversary for your "Baseball Immortality," Coney!
: )
Afternoon, Team. Here we go.
WTF Damon?
Did you stick around last night and watch Mo, Weeping?
(I did not.)
[8] Negative. :(
Marc Rzepczynski. (Just retired the Sox in the top of the first.)
Man, someday he will be in the Mike Krzyzewski Hall of Fame.
Way to shut 'em down CC!
But < 24 pitches next inning, please.
[12] He can thank Damon for that, Rainman. He played that Polanco fly to LF like Hoffman's character...
: )
C'mon CC, don't let the bottom of this order score on you!
Soupy Sales would have loved these first 2 innings. : )
[10] How do you even pronounce that name.
Whew!
[15] Heh heh, yes he would have, Just Fair!
: )
No Yankees on extra innings today. Day games seem to be blacked out really often. Anyone know why? This is frustrating…
At this rate, we may be on "Vulture Watch" soon.
I hope they can do that against Verlander now!
[19] It's the FOX Saturday Blackout, Joe.
Whenever there are Saturday games on FOX across the country, their games have priority from Noon to 6:00 EDT and blackout those from the MLBEI Package.
I'm listening to "Ma and Pa Pinstripe" at the moment on MLB Gameday Audio.
Wow guys, good thing you all took BP today!
Feh!
Jorge, why bother bringing a bat to the plate. Oy.
[21] Yep. MLB really screwed up (IMO) when they allowed FOX to dictate such terms. Then again, I am sure all the owners saw were the big $$$ that FOX paid out. Still, a very short-sighted approach to broadcasting your sport on the part of the league.
[16] The R is silent. Zepchinski
Weird thing is, sometimes Fox/EI blackout Fox Sports Detroit on the Saturday game, but not today.
[25] Thanks.
[24] It's an abomination that we pay for these games, and yet don't get them all... still!
I remember at the birth of satellite television, we got all televised games, at home or on the road, some of them commercial free where they stayed on the air through the breaks. There sure were a bunch of classic conversations on those days "off air."
Woohoo @ DP!
: )
So I checked the schedule - Mets vs. Braves at 4pm. The games won't even interfere! I'm not always around on Saturdays so I guess I never realized that the blackouts are happening because of FOX S.B.
Pointless bullshit
Yay @ another DP!
It ain't pretty, but so far, no harm, no foul ...
Um, Yankee Offense, hello McFly?
wow, a bonafide threat here against Verlander, with A-Rod. nice thing to wake up to! : )
whazzup, everybody?!
um, that AB did not go as i would have hoped... : /
Shite and Bollocks. C.C. ,pitch the 5th minus the rust, wouldya.
i just walked in to a matsui pop-up on 3-1
Yeah, that was not optimal...
Well, at least 4-1 Jays...
[33] SSDD, Nostralarmis.
Verlander is doing another one of his Flavor Flav's "Shut 'Em Downs" again so far...
[37] hehe. pop up to third not optimal. good to know. :)
[32] Lou: You gonna order something, kid?
Marty McFly: Ah, yeah... Give me - Give me a Tab.
Lou: Tab? I can't give you a tab unless you order something.
Marty McFly: All right, give me a Pepsi Free.
Lou: You want a Pepsi, PAL, you're gonna pay for it.
Ah, the 80's. : D
[39] can you jinx a two hitter by announcing it? just wondering...
[29] fox could give a shit if the games don't intefere. the yanks are one of the only teams to even play 1pm sat games anymore. as mp said it is so short-sited. we have this product - but we aren't going to let you see it.
Hell, that was a change-up?
[41] All right. Just give me something without any sugar.
have they had coney in the booth yet to talk about his perfecto?
[43] they used to black out games on mlb.tv too. but they don't anymore. which i find interesting. only the 4pm games get blacked out on mlb.tv.
[46] Yup.
[42] I think that only works for your team's pitcher Seamus, not the opponent's...
: /
[46] thanks. but damn.
that was a nice inning for cc - i take it he hasn't been the picture of efficiency today.
[50] Command trouble, Ms October. He chewed up more than 50 pitches in his first three frames...
[49] oh i suppose. damn.
Wow, that's a LOT of reasons to not listen to WFAN...
[51] thanks pj. that sounds familiar :}
I shudder to think what Joba brings to the table on the morrow after watching C.C. and A.J. struggle out of the gate. But then again, ya never know....
Does it seem like the team just can't lay off the inside pitches? Is the ump calling inside strikes or are they just not seeing the ball?
[55] Someone should tell him to remember the Great Hughes, my son.
[56] Yes, yes, and yes, Chyll Will...
: /
[57] At Phil's pace, that's 9 ip, 180 pitches, 27 k's. lol. Now that's something.
[59] True, but if he is pitching at home with the lead, he only needs eight innings... so he can pitch tomorrow!
: )
The Jays/Sox game is much more fun than this one.
Bleh CC, get out of this!
You have to wonder if King Felix would be the same pitcher he is now if the Yanks had signed him instead of Seattle. Something tells me we'd still be trying to "stretch him out"...
[61] 20 homers for Adam Lind!
ugh. i am NOT liking this situation. what was that infield hit to Jetes like?
[63] I dunno, he's 6' 3".
Whew!
Okay, how many of you were thinking: NO, JOHNNY, LET JETER CATCH IT!
please get outta this, scoreless.
Dear High Wire,
Please hold up those 300+ lbs for one more batter.
Thanks.
i know this is beyond random - but for some reason i have been wondering about this for some time.
what is the bullpen catcher classified as? he is not taking up any roster spaces. is he just "staff"?
Yay CC!
way to BATTLE big man!!
It's a Pettitte-like game for CC, huh?
YEAH! CC RIDER!!!
hopefully we can get 1 more inning outta him...
[69] Meat?
[69] that's a great ?, ms. october. i betchya Cliff knows...
[66] me.
i feel like that's all of our games riyank (i know it's not - it just feels like it)
[65] Randy Johnson's 6' 10" and that still wasn't enough when he was here...
[69] My high school coach spent 3 years as the Yankees bullpen coach in the 80's.
[77] Man, can you imagine someone saying of Big Unit, "We have to stretch him out"? Nobody could say that with a straight face.
[76] Ah, well, I really meant that Damon might not be able to throw out the runner if he tagged... but that too.
thank goodness jd can still hit
c'mon Tex. this run would be HUGE!!!
Hey, free bat!
wow, lucky no one was hurt
got damnit
Dude can pitch, what can you say?
can't
pull
the
trigger
fuckin' hell.
...
verlander just seems so effortless with really great stuff
Well, if they can make him work hard next inning, Verlander might be done after that, even if the Yanks don't get to him.
There are many ways to not see the ball. That was just one of them.
[84] No thanks, I'll just have milk >;)
I like to shout "Verlander' like the red headed kid screamed "Outlander" in The Children of the Corn movie. Yeah, I said it.
[90] that's a big IF !!!
YES gun said that 1-1 pitch was clocked at 100. Who didn't see that coming? >;)
The Vulture* is up.
* Usual connotations of "vulture" do not apply when referring to Alfredo Aceves.
[95] It's also shown a few 95 mph changeups. If it ain't accurate, they should just scrap it. But that's not happening.
I forget, Jeter doesn't go to his left or his right that well?
[95] Hm, Gameday had that pitch at 97. I always trust that more than the YES gun, but still, he's throwing serious heat well over 100 pitches.
[98] His left. Up the middle is the way the classic noodle dish is served.
[97] It would be accurate if Sidd Finch was pitching...
atta boy, Big Man!
7 innings, 114 pitches.
i think we see Ace for the next 2. i hope he can "vulture" a win!
lowrie just hit a solo shot in his return. stop the presses! this is SportsCenter...
Jed Lowrie solo homer.
As if Julio Lugo wasn't already dead and buried. Poor guy. I hear the Mets are interested, which does tell you something...
[99] Well it's down here, so he's probably not feeling a thing outside of heartburn...
[98] left. up the middle. but he's been showing more range lately.
[101] i had a lot of fun watching Jennie Finch pitch yesterday. and hitting a home run. and running the bases. and just sitting there looking like an absolute goddess. damn casey daigle!!! : /
Yay!
Ohhhhhhh yeah.
Feels like a good day for one of those score in 9th win 1-0 games. Scoring anytime before that alsoworks for me. Like that. Good on ya', Alex.
Woohoo A-Rod!
HELL FUCKIN' YEAH!!!!
wahoo!!!
did the building erupt?!
thanks, Alex!!! : )
[103] "Just so you don't feel bad, we'll let your suckiest hitter take one out for you... No, Fat Papi, siddown!"
Okay just so you know, that was optimal.
A NYS Special!!!
Maybe JV is tiring?
(Whenever I say that about a pitcher, I can just hear my wife saying, "You're pretty tiring yourself.")
[113] was it in short right or something? woo A-Rod!!!
[114] ouch! nice dig from the wife...
[104] "...it's hot down here..." The kinda warm and irritating hot, but not burning hot.
[113] Swish needs himself some of those!!!
you get my text? hope the party was fun and you imbibed suds! : )
[115] Definitely. Maybe second row?
more runs, please!!!
[119] wow! i'll take it! thanks
[117] Yeah, but you're always kinda chyll. Maybe it's really hot for all normal people.
[115] A few rows back; Probably would have just gotten over in OYS...
I would find a Melky walk very acceptable here...
He'd have it [124] too, if he laid off the pitches out of the zone.
Oh, sweet! Much better than a walk!
Way to haul ass, Melkius!
[122] I would think nothing of wearing a vest or a light jacket today, or at least for a few hours before I notice.
Yay Melky!
Melky!!!
i'll take it!
[124] well, we are making JV work this inning! : )
No header for the Melk. Holy Shit.
teh Vulture and then Mo ... go get this win boys!
Argh. I can't complain, but that Jeter smash could have put the game away. Good stop by Cabrera.
[131] Hey, that's right! Maybe this will be positive reinforcement. "Did not slide, got rbi... try that again next time."
[134] has he done a headfirst slide into 1st at all this year? i can't remember one.
wow i step away for a few minutes and i see the score truck was found - it was probably idling in hunts point or something
i imagine cc is tough on a mound
[135] me neither - now oversliding 2nd, yes
[135] maybe once in APril? I think Girardi finally got through to him.
[136] Needed a jump start. A-Rod obliged.
[135] Funny, I thought I'd seen him do it several times. But since you say no, I'm losing my confidence. Maybe I'm remembering last year and thinking it was this year.
[136] You and your score truck, Ms. O. You crack me up.
i wonder how many time during the asb girardi wanted to tell eiland to call the pen and get cokey up
Wow, when was the last time you saw that?
gameday had an automatic ball? what was that?
[143] Ace put his fingers in his mouth. Girardi came out to dispute it, but the replay showed it.
No harm, though!
[143] Aceves went to his mouth.
[143] aceves wiped his face and the ump that it was his mouth while on the mound - automatic ball
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
blah
[144-146] thanks! wow, i have never seen that actually called i don't think. At least not that I recall.
Good thing they got two!
Oh, Ace. Dammit.
If Johnny had like a 36 inch vertical leap, he would have had that.
Why isn't Mo in here now?
[152] Mo pitches the ninth.
You new here?
Next time Joe calls for an intentional walk, the pitcher should just pick his nose and fling the boogers at the ump four times...
dammit. keep it here.
yeah, that insurance run is playing HUGE right now...
[153] Heh heh heh heh heh.
I must have forgotten myself.
Ahhh, thank God.
It all worked out.
Attaboy!
[154] Besides being hideous, that would be a bad idea, because with runners on it's a balk.
nice recovery there ace - let's get the run back and turn it over to mo
ok. still have the lead. knocks on wood.
[140] weeping - i didn't come up with the score truck. banterer hank said something about it before one of the angels games. but i thought it was hilarious and have run with it.
[160] take credit. it's the folk tradition.
[160] :)
And so it is.
[160] score truckin' is funny as hell!
[161] good musicians borrow...great musicians steal!!!
[157] That is true. but if he dug in real deep, maybe it would be a Bulk...
I know I know, s'not funny...
What in God's name were you looking at, Alex?
[163] Chicago, New York, Detroit and it's all on the same street.
Mo time!
[163] Heh heh heh.
No more Truckin'. Enter Sandman.
[163] indeed.
"Mom, relax! It's not that big!"
That would've gotten more than a stare in my family...
[167] indeed!!!
A propos the discussion about Mo's form a couple weeks back, I love the way his front knee locks up at the end.
INDEED.
sit the hell down buddy
One out.
(Why the fuck are two guys warming up?)
C'mon, Tex! With 3 strikeouts today, you should have dove in there!
Well, Mo picked him up anywhere...
Strike one!
there's one...
Anyway...
Fabulous.
Two out.
ClapClapClapClapClapClapClapClapClap
Woohoo Jeets!
Hell yeah.
Classic Mo, followed by classic Jetes!
there's another...
ooh - the jeter jumpthrow
The Jeter Jump-Throw®
Let's get a backwards K and go home.
I missed a jumpthrow? damn. i love that!!
HAHHH!
Strike two!
[188] i'm already home, but i'll take that K!!! ; )
[186] Jinx!™ >;)
Yum.
Excellent game; excellent finish.
Great game! Big win! Payback from Verlander, too!
Life is good!
Enjoy the rest of your Saturday folks!
: )
[189] i missed all of it. watching TWIB on FOX...
Yes!
hells yeah - the yanks win
i LOVE me some Mo!!!!! : )
Damn.
No backwards K.
Derek should have dropped the ball to give me a chance to see my backwards K.
Oh well, I guess that'll have to do.
Good game, good game...
Very good game for Jeter. He actually hit Verlander (to no avail, but still), and had some good plays with the glove, too.
oh and a series win against the "big boys"
awesome!!! GO YANKS!!!
2 outs to go in Toronto. we'll only be 2 back...
huh, there's a Joba commercial for that phiten titanium thingamajig...
[199] Man, I already knew you were selfish when it comes to Mo, but this is ridiculous.
[205] :)
Three weeks, I've been jonesing.
Tex after wins has about a big a shit eating grin as one can have. Nice.
And the Sox succumb, we're two back.
[195] TWIB - The Window Is Broken? The Wizard Is Bogus? TightWads In Blue?
Sox lose! 2 back!!!
[208] [210] Oh, nice!
[209] Wizards, are NEVER bogus!!! i LOVE wizards!!! : )
good day for baseball! ok folks. take it easy. enjoy!
Heroic outing by CC. I was ready to say that after the sixth, and when he was back on the mound in the seventh I was ready to kill Girardi. But it worked out, so good for everyone.
i hope i get to see a highlight of the Jeter Jump-Throw!!!
And speaking of a Mo backwards K, I think that's tied for first for my two favorite things in all of baseball in terms of sheer shivers up the spine joy. That and a Mattingly/Cano line drive in the left-centerfield gap.
They both elicit something of a primal, religious awe type response in me.
God bless baseball.
[209] Hahahahaha!
"The wizard is bogus."
Very, very nice.
Ironically, Melky was the difference by doing his best Gardner imitation on the infield hit.
[216] Man, I am 100% with you on that!
What a great win to wake up to! (note: waking up at 6:30 on a sunday morning is not great, especially when am still out of espresso and bagels..and a long bike ride to pick some up..)
Looking forward to watching this game over breakfast soon! Or can knock myself with the excitement that is Cleveland-Seattle on tv here..
thelarmis, the Jeter jump-throw is up on mlb.tv highlights...
[220] thanks, man! i just watched it : )
random thought: it's very cool that Tom Watson is leading at the British Open, and I hope he wins..but isn't the fact that a 60-Year old man has the chance to win a major championship show that golf is not a "sport"? this could never, ever happen in ANY other sport, it's not even close to possible..i've never played golf so maybe those of you with experience can shime in on this..
[222] er.."chime" in on this..not sure what "shime" means...
[222] Odd, I said almost exactly that to my wife at dinner. Only Watson is 59. And I didn't say it so explicitly, I said something like, "That tells you something about golf."
[222] Be careful...a 40+ y.o. slugger rewrote the record books, and and 40+ y.o. dominated and won a CYA...maybe MLB is not a real sport. Or, maybe Watson has gotten a little boost...
[225] HUGE difference between 37 (Bonds) and 59!! you're being deliberately provocative :)
I guess I just don't get golf..how anyone could say Tiger Woods is one of the world's "greatest athletes"..that makes no sense..
Maybe it's all relative. Baseball fans think golf isn't a sport; basketball fans think baseball isn't a sport... I guess gymnasts think there are no other sports. ;-)
wow, Verlander can really really pitch..if E.Jackson stays "consistent" then that's quite a 1-2 punch in the playoffs..
[227] that's probably true..and somewhere all the decathaletes (sp?) are laughing hysterically at David Wells, John Daly and Robert "Tractor" Traylor...
[227] i certainly don't think driving a car is a sport (nascar). nor do i think playing cards is a sport (poker). then again, i don't think beating the living fuck outta somebody is a sport, either (boxing). why don't we all go play skee ball!!! : )
fuck it, i'm gonna go eat pizza, practice drums and drink beer!!! (there's gotta be a 'sport' somewhere in there...)
rock on, y'all (and NO, i don't actually say "y'all"...ever!!!)
[229] thelarmis, my buddy just hipped me to this! http://tinyurl.com/mk79he
do you have a copy? I know you are a huge Mobley fan! so sad he dies the way he did..
I totally don't get the appeal of NASCAR either..how is driving a car a sport??
[228] I mentioned gymnasts really because they're "over the hill" at age 20. But, yeah, real athletes must laugh of David Wells, for sure. Or shake their heads when they see his career earnings. (By the way, I saw recently that Brett Tomko's career earnings amount to over $20 million. What a great sport baseball is.)
[231] Brett Tomko, $20million..wow..then again, Adam Sandler made $52 million last year..Adam Sandler!!! Talentless!!!!!!
Singleton and Leiter are really a good team, am enjoying their broadcast..
Satchel Page pitched in the majors in his fifties. But I think that was a unique situation.
[232] $20 million AND a supermodel, blonde, playmate centerfold for a wife. fuck that guy!!! : /
[230] whadda you think, buddy?! yeah man, i got it immediately after it came out! hardcover, from the UK; it lives out on my coffee table. the author isn't very good and it's not very well-written. there were a few tidbits in there that i didn't know (like Hank living in Chicago late in life; i thought it was just Philthy...), but most of it were known facts. i'm super glad there's a book on him and i'm happy to own it and have read it, but it's not essential for the average fan.
i'm not much of a book reader, but i'd like to get the books on Lee Morgan and Dexter Gordon. there's also a brand new Blue Note biography book out. i never really read the older one, but of course i want this... : ~
[226] I am being deliberatively provocative. And Bonds was STILL dominant at 40+.
My main point is that baseball is often accused of not being a "real" sport because fat guys and old guys can dominate, and guys who are, frankly, not very good athletes can play well. I've lost interest in accusing this or that sport of not being "real," just as I have lost interest in trying to argue that this or that sport is inherently boring (e.g., soccer). That is because baseball tends to exist in a glass house when it comes to these sorts of charges. To each his own. I couldn't give two shits if a 70 y.o. (or whatever) is able to, maybe, win ONE event this year in professional golf. At best it's a nice story, and in any case I don't see it (or choose not to see it) as a condemnation of the "sport" (or whatever you want to call it) as a whole.