Today’s news is powered by a cat, and its unusual perch:
- Ian Kennedy has made it all the way back:
Having missed four months of the season following surgery to repair an aneurysm in his right arm, Kennedy never expected to finish his year in the big leagues. Yet there he was Saturday night, getting ready to slip on his No.38 jersey before the Yankees’ game against the Mariners.
“This is crazy,” Kennedy said. “I didn’t dream of this happening. After not pitching all year, this seemed crazy. When he called me and told me it was going to happen … I’m still in shock.”
- President Obama thinks highly of the Yanks:
As for the American League, Obama says the Yankees are doing well. And he singles out New York shortstop Derek Jeter for breaking Lou Gehrig’s team record for career hits. Obama calls Jeter “a classic.”
- John Perrotto details the late-inning Yankee heroics:
Few teams have used home field more to their advantage than the Yankees in their first season at the new Yankee Stadium. The Yankees have had 14 walk-off wins, the most in the major leagues and the most by the franchise since the won a record 17 in 1943. Eight different Yankees have had walk-off hits. Furthermore, the Yankees lead the major leagues with 48 come-from-behind victories and 26 triumphs in their last at-bat. Of those comeback victories, 34 have been at Yankee Stadium, which ties the franchise record set in 1932, when the Yankees won one of their record 26 World Series titles.
“I think there is a feeling that you can always do it because you’ve done it so many times,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of his team’s numerous walkoffs. “When guys have that kind of confidence, they are different players. There is no doubt about that.”
- Tyler Kepner has a nice profile of Mariano Rivera:
The pitch is essentially unique to Rivera. Most pitchers throw a cutter, but nobody else’s has such vicious late bite with uncanny consistency.
The grip is not a secret. Rivera shows it to fellow pitchers and even to reporters. Take a baseball, and turn it so the seams form a horseshoe, with the open side facing left. Place index and middle fingers together along the seams, tilting them slightly off center, to the left. Pull down with the middle finger upon release.
“He throws a pretty conventional cutter,” (Phil) Hughes said. “He doesn’t have eight fingers or anything. The way he throws it, there’s nothing really different from anybody else’s cutter. But something he does along the way, or how his arm works, or his wrist or his fingers, something makes it cut the way it cuts. It’s nothing to do with the grip. He could show you the grip all day, but when you go out there and throw it, you’re not going to do it like he does.”
- Cecil Fielder turns 46 today. Fielder spent part of ’96 and all of ’97 with the Yankees, banging out 26 homers and 98 ribbies in 151 games.
- Sam McDowell turns 67 today. “Sudden Sam” pitched for the Yanks in ’73, and yielded only 73 hits in 95.2 innings. He did however walk 64 in those innings. In fact, for his career, he averaged 8.9 Ks and only 7 hits per 9 innings, but 4.7 walks per 9 innings.
- On this date in 2002, the Yankees beat the Tigers, 3 – 2, to clinch the American League East for the 5th straight year.
- On this date in 2008, in the last game ever played at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees defeat Baltimore 7-3. Andy Pettitte earns his 14th win of the season, while Johnny Damon and José Molina hit home runs. Mariano Rivera closes out the game with a perfect 9th inning, forcing Brian Roberts to ground out to 1B Cody Ransom for the last out. New York thus avoids being eliminated from the playoffs in their final game at the historic stadium.
wow I can't believe it's been a year since The Final Game.
regardless of all our stress over the team heading into the playoffs, it still is a whole lot more fun to be a Yankee fan on 9/22/09 than it was on 9/22/08.
Interesting quote from Girardi regarding the Yankees using homefield to their advantage. Now, if only he would manage like having homefield in the playoffs meant something.
[1] Perspective! Its a wonderful thing.
[1] In retrospect, I am glad the Yankees missed the playoffs last season. I was lucky enough to not only attend the final game, but also walk on the field for over an hour before the game. Had they made the post season, I likely wouldn't have had either opportunity. Also, knowing it would in fact be the last game made the ceremonies more powerful and the goodbye more poignant. The 2008 season was ALL about the old Stadium, and that's probably exactly how it should have been. So, while the team is much better off, 9/22/08 was still a very special day to me.
In retrospect, I am glad the Yankees missed the playoffs last season. I was lucky enough to not only attend the final game, but also walk on the field for over an hour before the game.
I'd imagine that had to be pretty neat.
Yeah, Girardi's been managing to 103 wins. If only he showed he cared about winning 105 games.
[4] Yeah I can see that, it's a 20/20 hindsight thing. I mean when the Yankees were going 2-7 on that road trip in August last year to more or less kill the season, none of us were saying "well at least the last game will be more poignant now" but thats just how it worked out and at least we all got a nice memory out of it.
[6] 95 wins is a nice number. He might as well just stop now. Who cares if the Red Sox decide they'd like to win a few games more.
[8] if we decide to go 0-12, the red sox would be really smart to decide to go 7-7. but what if we go 5-7? then the sox have a real tough decision facing them!
[8] My gosh william, how did you ever survive September of 2000? I can only imagine how stressed out the Yanks must have made you that month. 9 games up on September 13th, they lost their last 7 games, didn't clinch until September 29, and finished with only a 2.5 game lead on Boston, 4.5 on Toronto.
[9] The Red Sox have such an easy schedule, they wont need to make any tough decisions. They just need to take 2 of three this weekend.
[10] I was in London that month and listened to most games on the internet around 3AM, so that probably took away some of the sting. It also wasn't that stressful because that team was already battle tested, wasn't being chased by a very good team and I didn't preceive homefield to be as important in that season.
September of 2000 was miserable not just because they were losing games, but how they were losing them.
During a 6 game losing streak vs the Indians, Tigers, and Jays they lost games by scores of 15-4, 16-3, and 7-2
During a 7 game streak (which came after winning back-to-back games after that 6 gamer) to close out the season vs Detroit, Tampa, and Baltimore (and good lord those were awful teams) we saw losses with scores like 15-4, 11-1, 11-3, 13-2, and 9-1
thats some ugly baseball, no matter whose chasing you
I had much more confidence in the 2000 team despite the September swoon because they had won three straight WS. Many of the players on this team haven't won a playoff round since 2004.
Even if this team wins 105 games, I won't have any confidence that they will have success in the playoffs until they win a round.
[13] Same here (no confidence until they win a round) but for a different reason. I think all that has to happen for the Yankees to lose in the first round to the Tigers is that Burnett has a meltdown, Jackson and Verlander are at the tops of their games, or any one of a number of other things that are all quite possible and not particularly unlikely.
Of course, I won't be super-confident for the ALCS if the Yankees do win in the first round, for similar reasons.
[13] Also, the Yankees have not played well in Anaheim over the last 10 years and haven't played well at Fenway this season. If they were going to face Detroit and Texas on the road, I wouldn't be concerned about homefield. The Angels and Red Sox are already on par with the Yankees, so any advantage could tilt the balance.
I was confident facing a kid on 3 day's rest at Yankee Stadium in Game 6
I was confident after being up 3-0
I was confident after knocking the Cy Young winner out of the box and forcing some rookie into the game in Game 5
I was confident against a Tigers team that couldn't beat anyone in September
I was confident that Paul Byrd wouldn't make it out of the 2nd inning
I'm not playing the confidence game this year, no matter what happens
Wow - Crazy that Andy is pitching on the exact same date, also gunning for his 14th win. unpredictable!!!
[13] well, 2 in a row. 3 outta 4. but i hear ya...
[14] i still wouldn't be shocked - at all - to be facing Minny instead of Detroit...
if we don't win the division and home field, i would say it's a pretty big disappointment and would put us behind the 8-ball a bit. then again, everything starts anew in the postseason and anything can happen. usually does...
btw, the girl in the video is adorable.
They should give Kennedy Joba's next start; see what happens
[17] Minnesota: Wow, I hadn't noticed that. I'd be surprised, but not shocked, if they caught the Tigers.
[20] yeah man, i think it very well might happen. detroit has a negative run diff. still 4 more games between the two teams. twins are 9-5 vs. the kittens this season. No Morneau though. it'll be an interesting 2 weeks in the Central...
Of course, had anyone suggested the idea of Detroit losing a 7 game lead with so few games remaining, I am sure the notion would have been dismissed off hand. Sound familiar...
[22] Do you think it would have been "dismissed out of hand" as impossible, or as very unlikely?
I'm just wondering whether you can see the difference between those two.
The Astros fired their manager.
Weird. They couldn't wait a couple of weeks?
[22] Wee bit of difference between a team with a negative run differential and one with the best in the AL, and the second best in the majors, no?
The confidence I have is that the Yanks are just slightly over-performing their 3rd order record, according to BP (+1.5). Meanwhile, the Sox are +4.2, the Tigers are +7.5, and the Angels are +10. That kind of luck evens out eventually.
[25] That kind of luck evens out eventually.
Can you back up that assertion statistically? ; )