"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice

August and Everything After

It begins with the innocent hope of April and awkward adolescence of May, then winds through the first days of summer in June and the All-Star Game in July before ending with the frantic race of September and historic rush of October. Missing in that list, of course, is August, a tiring slog through heat and thunderstorms and nagging injuries. August is when most teams come to terms with their diminishing postseason possibilities, but the dog days of August are difficult even for the front runners.

A series like we’ve got in Los Angeles this weekend, three games between the two best teams in baseball, organizations which each boast more history than the other twenty-eight teams combined, could not have come at a better time. The Yankees travelled to Chavez Ravine to match up against the Dodgers, reminding older fans of grainy newsreel footage, sending analysts into paroxysms of excitement as they breathlessly projected this October’s World Series, and — more importantly — giving me a chance to take my son to a game.

You’ve probably heard of Los Angeles traffic, but what you probably don’t know is that Dodger Stadium traffic can be even worse, so my son and I decided to make a day of it, avoiding both types of traffic by leaving the house at 8:30, having breakfast at a favorite Mexican place just blocks from the stadium (La Abeja), and pulling up to the park before the gates opened.

Our plan worked to perfection. The freeway was wide open, the enchiladas verdes were even better than I remembered, and ours was the first car to arrive at the parking lot gates. Aside from missing traffic, we were hoping to get there in time for batting practice, so it was a bit of a disappointment when we arrived in the left field pavilion and found the field as empty as the stands. Some long toss here, some stretching there, but no baseballs flying into the seats. I had brought my glove to the ballpark for the first time in 35 years, imagining a barrage of batting practice home runs, but now we were left with two hours to fill by guzzling soda and browsing the gift shop.

One of the best things about watching the Yankees in an opposing ballpark is the camaraderie among the fans. Each time you pass a fellow Yankee supporter, there’s a nod of acknowledgment at the very least, often a fist bump, and maybe even a conversation. One man wearing a Jeter jersey to match mine paused as he passed our seats and said, “Did you watch last night? Didi was serving breakfast out there! Grand slam for everyone!”

Such was the mood as Tony Gonsolin took the mound for the Dodgers. After the Yankees had beat up on the best pitcher in the National League the night before, pounding the previously untouchable Hyun-Jin Ryu in a 10-2 victory, surely the merry-go-round would keep turning against the rookie, right?

Sadly, no. D.J. LeMahieu led off the game with a walk, but the next nine Yankees went down meekly and briskly, reminding me that the Bombers are almost always defused by rookies they’ve never seen before.

Meanwhile CC Sabathia was toeing the rubber for the Yanks, making the 557th start of his Hall of Fame career and the last one I’ll see in person. I was eager to get one more chance to cheer for him, but I also worried that there might not be much to cheer about. It was a pleasant surprise, then, when he struck out two in the first and two more in the second. When he came out for the third, I leaned over and mentioned to my son that the third inning would be important. The Dodger lineup was about to turn over, and we’ve all seen how opposing batters go from Punch and Judy to Mantle and Maris as they get second and third looks at Sabathia. I was worried, and soon my worries would prove to be legitimate.

The rally started, ironically enough, with the pitcher. Gonsolin, who admitted afterwards to having been a Yankee fan as a kid, banged a ground ball off of Sabathia and reached base with a single when the ball caromed into no man’s land. Sabathia responded by striking out A.J. Pollock, but the next batter, Justin Turner, rocketed a homer to left center, and suddenly CC was leaking. He walked the next batter, Will Smith (West Philadelphia, born and raised), before Cody Bellinger followed with another single to push Smith to third and then stole second base to tighten the screws a bit more with men on second and third and just one out.

But Sabathia would retire the next batter on a short fly out to Aaron Judge, and he’d collect the third out by whiffing Max Muncy. (And by the way, if you had six strikeouts in the first three innings for Sabathia, you win the pool.)

I’ve only watched a handful of games from beyond the outfield, and I’d forgotten how skewed the perspective can be. A Yankee fan to my right, falling victim to this warped reality, had exploded from his seat back in the first inning, prematurely celebrating what he had thought would be an Aaron Judge home run that quickly turned into a short foul pop behind first base.

So when Judge led off the fourth inning with what looked to be a drive to the outfield, I was cautiously optimistic as I rose to my feet. My eyes shifted back and forth between the ball, which continued to arc majestically, and center fielder Pollock, who turned and broke hard towards dead center field, until the outcome became clear. The ball continued soaring, Pollock started coasting, and Yankee fans around the park began celebrating. (Side note: I’ve now seen Judge homer in three different parks.)

Sabathia wouldn’t come out for the fifth inning, and while allowing two runs in a four-inning start isn’t normally anything to rave about, this was still a nice outing from CC. He was never bothered by the Dodgers except for that rocky third inning, and his seven strikeouts across those four innings came at the expense of Dodger hitters who were often off balance. For a team desperate for consistency from the rotation, Sabathia’s abbreviated start actually provides some hope.

With the Dodger lead now cut in half at 2-1, both bullpens went to work. For the Yankees, it was newcomer Cory Gearrin getting a couple of outs to start the fifth before yielding to Chad Green, who was dominant, striking out four in two innings of work. Adam Ottavino got the last out of the seventh, and then Zach Britton worked a quick-and-painless eighth.

The Dodgers’ bullpen, the only weakness these National League bullies have, was just as good. Joe Kelly and Pedro Baez navigated the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings without incident, and then it all came down to the ninth inning and Kenley Jansen, the All-Star closer who’s been struggling recently, against the middle of the Yankees’ lineup.

I watch well over a hundred games a year on television, but I only get out to a ballpark two or three times a season, and it’s remarkable how different the experience is. Sitting in the stands, sometimes you have no idea what’s going on, but there are countless little things that are revealed, ranging from player personalities to subtle nuances of strategy. Dodger left fielder Kiké Hernández is a fan favorite in L.A., and it took just a few innings for me to see why. In the top of the fourth, a fan in front of me called down to him, “How many outs, Kiké?” Without missing a beat or turning his eyes from the action, Kiké slowly — coolly — raised his right hand and extended his index and pinky fingers to let us know their were two outs, much to the delight of our entire section, Dodger and Yankee fans alike.

We also noticed the intricacies of the Dodgers’ infield defense. There was shifting galore, but what struck me early on was how the Dodgers were hedging their bet against lefties. They wouldn’t move their third baseman until the batter picked up a strike, figuring he wouldn’t risk bunting in that situation. My son and I had talked about it when Mike Tauchman was batting earlier in the game. After strike one, Justin Turner left his spot at third and jogged all the way over to where the second baseman would normally be. The speedy Tauchman then tried to drop a bunt. It rolled foul, but we’d see the ploy again in the ninth inning.

Didi Gregorius led off the ninth. While Didi’s certainly a threat to go deep at any time off any pitcher, in this situation he was clearly looking to set the table. After strike one, Turner vacated third as he had been doing all afternoon, and Didi promptly tried to take advantage. He obviously wasn’t trying to sacrifice, he was looking for more. He attacked the bunt, firing the ball down the left field line, but just foul. Undeterred even with two strikes, he tried it again on the next pitch, but this bunt was almost identical, and he had struck out.

I had no problem at all with Didi’s play at the time, and I still like it in hindsight. No Dodger defender was within a hundred feet of third base, and had Didi been able to place either bunt just a foot or two to the right, he’d have coasted into second base with a double. Also, what Tauchman and Gregorius did in those two at bats won’t go unnoticed around the league. Neither bunt yielded immediate results, but Yankee hitters might see less aggressive shifting down the stretch.

But back to the game. After Didi’s out, Gleyber Torres and Brett Gardner singled to put runners on first and second. Suddenly the Yankee fans had hope and the Dodger fans were grumbling — loudly — about Jansen.

And then things got crazy.

Gio Urshela hit a weak grounder towards short stop, but Turner ranged across from third to cut it off. I didn’t think they’d be able to turn two, but then I wondered if they’d even be able to get Gardner at second. Gritner and the ball arrived at roughly the same time, but Gritner was called out as his slide toppled second baseman Max Muncy. From our point of view out in the pavilion, we had little to no idea what was going on. Five or six Dodgers were checking on Muncy, but what I noticed was that Gardner hadn’t left the bag.

A challenge, it seemed, was afoot. But who was challenging what? The stadium replay showed Gardner sliding into Muncy, and fans of each side saw what they wanted to see. I leaned across to a Dodger fan and honestly said, “I won’t be surprised if they call Gardner safe, but I also won’t be surprised if they call him for obstruction and give the Dodgers the double play to end the game.” It was that close.

The umpires ruled Gardner safe, keeping the bases loaded with only one out, and I thought the Yankees had dodged disaster. What I didn’t realize at the time — and I don’t think anyone in my section realized it — was that the Dodgers had actually dodged disaster. Not until I got home from the game and started sifting through video highlights did I see that Gleyber Torres had actually scored on the play. When he saw Muncy rolling around on the ground — with the ball in his glove — Torres had galloped for home with the tying run. The umpires, though, ruled that Jansen had called for time before Torres took off, and Torres was sent back to third. (How did we all miss this? An unintended consequence of the god-awful Players’ Weekend black and white jerseys is that the black Yankee uniforms often rendered the players invisible from a distance.)

It was no surprise that after the game both Torres and Aaron Boone said the umpires had erred in stopping the action in the middle of a play, and Muncy added to the controversy by admitting to some exaggeration. “He still got me good, it still hurt, so it wasn’t entirely fake. But there might have been a little acting class in there.” Neither Major League Baseball nor FIFA has commented on this.

We knew nothing of that backstory at the time, but that didn’t detract from the drama of the moment. After lying dormant since the fourth inning, the Yankees suddenly had the bases loaded with only one out. The August sun had sapped the energy from a crowd that had been subdued for much of the afternoon, but now the stadium was electric as we stood and cheered with every pitch.

First it was Mike Tauchman, and as he dug into the batter’s box, goosebumps sprinkled down my neck as my son lifted his hands to his mouth and called out, “Let’s-G0-Yan-kees!” I had done something right, apparently, and in that moment, with the crowd buzzing and hope surging, I realized we had gotten our money’s worth. A base hit from Tauchman — I imagined a single slashed to left field — would be gravy.

Tauchman struck out, but that brought the scariest hitter in the lineup up to the plate. As Gary Sánchez stepped into the box, there was suddenly poetry spinning around in my head.

Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Gary, mighty Gary, was advancing to the bat.

The lines are 130 years old, but Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s words describe Saturday’s scene perfectly. Thayer’s Casey watched two strikes go by, but our Gary was aggressive. He took a huge swing at the first fastball from Jansen, and he appeared to have it timed perfectly, as the foul ball rifled directly behind home plate.

He fouled off the next pitch as well, then took a ball high and outside, bringing up a 1-2 count. I wondered if the two-strike count might encourage Sánchez to stay back and shoot a single through the wide open right side of the infield, or if he’d sell out and look to launch a grand slam into our section, the ball settling into my hands. But it wasn’t to be.

The sneer is gone from Gary’s lip, his teeth are clenched in hate,
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate;
And now as Jansen holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Gary’s blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout,
But there is no joy in Gotham — mighty Gary has struck out.


Categories:  1: Featured  Game Recap  Hank Waddles  Yankees

Share: Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email %PRINT_TEXT

138 comments

Show/Hide Comments 1-100
1 Shaun P.   ~  Aug 25, 2019 12:27 pm

That was a beautiful recap, Hank! Thanks for sharing your day with us.

2 Alex Belth   ~  Aug 25, 2019 1:02 pm

Love love love this recap, Hank. The loss for the Yanks was rough. But the silver lining is this post.

3 Jon Weisman   ~  Aug 25, 2019 2:22 pm

My favorite story from the Yankees-Dodgers series this weekend by far. Sounds like a great time, even if your team lost.

4 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 5:40 pm

Nice write up Hank.

5 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:10 pm

Well that didn’t take long, new monthly HR record!

6 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:10 pm

great write up. great HR by the machine to get things started

7 cult of basebaal   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:13 pm

OONTZ! Get's it going.

8 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:19 pm

And #obligatoryhomer shows up pretty quick too.

9 cult of basebaal   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:22 pm

Fuck, ze German is the "bad" ze German tonight ...

10 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:32 pm

ok. Let's settle down

11 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:46 pm

that's the inning we were looking for

12 cult of basebaal   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:49 pm

Yes, much better.

13 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:49 pm

Sunday has calmed the parishioners and is keeping the choir in their seats.

14 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:50 pm

Wow. Serious piece on Kershaw in The Domincan.

15 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:53 pm

Judgement!

BTW, anyone know what BAJ means?

16 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:54 pm

me things BAJ is getting hot

17 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:54 pm

big Aaron Judge

18 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:55 pm

He has risen!

19 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:56 pm

What a blast by da’ Judge!
(0) great piece, Hank. Thank you!

20 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:57 pm

Thanks, Gary.

Some Yankee should go with Boogie Down.

21 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Aug 25, 2019 6:59 pm

I missed something happen to Sir Didi??

22 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:02 pm

[21] HBP. Just hope it’s not serious.

23 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:03 pm

Gritner with the leather

24 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:04 pm

really glad Gardi is getting unexpected playing time.

25 cult of basebaal   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:16 pm

Oh, look ... LA wildfire ...

26 cult of basebaal   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:28 pm

Yay?

Meh?

27 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:29 pm

if this is a preview of the WS, I need to find a cardiologist

28 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:36 pm

Ha!

29 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:40 pm

Ford drives one!

30 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:40 pm

Ford foe sale? I think not

31 Hank Waddles   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:40 pm

Mikey likes it!

32 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:44 pm

Yankees not only Marised the Orioles, they’ve Marised August.

33 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:48 pm

Who says you can't win with bombs alone?

34 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 25, 2019 7:56 pm

Domingo is done. BP time. great start

35 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:07 pm

This is a great game. Looks like it will come down to Chappy. Fingers crossed.

36 Ara Just Fair   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:10 pm

I loved the write up, Hank. Cheers. I've been in Chief Wahoo land and haven't seen a pitch of this series until an hour ago. Go Yankees!

37 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:11 pm

great PB effort

38 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:14 pm

Kahnle or Britton for the 8th? I hope it's King Kang. My heart won't survive Britton.

39 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:15 pm

That was a weird thing with the bat. Never saw that. Pine Tar Game anyone?

40 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:18 pm

Justmissed.

[39] Saw that live, taking a break from mowing.

41 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:19 pm

Dang, I have to shower and head. Out. Bring it home!

42 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:20 pm

[40] Me too.

43 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:23 pm

I’m confused, how does Le Machine score on a non home run? Is that allowed in baseball?

44 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:43 pm

Wait, another non home run score? This new baseball is strange and scary.

45 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:52 pm

One down

46 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:54 pm

I’m glad I have the accent mark option on Kiké.

47 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:54 pm

Two.

48 Ara Just Fair   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:59 pm

Wow. Ya just can't predict baseball.

49 rbj   ~  Aug 25, 2019 8:59 pm

Three. Night all.

50 mhoward120   ~  Aug 25, 2019 9:00 pm

22

51 cult of basebaal   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:16 pm

Not horrible, but ... bring on the robots.

52 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:18 pm

The Sea Hags! I've always liked them as my 'west coast' team, great stadium and uniforms back in the day. But let's sweep them, please?

53 Ara Just Fair   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:19 pm

I do not like the brick behind home plate. Looks like Camden Yards. I'll manage if the good guys treat this like a CY series.

54 Ara Just Fair   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:25 pm

Bingo! Atta boy, Gleyber!

55 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:29 pm

Gleyber is incredible! 33 taters as a 2Bman..

56 Ara Just Fair   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:31 pm

Hmmmm.......2 out rbi.

57 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:35 pm

Mike Ford, seriously!

58 mhoward120   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:36 pm

Happ better not shit the bed tonight.

59 cult of basebaal   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:40 pm

We need a nickname for Mike Ford.

He's a perfect Voit-like-substitute.

"Fourn"?

60 rob_smith_51   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:43 pm

Why is Gardy batting 3rd? He should be batting 7-9.

61 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:44 pm

[59] The default 'Ford-y' doesn't do it for you?

62 cult of basebaal   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:50 pm

[61] Friend, you don't want to know.

Also, Joey Joe Joe Shabaddoo, Jr. doesn't work here any more.

63 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:53 pm

[62] Hah! Classic. JoeG, keep feeling he ends up cross town on the Mets next year..
This Mariners lineup, only know 3 of them..

64 rob_smith_51   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:55 pm

That was rough after not getting the call.

65 Ara Just Fair   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:55 pm

Good work, Happ. Unfucking real.

66 mhoward120   ~  Aug 26, 2019 9:56 pm

They should tie a boulder around Happless’ neck and drop him into Puget Sound

67 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 26, 2019 10:00 pm

Oops. It HAPPened again. DFA?

68 cult of basebaal   ~  Aug 26, 2019 10:00 pm

Portage Bay, friend.

69 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 26, 2019 10:08 pm

[63] The Yankees are so much more fun to watch with G.I.Joe gone. It's almost like a dark veil has been lifted.

70 cult of basebaal   ~  Aug 26, 2019 10:12 pm

I'll just say this. I trust Joey Joe Joe to lead the men up the hill, I just don't trust him to figure out how to do it ...

71 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 26, 2019 10:16 pm

Have you driven a Ford lately?
Well, actually, our Ford does all the driving.

72 Ara Just Fair   ~  Aug 26, 2019 11:10 pm

This is not good.

73 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Aug 26, 2019 11:46 pm

Kahnle and Otavino have been great but seems like they are pitching every time I tune in..really hope they're not being Proctored.

74 Ara Just Fair   ~  Aug 27, 2019 12:02 am

Lock it down, Aroldis.

75 Ara Just Fair   ~  Aug 27, 2019 12:08 am

Hell yeah. Pleasant win. Cheers to the late night gang.

76 rbj   ~  Aug 27, 2019 6:57 pm

Kikuchi vs. Tanaka tonight. Bet it’ll be big in Japan.

77 mhoward120   ~  Aug 27, 2019 7:55 pm

Magic No. is 21.
Still rooting for the Rays to do a beat-down on the Ass-tros. .

78 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Aug 27, 2019 8:17 pm

[76] Yes indeed. Looking forward to it, and the sports papers here will be all over it.

79 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 27, 2019 9:06 pm

Praying to the baseball gods for Good Tanaka and Bad Kikuchi today.

80 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 27, 2019 9:09 pm

Refreshing team of Rucco and Cone today.

Since Kay came back I've re-realized how judgemental and pontificating he is.

81 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Aug 27, 2019 9:14 pm

Just tuning in, already 2-0! Boom goes da' Judge!

82 Ara Just Fair   ~  Aug 27, 2019 9:14 pm

Wow! Congrats to The Judge. Hot damn!

83 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Aug 27, 2019 9:15 pm

[80] Yes, I like Rucco & Cone. Kay..maybe should focus on his tv and radio shows.

84 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 27, 2019 9:25 pm

That was the hardest hit HR I have ever seen. It bounced of the batter's eye in dead center field hard like it was the Green Monster.

85 Mr OK Jazz Tokyo   ~  Aug 27, 2019 9:42 pm

[84] Missed it, going to check replay now.
Kikuchi escaped that jam, already 44 pitches though.

86 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 27, 2019 10:08 pm

Gardie Party!

87 Ara Just Fair   ~  Aug 27, 2019 10:14 pm

So far so good.

88 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 27, 2019 10:33 pm

Tanaka is DEALING

89 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 27, 2019 11:25 pm

No-no-no, but still dealing.

90 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 27, 2019 11:46 pm

Nice inning by Cessa. 3 more outs.

91 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 28, 2019 10:48 am

gotta admit, some of the west coast trips let me getr to bed at a reasonable time, then wake up to good news.

Today's game will be an afternoon affair, but I'll miss it - taking the wife out for our aniversary dinner. 47 great years.

92 rbj   ~  Aug 28, 2019 3:22 pm

Ah, dog walking worked

93 RIYank   ~  Aug 28, 2019 4:12 pm

Happy Anniversary Gary! Wow, 47, that's impressive.

It's raining here so I feel very Seattly.

94 rbj   ~  Aug 28, 2019 4:18 pm

I hope we don't wind up regretting the trade. Sheffield looks good.

95 rbj   ~  Aug 28, 2019 4:21 pm

Thanks for those outs, Seattle.

96 rbj   ~  Aug 28, 2019 4:23 pm

crap

97 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 28, 2019 4:26 pm

#obligatoryhomerun

98 rbj   ~  Aug 28, 2019 4:33 pm

Untied!

99 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 28, 2019 4:33 pm

Ford takes a drive

100 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 28, 2019 4:40 pm

so much for Sheffield. is MVP talk about DJ reasonable?

Show/Hide Comments 101-138
101 RIYank   ~  Aug 28, 2019 4:44 pm

Ahhhhhh.

102 rbj   ~  Aug 28, 2019 4:45 pm

Judge joins the party

103 RIYank   ~  Aug 28, 2019 4:47 pm

I think DJM is maybe 'in the conversation' for MVP, but *so* far behind Trout it's not really a race. Or if you think the MVP has to be on a contender team, I guess Bregman, or Minor?

104 rbj   ~  Aug 28, 2019 5:38 pm

Trout should be the de facto favorite for MVP for the foreseeable future.

105 RIYank   ~  Aug 28, 2019 5:53 pm

Hm.
Those four pitches were waaaaaaay outside. Not close.

106 rbj   ~  Aug 28, 2019 6:16 pm

Another run? I was walking the dog again.

107 rbj   ~  Aug 28, 2019 6:22 pm

Sweep!

108 mhoward120   ~  Aug 28, 2019 6:22 pm

18. Go Rays.

109 RIYank   ~  Aug 28, 2019 6:22 pm

Bravo.

110 mhoward120   ~  Aug 30, 2019 6:03 pm

I’d definitely be at the Stadium tonight had I not become a grandpa for the third time this afternoon.

111 rbj   ~  Aug 30, 2019 6:37 pm

[110] Congratulations!

I don’t know how much baseball I’ll catch this weekend. Have to drive from Newport News to Connecticut tomorrow for an old college friend’s Celebration of Life. He drowned over the summer. Only 53.

112 thelarmis   ~  Aug 30, 2019 6:44 pm

Congrats, mhoward!

113 RIYank   ~  Aug 30, 2019 6:56 pm

Wow, congrats to mhoward, and condolences too rbj.

Oh, and conflabuglations to thelarmis

114 rbj   ~  Aug 30, 2019 6:58 pm

Tied

115 rbj   ~  Aug 30, 2019 7:10 pm

Quick hook for CC. Injury? I know that sounds far fetched.

116 rbj   ~  Aug 30, 2019 7:17 pm

Foot off the bag.

117 mhoward120   ~  Aug 30, 2019 7:19 pm

Has that double-overturn EVER happened before?

118 rbj   ~  Aug 30, 2019 7:19 pm

Both safe

119 rbj   ~  Aug 30, 2019 7:20 pm

Never seen it.

120 mhoward120   ~  Aug 30, 2019 7:48 pm

Thanks guys

121 rbj   ~  Aug 30, 2019 7:57 pm

Blech

122 rbj   ~  Aug 30, 2019 7:58 pm

[113] and confounding contarnation

123 rbj   ~  Aug 30, 2019 8:22 pm

Well this is no fun.

124 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 30, 2019 8:30 pm

[110] Congrats. Prolific!

125 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 30, 2019 8:31 pm

Again with the Fuckin' A's. Death of a thousand cuts.

126 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 30, 2019 8:33 pm

[117] Not that I can remember and it's kind of silly.

The neighborhood play is more in the spirit of the game, rather than checking in super slo-mo to see if a foot is half inch off the bag. That sounds more like NFL BS to me.

127 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 30, 2019 8:40 pm

So the NY pro soccer team is called NYFC, no spaces?

I find it odd (and sadly unoriginal) that in both Japan and the USA, where the game is called soccer, many teams call themselves "F.C." or "FC" as in "football club."

128 Boatzilla   ~  Aug 30, 2019 8:59 pm

Shit-ass game. Let's get 'em tomorrow.

129 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 31, 2019 12:58 pm

#obligatoryhomerun. Domingo getting hit hard.

130 rob_smith_51   ~  Aug 31, 2019 1:38 pm

What is record for most solo hrs in season? I think the Yankees May have it this year

131 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 31, 2019 2:58 pm

now Britton out. I hate the As

132 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 31, 2019 3:17 pm

Judge goes boom!

133 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 31, 2019 3:31 pm

does Chapman have to make everything so difficult?

134 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 31, 2019 3:52 pm

Judge d!

135 RIYank   ~  Aug 31, 2019 4:07 pm

Baseball is easy for Gleyber.
Oh, because it's Gleyber Day Weekend!

136 GaryfromChevyChase   ~  Aug 31, 2019 4:09 pm

DJ does it again. great win.

137 RIYank   ~  Aug 31, 2019 4:21 pm

I accept that walk-off!

And, I accept Cory Gearrin.

138 RIYank   ~  Aug 31, 2019 5:14 pm

And, I accept the Mighty Blue Jays knocking off the 'Stros to put us atop the AL.

feed Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via email
"This ain't football. We do this every day."
--Earl Weaver