Today gives Hiroki and I’ve got a good feeling that he’s going to pitch a strong game. Will the bats give him some help, that’s the question.
Brett Gardner CF
Jayson Nix SS
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Travis Hafner DH
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Chris Stewart C
Never mind dem brooms:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo by transplanted New Yorker, Justin L]
While some of us were sleeping Phil Hughes was mediocre again and almost, but not quite, as ineffective as the Yankee hitters. And so, after taking three-of-four from the Mariners, the Yanks have dropped the first two in Oakland and are now .500 on this ten-game road trip.
The final score last night: A’s 5, Yanks 2.
As always, the intrepid Chad Jennings has the notes.
[Photo Via: The Absolute Best Photography Posts]
It’s Phil Hughes and Who Knows What?
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Jayson Nix SS
Austin Romine C
Never mind last night:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Photo Jo Jo]
This was a cruel game to watch if you were on the east coast (or if you were working with a serious sleep debt on the west coast, like me). Bartolo Colón was on the mound for the A’s, but he was far from his usual strike-throwing self. He had come into the game having yielded only six walks all season long, but he issued two in the first inning alone as he loaded the bases with one out. Even though Kevin Youkilis and Lyle Overbay popped out to end the threat, it still felt like an effective inning. Colón had thrown 27 pitches, and he didn’t have his typical command. With CC Sabathia on the mound for New York, surely it would be good night for the Yanks.
The first warning that the evening might not go as planned came two pitches into the bottom of the first. Coco Crisp lashed a Sabathia pitch into the seats in left field, and the A’s were up 1-0. It didn’t seem fair, to be honest. The Yankee hitters had worked so hard and been so methodical in the scoreless top half, and here Crisp walked into a fat pitch and Oakland had the lead. CC needed seven pitches to retire the next three hitters, and order was restored.
In the top of the second, Sabathia was simply unlucky. If you just read the play-by-play of this inning, you probably imagined that Derek Norris lashed a long double off the wall in right field to score Josh Reddick all the way from first, but that’s not what happened. Reddick sat on first base with two outs, so he was able to take off immediately as Norris popped the ball out towards right field. The ball was headed for no-man’s land as Mark Teixeira, Robinson Canó, and newbie right fielder Overbay converged. It landed untouched in front of Overbay, who bobbled it a bit, allowing Reddick to score just ahead of his throw. As Michael Kay noted on the telecast, it was the first time that the Yankees had paid a price for putting Overbay in the outfield. It was a ball that Ichiro would likely have caught, and even if he hadn’t, he certainly would’ve held Reddick at third. But Ichiro watched the play from centerfield, and A’s were up 2-0.
Derek Norris struck again in the fourth. The A’s had runners on first and second with two outs when Norris came to the plate. Sabathia’s first pitch was a lazy curve ball that seemed to bend right into Norris’s wheelhouse, and Norris sent it deep into the night over the high wall in left center. That 2-0 lead built on a lucky homer and a botched play by a guy playing the outfield for the fourth time in a decade was suddenly a five-run deficit. I fell asleep on the couch soon after this, so I didn’t see Oakland’s sixth run score on a Sabathia wild pitch in the sixth, but that’s probably for the best.
Colón, of course, cruised through his six innings. After that scare in the first, the Yankees never threatened, never even made him sweat. I simply don’t understand how this guy can still be this good. (At this point, the working title for this post was “Colonoscopy.”) When I woke up five hours later and picked up the game where my wife had clicked it off in the top of the eighth, Colón was gone, and suddenly the Yanks decided to make the night interesting. Brett Gardner, reigning A.L. Player of the Week, continued his hot hitting as he led off the inning with his second hit of the night. Canó then singled him to third, and when Teixeira followed that with a single of his own, the Yankees were finally on the board. Two outs later pinch hitter Vernon Wells somehow squeezed a line drive between short and third to score Canó, and it was 6-2.
When Chris Stewart singled with one out in the ninth, there was a spark of hope. When Canó followed that one out later with a double grounded down the left field line to put runners on second and third, that spark had grown into a flame large enough to force Oakland closer Grant Balfour into the game, a small victory in and of itself. Teixeira fell into a 1-2 count but roped a line drive just inches over Jed Lowrie’s leap at second to plate both runners and bring Travis Hafner to the plate as the tying run.
Hafner also got behind 1-2, but he stroked the next pitch to deep left field. The Oakland outfielders had all been standing on the warning track, and I remember thinking that they were playing ridiculously deep, giving away so much of the field, but it turned out they were positioned correctly. Left fielder Seth Smith only had to spring along the track towards left center where he leaped at the wall and caught Hafner’s ball for the final out of the game.
[Photo Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images]
…On the mound tonight in Oakland: C.C. vs. Bartolo Colon.
Never mind the late night: Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Via: Opdrie]
Ken Davidoff on the calm Joe Girardi brings to the Yankee locker room.
[Photo Credit: Nick Wass/Associated Press]
Our man Mariano is Lisa Miller’s cover story this week in New York magazine:
Three months into his final season, Rivera’s hagiography is already being written. He has, for seventeen years, been the Yankees’ closer, the specialist who arrives in the ninth inning to protect a tight lead, and at this he is better than anyone else who has ever played the game. With 21 saves so far this season, he is pitching as well as he ever has, at an age when other ballplayers have long since withered, and after a long winter recovering from surgery for a torn ACL, an injury that cut short his 2012 season and has ruined many players much younger than he. His teammates speak of him as a giant, and they express gratitude for the privilege of merely being able to walk in the clubhouse where he has walked; atop the Yankees’ Olympus, populated by Ruth, DiMaggio, Gehrig, and Mantle, there’s already a name tag on Rivera’s throne. Sportswriters see him as a mystery, for while other closers have had brilliant seasons, even stretches of three or four, no one else has ever been as good for as long, not nearly. In trying to explain his unprecedented and ruthless two decades of dominance, they’ll cite Rivera’s natural athleticism and the simplicity of his mechanics and they’ll mention the advantages of having been tutored and coddled during his long career by the rich, paternalistic Yankees organization. Rivera acknowledges these things with gratitude—all true, he says. But in his view, his greatness has no earthly source.
“Everything I have and everything I became is because of the strength of the Lord, and through him I have accomplished everything,” he tells me as we sit shoulder to shoulder in the Yankees dugout on a temperate, breezy spring day last month. “Not because of my strength. Only by his love, his mercy, and his strength.” It is the first of several conversations about God I have with Rivera, over several weeks, and in each meeting I find myself struck by how eager he is to put baseball aside and speak openly, and at length, about his faith. Even as Rivera denies that his talent belongs to him, I steal a look at his magic right arm. “You don’t own your gifts like a pair of jeans,” he says.
By that reasoning, I venture, you might say that even the cutter doesn’t belong to you.
“It doesn’t,” he answers, nodding emphatically. “It doesn’t. He could give it to anyone he wants, but you know what? He put it in me. He put it in me, for me to use it. To bring glory, not to Mariano Rivera, but to the Lord.”
[Photo Credit: Martin Schoeller]
Member back when the Yanks used to play against Pedro in his prime and the idea would be to hang in there, keep the game close, drive his pitch count up and then win a squeaker? They took the same approach today against Felix Hernandez and it looked like they might be able to touch him early–loading the bases in the first, runners on the corners in the second–but they only got one run out of it.
And one run was all they’d get against the King (even though Brett Gardner had 4 hits in the game) so it felt like one of those days when, sooner or later, the Mariners would blow it open. But the Mariners can’t score runs and Dave Phelps held them to a single run himself. David Robertson worked out of a jam in the 8th striking out the last two men of the inning.
Cut to the top of the 9th, when Chris Stewart, El Scrubbini, singled home Ichiro with two out to give the Yanks a 2-1 lead. Never mind they stranded the bases loaded, never mind Mark Teixeira struck out four times, they had a lead and Mariano Rivera.
A familiar scene. Went something like this…
Kyle Seager:
Fastball, outside, line drive over short stop into left for a base hit. Seager singled on the first pitch he saw from Rivera yesterday, an inside cutter. It was as if he was waiting for Mo to change it up and he was ready.
Kendrys Morales:
Fastball, outside corner for a strike, 0-1. Cutter, in, and a ground ball to first. It bounces on a short hop to Tex, who snags the ball, steps on bag, and then throws over Seager’s head to Brignac who lays the glove down on the runner for the second out. Four strikeouts, yeah, but Teixeira turned the double play like he was falling out of bed.
Raul Ibanez:
Fastball, high and outside, 1-0. Fastball, inside, 2-0. Another fastball, high and inside, 3-0. Fastball, outside corner for a strike, 3-1. Fastball, inside again, misses, ball four. Second day in a row Rivera didn’t want any part of his old teammate.
Endy Chavez (pinch-hitting for Kelly Shoppach):
Stewart sets up outside, Mo misses the glove, 1-0. Fastball, a fat one, right over the plate for a strike, 1-1. Cutter, low, Chavez bends, Stewart freezes, so does Mo, but Rivera doesn’t get the ball, 2-1. Fastball right down the pike, Chavez swings and misses, 2-2. Another heater, plenty of plate, this one just up enough, Chavez fouls it back, still 2-2. Stewart sets up outside, Rivera misses, cutter darts inside and Chavez flares it into the seats foul. Fastball, high and fat, over the plate, and Chavez lines it to left for a single.
Michael Saunders:
Tall lefty. Sees one pitch, a cutter and swings. Ball popped up, harmless, easy, a nothing-to-it fly ball to Vernon Wells.
Game.
Final Score: Yanks 2, Mariners 1.
Now we can digest.
What with King Felix going and all. Let’s hope the Yanks pull off an upset today.
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Travis Hafner DH
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Jayson Nix 3B
Reid Brignac SS
Chris Stewart C
Never mind the odds: Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Bryden McGrath]
Once again, it was Mariano Rivera closing out a Yankee win. He allowed a bloop base hit to start the 9th inning, walked Raul Ibanez with two men out, but he struck out three batters and earned his 22nd save of the year. It never gets old. We’ve only got a few more months left of him. More than ever, it’s about the now, appreciating the moment.
Which brings us to another oldie but goodie because Andy Pettitte was great today. The Yanks won, 3-1, thanks to a couple of RBI base hits by Jayson Nix and a fine outing by Pettitte. It’s a memorable day for Andy as this was his 250th career victory. Not only that but the Yanks drafted his kid, Josh.
Nice.
[Featured Image: AP; Silver Surfer by Moebius]
It’s Andy, and with King Felix looming tomorrow, a crucial day for a “w” today.
Brett Gardner CF
Jayson Nix SS
Mark Teixeira DH
Robinson Cano 2B
Vernon Wells LF
Kevin Youkilis 1B
Ichiro Suzuki RF
David Adams 3B
Chris Stewart C
Never mind last night:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Mr. Freakz]
I see Jeremy Bonderman on the mound taking his warm up pitches before the game started last night, listen to the story of his long journey back to the majors, and felt for the guy. Then the other part of me, the devil on my shoulder, reminded me that I’d just have to sacrifice my sympathy for the evening and root for Bonderman to get his ass handed to him.
When Brett Gardner hit a lead-off double and Robinson Cano walked it sure looked as if that’s the way things were headed but Bonderman got out of jams in each of the first two innings, allowing just one run, which is the only run the Yanks scored all damned night.
Meanwhile, our man Hiroki had one bad inning, where he gave up a series of walks and base hits with two men out and the Mariners scored four times. It was all the runs they’d need as Bonderman and his bullpen kept the Yanks in check.
Final Score: Mariners 4, Yanks 1.
Tonight gives our man Hiroki:
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Travis Hafner DH
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Reid Brignac SS
Chris Stewart C
Never mind the draft:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Picture by Martin Stranka]
There is a slightly surreal quality to these west coast trips. Even if I catch a portion of the game–and last night I made it through five innings, lying in bed with The Wife, listening to John and Suzyn–I rarely stay awake for the whole thing. And so they unfold as if in a dream, comebacks and heartbreak alike, all the action waiting for me to read about in the morning but always just out of reach.
I heard Robbie Cano and Mark Teixeira go back-to-back and belly-to-belly, heard the Yanks stake Phil Hughes to 6-0 lead and when I passed out John and Suzyn were taking a break from the action to honor the passing of Esther Williams. That’s the last thing I remember.
Happy to see they hung on for the win–everyone but poor Austin Romine with at least one hit.
Final Score: Yanks 6, M’s 1.
Ten game road trip starts tonight in Seattle. It’s Hughes and hold-your-breath.
Brett Gardner CF
Robinson Cano 2B
Mark Teixeira 1B
Travis Hafner DH
Kevin Youkilis 3B
Vernon Wells LF
Ichiro Suzuki RF
Jayson Nix SS
Austin Romine C
Never mind the late nights: Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Via: Words for Young Men]
Here’s how you do it when are an ace. You’ve been spotted an early six-run lead and you’ve cruised through the first five innings. But then, some bumps, and you allow a couple of runs in the sixth and a two-run homer in the seventh. You’re team is done scoring for afternoon and the back-end of your bullpen is tired and unavailable. So what do you do? You go out and retire the side in the eighth and then do it again in the ninth and you get the damn win.
C.C. Sabathia is an ace and he proved why this afternoon.
Final Score: Yanks 6, Indians 4.
[Photo Via: MPD]
C.C.’ s on the hill this afternoon before the Yanks split for a long west coast trip.
1. Gardner CF
2. Cano 2B
3. Teixeira 1B
4. Hafner DH
5. Wells LF
6. Overbay RF
7. Youkilis 3B
8. Nix SS
9. Stewart C
Never mind the hubbub:
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Painting by Cheryl Kelley]
The news broke during the game and it came from ESPN’s Outside the Lines. Big names Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, along with 18 other big leaguers, will reportedly be suspended by MLB. For more, check out this quick analysis from Matthew Poullet. There will be much more in the days to come from apologists, moralists, conspiracy theorists, and amateur satirists. Buckle up.
Meanwhile, the ballgame. The Yanks held a tidy 4-0 lead going into the 7th inning. Dave Phelps was more like himself. Even when two men got on to start the 5th, he didn’t panic and got out of the inning without allowing a run. He doesn’t had overwhelming stuff but he’s a poor man’s Mike Mussina. There is an effective blandness about him, both in his performance and his appearance.
Mark Teixeira hit a 3-run homer, this one coming right-handed, Ichiro had an RBI base hit, and there was the 4-0 lead. But with two men on and two out in the 8th, Joba Chamberlain could not get the third strike against Drew Stubbs who poked a line drive over the wall in right. The Yanks loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning, Robinson Cano was at the plate, an ideal spot. But he got on top of a high fastball and pounded into the ground right at the second baseman who turned the 4-6-3 double play.
Tidy? The big hit? No Sir.
Instead David Robinson walked the lead off man in the 8th. Then Michael Brantley dropped the bat head down on a misplaced fastball and lined it to left for a base hit. That brought Nick Swisher to the plate and a feeling that the game was about the slip away for the Yanks. Swisher took a ball, swung over a curve ball and then nailed a fastball, hitting a low line drive. Ah, Fate. It was right at Jayson Nix, who flipped the ball to Reid Brignac, standing on second base to double off the runner.
And sometimes the sun shines out of a dog’s ass even at night in the Bronx. A harmless ground ball by Carlos Santana ended the inning and the threat.
In the 9th, Mariano Rivera entered the game and this is how it went down.
Mark Reynolds: Cutter, low and away, 1-0. Another cutter, lower and further away, 2-0. Fastball, high and outside, Reynolds waves at it. I feel the breeze all the way in Riverdale. Fastball outside corner, perfect, 2-2. Fastball right down the pike, moving in, Reynolds swings through it.
One out.
Giambo: Fastball paints the outside corner, 0-1. Cutter way inside, 1-1. Cutter, up, doesn’t get in enough, but it’s got enough movement for Giambi to just foul it back. Fastball, trying to paint the outside corner again, Giambi pokes it foul. He wasn’t surprised. Cutter, inside and up, almost hits Giambi in the hands, 2-2. Same pitch, high and out of the zone just not as far inside, and Giambi swings through it.
Two out.
Mike Aviles: Fastball high, check swing. Bounces off Chris Stewart’s glove, 1-0. But Tony Randazzo the home plate ump says it’s a foul tip, so 0-1. Cutter low and away, 1-1. Cutter popped to right, Ichiro makes the catch. Ballgame. Aviles barks at Randazzo as he trots off the field as the Yankees shake hands.
It takes a cool hand. Little bit of luck never hurts.
Final Score: Yanks 4, Indians 3.
[Illustrations by Greg Guillemin]
Dave Phelps got his ass kicked last time out against the Mets. Here’s hoping he returns to his reliable good form tonight.
1. Suzuki CF
2. Nix SS
3. Teixeira 1B
4. Cano DH
5. Wells LF
6. Youkilis 3B
7. Adams 2B
8. Overbay RF
9. Stewart C
Let’s Go Yank-ees!
[Photo Credit: Brett Carlson via MPD]
Over at Sports on Earth, Joe DeLessio writes about how he learned to love John Sterling:
But over the past few years, my appreciation for Sterling has grown more sincere. I’ve written this before, but I’ll admit that I giggle at his silly catchphrases, even as I roll my eyes. I now look at Sterling the way I look at the New York Post ‘s front page: The more the headline makes your roll your eyes, the better it is. The Post is ridiculous, sure, but I’d hate for them to start using straightforward headlines on the front page, free of puns and sexual innuendo. Similarly, I’d miss Sterling if the Yankees replaced him with a professional, boring play-by-play man. I want him to introduce terrible, amazing home calls every season, forever. Too many Sterlings—like too many New York Posts—wouldn’t be a good thing. But there’s a place for silly, even in a profession with a long history of no-nonsense (or at least, little-nonsense) icons.
Once upon a time, I laughed at Sterling when he broke out his crazy home run calls. But now I think I’m both laughing at him and with him. He seems to be in on the joke—crafting increasingly complex, absurd home run calls, for the entertainment of people like me. And I eat them up. After all, if the main purpose of a baseball broadcast is to inform the listener (which Sterling does, at least when he’s not jumping the gun on an ump’s call or failing to properly follow the ball once it’s put into play), then there’s no reason the secondary purpose can’t be to entertain. It’s like a “Big Show”-era edition of SportsCenter, but with more Broadway references.
[Photo Credit: Béatrice de Géa for The New York Times]
