The Detroit Tigers came to New York for a three-game series and were greeted rudely by the Bronx Bombers, who crushed Detroit pitching and came away with a 14-4 win. Tommy Henrich hit a high drive into the right field seats in the first inning, keeping the Yankee home run streak alive at sixteen games, and DiMaggio singled immediately after to keep his own string going. He would add three more hits, two singles and a double, to give himself a nice 4 for 5 afternoon. With seven hits in two days, DiMaggio’s season average was up to .354, good enough for fifth in the league but still far behind Ted Williams, who led the galaxy at .420. DiMaggio had now moved to within eight games of Sisler’s mark, still believed to be the all-time record, and he seemed to be paying attention. Much later, DiMaggio would look back at this game as pivotal: “I didn’t get warm about this thing until the 33rd game.” As summer arrived in the Bronx, he’d get warmer still.
This picture is neither I know, but which do you prefer: Italian or Puerto Rican Icey? I like the shaved ice better not only because there are more flavors to choose from but also because I like watching the ice being shaved. Not that I’d turn down an Italian ice on a hot day.
by Jon DeRosa |
June 19, 2012 9:54 pm |
6 Comments
Gather ’round family, friends and fans. Tonight we bear witness to the passing of a winning streak. It lived a long, rich life. It just turned ten games old yesterday as a matter of fact. It lasted longer than any of us could have hoped when it started.
It’s natural to think about the things that could have been done differently to extend its time here on earth. To beat your chest and moan about the two separate runners thrown out at home plate. Both were good sends by the third base coach; both runners were clearly out. To gnash our teeth about the Braves knack for the two-out RBI. To pity the unfortunate Hiroki Kuroda who pitched well enough to win on some nights. To wail about the unfair quality of closer Craig Kimbrel’s filthy arsenal.
All of this is natural and healthy. But while it’s proper to mourn the loss of something great, it’s also necessary to celebrate the greatness. Do not wallow in the sad, helpless, final moments of the streak, but rather revel in the wonderful, improbable events that led to this point.
Phil Hughes, given up for useless by every cognizant Yankee fan not related to him, has been outstanding. Ivan Nova, previously the undeserved beneficiary of massive run support, is now earning his victories and then some. A bullpen missing its heart, soul and right shoe has answered every bell with aplomb. And a lineup that has been better at creating opportunities than it has been at cashing them in, found a way to get it done ten games in a row.
Eleven games ago we didn’t really know what the 2012 Yankees could be. Now we know they just might be the best team in baseball. That’s a lot to digest.
So we send the winning streak to a better place. Give it one good cry and then dry your eyes, because after every loss there’s a chance that the next winning streak will start with the very next game. The next one might not be ten games long, it might not be five. But enjoy it, whatever it is.
DiMaggio avoided any drama by singling in the first inning, bringing the streak to thirty-two games in a row. Apparently relaxed, he went on to collect another single in the fifth and a homerun in the eighth. These efforts, along with a grand slam by Charlie “King Kong” Keller (that’s Keller in the photo above), led to a much needed Yankee victory as they salvaged the finale of the their three-game set with the White Sox, winning 7-2. Thirty-two straight for DiMag, fifteen for Yankee home run hitters, and a home run in three straight games for Keller. Not bad at all.
Your calendar might tell you that the first day of summer is later this week, but for me it was Monday. I got out of bed at around 10:30, had a casual lunch, ran a few errands, then tried out the shiny new grill my wife got me for Father’s Day the day before. Let me tell you this with certainty — there are few things better than grilling some burgers while watching the Yanks during the late afternoon of a California summer day. (And if you’re interested, aside from the burgers the full meal included corn on the cob, fries, and a salad with the most incredible white peach balsamic vinegar for dressing.)
The only thing that could’ve made all this better, of course, was a Yankee victory — and that’s just what they delivered, cruising to their tenth straight win.
After suffering a three-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees only ten minutes ago, the Braves came out determined to turn the tables and open the series with a win. Speedster Michael Bourne opened with a triple to left center, then scored on a ground out to give Atlanta an early 1-0 lead off Yankee starter CC Sabathia, and they’d add another run in the fifth to double their lead to two.
Mike Minor, meanwhile, was holding the Yankees down but good. There was a walk to Alex Rodríguez to open the second, but A-Rod was immediately erased on a 4-6-3 double play, and that was it. Minor had faced only twelve batters through the first four innings, but the Yankee bats came to life in the fifth.
A-Rod opened the inning with a line drive single to center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Robinson Canó followed that with a walk, and two batters later Russell Martin rifled a ground-rule double down the left field line to score A-Rod and put runners at second and third with one out. After a walk to Jayson Nix and a popout from Chris Stewart, Derek Jeter came to the plate with the bases loaded and two out and his team needing a base hit to take the lead. The Captain delivered, bouncing a grounder back up the middle to score two and move the score to 3-2.
Mark Teixeira homered to left in the next inning to push the lead to 4-2, Jeter came up with another two-out RBI with another grounder through the box in the seventh, and Canó finished the Yankee scoring with a bomb into the monuments in dead center field in the eighth. Yankees 6, Braves 2.
The story of the game, though, was Sabathia. After the game he would say that the starters had all been going so well that he didn’t want to be the one to end the streak. He might’ve given up a few things early on, but once he got the lead and smelled the victory, the Big Man was on his game. In the final four innings he allowed only a single base hit while striking out six. It was Sabathia’s first complete game of the year, and according to ESPN’s Game Score stat, it was his best outing of the season.
Ten wins in a row for the Yank, a two and half game lead in the American League East, and just half a game behind the Dodgers for the best record in baseball. Life is good.
It’s C.C. vs. last week’s hard luck loser, Mike Minor.
Derek Jeter SS
Curtis Granderson CF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Robinson Cano 2B
Andruw Jones RF
Russell Martin DH
Jayson Nix LF
Chris Stewart C
When a New York Daily News reporter passed through Pittsburgh in late May and checked in with him, Burnett volunteered a telltale story. He spoke about how in the first inning of his home debut as a Pirate, he coughed up a walk, a single and another walk to the very first three batters he faced. Oh no.
“I could imagine what that place [Yankee Stadium] would sound like,” Burnett said. “But there was about two words that came out of the crowd here. So it’s just different.
“You’re a little less on edge. Some guys thrive in that.”
I’m pleased for Burnett. He seemed like a guy that wasn’t cut out for pitching in New York. If that was the case, it’s nice to see him flourish in Pittsburgh.
