09/27: The Yankees After Clinching
Posted by: Patrick
Watch below for interviews with Mariano Rivera, A-Rod, Jeter, Torre and Joba. From Tyler Kepner:
Bryan Hoch has this quote from Shelley Duncan:
Gotta love the rookie.
The celebration was dying down. The first base coach Tony Pena ... raised his voice and boomed out this theme across the soggy locker room:
“Everybody said they’re dead!” he bellowed. “Well, they’re baaaack!!! YOU BETTER WATCH OUT!!!”
“Everybody said they’re dead!” he bellowed. “Well, they’re baaaack!!! YOU BETTER WATCH OUT!!!”
Bryan Hoch has this quote from Shelley Duncan:
Shelley Duncan: "This is our ... time of year!" (he was ripping a bottle open with his teeth at the time)
Gotta love the rookie.
Posted by: Seamus
Whether or not the Yankees catch the Red Sox for the American League East title, wild card or division winner, this season has got to be the most wild and riveting regular season for the Yankees that I might ever get to watch (sorry old timers, but I was born in 1985 so I missed the '78 campaign). The Yankees last night completed what's hopefully just the first chapter of their amazing comeback story as they clinched their 13th straight postseason berth after trailing in the wild card by 9 games on July 1 with a convincing 12-4 victory over Tampa Bay.
After the bullpen blew a 5-run lead the previous night, the offense made sure to give themselves a big enough cushion that only Tampa Bay's bullpen is capable of ruining (i.e. Sept. 11 and Sept. 12 when they basically handed the Red Sox the division crown). Derek Jeter homered and was just a triple away from the cycle, Cano homered and drove in 5, and Doug Mientkiewicz continued his renaissance with a 4-5 night. Four Yankees finished the game with 3 hits or more (Jeter, Posada, Damon and Mientkiewicz).
Chien-Ming Wang was solid in his final regular season start, allowing two runs and striking out 6 in six innings of work as he picked up his 19th win (2nd straight season). The bullpen pretty much held it down this time, aside from a two-run 8th for the Devil Rays courtesy of Luis Vizcaino. Joba and Mo each pitched scoreless innings.
Well, there are still four games left to play, and who's to say that the Yankees can't sweep the remaining four in Tampa Bay and Baltimore and the Red Sox can't lose three out of 4 to Minnesota? It's not likely but hey, there's definitely reason to watch. The Yankees will continue their quest to make their season even more magical tonight as Phil Hughes will go up against Scott Kazmir in a battle of young arms. Game starts at 7:10 E.T.
After the bullpen blew a 5-run lead the previous night, the offense made sure to give themselves a big enough cushion that only Tampa Bay's bullpen is capable of ruining (i.e. Sept. 11 and Sept. 12 when they basically handed the Red Sox the division crown). Derek Jeter homered and was just a triple away from the cycle, Cano homered and drove in 5, and Doug Mientkiewicz continued his renaissance with a 4-5 night. Four Yankees finished the game with 3 hits or more (Jeter, Posada, Damon and Mientkiewicz).
Chien-Ming Wang was solid in his final regular season start, allowing two runs and striking out 6 in six innings of work as he picked up his 19th win (2nd straight season). The bullpen pretty much held it down this time, aside from a two-run 8th for the Devil Rays courtesy of Luis Vizcaino. Joba and Mo each pitched scoreless innings.
Well, there are still four games left to play, and who's to say that the Yankees can't sweep the remaining four in Tampa Bay and Baltimore and the Red Sox can't lose three out of 4 to Minnesota? It's not likely but hey, there's definitely reason to watch. The Yankees will continue their quest to make their season even more magical tonight as Phil Hughes will go up against Scott Kazmir in a battle of young arms. Game starts at 7:10 E.T.
09/26: Giambi Loves the Kids
Posted by: Patrick
From the Post:
There are quotes from Giambi, Clippard and Kennedy in the article.
The rookies' hazing didn't end when the Yankees arrived at the team hotel Monday night. Jason Giambi invited the rookies who were dressed in Wizard of Oz garb for the flight from New York to the Capitol Grille in Tampa for dinner. The only requirement was they stayed in their costumes. ...
The night out cost Giambi roughly $5,000 and was appreciated by the guests.
The night out cost Giambi roughly $5,000 and was appreciated by the guests.
There are quotes from Giambi, Clippard and Kennedy in the article.
Posted by: Patrick
In 10 innings, the Devil Rays had 5 hits. We had 12. So, how'd we lose? 11 walks, that's how. They had 11 walks. While we had a healthy 6, that's not 11. They left 20 runners on base, even - while we left 16 on. But, with that said, the walks that killed us were the ones in the Devil Rays' half of the 6th inning.
Would it surprise you if I said that Kei Igawa had 0 ER in 5 innings? Well, he did. He issued 5 of those 11 walks, but only 2 hits and no one ever came around to score on him. It's just the Devil Rays, but it's always good to see someone have a decent performance.
No, the problems came after he exited the game, at the hands of Edwar Ramirez and Brian Bruney. Edwar entered and walked B.J. Upton. He retired Delmon Young, but then allowed Dioner Navarro to double, scoring Upton. Alright, that's OK, we have a 5-1 lead. Just let people hit the ball. The best hitters get out about 70% of the time. Argh, another walk, to Jonny Gomes. 1st and 2nd, 1 out. That would be the end of Edwar's hand in this and Brian Bruney would then come in and inherit those runners.
He just continued the walk parade, though, issuing one to Greg Norton to load the bases. And then, yes, another walk. This time, it's issued to Akinori Iwamura. That walks in a run. You walk enough guys and it's usually going to bite you. In just his 9th game this year, Jorge Velandia made us pay dearly by hitting a grand slam to seize the lead, 6-5. All 3 runners he drove in reached base on a walk. Before September 13, he had not appeared in the majors since September 28 of 2003. Ron Villone relieved Bruney and retired Carlos Pena to end the inning.
So, you go from having 5-0 lead after 5 and 1/2 innings, to being down 6-5 with 3 to play. In those 3 innings, we were only able to sneak in 1 run - on a Melky sac fly that scored Bronson Sardinha in the 8th. Meanwhile, the combination of Villone, Britton, Farnsworth and Veras pitched a scoreless 3 and 1/3 innings. So, we're headed to extras for the 3rd time in 5 days. After Cano, Molina and Cabrera went down in order in the top of the 10th, Jeff Karstens came in the pitch the bottom. It was over fast. The first batter he faced, the former Yankee Navarro, took him deep for a walk off homer. Game over.
A-Rod had a grand slam in the 3rd, scoring Damon, Jeter and Abreu. For the day, he had that and a walk. Damon was 5 for 5 with 2 R, Jeter was 2 for 5 with 1 2B, 1 R and 1 RBI, Abreu was 0 for 3 with 1 R and 2 BB, Matsui was 0 for 3 with 2 BB, Posada was 1 for 4, Cano was 3 for 5, Mientkiewicz was 0 for 2 with 1 BB and Melky was 0 for 4 with 1 RBI.
Going back to Jeter, it was about 2 weeks ago when I was hearing some people suggest that Jeter needed to sit down because he was hurting the team, playing hurt. I just don't see how you bench Derek Jeter, "slump" or not. He's not the problem. Wasn't even that bad of a slump, really. Not like he was going 3-5 games without reaching base or something. Since September 15 (10 games), he's 19 for 47 (.404) with 8 runs, 5 doubles, 2 home runs, 6 RBIs, 1 walk and 1 stolen base. He's got a 12 game hitting streak.
Yankees didn't win and the Tigers didn't lose, so our magic number for the Wild Card sits at 1. The Red Sox did win, however, and their magic number for the East is now 3. Oh well. Today at 7:10 PM ET, we'll have Wang (18-7, 3.72 ERA) against J.P. Howell (1-5, 6.80 ERA). So, you're telling me there's a chance!
Would it surprise you if I said that Kei Igawa had 0 ER in 5 innings? Well, he did. He issued 5 of those 11 walks, but only 2 hits and no one ever came around to score on him. It's just the Devil Rays, but it's always good to see someone have a decent performance.
No, the problems came after he exited the game, at the hands of Edwar Ramirez and Brian Bruney. Edwar entered and walked B.J. Upton. He retired Delmon Young, but then allowed Dioner Navarro to double, scoring Upton. Alright, that's OK, we have a 5-1 lead. Just let people hit the ball. The best hitters get out about 70% of the time. Argh, another walk, to Jonny Gomes. 1st and 2nd, 1 out. That would be the end of Edwar's hand in this and Brian Bruney would then come in and inherit those runners.
He just continued the walk parade, though, issuing one to Greg Norton to load the bases. And then, yes, another walk. This time, it's issued to Akinori Iwamura. That walks in a run. You walk enough guys and it's usually going to bite you. In just his 9th game this year, Jorge Velandia made us pay dearly by hitting a grand slam to seize the lead, 6-5. All 3 runners he drove in reached base on a walk. Before September 13, he had not appeared in the majors since September 28 of 2003. Ron Villone relieved Bruney and retired Carlos Pena to end the inning.
So, you go from having 5-0 lead after 5 and 1/2 innings, to being down 6-5 with 3 to play. In those 3 innings, we were only able to sneak in 1 run - on a Melky sac fly that scored Bronson Sardinha in the 8th. Meanwhile, the combination of Villone, Britton, Farnsworth and Veras pitched a scoreless 3 and 1/3 innings. So, we're headed to extras for the 3rd time in 5 days. After Cano, Molina and Cabrera went down in order in the top of the 10th, Jeff Karstens came in the pitch the bottom. It was over fast. The first batter he faced, the former Yankee Navarro, took him deep for a walk off homer. Game over.
A-Rod had a grand slam in the 3rd, scoring Damon, Jeter and Abreu. For the day, he had that and a walk. Damon was 5 for 5 with 2 R, Jeter was 2 for 5 with 1 2B, 1 R and 1 RBI, Abreu was 0 for 3 with 1 R and 2 BB, Matsui was 0 for 3 with 2 BB, Posada was 1 for 4, Cano was 3 for 5, Mientkiewicz was 0 for 2 with 1 BB and Melky was 0 for 4 with 1 RBI.
Going back to Jeter, it was about 2 weeks ago when I was hearing some people suggest that Jeter needed to sit down because he was hurting the team, playing hurt. I just don't see how you bench Derek Jeter, "slump" or not. He's not the problem. Wasn't even that bad of a slump, really. Not like he was going 3-5 games without reaching base or something. Since September 15 (10 games), he's 19 for 47 (.404) with 8 runs, 5 doubles, 2 home runs, 6 RBIs, 1 walk and 1 stolen base. He's got a 12 game hitting streak.
Yankees didn't win and the Tigers didn't lose, so our magic number for the Wild Card sits at 1. The Red Sox did win, however, and their magic number for the East is now 3. Oh well. Today at 7:10 PM ET, we'll have Wang (18-7, 3.72 ERA) against J.P. Howell (1-5, 6.80 ERA). So, you're telling me there's a chance!
Posted by: Patrick
From the AP:
Figures. I start talking about pitching depth and Clemens is out for the regular season and Kennedy could be out for rest of this season.
Clemens is "confident" he will be ready for the opening round of the postseason if the Yankees qualify. New York started play Tuesday with a magic number of one to clinch at least the AL wild-card spot. ...
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Clemens could have pitched Tuesday if it had been a must-win game.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said Clemens could have pitched Tuesday if it had been a must-win game.
Figures. I start talking about pitching depth and Clemens is out for the regular season and Kennedy could be out for rest of this season.
Posted by: James
There are a whole bunch of articles that note that IPK looks like he is done for the year. Here's one from the Daily News:
The articles don't definitively say whether or not he'll pitch in the playoffs but Torre's quote is pretty telling. Here's Newsday's version :
and the NY Post:
Ian Kennedy, who was scratched from his Saturday start with back spasms, is unlikely to pitch again during the regular season because of the injury. "It's nothing more than it was, but it's working its way out of his system," Torre said. "It's a little discomfort. I'm not sure he'd be able to throw enough to be in a situation where he could (pitch)."
The articles don't definitively say whether or not he'll pitch in the playoffs but Torre's quote is pretty telling. Here's Newsday's version :
Ian Kennedy's impressive season may be over. Torre said the rookie righthander, who started 2007 in A ball, is still troubled by a back strain and may not pitch again in the regular season. That would probably nix him from a postseason roster spot.
and the NY Post:
One pitcher who probably doesn't figure into the Yankees' plans for the remainder of the week and perhaps into the playoffs is Kennedy, who missed his last start with soreness in his upper back.
Posted by: Patrick
Update: Removed Jose Veras from this list. Mike makes a good point that the skin color is off. So, it's most likely Watanabe as was reported.
For the annual rookie hazing dress up, this year's theme was The Wizard of Oz. Here's the lineup (names linked to pictures).
The Cowardly Lion: Joba Chamberlain
The Scarecrow: Shelley Duncan
Palace Guard: Ross Ohlendorf
The Tin Man: Phil Hughes
Flying Monkey: Kei Igawa
The Wicked Witch of the West: Edwar Ramirez
Flying Monkey: Tyler Clippard
Munchkin Kid: Matt DeSalvo
Tree: Yumi Watanabe (Igawa's Translator)
Palace Guard: Bronson Sardinha
Mayor Munchkin: Dava Cavalea (Strength Coach)
Munchkin Kid: Alberto Gonzalez
Glinda the Good Witch: Chase Wright
Dorothy: Ian Kennedy
Jen from NoSenseWorrying.com has a great set of photos including a couple of classic shots of A-Rod and Mo and Mo and Jeter enjoying the moment.
The AP has an article on the event:
As does Yankees.com:
Via Jim Johnson and Ben.
For the annual rookie hazing dress up, this year's theme was The Wizard of Oz. Here's the lineup (names linked to pictures).
The Cowardly Lion: Joba Chamberlain
The Scarecrow: Shelley Duncan
Palace Guard: Ross Ohlendorf
The Tin Man: Phil Hughes
Flying Monkey: Kei Igawa
The Wicked Witch of the West: Edwar Ramirez
Flying Monkey: Tyler Clippard
Munchkin Kid: Matt DeSalvo
Tree: Yumi Watanabe (Igawa's Translator)
Palace Guard: Bronson Sardinha
Mayor Munchkin: Dava Cavalea (Strength Coach)
Munchkin Kid: Alberto Gonzalez
Glinda the Good Witch: Chase Wright
Dorothy: Ian Kennedy
Jen from NoSenseWorrying.com has a great set of photos including a couple of classic shots of A-Rod and Mo and Mo and Jeter enjoying the moment.
The AP has an article on the event:
"I think this is the No. 1 costume, right here," Wright said.
Chamberlain seemed to agree. As Wright walked past, the popular setup man laughed out loud.
"Hey, can I get your number?" he said.
Chamberlain seemed to agree. As Wright walked past, the popular setup man laughed out loud.
"Hey, can I get your number?" he said.
As does Yankees.com:
"This is a very glorious moment for me," Duncan said. "It is what it is. I was meant to be the Scarecrow. You go with it, you deal with it and you don't think about it, because what can I think with? I'm a Scarecrow with a mission."
"Put 'em up, put 'em up," Chamberlain yelled, shadow-boxing anyone who walked near.
"Put 'em up, put 'em up," Chamberlain yelled, shadow-boxing anyone who walked near.
Via Jim Johnson and Ben.
09/25: Yankees Magic Number: 1
Posted by: Patrick
With the Tigers loss yesterday (such a downer that we didn't win yesterday - yeah, I know it doesn't mean much, but to be one game back in the division with 6 to play?), our magic number to clinch a playoff spot is now 1. A Tigers loss or a Yankees win today seals it.
09/24: Burnett Scratched
Posted by: James
22 year old Jesse Litsch goes today. This isn't a gimme by any stretch but I'd much rather face the kid with 3.86 ERA after the ASB than the guy with the 1.97 ERA.
09/24: Pettitte to Pitch Today
Posted by: Patrick
Clemens has been pushed back a day to Tuesday and Pettitte will start today, according to the official site. It'll be our final home game of the regular season and, if we can get a win, we'll be just 1 game back of the Red Sox. Crazy.
