Posted by: Patrick
MASN Online spoke with former Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer and the topic of Mike Mussina pitching in 2009 came up.
Via Ben.
... Palmer recently asked Mussina if he's coming back next year. Mussina replied: "I don't think so."
"Of course, that could change," Palmer said.
"Of course, that could change," Palmer said.
Via Ben.
09/26: Times: Mo May Need Surgery
Posted by: Patrick
From Tyler Kepner of The New York Times:
Via Peter Abraham.
There is some fear that Rivera could need arthroscopic surgery, although the procedure would be minor and would not be expected to affect him next spring.
“The only way that would happen is if tests indicate that should happen,” General Manager Brian Cashman said of the surgery. “I can’t say at this point.”
Cashman said Rivera expressed a small level of discomfort to team trainers but would not have been sent home if the Yankees were still in the race. He said he expected Rivera to rejoin the team in Boston on Friday and be available to pitch this weekend.
“The only way that would happen is if tests indicate that should happen,” General Manager Brian Cashman said of the surgery. “I can’t say at this point.”
Cashman said Rivera expressed a small level of discomfort to team trainers but would not have been sent home if the Yankees were still in the race. He said he expected Rivera to rejoin the team in Boston on Friday and be available to pitch this weekend.
Via Peter Abraham.
Posted by: Patrick
Blue Jays starter Roy Halladay logged the second 20 win season of his career on Thursday night, at the Yankees expense, throwing a complete game six hitter, holding the team to 2 runs. Carl Pavano was not quite as effective and the Blue Jays won, 8-2.
The Yankees were the first to strike, thanks to a Robinson Cano RBI single, scoring Brett Gardner in the third inning. Cano has an 8 game hit streak going and is 11 for 28 in this span with 7 runs and 5 RBIs.
But, the Jays came right back with 2 runs in the third and 3 more in the fourth. After the final of those five runs scored, on a single with two outs, Pavano was pulled in favor of Dan Giese. With runners on first and third, Giese retired Adam Lind to end the inning.
Francisco Cervelli made the first start of his career and went 0-3, but he did pick up his first RBI, by hitting into a double play and scoring Cody Ransom. Unfortunately, Giese would open the flood gates back up in the fifth as, after retiring one batter, he'd allow a single, double and double, with the Jays scoring 2 more runs. That was the end of his day.
David Robertson pitched the rest of the inning without further incident. Edwar Ramirez, Humberto Sanchez and Darrell Rasner each threw an inning to close the game. Ramirez and Rasner's were scoreless, while Sanchez allowed a run while walking 2 and allowing a hit.
Gardner was 3 for 4 from the leadoff spot. The other Yankees to collect hits were Cano, Jason Giambi and Melky Cabrera.
The final series of the season starts tomight when the Yankees face the Red Sox at 7:05 PM. Alfredo Aceves (1-0, 1.38) faces Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-2, 2.80).
The Yankees were the first to strike, thanks to a Robinson Cano RBI single, scoring Brett Gardner in the third inning. Cano has an 8 game hit streak going and is 11 for 28 in this span with 7 runs and 5 RBIs.
But, the Jays came right back with 2 runs in the third and 3 more in the fourth. After the final of those five runs scored, on a single with two outs, Pavano was pulled in favor of Dan Giese. With runners on first and third, Giese retired Adam Lind to end the inning.
Francisco Cervelli made the first start of his career and went 0-3, but he did pick up his first RBI, by hitting into a double play and scoring Cody Ransom. Unfortunately, Giese would open the flood gates back up in the fifth as, after retiring one batter, he'd allow a single, double and double, with the Jays scoring 2 more runs. That was the end of his day.
David Robertson pitched the rest of the inning without further incident. Edwar Ramirez, Humberto Sanchez and Darrell Rasner each threw an inning to close the game. Ramirez and Rasner's were scoreless, while Sanchez allowed a run while walking 2 and allowing a hit.
Gardner was 3 for 4 from the leadoff spot. The other Yankees to collect hits were Cano, Jason Giambi and Melky Cabrera.
The final series of the season starts tomight when the Yankees face the Red Sox at 7:05 PM. Alfredo Aceves (1-0, 1.38) faces Daisuke Matsuzaka (18-2, 2.80).
Posted by: Patrick
Kat O'Brien and Peter Abraham report that Mariano Rivera is getting his shoulder looked at. O'Brien says Giardi infered that it was the physical that all players get at the end of the year, but Abraham says it's odd for them to get it before the season is over. Giardi told Abraham that Mo would be available in Boston.
09/24: Pettitte's Season is Over
Posted by: Patrick
Kat O'Brien reports that Andy Pettitte has been shut down and will not make one last start this season, as he was scheduled to make on Saturday. Alfredo Aceves will start.
Pettitte told O'Brien that he will pitch for the Yankees or for no one and he'll make a decision much earlier than he did last season.
Pettitte told O'Brien that he will pitch for the Yankees or for no one and he'll make a decision much earlier than he did last season.
Posted by: Patrick
I missed the final game at Yankee Stadium and the ceremonies and coverage surrounding it. Sacrilege, I know. I felt bad. But, I was in Las Vegas for the Blog World & New Media Expo from Thursday through Monday. Sunday was particularly insane for me, as I had a book signing and was speaking on two panels. In fact, right as the game was starting, the "Avoiding Disaster: How Not to Use Social Media" panel was wrapping up.
I go away for a few days and what happens? The Yankees close out Yankee Stadium with a win, my Dolphins beat the Patriots and the U.S. wins the Ryder Cup for the first time in 9 years. Figures.
I've spent several hours today going over a lot of coverage from the big day, mostly from my fellow Yankees bloggers. However, there was a little bit of coverage that I saw before this. On Monday, after I finally made it back home, I was watching ESPN for a little while, when they talked about the ceremony that the Yankees held before the game. Or, more specifically, the lack of any mention of Joe Torre. My first reaction: "What? How could this happen? Unbelievable. Man, that makes us look bad."
They had a reporter from L.A. on there who... well, wasn't terribly on point. He went on to say that the Yankees didn't mention Don Mattingly (no one else spoke up about this - and it was a panel discussion - so it seemed so unbelievable that I didn't see how it could be true, and it wasn't) and Larry Bowa, who he claimed had had a hand in some of the Yankees' titles. That is also not true, of course. Bowa didn't join the team until long after our last title.
Nonetheless, the omission of Torre is glaring. The man has more wins than Miller Huggins and Casey Stengel and more titles than Huggins, as well. I've read comments indicating that the Yankees didn't do anything for managers that didn't play for the team. If that's true, I've got an issue with that, in and of itself. Joe McCarthy, Torre, Stengel and Huggins all should have been honored. And the fact that Torre wasn't, it just makes us look petty and disrespectful. For his part, Torre handled it gracefully.
Via Ben Kabak, Joel Sherman of the Post outlines all of the disappointments that he witnessed. Some of it is a bit much, but there are some things I agree with. Namely, that Don Mattingly was shown on screen as long as Robinson Cano was, according to Sherman. There are only five men alive who have held the Yankee captaincy. Craig Nettles, Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, Mattingly and Jeter. Enough said.
Besides Torre, the other missed name making news is that of Roger Clemens. It has been said that he was heartbroken by the snub, holding hands with his wife and mother-in-law. I don't know about all that, and I can understand why they might have held him out, but I do think he should have been mentioned. You are going to mention David Wells and Al Downing, but not Roger Clemens?
It just doesn't make sense. The listing of players and people mentioned should, by and large, be a science. By making it a science, it's easy to knock down virtually everyone you have to mention. For example, anyone who has played X number of games. Anyone who has won X number of games as a manager. Anyone who has won an MVP or Cy Young award as a Yankee. Things like that. Only five Yankees have ever won the Cy Young. They are Clemens, Guidry, Sparky Lyle, Whitey Ford and Bob Turley. All of these should have been mentioned.
By the way, if you missed the whole event, like I did, I'd recommend checking out posts by Cliff Corcoran and Ben and photos by Brent Nycz, Ben and Steve Lombardi.
I go away for a few days and what happens? The Yankees close out Yankee Stadium with a win, my Dolphins beat the Patriots and the U.S. wins the Ryder Cup for the first time in 9 years. Figures.
I've spent several hours today going over a lot of coverage from the big day, mostly from my fellow Yankees bloggers. However, there was a little bit of coverage that I saw before this. On Monday, after I finally made it back home, I was watching ESPN for a little while, when they talked about the ceremony that the Yankees held before the game. Or, more specifically, the lack of any mention of Joe Torre. My first reaction: "What? How could this happen? Unbelievable. Man, that makes us look bad."
They had a reporter from L.A. on there who... well, wasn't terribly on point. He went on to say that the Yankees didn't mention Don Mattingly (no one else spoke up about this - and it was a panel discussion - so it seemed so unbelievable that I didn't see how it could be true, and it wasn't) and Larry Bowa, who he claimed had had a hand in some of the Yankees' titles. That is also not true, of course. Bowa didn't join the team until long after our last title.
Nonetheless, the omission of Torre is glaring. The man has more wins than Miller Huggins and Casey Stengel and more titles than Huggins, as well. I've read comments indicating that the Yankees didn't do anything for managers that didn't play for the team. If that's true, I've got an issue with that, in and of itself. Joe McCarthy, Torre, Stengel and Huggins all should have been honored. And the fact that Torre wasn't, it just makes us look petty and disrespectful. For his part, Torre handled it gracefully.
Via Ben Kabak, Joel Sherman of the Post outlines all of the disappointments that he witnessed. Some of it is a bit much, but there are some things I agree with. Namely, that Don Mattingly was shown on screen as long as Robinson Cano was, according to Sherman. There are only five men alive who have held the Yankee captaincy. Craig Nettles, Willie Randolph, Ron Guidry, Mattingly and Jeter. Enough said.
Besides Torre, the other missed name making news is that of Roger Clemens. It has been said that he was heartbroken by the snub, holding hands with his wife and mother-in-law. I don't know about all that, and I can understand why they might have held him out, but I do think he should have been mentioned. You are going to mention David Wells and Al Downing, but not Roger Clemens?
It just doesn't make sense. The listing of players and people mentioned should, by and large, be a science. By making it a science, it's easy to knock down virtually everyone you have to mention. For example, anyone who has played X number of games. Anyone who has won X number of games as a manager. Anyone who has won an MVP or Cy Young award as a Yankee. Things like that. Only five Yankees have ever won the Cy Young. They are Clemens, Guidry, Sparky Lyle, Whitey Ford and Bob Turley. All of these should have been mentioned.
By the way, if you missed the whole event, like I did, I'd recommend checking out posts by Cliff Corcoran and Ben and photos by Brent Nycz, Ben and Steve Lombardi.
Posted by: Patrick
Mike Ashmore has the press release:
The Trenton Thunder announced Wednesday at a press conference at Mercer County Waterfront Park that the team has extended its Player Development Contract (PDC) with the New York Yankees. The agreement will run through the end of the 2014 season.
“When the Yankees came to Mercer County six years ago, both the Thunder organization and Mercer County promised Brian Cashman and the Yankees that they would never want to leave Trenton,” said Thunder President and Owner Joe Finley. “I think the Yankees commitment to stay at Mercer County Waterfront Park for an additional six years demonstrates that the Thunder and Mercer County have delivered on their promise. We look forward to providing the best setting for player development in all of Minor League Baseball for as long as this great game is being played.”
“Extending our PDC with Trenton was a no-brainer,” said Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman. “The Yankees won’t settle for anything less than the best, and the Thunder is by far the best Double-A franchise in baseball.”
“When the Yankees came to Mercer County six years ago, both the Thunder organization and Mercer County promised Brian Cashman and the Yankees that they would never want to leave Trenton,” said Thunder President and Owner Joe Finley. “I think the Yankees commitment to stay at Mercer County Waterfront Park for an additional six years demonstrates that the Thunder and Mercer County have delivered on their promise. We look forward to providing the best setting for player development in all of Minor League Baseball for as long as this great game is being played.”
“Extending our PDC with Trenton was a no-brainer,” said Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman. “The Yankees won’t settle for anything less than the best, and the Thunder is by far the best Double-A franchise in baseball.”
Posted by: Patrick
Jon Heyman reports:
Via Steve.
Brian Cashman was asked by the Steinbrenners to respond by next week to their offer to return as Yankees general manager, according to people familiar with the situation.
Via Steve.
Posted by: Seamus
Well that's going to be all she wrote, folks. The Yankees got some good all-around pitching to defeat the Blue Jays 3-1, but were officially knocked out of the postseason race, thanks to a comeback victory by the Red Sox against Cliff Lee and the Indians. It's the first full season in which the Yankees won't be playing in October since 1993.
As for the actual game, Mike Mussina pitched five solid innings en route to his 19th victory of the season, but was pulled a bit early after being hit on the elbow by a batted ball earlier in the game. Mussina finished with a line of four hits in five shutout innings.
The only run given up by the Yankees was allowed by Damaso Marte. The Yankees used a total of six pitchers, including an inning and two-thirds by Joba Chamberlain. Mariano Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 ninth and recorded his 38th save.
As far as the offense goes, the Yankees didn't do a whole lot but did just enough. Jason Giambi went 2-4 with a home run and Brett Gardner had two hits, including a triple.
The Yanks will be facing one of their famed foes (and possible '09 Yankee?), as Yankee-killer A.J. Burnett will take the mound for Toronto. The Yankees will be sending Phil Hughes to the mound. Game starts at 7:07 ET.
As for the actual game, Mike Mussina pitched five solid innings en route to his 19th victory of the season, but was pulled a bit early after being hit on the elbow by a batted ball earlier in the game. Mussina finished with a line of four hits in five shutout innings.
The only run given up by the Yankees was allowed by Damaso Marte. The Yankees used a total of six pitchers, including an inning and two-thirds by Joba Chamberlain. Mariano Rivera pitched a 1-2-3 ninth and recorded his 38th save.
As far as the offense goes, the Yankees didn't do a whole lot but did just enough. Jason Giambi went 2-4 with a home run and Brett Gardner had two hits, including a triple.
The Yanks will be facing one of their famed foes (and possible '09 Yankee?), as Yankee-killer A.J. Burnett will take the mound for Toronto. The Yankees will be sending Phil Hughes to the mound. Game starts at 7:07 ET.
09/22: Yankees vs. Orioles; 9/21/08
Posted by: James
It's the last game ever at Yankee Stadium and if you haven't seen pictures, articles or soundbites, go ahead and find them online. I'll wait. It was an amazing night for the Yankees as a organization. I don't think that there is another organization with the history and pageantry of the Yankees and they sure showed it last night. Luckily enough, mystique and aura trotted out one last time and helped the Yankees sweep away the Orioles to put the cherry on top of a wonderful night. Sigh. Thanks for the memories.
As for the game itself, the outcome was a little hazy in the early innings as Andy Pettitte took the hill with what couldn't really be qualified as his best stuff. Still, Andy ended up going 5 full innings and only gave up 3 runs to qualify for the win, his 14th. The win also put Andy back at the .500 level, which is nice since it helps him to continue his streak of no season with a losing record.
The Yankees got on the board in the third when Hideki Matsui and Jose Molina started off the inning with back to back to singles. Johnny Damon came up to back and promptly deposited a pitch just over the right field wall to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Pettitte gave up the lead in the top half of the next inning but the Yankees took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth when Robbie Cano walked (!) and Jose Molina jacked a 2 run homer (the last at Yankee Stadium!) to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead. The Yanks scored two more in 7th on some shoddy defense by the Orioles to put the game away...though the Yankee bullpen looked like they would have shut the door with a much smaller cushion. Jose Veras, Phil Coke (who has sewn up a spot on a major league roster with his work this Sept.), Joba Chamberlain and finally Mariano Rivera came in and shut down the O's to seal the win.
When the final out was recorded, the emotion that seemed to spill out onto the field was something to see. All the fans stayed, players were taking dirt as souvenirs, hugging each other and then finally, Derek Jeter made a wonderful speech thanking all the fans and then led the team in a goodbye lap around the stadium. All in all, just an amazing night and a great sendoff to the house that Ruth built.
As for the game itself, the outcome was a little hazy in the early innings as Andy Pettitte took the hill with what couldn't really be qualified as his best stuff. Still, Andy ended up going 5 full innings and only gave up 3 runs to qualify for the win, his 14th. The win also put Andy back at the .500 level, which is nice since it helps him to continue his streak of no season with a losing record.
The Yankees got on the board in the third when Hideki Matsui and Jose Molina started off the inning with back to back to singles. Johnny Damon came up to back and promptly deposited a pitch just over the right field wall to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Pettitte gave up the lead in the top half of the next inning but the Yankees took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth when Robbie Cano walked (!) and Jose Molina jacked a 2 run homer (the last at Yankee Stadium!) to give the Yankees a 5-3 lead. The Yanks scored two more in 7th on some shoddy defense by the Orioles to put the game away...though the Yankee bullpen looked like they would have shut the door with a much smaller cushion. Jose Veras, Phil Coke (who has sewn up a spot on a major league roster with his work this Sept.), Joba Chamberlain and finally Mariano Rivera came in and shut down the O's to seal the win.
When the final out was recorded, the emotion that seemed to spill out onto the field was something to see. All the fans stayed, players were taking dirt as souvenirs, hugging each other and then finally, Derek Jeter made a wonderful speech thanking all the fans and then led the team in a goodbye lap around the stadium. All in all, just an amazing night and a great sendoff to the house that Ruth built.
