Tagged: Melky Cabrera
Yankees Freeze-Out Angels; Win Game 1 of ALCS, 4-1
Finally, after a week delay, baseball has returned. And, it is a great return for all of us in the Yankees Universe, as the New York Yankees, led by an awesome pitching performance by our “ace” CC Sabathia, won the first game of the American League Championship Series, 4-1, over the Los Angeles Angels on a raw, frigid, winter-like night at Yankee Stadium in the “always” beautiful Bronx, New York.
It is so wonderful that baseball is back on the national stage. Also, personally, it feels great to be back blogging again after a short absence because of my busy schedule which has greatly limited and curtailed my blogging activities here at my mlblog and throughout the mlblogosphere.
I am truly sorry for my lack of new posts, and not responding to the many excellent comments that have been posted on my blog over the past few weeks. I hope to update my blog by offering new posts on a regular basis throughout the rest of the playoffs and World Series, as well as, offering responses to comments on my blog, and, also, commentary on as many other mlblogs as possible in the time that my schedule permits.
Thank you to all who have visited my blog, and, or, also, posted comments on my posts. I truly appreciate all your kind words and thoughts; and, look forward to your future support and visits. Enjoy all the upcoming baseball action the rest of this post-season.
Game 1 was really over after the first inning when the Yankees took a early 2-0 lead, on a lead-off single by Derek Jeter; a single by Johnny Damon who advanced to second on a throwing error by left fielder Juan Rivera; a long sacrifice fly to center by Alex Rodriguez after Mark Teixeira flied out to left; and, an infield single on a pop-up in between short and third by Hideki Matsui that looked like an easy out; but, there was some miscommunication on the play between shortstop Erick Aybar and third baseman Chone Figgins that allowed the ball to drop safely to the ground [untouched] for the RBI hit.
On the replay it looked like Figgins called to Aybar to make the catch; but, Aybar was waring a ski mask to shield is face from the cold which also covered both his ears. Maybe this caused the shortstop to not hear his third baseman on the play. Anyway, this was a major mistake by the Angels infielders, and probably the key moment of the game that set the tone for the Yankees victory.
The Angels scored their only run in the fourth inning on a double by Vladmir Guerro, and a RBI single by Kendry Morales that cut the Yankees lead to 2-1 at the time.
The Yankees increased their lead to 3-1 on a RBI by Matsui in the bottom of the fifth; and, completed the scoring in the game in the sixth inning when Melky Cabrera reached first on a two-out walk; advanced to second on a bad pick-off attempt by Angels starter John Lackey; and scored on a single to center by Derek Jeter that deflected off the glove of Torii Hunter allowing Melky to score without a play at the plate, upping the score to 4-1 in favor of the Yanks.
John Lackey lasted only five and two-third innings in this game, and certainly was hurt by the three Angels erros which resulted in two of the Yankee four runs being unearned.
But, CC Sabathia delivered a brilliant performance, throwing 113 pitches over eight solid innings, allowing one run, on four hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts to earn a very well-pitched victory, exactly the reason why the Yankees signed the great left-handed hurler last winter.
Mariano Rivera closed out this win for the Yankees by pitching a scoreless ninth inning, recording his all-time leading 36th post-season save.
Game 1 is now history with the Yankees leading the ALCS one game to none against the Angels.
The Yankees need only three more wins to become American League Champions; and, seven total wins for their 27th World Championship.
It is great to see baseball back on the world stage.
— Jimmy, “BY&L”
Yanks Sweep ChiSox; Joba Rules Only Three Innings
The New York Yankees completed a three-game weekend sweep over the Chicago White Sox with an 8-3 win on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium in the Beautiful Bronx.
Joba Chamberlain was the Yankees starting pitcher; but, really, he was only a three-inning set-up man for construction of a very long bridge by the bullpen that thankfully led to victory.
In the “new and improved” [?] version of the Joba Rules, Chamberlain was slated to pitch only three innings — no matter how well he pitched. The top secret “rules” which are known by fewer people than those who know the top secret recipes of Coca Cola and Kentucky Fried Chicken have left all of us in the Yankees Universe, and I’m sure other baseball fans as well, to wonder: what exactly will be Joba’s innings limitations and pitch counts for the rest of the 2009 season?
I mean, come on already. Is it too much to let Chamberlain pitch at least five innings in games that he starts?
Joba threw “only” 35 pitches over three innings of work. He gave up two runs on four hits, walked none and struck out one, and, then, was replaced by Alfredo Aceves at the start of the fourth inning with the Yankees leading 3-2. Joba Chamberlain’s effort earned him a “no decision” without any chance of getting the win in this game because he did not pitch five innings [a decision made by the Yankees braintrust].
It is not only the fact that Joba was allowed to pitch only three innings that is annoying. The limited time on the mound by Joba meant the bullpen would be given extra pressure to perform perfectly; and, it was annoying to sit through a parade of five Yankee relievers entering the game starting from the fourth inning with our starting pitcher sitting on the bench.
The Yankees only had a 3-2 lead at this time; and, the odds are: the more relievers that take the mound in a game, not every relief pitcher is going to pitch well. Also, using some of these relievers in this game would prevent them from appearing in the next game or two, when they may be really needed.
Until the Yankees reach the eight inning in a game, where Phil Hughes has performed brilliantly; and, of course, the ninth inning, in which the “Great Mariano” Rivera is having one of his best seasons of his career — a Cy Young Award type season — it is in the best interest of the New York Yankees to have their starting pitchers work [at least] seven innings in every start they take the mound.
As it turned out, though, in this game …
Johnny Damon hit a two-run homer (#24, which tied his career high) that gave the Yankees the 3-2 lead in the bottom of the third.
Alfredo Aceves (9-1), pitched very well in three innings of relief to earn the win in this game.
Derek Jeter had two hits in three at-bats, walked once, and scored three runs, raising his batting average to .335.
The Yankees broke this game wide open when they scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on a three-run homer (#32) by Mark Teixeira; a RBI double by Melky Cabrera; and, a sac-fly by Jerry Hairston, Jr., that increased their lead to 8-2.
Mark Teixeira was (1-for-3), with four RBI’s, which moved his season RBI total to 101. This is Teixeira’s sixth straight season with 30+ homers, and 100+ RBI’s. Only Mark Teixeira and Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals have accomplished this feat over the last six seasons.
Phil Coke ended the five scoreless innings streak by the bullpen when he allowed a ninth inning homer to Dye (#25) that capped the scoring in this 8-3 Yankees victory.
This win increases the first place New York Yankees record to 82-48, still six games ahead of the second place Boston Red Sox (76-54) who just completed a three-game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Well, as we reflect on the “Joba Rules” the one good thing is: next year there will be “no more” Joba rules. Joba Chamberlain will be allowed to be a real starting pitcher without innings limitations, and hopefully, also, without an unreasonable pitch-count limitation, that will advance Joba’s progress into the 200+ innings pitched neighborhood.
Then, the new discussion that everybody will be focusing on, will be:”Innings Usage Rules for Phil Hughes” who the Yankees project as a starting pitcher next season.
What will these rules be called?
“Innings Use Rules For Hughes”, or some other ridiculous version of this year’s Joba Rules.
— Jimmy, “BY&L”
Yankees Blast Red Sox in a 20-11 Rout …
If the New York Yankees were trying to make a major statement to the Boston Red Sox, and the rest of the teams in baseball, well, last night’s 20-11 drubbing of the Sox in their own building certainly underlined any message the Bronx Bombers had in mind of sending.
The Yankees came out swinging scoring two runs in the top of the first off Boston starter Brad Penny on a lead off double by the “red hot” Derek Jeter, a walk to Mark Teixeira, a single by Alex Rodriguez, and a two-out, two RBI single by Jorge Posada that gave the Bombers a quick 2-0 lead.
Then, after the Red Sox cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first on a sac fly by Victor Martinez that scored Jacoby Ellsbury, the Yanks continued the onslaught in the second scoring four more runs that upped their lead to 6-1.
The Yankees did their damage in the second on one-out singles by Melky Cabrera and Jeter; a RBI double by Eric Hinske — who replaced Johnny Damon after he bruised his right leg on a foul ball in the first — that drove home Melky; a two RBI double by Mark Teixeira, that plated Jeter and Hinske; and, a RBI single by Alex Rodriguez, who was out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double.
The score remained the same until the top of the fifth when the Yankees really put this contest out of reach, batting around in the inning sending 12 men up to the plate
Teixeira and A-Rod singled at the start of the fifth, which knocked Penny out of the game. Then, both runners traveled home on a three-run homer by Hideki Matsui (#20) off reliever Michael Bowden that increased the Bombers lead to 9-1.
Bowden was just as ineffective as Penny, walking the next batter Posada after the Matsui homer, and then giving up a RBI double to Robinson Cano before recording the first out on ground ball by Nick Swisher.
Then, Melky singled home Cano to make the score 11-1.
After Jeter was the second out on a force play, Bowden walked Hinske, who scored on RBI single by Teixeira that finished the scoring in this six-run inning, and gave the Yanks a very comfortable 12-1 lead, at the time.
The numbers by Brad Penny (L,7-8) were awful. He threw 89 pitches in four innings on the mound in this big game, and allowed eight runs, on ten hits, one walk, and four strikeouts, increasing his ERA to 5.61.
In the meantime, Andy Pettitte was pitching a good game through the first four innings, but maybe because he was sitting on bench for about a half hour during the Yankees six-run, fifth inning rally, this caused him to have some trouble when he took the mound again in the bottom of the fifth.
Boston scored three runs in the fifth, on a two RBI single by Ellsbury, that plated Mike Lowell and J.D.Drew; and, a RBI double by Dustin Pedroia that scored Ellsbury and cut the Yankees lead to 12-4.
The Yankees continued to pound out the hits scoring three more runs in the top of the sixth, on a RBI double by Cabrera, and a two RBI single by Jeter that gave them a 15-4 lead.
After getting through the fifth inning, Pettitte returned to the mound to start the bottom of the sixth, lasting three batters, Casy Kotchman who reached on a Cano error; a single by Nick Green; and a RBI single by David Ortiz, before being replaced by Brian Bruney with the score now 15-5.
Bruney gave up a single to the first batter he faced, Mike Lowell, on a ball that should have been caught but dropped in between Cabrera in center and Hinske in left to load the bases with no outs. Baldelli was up next and walked to force home another run that made the score 15-6.
There still were no outs, and the Red Sox had a chance to get right back into this game. But, Alex Gonzalez hit into a 4-6-3 double play, that also scored Ortiz from third with the Sox seventh run. Bruney then retired Ellsbury for the final out holding the score at 15-7.
This completed the pitching stats for Andy Pettitte (W,10-6), and they are not pretty. Andy threw 104 pitches over five innings of work, while allowing seven runs (five earned); on seven hits; two walks; and, four strikeouts.
Michael Bowden was also finished after two innings of relief in this game, and to say the least, the Yankee batters really lit him up for seven runs, on eight hits, three walks, and no strikeouts.
Delcarmen was now on the mound for the Sox in the seventh, and the Yankees scored their 16th run on a triple by A-Rod (4-for-4); and, a RBI grounder to first by Matsui.
Brian Bruney was still on the mound for the Yanks in the bottom of the seventh, and after getting the first out, promptly loaded the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch. Not what the Yankees needed at this point in the game from their bullpen.
So, Damaso Marte, just activated from the disabled list, was called into the game to end this possible Red Sox rally. And, he did his job, retiring Ortiz on a fly out; and, Lowell on a strikeout to keep the score at 16-7.
The Yankees capped their scoring in the ninth, on a three-run homer by Hideki Matsui (#21), his second home run of the game, giving him seven RBI’s on the night; and, a RBI double by Swisher off reliever Ramirez, that gave the Bronx Bombers a 20-7 lead.
But, the scoring was not over, just yet, in this game.
Sergio Mitre pitched a scoreless eight inning for the Yankees, and returned to the mound to pitch the bottom of the ninth.
It is ironic that Mitre was now called on to close out this game because originally he was scheduled to make the start in this important first game of this three-game series. But, Joe Girardi moved the rotaton around so that Pettitte could be the starter, and, all I can say, it was a wise move that may have saved this win for the Yankees, even with the 20 runs and 23 hits the Yanks pounded out.
Sergio Mitre had a disastrous ninth inning, allowing a one-out solo homer to Jason Varitek (#14); a single to Kotchman; a RBI double to Ortiz; a two-out homer to Mike Lowell (#15); and, hit by pitch, before retiring Alex Gonzalez on a force play for the final out of the game that framed the Yankees 20-11 victory.
This was a big win for the Yankees [really, all wins are big], that improved their record to 77-45, seven and a half games ahead of the second place Boston Red Sox (69-52).
Just another game in this great rivalry, as the Yankees have gone from 0-8 vs. the Red Sox, in the first half of the season, to winning the last five games in a row to cut Boston’s lead to 8-5 in this year’s version of “A Season Within A Season”.
The greatest rivalry in baseball and all sports, the “Yankees vs. Red Sox” continues …
To view the boxscore, click on: Yankees 20, Red Sox 11
— Jimmy, “BY&L”
First Place Yankees Still On Winning Path
After being shutout 3-0 in the first game against the Oakland A’s, the NY Yankees quickly returned to the winning track by taking the next two games, 7-2 and 3-2, that increased their record to 5-2 on this current ten-game road trip which now leads the Bronx Bombers into Boston for a three-game weekend showdown vs. the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
The Yankees (76-45) lead the second place Red Sox (69-51) by six and a half games in the AL East.
In the middle game vs. the Oakland A’s, CC Sabathia (14-7), delivered another fine performance on the mound for the Yanks, throwing 94 pitches over eight solid innings, while allowing two runs, both on solo homers; five hits; one walk; and seven strikeouts in route to his 14th win this season. As the regular season starts to wind down, Sabathia is more and more in the American League Cy Young Award conversation.
Sabathia gave up a solo homer to Kurt Suzuki (#10) in the first inning, and another solo homer to Tommy Everidge (#2) in the second inning; and, the Yankees scored a run on an error in the second, and a run in the third on a RBI double by Jorge Posada that tied the score 2-2 at the time.
A’s starter Vin Mazzaro lasted five good innings, giving up the two runs (one earned), on seven hits, three walks, and two strikeouts.
Then, the Yankees blew this game wide open with a big five-run sixth inning off A’s relievers Jay Marshall (L,0-1), and Santiago Casilla, that capped the scoring in this game.
The Yankees rally in the top of the sixth started with a one-out double by Nick Swisher who advanced to third on a passed ball. Melky Cabrera was then hit by a pitch, and Derek Jeter (3-for-5), hit a RBI single that scored Swisher that moved the Yanks into a 3-2 lead.
Johnny Damon was up next and stroked a RBI double that drove home Melky with the Yankees fourth run. This set-up a second and third situation for Mark Teixeira who was intentionally walked to load the bases. Alex Rodriguez was the next hitter, and A-Rod also walked that forced home the fifth Yankees run.
Hideki Matsui then singled to score another run; and, Poasda hit a sac fly that drove home the seventh and final Yankee run of their 7-2 victory.
CC Sabathia tossed only 94 pitches through eight innings, and this would have been a perfect opportunity to let CC go for the complete game win and give the bullpen a full day of rest. But, Joe Girardi stayed true to form with the whole “pitch count” philosophy that is now in-vogue and brought David Robertson into pitch the ninth.
Robertson did close out the game, though, after walking two batters, and striking out two. But, in the middle of the inning Mariano Rivera was stirring around in the Yankees bullpen, in a game that CC could have easily completed with no relievers having to warm-up. Anyway, just my view of certain pitching strategies involving the starters and bullpen.
This win over the A’s was a very solid 7-2 Yankees victory.
In the final game of this three-game series, Mark Teixeira provided the Yankees with all the runs they would need in their 3-2 victory.
Teixeira drove home Derek Jeter on a RBI ground-out, after Jeter led off the game with a single, stole second, and advanced to third on a grounder, in the top of the first inning; and, then, after Johnny Damon led off the fourth inning with a single, Teixeira blasted a two-run homer (#31), off A’s starter Brett Anderson, that gave the Bombers a 3-0 lead at the time.
The Yankees received an excellent effort from Chad Gaudin who made his first start for the Yanks in this game.
Gaudin lasted 4.1 innings, giving up only one hit, while walking five and striking out five. But, it was in the fourth that Gaudin had some trouble when he loaded the bases on two walks and an error by Robinson Cano.
The Cano error really hurt Gaudin’s chances of pitching the full five innings required for the starter to get a possible win in this game. The error occurred when Jeter fielded a grounder at short and then on the short throw to second for a force, the ball was tossed slightly behind Cano who could not make the catch as the ball deflected off his glove. It was a ball that looked like Cano should have caught.
Anyway, with one out and the bases loaded, Girardi made the right move, in my view, and replaced Gaudin with Alfredo Aceves.
Aceves got out of the jam by getting Kurt Suzuki to hit an easy grounder to the mound, in which Aceves started a 1-2-3 double play that ended the A’s threat.
Alfredo Aceves (8-1), allowed both A’s runs on a solo homer by Jack Cust (#17) in the sixth inning; and, a run in the seventh that was built on a Rajai Davis single, who then stole second base, and scored on a RBI single by Mark Ellis that cut the Yanks lead to 3-2.
But, after Aceves finished his 2.1 innings of work, Phil Coke and Phil Hughes paved a solid bridge to Mariano who closed out this 3-2 Yankees victory with a scoreless ninth inning, recording his 36th save.
Now, the Yankees travel to Boston for another huge three-game weekend series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park [August 21-22-23, 2009].
More “Playoff Baseball In August” in the great Yankees vs. Red Sox rivalry.
“A Season Within A Season” continues …
— Jimmy, “BY&L”
A Classic For The Ages In The Bronx …
Before the first game of this four-game weekend series between the Yankees and Red Sox, the New York Yankees honored Muhammah Ali. Maybe the presence of this great boxing legend inspired both teams to treat this crucial series like a World Class Championship Boxing Match.
In the first game on Thursady night, both the Yankees and Red Sox slugged it out like an old-fashioned street brawl, battling on the field, and on the mound, to the final out when the Yankees were the last team standing, victorious with a 13-6 win.
The Bronx Bombers pounded out 18 hits, including four home runs, and put this game out of reach for the Sox with a power explosive eight-run third inning that moved the Yanks into a 9-3 lead at the time.
This inning was highlighted by a pair of three-run homers by Melky Cabrera and Jorge Posada, and basically ended future Hall of Famer John Smoltz’s comeback attempt, as the Boston starter was designated for assignment the following day.
The Yankees power surge also included a pair of solo homers by Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira that helped to hold off the Red Sox eight-hit attack, which included a homer by Dustin Pedroia, and a two-run homer by Boston newcomer Casey Kotchman.
The pitching in this game was awful by both teams, as all pitchers who took the mound struggled to keep runners off base and keep the score down. Yankee pitchers allowed 12 walks, and Red Sox hurlers gave up six base-on-balls.
Joba Chamberlain by far did not throw his best game, and got in and out of trouble in basically every inning he pitched. He was one hit or walk away from being taken out of this game before he completed a full five innings of work. But, Chamberlain (8-2) did hold on long enough to strike out the final two batters in a one-out, bases loaded situation in the top of the fifth that kept the score at 9-4 before he departed, which enabled him to be credited with the win.
So, this game ended up being a slugfest with the Yankees winning 13-6, to increase their lead to three and a half games over the second place Boston Red Sox.
A Classic Game For The Ages …
The second game of this “Summer Showdown”, Game #10 of the Yankees vs. Red Sox “Season Within A Season”, which was billed as a great pitching matchup between A.J. Burnett of the Yankees and Josh Beckett of the Red Sox, was just that, indeed.
Oh, boy, did this advance billing live up to all the hype.
Both pitchers were brilliant, engaged in an old-fashioned pitchers duel matching zero for zero on a perfect night for baseball in the Beautiful Bronx.
Josh Beckett thew 115 pitches over seven solid innings, allowing no runs, on four hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts.
A.J. Burnett was just as dominant, tossing 118 pitches throughout seven and two-third innings without allowing a run; while giving up only one hit, to Jacoby Ellsbury leading off the game; and, six walks, and six strikeouts.
The game entered the eight inning still tied 0-0 with the bullpen now in control of the outcome, as the sold-out crowd at Yankee Stadium was mesmerized by what was taking place on the basebll diamond in front of them.
Watching this game at home on the YES Network, I could feel the same tension and excitement as the faithful at the Stadium.
This game was like a Championship Fight, round by round, inning by inning, both the Yankees and Red Sox were battling for the prize — a victory, and another game up in the AL East standings.
Phil Hughes got the final out in the top of the eight inning, and it was now the battle of the bullpens as seven Red Sox relievers would continue the duel, pitch by pitch, out by out, with five pitchers out of the Yankees pen.
Mariano Riveria struck out two batters and closed out the ninth inning.
Alfredo Aceves turned in a solid effort pitching the 10th, 11th, and 12th innings, allowing only one hit, one walk, and striking out three, for the Yanks; while, Okajima, Bard, Ramirez, Papelbon, and Delcarmen also delivered scoreless performances for the Red Sox.
At the end of the 9th: 0-0
Extra innings ..
At the end of the 10th: 0-0
At the end of the 11th: 0-0
At the end of the 12th: 0-0
Brian Bruney, who has not been pitching well, took the mound for the Yanks in the top of the 13th; and, once again, the bullpen kept zero’s up on the scoreboard, as he retired the side in order, including two strikeouts. Saito also pitched a scoreless inning in the bottom of the 13th, moving the game into the 14th still tied: 0-0.
Bruney came out to start the 14th inning, and got into a little trouble when Kevin Youkilis doubled with one out. Then, after David Ortiz grounded out, the Yankees intentionally walked J.D. Drew that put two runners on base with two outs. But, Bruney retired the next batter Jason Varitek on a grounder to second for the final out of the inning.
In the bottom of the 14th, it looked like the Yankees would win the game when Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano hit back-to-back singles with one out against rookie reliever Junichi Tazawa who was making his first appearance in the Major Leagues.
Eric Hinski was up next and stroked a solid line drive to right field that had “game-winning” hit all over it. But, J.D. Drew made a great running catch for the second out that saved the game for the Red Sox at that point.
Melky Cabrera was now up, and lined a shot right down the right field line that landed just inches from being a fair ball RBI single that would have won the game. Oh, so close to winning the game. Tazawa then struck out Melky to end the inning, sending the game into the 15th still tied: 0-0.
Phil Coke pitched an easy one-two-three top of the 15th, moving the game into the bottom of inning still tied: 0-0.
The way this game was going, it looked like it would go on forever. But, if that was the case, I know, I for one, would be there for every pitch right to the end because this was one of the most exciting baseball games that I have ever seen, and the longer it went on, the more exciting it became.
The “Captain” Derek Jeter led off the bottom of the 15th with a bloop single to center field; and, after Damon grounded out, and Teixeira struckout, Alex Rodriguez was the next batter up with two outs and Tazawa still on the mound.
The crowd still could not believe what a special game and event they were watching, as Rodriguez stepped up to the plate to face the rookie reliever with the winning run on base.
First pitch. Ball
Next pitch. Strike, looking. (1-1)
Outside. Ball. (2-1)
The crowd is on its feet, cheering for a game-winning hit.
Tazawa sets himself on the mound.
The pitch, breaking ball over the middle off the plate …
And, there it goes …
A-Rod has done it,
A HOMERUN TO LEFTFIELD INTO THE RED SOX BULLPEN !!!
THE YANKEES WIN, THE YANKEES WIN, THE YANKEES WIN
The Yankees win one of the greatest games ever played, 2-0 !!!
And, all it took was five hours and 33 minutes, and two days to earn the victory.
— Jimmy Curran, “BY&L” – “Baseball, The Yankees, and Life”
Melky “Cycles” A Path To Victory For Yankees
It was not a totally lost weekend for the New York Yankees as they won the final game of a four-game series against the White Sox, 8-5, thus avoiding what would have been a very embarrassing sweep by the Chisox in the Windy City.
The Yankees followed the “Melky-Way” in route to their must-win victory, as Melky Cabrera hit for the cycle — the first cycle by a Yankee since Tony Fernandez accomplished this rare feat in 1995. Also, his was the 15th cycle in Yankee history.
Melky put on a spectacular display, getting four hits in five at-bats, including a three-run homer off Chicago starter Mark Buehrle (L,11-5) in the second inning; a double and run scored in the fourth; a RBI single in the fifth; and, finally, a very exciting triple during his final at-bat in the ninth inning, a solid line drive in the gap over rightfielder Jermaine Dye’s head. The ball sailed to the wall as Melky Cabrera “cycled” around the bases at full speed.
After Cabrera slid safely into third base for the triple that completed his cycle, Melky quickly jumped up to his feet, pumping his arm into the air, as everybody in the Yankees dugout gave “The Melk-man” a standing ovation, cheering on this “very rare” historical baseball feat. A wonderful baseball moment, indeed.
Melky Cabrera scored the Yankees final run later on in the ninth inning, a very important insurance run, on a two-out RBI single by Derek Jeter that completed the scoring in this 8-5 Yankees victory.
This was Derek Jeter’s 2,084th game, which tied the great Babe Ruth for fourth place on the Yankees all-time games played list. It seems like “The Capatin” breaks or ties an all-time record at least once a week.
CC Sabathia was the Yankees starting pitcher, and certainly did not pitch one of his best games.
The Bombers staked Sabathia an early 3-0 lead on the Melky homer; but, CC could not hold the lead, giving up four runs in the bottom of the third on a RBI single by Gordon Beckham; a long opposite field two-run homer by Jermaine Dye; and, another long opposite field homerun by the next batter Jim Thome [career homer #559], that moved the White Sox into a 4-3 lead.
The Yankees battled back, though, led by Melky Cabrera, scoring two runs in the fourth on a RBI single by Jose Molina that scored Melky; and, a RBI single by Johnny Damon that plated Molina with the fifth run, giving the Yanks the lead once again at 5-4.
Melky was part of another Yankee rally in the top of the fifth, driving home Alex Rodriguez with a RBI single, which was followed by a run scoring single by newcomer Jerry Hairston, Jr., that drove home Nick Swisher for a 7-4 lead.
As the game entered the bottom of the eight, CC Sabathia was still on the mound when the first batter, Gordon Beckham doubled. This hit knocked CC out of the game as manager Joe Girardi replaced him with Phil Hughes, who struck-out Dye; walked Thome; and struck-out Konerko to set-up a first and second situation for Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, now in the game to get a four-out save.
Rivera quickly allowed a RBI single to Carlos Quentin that cut the Yankees lead to 7-5. But, Mariano struck out the next batter Chris Getz for the final out of the inning.
CC Sabathia (11-7), ended up throwing 100 pitches over seven okay innings, allowing all five runs, on ten hits, no walks, and five strikeouts. The numbers are not great, but after the third inning, CC was very solid on the mound holding the lead into the eight inning.
After Melky Cabrera capped off his great performance with his historic triple in the top of the ninth, “The Great Mariano” closed out this 8-5 Yankees victory by pitching a scoreless bottom of the ninth inning recording his 30th save of the season, which is now seven straight seasons of at least 30 saves for Mariano.
All-in-all, not a bad weekend, as the New York Yankees remain in first place in the AL East, a half a game ahead of the second place Boston Red Sox, and five and a half games in front of the third place Tampa Bay Rays.
To view boxscore, click on: Melky hits for the cycle
The 15 “Cycles” in New York Yankees history (from the New York Post) …
1 — Bert Daniels (July 25, 1912) vs. Chicago
2 — Bob Meusel (May 7, 1921) at Washington
3 — Bob Meusel (July 3, 1922) at Philadelphia
4 — Bob Meusel (July 26, 1928) at Detroit
5 — Tony Lazzeri (June 3, 1932) at Philadelphia
6 — Lou Gehrig (June 25, 1934) vs. Chicago
7 — Joe DiMaggio (July 9, 1937) vs. Washington
8 — Lou Gehrig (August 1, 1937) vs. St. Louis
9 — Buddy Rosar (July 19, 1940) vs. Cleveland
10 — Joe Gordon (September 8, 1940) at Boston
11 — Joe DiMaggio (May 20, 1948) at Chicago
12 — Mickey Mantle (July 23, 1957) vs. Chicago
13 — Bobby Murcer (August 29, 1972) vs. Texas
14 — Tony Fernandez (September 3, 1995) vs. Oakland
15 — Melky Cabrera ( August 2, 2009) at Chicago
— Jimmy Curran, “BY&L” – “Baseball, The Yankees, and Life”
Yanks “Sting” Rays 11-4
The New York Yankees started a nine-game road trip on the same winning track as their just completed successful 9-1 homestand with a 11-4 victory over the Rays in Tampa Bay.
The Bronx Bombers stung the Rays with 15 hits, including four homeruns, in route to a big win in the first game of this three-game series against the third place team in the AL East. The Rays are now seven and a half games behind the first place Yankees.
The “battle royal” in the AL East continues, as the Boston Red Sox won their game 8-3 over the Oakland A’s to stay two and a half games behind the Bombers in second place.
The Yankees took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second inning, on a single by Hideki Matsui; a RBI double by Jorge Posada; a RBI triple by Robinson Cano; and, a RBI by Nick Swisher on a fielder’s choice groundout to second base.
In the sixth inning the Yanks increased their lead to 5-0 on back-to-back homers by Cano (#15), and Swisher (#15).
This knocked Rays starting pitcher James Shields (L,6-7) out of the game after only 5.1 innings on the mound, in which he allowed nine hits that led to five Yankee runs.
In the meantime, Yankees starter A.J. Burnett was pitching a solid game throughout the first five innings.
The Rays scored their first run (which was unearned), on an infield double play in the sixth inning.
A.J. Burnett (10-4) finished his work for the night after tossing 114 pitches over seven innings, allowing the one unearned run, on only two hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. With this win, his 10th, Burnett is 6-1 with a 1.84 ERA since June 9th.
The Yankees scored two more runs in the eight inning that moved their lead to 7-1, on a two-RBI double by Alex Rodriguez, on a shot that just missed going out of the park when it hit the top of the leftfield wall. Today was A-Rod’s birthday, and if he homered it would have been his seventh homerun hit on the day of his birthday throughout his career.
Tampa Bay cut the lead to 7-3 with two runs in the bottom of the eight against reliever Jonathan Albaladejo who was not very effective [at all] in his two-thirds of an inning of work. I’m sure manager Joe Girardi had hoped Albaladejo would have pitched the final two innings to give the bullpen a full day of rest. But, Girardi was forced to bring in David Robertson, and even had Mariano Rivera starting to warm up.
Robertson retired the final batter, and the game entered the top of the ninth with the Yanks leading 7-3.
The Bronx Bombers were not finished scoring yet, as they added four insurance runs on the board in the 9th, on a solo homer by Nick Swisher (#16), his second homerun of the game, and the ninth time in his career that he hit a homerun from both sides of the plate in the same game; and, a three-run homer by Johnny Damon (#17), which was Damon’s 200th career homer.
The Rays scored a run in the bottom of the 9th on a Pat Burrell homer (#7), off Robertson, to cut the Yankees lead to 11-4. But, David Robertson closed out the inning without any further damage, and preserved the Yankees victory recording his first save of the year.
* Nick Swisher was (2-for-5) with two HR’s; two runs; three RBI’s.
* Robinson Cano was (2-for-3) with a homer; two runs; two RBI’s.
* Johnny Damon was (1-for-5) with a three-run homerun; two runs; three RBI’s.
* Derek Jeter was (3-for-5) with two runs; raising his batting average to .325
* Melky Cabrera had two hits, and scored one run.
* Mark Teixeira had two hits.
* Alex Rodriguez had two RBI’s.
* Jorge Posada had one run, and one RBI.
* Hideki Matsui scored one run.
The New York Yankees (61-38) have now won 10 of their last 11 games; and 23 of their last 29 games, and remain in first place in the AL East.
To view boxscore of this game, click on: Yanks 11, Rays 4
— Jimmy, “BY&L”
Three Home Runs Power Yanks To 7th Straight Win
Andy Pettitte threw 98 pitches over seven solid innings on the mound against the Seattle Mariners, allowing two runs, on six hits, one walk, and six strikeouts, in route to the Yankees seventh win in a row.
This victory brings Pettitte’s record to 8-3; and, the Yankees record to 45-32.
The Bronx Bombers remain in second place in the AL East, 2.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox, who won a very dramatic 6-5 extra innings game against the Baltimore Orioles yesterday, after being down 5-1 going into the 8th inning.
The Sox scored four runs in the 8th to tie the score; and, then, scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th, to take the 6-5 lead which was preserved by Boston’s closer, Jonathan Papelbon.
Andy Pettitte and the Yankees got all the support they needed in this game on three home runs, and solid performances from the bullpen.
Johnny Damon put the Yankees on the scoreboard first with a solo homerun, his 15th, in the third inning, off the Mariners starter Jarrod Washburn. Damon is certainly on pace to hit over 30 homers this season.
Seattle scored a run in the top of the 4th to tie the game 1-1.
Melky Cabrera moved the Yanks back into the lead with a towering solo blast over the left field foul pole in the bottom of the 5th off Washburn.
Melky’s 8th homer of the year had to be reviewed on videotape by the umpires; but, after a quick two minute look by the umps, the ball was ruled fair, and the homerun counted, adding another run on the board for the Yanks, giving them a 2-1 lead.
In the top of the 6th inning, after Pettitte retired the first two batters, Ken Griffey, Jr. hit a solo homer into the short right field porch, his 10th of the season and 621st of his career, to tie the game 2-2.
Then, in the bottom of the 6th, the Yankees took the lead once again, this time for good, when Mark Teixeira singled, and was driven home on a long two-run homer, over the centerfield wall, by Alex Rodriguez, his 13th of the year and 566th of his career.
This was the third homerun of the game given up by Jarrod Washburn (L, 4-6), as the Yankees completed the scoring in their 4-2 win.
The “Bridge to Mariano” was successfully built by Alfredo Aceves, who retired the lead off batter in the 8th, the only batter he faced; and, Phil Coke, who retired the final two batters of the inning.
Enter “Sandman”, the “great” Mariano Rivera, in the top of the 9th inning, who closed out this very “crisp”, 2 hour 17 minute, Yankees victory, recording his 20th save of the season, and 502nd of his “Hall of Fame” career.
The Yankees go for their 8th win in a row, tonight, in the final game of this three game series against the Seattle Mariners, with CC Sabathia (7-4, 3.55), taking the mound for the Yanks, pitching against the Mariners scheduled starter, Jason Vargas, (3-3, 3.79).
Go Yankees !!!
— Jimmy Curran, “BY&L”
Interleague Play Finally Over; Yanks Win 6th In-A-Row
Well, it has been awhile since my last post, and I am happy to be back at my mlblog as the 2009 Interleague Schedule of games has finally ended while the New York Yankees have a six game winning streak going, that has moved the Bronx Bombers to only 2.5 games behind the first place Boston Red Sox.
The Yanks were helped by Boston, as the Red Sox blew a 10-1 lead in yesterday’s game against the last place Baltimore Orioles, losing 11-10, in the biggest comeback in the Orioles history.
No further commentary on this loss by the Red Sox, as these type of games happen to all teams throughtout each season. But, the Division Race in the AL East continues to tighten, with the following Standings as of the morning of July 1, 2009 …
Red Sox 47-30 .610 —
Yankees 44-32 .579 2.5
Rays 44-35 .557 4.0
Blue Jays 41-38 .519 7.0
Orioles 35-42 .455 12.0
Since the Yankees 9-8 win over the New York Mets on June 12th, on the now infamous dropped pop-up by Luis Castillo, with the Mets leading 8-7, with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, the Yanks are 10-6 throughout the last 16 games, which includes …
* Winning two of the three games against the Mets at Yankee Stadium [June 12-13-14th], including a 15-0 shutout victory in the final game of that series.
* Losing two of three games vs. the Washington Nationals [June 16-17-18th], that included my first visit to the new Yankee Stadium for the second game of this series, a very tough 3-2 loss by the Yanks; and, also, meeting our #1 blogger here at mlblogs, Jane Heller of “Confessions of a She-Fan” , for her book signing at Stan’s Bar before the game. Meeting Jane, her husband Michael, and some of her family members was the highlight on my first trip to the new Stadium; and, I will always cherish my signed copy of Jane’s excellent book, which is a “great read” and a book that I highly recommend to be read by all — Yankee fans and other baseball fans, alike.
Then, the Yankees embarked on a “nine-game” road trip in three National League ballparks that would close-out the 2009 Interleague schedule …
* The trip did not start out well, as the Yankees lost two of the three games they played vs. the Florida Marlins on June 19-20-21st.
* After an off day on Monday June 22nd, the Yanks lost their third straight game on this trip, a 4-0 shutout at the hands of the Atlanta Braves. But, the Bombers recovered nicely, winning the next two games, 8-4, and 11-7, that made their trip back to New York to play the Mets at Citi Field [for the first time], a very nice plane ride indeed.
* The Yankees totally dominated the Mets in this three-game series, on June 26-27-28th, sweeping their cross-town rivals, 9-1, in the first game; 5-0, in the middle game; and, 4-2, in the final game, in which the “great” Mariano Rivera recorded his 500th career save. This sweep gave the Bronx Bombers a 5-1 winning record in the 2009 version of the “Subway Series”; and, also, a five-game winning streak as the Yanks headed back to the “Beautiful Bronx” to start a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners.
After a well-deserved off-day on Monday June 29th, the Yankees were ready to play the final game in the month of June on Tuesday, with Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 3.81) taking the mound for the Yanks, against the Mariners Brandon Morrow (0-3, 5.64).
As has been the case for most of the days this June, there was a late afternoon rain-storm that delayed the start of the game for about a hour. But, the rain finally ended; and, hopefully, will not continue at the same pace in the upcoming summer months.
Before the game started, Mariano Rivera was given the honor of throwing out the first pitch in recognition of his 500th career save.
Then the game began, jockeying back-and-forth with the Yankees taking an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second; Seattle cutting the lead to 2-1 in the third; the Yanks increasing their lead to 3-1 in the 4th; and, the Mariners tying the score 3-3 in the top of the 5th.
Joba Chamberlain’s work was finished after only 5.1 innings, in which he had an average outing, allowing three runs, on nine hits, three walks, and four strikeouts.
Phil Coke relieved Joba, and closed out the 6th inning without any further damage.
Phil Hughes then entered the game in the top of the 7th, and pitched a solid scoreless inning, retiring the side on only nine pitches, setting up Alex Rodriguez’s two-run homerun in the bottom of the 7th that moved the Yankees back into the lead, 5-3.
At this point, in the top of the 8th, Joe Girardi decided to replace Hughes with the “eight-inning”, “set-up man” of the moment, Brian Bruney, who has not been as effective as expected since his return from the disabled-list.
If Phil Hughes had a rough outing, throwing 30 or more piches in the 7th, Girardi’s decision would have been justified; but, Hughes threw only “nine” very effective pitches.
Surely, Phil Hughes had earned another inning on the mound in this game, as he had started a very solid and secure “Bridge to Mariano”, a bridge that Hughes should have been allowed to complete.
But, since it is now “in vogue” to over-manage, especially, over-using the bullpen, Manager Girardi decided to bring Bruney into the game to protect the Yankees 5-3 lead in the top of the 8th inning.
Bruney gave up three straight singles that reduced the Yankees lead to 5-4; then, after a sac bunt by Ronny Cedeno and an intentional walk to Ichiro, the Mariners tied the score 5-5 on a sac fly.
The “Bridge” had fallen.
With the Yankees five-game winning streak on the line, Hideki Matsui led off the bottom of the 8th with a double, and advanced to third on a bunt single by Nick Swisher.
Melky Cabrera was up next, and once again [this year] delivered a big clutch hit, stroking a go-ahead, RBI double, that scored Brett Gardner, who was pinch-running for Matsui, and advanced Swisher to third, giving the Yankees a 6-5 lead in the game.
The Mariners brought the infield in with Derek Jeter coming up to the plate, and the “captain” promptly blooped a two-RBI single into the outfield to increase the Yanks lead to 8-5.
Mariano Rivera preserved the Yankees 8-5 victory by pitching a scoreless 9th inning for his 19th save of the year, and career save number 501.
It was very appropriate that Mariano threw out the first in this game, and, also, threw the final pitch, in the Yankees sixth straight win.
The Yankees go for their seventh win-in-a-row, tonight, against the Mariners, at the new Stadium.
Now, only if the rain will stay away ?
It is July … So, that’s a good sign !!!
Enjoy the game !!!
Go Yankees !!!
— Jimmy Curran, “Baseball, The Yankees, and Life”
Nine Straight Wins And Counting For Yankees
The New York Yankees continued to roll on their drive towards first place in the AL East by winning their ninth straight game, a 7-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium, completing a three-game sweep of the O’s.
This sweep followed a four-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins over the past weekend, and victories in the final two games against the Blue Jays in Toronto before the Twins series, increasing the Yankees record to 24-17, placing the Bronx Bombers in a virtual three way tie for first with the Blue Jays (27-17), and Red Sox (25-16).
After a scary top of the first inning when Yankees starter Joba Chamberlain was knocked out of the game by a hard line drive off his right knee by Adam Jones, the Yankees exploded for four runs in the bottom of the first on a lead off double by Derek Jeter; a RBI double by Robinson Cano; a RBI double by Mark Teixeira; and, a two-out, two RBI double by Melky Cabrera that scored Tex and Nick Swisher, who walked, for the early 4-0 lead.
Robinson Cano (3-for-4) blasted a two-run homer in the second inning to give the Yanks a 6-0 lead; and, after the O’s scored a run in the top of the 5th, Hideki Matsui hit a homerun in the bottom of the 5th inning, that completed the scoring for the Yankees, and gave the Bombers a 7-1 lead at the time.
Thank God the X-rays of Joba Chamberlain’s knee were negative; and, Joba said, he was “100 percent confident” that he would make his next start against the Rangers in Texas on Tuesday.
Alfredo Aceves (3-0) replaced Joba, and pitched brilliantly over 3.1 innings of work to earn the victory in this game.
The Orioles scored two more runs in the top of the 6th, and another run in the 7th, all off Jonathan Albaladejo, who, to say the least, was not effective [at all] in his 2.1 innings out of the bullpen, as he allowed all four Oriole runs.
With the score now 7-4, Jose Veras built the bridge to Mariano Rivera who closed out the Yankees victory with a scoreless 9th inning, recording his ninth save of the year.
The Yankees open a big three-game series this Memorial Day Weekend against the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies, starting Friday night, May 22, 2009, with A.J. Burnett (2-1) on the mound for the Yanks against Brett Myers (3-2) for the Phillies.
Baseball, The Yankees, and Life... 