Game 44. Pronk saves Yanks in 9th, they win in 10, 6-4.

The Yanks gave CC leads, but he couldn’t hold them. In the end, Travis Hafner tied the game in the 9th and gave the Yanks an insurance run in the 10th as the Yanks improved to 28-16 with a 6-4, 10-inning win over Baltimore.

Mo got the save as the greatest farewell tour ever continues. 17 for 17 in saves, and just 44 games into the season. Save #625 of his career lowers his ERA under 1.50. All this at age 43. More on Mo in a bit.

Cano hit his league-leading 13th HR in the 1st to put the Yanks up 1-0. David Adams’ first MLB HR made it 2-0 in the second.

The record for HR by a second baseman in a season is 42. Rogers Hornsby and Davey Johnson (Johnson had 43 for the 1973 Braves, but one was as a PH). It looks like Cano could break that record this year.

But CC could not hold leads tonight.

Up 2-0 in the second, CC coughed up a HR. 2-1.

A double and single tied the game for the O’s in the fifth. An overzealous fan may have cost the O’s the game. I’m all for kicking fans out of the ballpark that interfere with the action. Hey, you want a ball, fork over $11 or so at a sporting goods store. Instead, this fan’s interference on a double held the runner at third, and may have cost the Orioles the game. Keep your hands to yourself and don’t interfere on fair balls, will ya? Anyway, it worked out great for the Yanks. Runner held at third due to the ground-rule double. We will see how big that turned out.

In the 7th, Overbay’s HR (7) made it 3-2. But CC couldn’t hold that either, as he left pitches up. Not to be critical, but if you are getting $23MM or so a year to be the ace, you have to hold leads. Instead, CC coughed it up, giving two right back. Really, CC has been decent this year, but NOT the ace. That has been Kuroda.

CC 6 1/3, 4 R, 11 H, 0 walks, 2 K. Not dominant. ERA to 3.43.

To the 9th, and the Yanks were losing 4-3. Hafner, who earlier in the game was out in front just a hair too early in missing a 3-run HR, went the other way and tied the game up with HR #8.

Meanwhile, the Yanks bullpen shut things down after CC left. Shawn Kelley 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 walk and all 3 outs via the K. ERA to 5.40.

Robertson (W 3-0, 2.95) the 9th. 0 R, 1 H, 0 walks and 2 K.

In the 10th, doubles by Ichiro and Wells put the Yanks up 5-4 and a single by Hafner was insurance.

Enter Sandman. Mo’s 17th save (out of 17) iced it. At 43, he is 17 for 17 in saves, #625 of his career is a 1-2-3 inning. ERA to 1.47.

Tell me again why he is retiring? For he is going out on top of his game.

 

Game 36. Today’s lineup.

The Yanks are in first place by themselves entering today’s ballgame in KC. They are 22-13 and 1 game up. They are three games better than their Pythagorean record. OPS+ 102, ERA+ 112 (100 is average).

BA/HR/RBI  SB/Total attempts  OPS+  Comments  Team leader.

Gardner CF .259-3-14  5/8  99
Cano 2B .306-9-21  2/2  144
Wells LF .281-8-18  3/4  123
Hafner DH .270-6-18  1/1  149
Suzuki RF .272-2-8  5/6  89
Nix SS .253-1-6  1/1  77
Overbay 1B .263-6-20  0/0  113
Nelson 3B .200-0-2 0/0 39 as Yankee; Overall .231-0-6  0/0  50 (CO/NYY)
Stewart C .232-2-5  2/2  67

Kuroda RHP 4-2, 2.30 ERA+ 179

Yanks DL Nunez, bring up Alberto Gonzalez, move Teix to 60-day DL, meaning we won’t see him until June.

UPDATE: I almost forgot. Happy 88th to #8, the one and only Yogi Berra!

Movie Review.

Saw 42 tonight. I’d give it 3 1/2 to 4 stars out of 5. Harrison Ford was good as Branch Rickey, and the guy playing Robinson was very good. The recreations of old parks like Ebbets Field, Forbes Field, the Polo Grounds and Crosley Field was good. For the most part, it was historically accurate. A few quibbles:

1) In watching the film, you would think that Robinson was the only black in the bigs in 1947. Wrong. He was the first of, I believe, five. He had the full year. Larry Doby, the first black in the AL (and a HOF), came up 7/5/47 (Robinson’s debut 4/15/47) and played in 29 games. Dan Bankhead pitched in 4 games for the Dodgers in 1947, being Robinson’s teammate. Hank Thompson spent 27 games with the Browns (and later made his mark with the NY Giants). The fifth was Willard Brown for the Browns, who got into only 21 games with the Browns that year of 1947.

Personally, I think that Doby is sadly overlooked.

2) The scene in which Reese put his arm over Robinson’s shoulder. The rest of the conversation was overplayed and probably didn’t happen.

3) Durocher did have an affair with, and later marry, actress Larraine Day, and the CYO did object, but his 1947 suspension from baseball didn’t come from that but from associating with gamblers.

Gm 12. Robbie’s blast carries Yanks, 4-2.

Robbie Cano’s 3-run HR in the 4th carried the Yanks to a 4-2 win tonight. It was Robbie’s 4th HR of the year.

Ivan Nova struggled, and although he got the win, he struggled. He went the minimum five, 2 R, 7 H, 2 walks and 6 K. He threw 94 pitches in the 5 IP.

Boone Logan went 1 1/3, Joba 2/3, David Robertson 1. All scoreless.

Mo came in and got save #611 of his career, #3 for the year.

Pat Summerall, former NFL player and great broadcaster, died today at the age of 82. Summerall was himself an alcoholic, as Mantle was (the two were good friends). Despite going sober in 1992, Summerall still needed a liver transplant in 2004.

Bullet Bob Turley dies at 82.

Bullet Bob Turley, who was the first Yankee to win the CYA and who was a star of their 1958 WS Championship team, died yesterday at the age of 82.

Turley began his career in 1951 with the St. Louis Browns, going 0-1 in one game. He returned to the majors with the Browns in 1953, going 2-6. After a 14-15, 3.46 1954 season with the Orioles (the Browns moved to Baltimore after 1953) in which he led the majors in K and BB, was an All-Star and finished 23rd in MVP voting, he was traded to the Yankees in a 17-player deal.

Turley went 17-13, 3.06 for the 1955 Yankees. He was an All-Star, but led the AL in walks again. He went 0-1, 8.44 in the WS.

In 1956, Turley was 8-4, 5.05. He did pitch a great game in losing Game 6 of the WS. In 11 IP in the series, he only gave up 1 run.

He bounced back in 1957, going 13-6, 2.71. In the WS, he was 1-0, 2.31.

1958 was Turley’s year. He won the CYA (awarded at that time to only ONE pitcher—the best in baseball) by going 21-7, leading the AL in wins and CG, and the majors in winning pct. and … walks. Not only did he win the CYA, but he drew seven first-place votes in finishing as the runner-up to Jackie Jensen for the AL MVP award (Mantle got no first-place votes as he finished 5th). He was named an All-Star for the third and final time.

Turley went 2-1, 2.76 in the WS with a save. The Yanks, down 3 games to 1, came back to win the last three games of the Series behind Turley. He threw a CG shutout in Game 5, saved Game 6 by getting the last out and came out of the bullpen to win Game 7 with  6 2/3 innings of relief. He was named the 1958 WS MVP.

Turley wasn’t the same after that, going 26-33, 4.19 from 1959 through his final year of 1963. He dropped to 8-11, 4.32 in 1959 and was 9-3, 3.27 in 1960. He was 1-0, 4.82 in the 1960 WS.

In 15 postseason appearances, eight starts, Turley was 4-3, 3.19. He was a member of four Yankees WS Championship teams (1956, 1958, 1961 and 1962).

After going 3-5, 5.75 for the Yanks in 1961, he went 3-3, 4.57 for the Yanks in 1962. He wound up his career going 3-11, 4.20 combined for the Angels and Red Sox in 1963. 2-7, 3.30 for the Angels and 1-4, 6.10 for Boston.

His last game was just two days after he turned 33.

He wound up his career 101-85 with an ERA of 3.64 (ERA+ 101; 100 is average). His 162 g. average was 39 g., 29 starts, 13-11, 3.64.

As a hitter, Turley hit .126, with 4 HR and 32 RBI. His OPS+ was (-4).

Turley was known for picking up opposing pitcher’s pitches. Many times, he could tell whether the pitch would be a fastball or breaking ball and would whistle to let hitters like Mickey Mantle know what was coming.

Turley wore #19 with the Yanks.

The Yanks beat Army at West Point Saturday, 10-5. Brennan Boesch and Melky Mesa HR’d. They have off today (Easter Sunday) and will open the season at home vs. Boston tomorrow with CC on the mound.

Gus Triandos dies at 82

Gus Triandos, who was a 3x All-Star C with the Orioles in the 1950s, has died at the age of 82. Triandos played for the Yankees, Orioles, Tigers, Phillies and Astros from 1953-1965.

Triandos got in only 20 games for the Yankees in 1953-1954, going 8 for 52. He was included in one of the biggest trades of all time (some 17 players) in November 1954.

He made his mark with the Orioles, getting MVP consideration (meaning at least a 10th place vote) in 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1959 with a high finish of 11th in 1958. He was an All-Star in 1957, 1958 and 1959.

He hit .279-21-88 in 1956 and .245-30-79 in 1958.

For his career, he was a .244 hitter with 167 HR and an OPS+ of 103 (100 is average).

He was a platoon C for the 1964 Phils, hitting .250-8-33. It was the closest he came to the postseason, other than playing just 18 games for the 1953 Yankees. He never played in a postseason game.

Virgil Trucks dies at 95.

Virgil Trucks died at the age of 95. Trucks ended his career with the Yanks (1958) and was the oldest ex-Yankee at the time of his passing.

Trucks was famous for being a Tiger, and for throwing 2 no-hitters in 1952 despite finishing that season 5-19.

Trucks pitched from 1941-1958 for the Tigers (1941-1952, missing 1944 and most of 1945 due to WWII), Browns 1953, White Sox 1953-1955, Tigers II 1956, KC A’s 1957-1958 and finished his career with the Yanks. He was 177-135 with a 3.39 ERA (ERA+ 117).

In 1945, he got out of the service in time to start one game at the end of the season, giving up just 1 run in 5 1/3. Nevertheless, he was in the rotation for the Tigers for the 1945 WS, and started two games, going 1-0, 3.38.

He hit .180 with 2 HR and 70 RBI in his career, OPS+ 8.

He was a 20-g. winner in 1953, combined Browns/White Sox and finished 5th in the MVP voting. In two other seasons he won 19 games. He was a 2x All-Star.

S.T. Gm 20. Jays trounce Yanks, 17-5

Jose Ramirez has had a good spring training, but it is worth remembering that he will be starting this year at AA, not AAA.

Today he showed why.

Ramirez only got one man out today. He gave up 2 H, 4 walks and all the runners scored. 1/3 IP, 6 R, 2 H, 4 walks.

Adam Warren relieved Ramirez and was just as bad, reminding us why he’ll start out at AAA (while also reminding us of his one, terrrible, MLB appearance in 2012). 1 1/3 IP, 8 R, 4 H, 5 walks, 2 K.

After just two innings today, the Yanks were down 15-1, on their way to a 17-5 loss.

Branden Pinder gave up 2 R in 1 1/3. 16-1 after 3.

Preston Claiborne gave up 1 R in 2 IP. Josh Spence no runs in 2. Graham Stoneburner 0 R in 1 IP.

Kevin Youkilis had two hits, a triple and a solo HR. Jose Pirela had 2 H and an RBI.

Derrek Lee, meanwhile, said no to the Yanks as far as coming out of retirement.

 

Moves and maybe moves

The Yanks sent some players down today.

Heading to AAA: Austin Romine (seems to guarantee Cervelli starter and Stewart backup, but Bobby Wilson is still in camp), Francisco Rondon, Brett Marshall and Dellin Betances.

Heading to AA: Jose Ramirez (who had a GREAT spring), Manny Banuelos (out for the year with TJ surgery), Nik Turley and Ramon Flores.

Reassigned: Chase Whitley, J.R. Murphy and Luke Murton. Murphy had a decent spring, going 4 for 11.

The Yanks signed Ben Francisco to a minor league deal. Francisco hit .240-4-15, OPS+ 83 for three teams (Tor/Hou/TB) in 2012. He is a .257 career hitter, OPS+ 101. He mostly plays LF/RF but has played a little in CF too. The righty hitter has a 162 g. average of .257-15-56. He went 2 for 19 in the postseason for the Phillies, 2009-2011, with 1 HR and 3 RBI. He is 31.

The Yanks are apparently trying to lure Derrek Lee out of retirement. Lee didn’t play in 2012. In 2011 he hit .267-19-59, OPS+ 109 for Balt/Pit. He’s 37, and has a career line of .281-28-90, OPS+ 122 for 162 games. He has 331 career HR.

 

 

 

Desperate Damon calls on Yanks

Johnny Damon is sitting on 2769 hits, 231 away from 3000. He’s also out of a job right now.

Damon, 39, stated that if the Yanks are interested, he’d fill in while Granderson is out, and at the minimum salary, too.

The Yanks aren’t interested, nor should they be. His defensive skills have diminished, his throwing arm wasn’t that good to begin with, he doesn’t add any youth to a team that already is being thought of as too old, and he’s coming off a bad year.

Last year, Damon hit just .222-4-19, OPS+ 73 in 64 games with Cleveland before being released. He did go 4 for 4 in SB.

After leaving the Yanks after 2009, Damon had a couple decent years for the Tigers in 2010 (OPS+ 105) and Tampa Bay in 2011 (OPS+ 109) but last year was a warning sign.

Maybe someone will pick him up (and there’s other big names, like Jim Thome, out there too). I cannot conceivably see Damon getting the 231 hits he needs for 3000, and a possible HOF induction. I don’t blame the career .284 hitter (with 235 HR and 408 SB, OPS+ 104) for asking around.

But the Yanks should just say no.