Game 21. Oh Happ-y day, Yanks Ford Tough in 4-2 win.

After a couple of really bad starts to the season, J.A. Happ finally came through, and along with a big night by Mike Ford, the Yanks (15-6) beat Boston 4-2 Sunday night.

With one out in the bottom of the first inning, Gio Urshela singled, then a single by Mike Tauchman, and a two-out single by Ford made it 1-0, Yankees.

In the second, Brett Gardner walked, and with two out, Aaron Hicks doubled to make it 2-0, Yankees.

In the top of the third, a solo HR by Boston cut it to 2-1, Yankees.

The Yanks got it to 4-1 in the bottom of the third on a 2-run HR (2) by Ford.

The Yanks gave up a run in the ninth, held on to win, 4-2. They are 9-0 at home this year and 5-0 vs. Boston.

Tauchman, 2 hits.
Torres 2 hits
Ford 2 hits, 3 RBI, a 2-run HR (2)

Happ (W, 1-1, 6.39) 5 2/3  IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 W, 3 K.  Gave up 1 HR.
Ottavino (H, 2) 2/3  IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.   1.08
Green (H, 5) 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K. 0.71
Britton (S, 8) 1 IP, 1R, 0 ER, 1 H, 0 W, 3 K.    1.08

Chapman should be back tomorrow.

D.J. to IL. Andujar back up.

Virus forces cancellation of games.

From MLB.com:

Major League Baseball announced that two games scheduled to be played Monday night are postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.

Monday’s games between the Marlins and the Orioles at Marlins Park and the Phillies and the Yankees at Citizens Bank Park have been postponed while MLB conducts additional COVID-19 testing.

“Tonight’s scheduled games between the Miami Marlins and the Baltimore Orioles at Marlins Park and the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees at Citizens Bank Park have been postponed while Major League Baseball conducts additional COVID-19 testing,” the league said in a statement. “The members of the Marlins’ traveling party are self-quarantining in place while awaiting the outcome of those results. Major League Baseball has been coordinating with the Major League Baseball Players Association; the Marlins; the Orioles; the Marlins’ weekend opponent, the Phillies; and Club medical staffs, and will continue to provide updates as appropriate.”

The Phillies-Yankees postponement is out of an abundance of caution, given the Marlins completed a series in Philadelphia over the weekend. The Yankees would have occupied the same clubhouse as the Marlins at the Phillies’ facility.

MLB has been coordinating with the Major League Baseball Players Association, the Marlins, the Orioles, the Phillies and club medical staffs and plan to provide updates when appropriate.

“The health of our players and staff has been and will continue to be our primary focus as we navigate through these unchartered waters,” Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said in a statement. “After a successful Spring 2.0, we have now experienced challenges once we went on the road and left Miami. Postponing tonight’s home opener was the correct decision to ensure we take a collective pause and try to properly grasp the totality of this situation. We have conducted another round of testing for our players and staff, and our team will all remain in Philadelphia pending the results of those tests, which we expect later today. We will provide additional information as soon as it becomes available.”

The 60-game season began on Thursday with two games, with the balance of opening games taking place Friday. After taking two of three at Philly, the Marlins were to return home Monday to host a two-game set with the Orioles before playing two at Baltimore, then three this weekend back home vs. the Nationals.

The Yankees traveled to Philadelphia after completing a series win over the Nationals in Washington D.C. They were scheduled to play two games with the Phillies before returning to Yankee Stadium for a five-game homestand, beginning with two with Philadelphia.

With time on hands, the Yankees should consider additions to Monument Park.

With no ball games being played because of the virus, the Yanks have time to consider a few things.

One thing is maybe adding three more plaques to Monument Park. Not retire the numbers, but add plaques. After all, for these three individuals, the numbers have already been retired for someone else.

First, Bobby Murcer. Murcer briefly wore the numbers 17 and 27 with the Yankees but is most known for wearing the numbers 1 (retired for Billy Martin) and 2 (retired for Derek Jeter). A Yankee briefly in 1965 and 1966, Murcer then spent two years in military service before becoming a full-time regular from 1969-1974. He was a 5x All-Star, 4x with the Yankees. In 1971 he hit .331, had 25 HR and 94 RBI. He led all of MLB in OBP, and the AL in OPS and OPS+. He finished 7th in MVP voting that year.

In 1972, he hit 33 HR, led the AL in runs scored and total bases, and had 96 RBI. Had not some seven games been lost to a strike, he may have topped 100 RBI. He never did it in his career. Murcer, according to baseball-reference.com, was the Yanks’ best player in 1972 according to WAR (Wins above replacement). He finished 5th in MVP voting in 1972.

His career OPS+ was a very solid 124. From 1969-1974 he averaged .285-23-89, OPS+ 136, and that’s even with that 1974 year at Shea that hurt his power.

Murcer finished 9th in MVP voting in 1973 and 21st in 1974 then was traded to the San Francisco Giants for Bobby Bonds. He returned to the Yankees from 1979-1983 and after retirement spent many years as beloved a Yankee broadcaster as he was a player.

Second, Roy White.  White wore 48 and 21 for the Yankees but mostly wore #6 (retired for Joe Torre). He was with the Yankees from 1965-1979, got 2 WS rings and was a 2x All-Star. He was, according to baseball-reference, the Yankees’ best player in 1970 and 1971. He led MLB in games played in 1970 and 1973 (all 162), the AL in plate appearances in 1973 and 1976,  the AL in at bats in 1973, the AL in runs scored in 1976, the AL in walks in 1972, and the AL in sac flies in 1969 and all of MLB in sac flies in 1971. He had a solid 121 OPS+ in his career. When he and Murcer played, it was more a pitcher’s era (hence the DH starting up in 1973) and of course, the alleys and CF at the old Yankee Stadium were huge. White got MVP consideration 4x.

Lastly, Graig Nettles. Second to A-Rod among Yankees’ 3B (some may put him first), the #9 he wore as a Yankee is retired for Roger Maris. Nettles, according to baseball-reference, was the Yanks’ best player in 1976 (Thurman Munson’s MVP year) and 1977 (despite Lyle, Munson, Reggie, Guidry all on that team). He led the AL in SF in 1975 and in HR in 1976, becoming the first Yankee since Roger Maris in 1961 to lead the league in HR. He finished 5th in MVP voting in 1977 and 6th in 1978, won the Gold Glove in both of those seasons, and who can forget his defensive show in Game 3 of the 1978 WS? He was a 6x All-Star (5 with the Yankees), and in his 11 years with the Yankees had a 114 OPS+. He won the ALCS MVP in 1981. He didn’t hit much for average, but his power and defense were key to 2 WS titles, 4 AL pennants and 5 division titles.

Plaques are in Monument Park for Paul O’Neill (#21 still in circulation, although no one wears it), Tino Martinez (#24), Willie Randolph and Mel Stottlemyre (both #30) for example. Numbers not retired, but plaques.

It’s time the Yankees consider three more plaques.

Ex-manager Bobby Winkles (Angels, A’s) passes away at age 90.

Bobby Winkles, who built Arizona State into a powerhouse baseball team in the 1960s and then managed in the majors, died at the age of 90.

Winkles managed the Angels in 1973 and 1974, and the A’s in 1977 and 1978. The only full season was the 1973 Angels.

His record was 170-213, a .444 winning pct., which over 162 games would be 72-90.

Ex-Reliever Ed Farmer dies at 70

Ed Farmer, a reliever who was an All-Star for the 1980 White Sox, died at the age of 70. He broadcast for the White Sox after his playing days were over.

Farmer played for the Indians (1971-1973), Tigers (1973), Phillies (1974), Orioles (1977), Brewers (1978), Rangers (1979), White Sox (1979-1981), Phillies again (1982-1983) and A’s 1983.

He saved 30 games for the 1980 White Sox.

He was 30-43 in his career, 75 saves, ERA 4.30, ERA+ 90. His 162 game average was 5-7.

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Not much happening with the Yankees what with the shutdown due to the coronavirus. Tanaka went back to Japan.

Sorry, but nothing to write about…

I am not going to write while there is nothing to write about.

A second minor leaguer for the Yankees has come down with the coronavirus.

Opening Day could now be mid-May—or later. So much for the May 9 Yanks/Red Sox game I was going to attend.

We sit, and wait…. and until there is some news, there is nothing to write about.

Take care and be safe, all!

Looking like Opening Day won’t be until mid-May at earliest.

The latest word from MLB is that we may be looking at mid-May as the earliest date for Opening Day.

Yankees heading home after learning MLB’s new rules

From the NY Post:

MLB issued guidelines Sunday telling clubs to cease any organized informal workouts, further closing down camp activity and, thus, making it more and more obvious that regular-season games will not be played before May — if then.

 

With this directive, it’ll be hard to keep teams together, and some (most?) Yankees will now be leaving the facility and heading home.

 

 

S.T. Game 21. Yanks win, but rest of S.T. cancelled, Reg. Season Opener delayed.

First the game, then the other MAJOR ramifications.

The Yanks (11-8-2) did beat Washington today, 6-3, to go to 11-8-2 on the spring training schedule.

BUT…. there it will stay for now.

Because of the coronavirus epidemic, the rest of spring training has been cancelled and the regular season has been pushed back two weeks—-AT LEAST. Could be more.

Everything is off right now. The NBA, NHL, XFL… all suspended or cancelled. March Madness for the guys and gals is cancelled.

Schools cancelled. Colleges doing online courses only.

Golf first said that it would go on with no spectators—after all, if there is only two golfers per hole with their caddies, no problem and no one in the next 450 yards, right? But now it looks like that is out, too.

So….nothing.

If you want to look on the bright side of life (cue Monty Python) this actually may help the Yanks regarding injuries/illness like Judge, Sanchez, Stanton and Paxton. But you don’t really want this as the way to help yourselves.

The Yanks did win, 6-3. Tyler Wade had two hits, inc. a 2-run HR. Good. He was struggling.

Diego Castillo had 2 hits.

Loaisiga 3 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 1 W, 3 K. Gave up HR.  2.70
Tropeano (W, 1-1) 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 W, 1 K.  5.19
Hale (H, 1) 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 1 K.  6.14. Good job, but enough?
Abreu 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, 0 W, 0 K.  5.40

So, there won’t be many updates for a while, not until this virus clears up.

Good news: Aaron Judge feels better.

 

 

Ex-Giants ace Antonelli dies at 89.

A recent notable passing: Johnny Antonelli, LHP, on Feb. 28, age 89.

Antonelli pitched for the Boston Braves (1948-1950). He only got into four games, all in relief, for the 1948 pennant winning Braves and didn’t appear in the WS.

He then spent two full years (1951 and 1952) in the service during the Korean War.

He then came back to the Braves, now in Milwaukee, for 1953. From 1954-1960 he was with the NY, then SF Giants. He ended his career in 1961 pitching for the Cleveland Indians and finished his career back with the Braves.

He is most notable for being the ace of the 1954 WS Champion NY Giants, for whom he went 21-7 with a major league leading 2.30 ERA. He led the NL in winning percentage that year. He also led the majors with six shutouts and an ERA+ of 178. He was an All-Star that year and finished 3rd in MVP voting (won by his teammate, Willie Mays).

He pitched in two WS games that year, starting one, and was 1-0 with an ERA of 0.84. He gave up 1 run in 10 2/3 IP, striking out 12.

He was an All-Star in five different seasons, and besides his 21 win season in 1954, he won 20 in 1956 and 19 in 1959. He finished 14th in MVP voting in 1956. He led the league in shutouts (4) in 1959.

He was 126-110 in his MLB career, ERA 3.34, ERA+ 116. His 162 game average was 13-12, 3.34.

As a hitter, maybe helped by the short dimensions down the lines at the old Polo Grounds, he wasn’t bad, hitting .178 with 15 career HR.

He was only 18 when he made his MLB debut and only 31 when he pitched in the majors for the final time.