CC Sabathia signed his deal, and announced that 2019 will be his final year. He turns 39 next July. He needs 4 wins for 250 and 14 strikeouts for 3000.
Gary Sanchez will undergo surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder. It’s expected to set him back 3 months, but he should be ready for Opening Day.
The Dodgers went up 3 games to 2 over Milwaukee and are one game away from returning to the WS with a 5-2 win yesterday in Game 5 on the NLCS. Clayton Kershaw, who has had postseason trouble in the past, pitched like the ace he usually is.
Boston took a 3 games to 1 lead over defending WS champ Houston in the ALCS, beating them 8-6 Wednesday night. Jackie Bradley, who hit a grand slam in Game 3, hit a 2-run HR in Game 4. Closer Craig Kimbrel has been shaky this postseason, but with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the ninth, LF Andrew Benintendi made a diving catch to save the game for Boston. If the ball drops and gets past him, Houston at least ties, and probably wins, the game. Also, fans interfered earlier with a ball that went for an out instead of a HR, and that too, cost Houston. Was the call correct? Who knows, but there is a good article by Joel Sherman in the NY Post today criticizing MLB for continuing to use overweight, 66-yr. old umpires as the OF umps down the line.
Didi Gregorius of the Yankees had successful Tommy John surgery on his right (throwing) elbow. Once again, he’s expected to miss at least half of the 2019 season.
Meanwhile, one possible replacement for Didi, Manny Machado, isn’t helping his free agent cause. As talented as Machado is, his lack of hustle and sometimes dirty play is turning a lot of people off.
In an interview on the Michael Kay show, Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman states that teams have inquired about Gary Sanchez, but that Sanchez is unavailable, even after his disappointing 2018 season.
Posted in Media, Mike's Musings, Postseason, Scandal, The Front Office
Tagged Benintendi, Bradley, Cashman, Gregorius, Kershaw, Kimbrel, Machado, Sanchez
Turn the page.
Gary Sanchez had a poor regular season. His .186 batting average was the lowest ever for any Yankee with 300 or more plate appearances.
But he did hit 18 HR. He hit 33 last season. He hit 20 in just 53 games in 2016. You knew the power was there, and that at any time he could put up a two homer, 4 RBI game.
That is the Sanchez we hoped would return, and in time for the playoffs. Make up for a bad regular season with a great postseason.
It is the Sanchez we got last night. Sanchez hit two homers and drove in 4 runs as the Yanks won 6-2 to even the series up. Game 3 is in the Bronx Monday night.
David Price started for Boston, and he has had a couple of problems lately. #1, he has trouble against the Yankees. #2, he has trouble in the postseason (0-9 record in 10 starts). #3 Gary Sanchez owns him. Not a good combination.
So Aaron Judge, the second batter of the game, hit a 445-ft. HR to give the Yanks a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Judge has homered in all three postseason games so far.
Sanchez came up in the bottom of the second and continued his mastery of Price by hitting a HR to make it 2-0 Yanks. With two out, Price proceeded to walk Gleyber Torres and Brett Gardner. Gardner was starting in CF for Aaron Hicks, who has a tight hamstring. Hicks was available for pinch-hitting duty and the hammy won’t keep him out for the rest of the series (if it did, he wouldn’t be available again until the World Series–no ALCS).
Andrew McCutchen then singled off of the green monster to make it 3-0 Yanks and give Price an early shower.
Meanwhile, Masahiro Tanaka was on, and was his postseason bulldog self. (He is now 3-2, 1.50 in five postseason starts). He gave up a HR in the bottom of the fourth, but it was a solo one, and went five innings giving up just that one run.
In the seventh, the Yanks broke the game open. Judge singled and Voit walked. Stanton, who is struggling—so much so that lots of people are comparing him to A-Rod and A-Rod’s postseason struggles—hit a topper that at first it appeared as if Nunez’ throw hoping for a force pulled the fielder off the bag. But Boston reviewed and the call was overturned. Forceout. Hmm. The fielder must have kept his big toenail on the bag because it didn’t look that way. Nunez’ throwing was shaky all night long. He almost made 3 errors instead of the one he did make. But then again, when he was a Yankee, he had the nickname of Nun-E.
Hopefully Stanton comes around. Aim for RF in the Bronx, Giancarlo. You are strong enough to hit it out anywhere, especially there. Stay back. No need to pull everything.
So it was first and third, one out, and here is where Sanchez hit his second HR of the game, a 479-ft. bomb that left everything and went out on the street. 6-1 Yanks.
Dellin Betances gave up a run in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-2, but that was it. Yankees’ pitchers limited Boston to 2 runs and 5 hits. Good job.
I am a bit concerned yet about the Yanks’ hitting w/RISP. 2 for 10 last night (the Yanks had 8 hits and drew 7 walks, so they could have scored more runs than 6). Hopefully that picks up.
Judge 2 hits, solo HR.
Voit 0 for 2 but drew 3 walks.
Sanchez 2 HR, 4 RBI
Gardner 0 for 2 but drew 2 walks.
Tanaka (WIN) 5 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 W, 4 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Betances (H) 2 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 0 W, 1 K.
Britton 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K.
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 1 K.
In the other ALDS series, Houston beat Cleveland 12-1 behind Gerrit Cole’s 7 innings and 12 K. Houston is up 2 games to 0.
The NL was off. Milwaukee is up 2-0 on Colorado and the Dodgers are up 2-0 on the Braves.
In the NL wild card game last night, Colorado eliminated the Cubs in the wee hours of the morning, 2-1 in 13 innings. The Rockies advance to face the Brewers.
The Yanks and A’s meet tonight in the AL wild card game. (8 PM, TBS). Luis Severino will start for the Yanks. Here is hoping he is dominant, but the Yanks also could say throw as hard as you can for as long as you can, even if it is only three or four innings and then turn it over to the bullpen.
Here is also hoping no passed balls from Sanchez, and that his .186 bat wakes up and he hits a homer or two.
The roster could change after the game. But for this game, besides the starters, C Sanchez, 1B Voit, 2B Torres, SS Didi, 3B Andujar, OF of McCutchen, Hicks and Judge and DH Stanton, the backups are OF Gardner, C Romine, C Higashioka, INF Walker, INF Hechevarria, INF/OF/PR Wade.
Backing up Severino are Happ, Lynn, Tanaka, Green, Chapman, Betances, Robertson, Britton and Holder. Should the Yanks advance, expect CC to replace Wade. As for Higashioka next round or Bird (or another pitcher) that’s up in the air.
The A’s are going with 11 pitchers, 10 of them relievers, and one guy for extra-innings protection. So the Yanks could be facing a new pitcher every inning or every other inning. Strange scenario but it is what it is. Hopefully, for the Yanks’ sake, too many cooks spoil the soup and eventually the A’s put a pitcher out there who doesn’t have it. Eventually, if you use too many pitchers, you may find the rotten egg.
In a one and done scenario, you never know who might wind up being the hero… or goat.
The Twins fired manager Paul Molitor. So Texas, the Angels, the Twins, the Blue Jays, probably the Orioles, others? looking for new managers. Surprisingly, Joe Girardi isn’t rumored for any of these open positions.
Posted in Managers and Coaches, Mike's Musings, Players, Postseason
The Yanks lost the season finale, 10-2, to finish the season at 100-62, 2nd in the AL East, 8 behind Boston. They now prepare for the sudden death wild card game at the Stadium on Wednesday night vs. the 97 win A’s.
Not a good day for a tweener, Cessa, or two rookies in Loaisiga and Sheffield.
Luke Voit got two of the Yanks’ four hits, and his 2-run HR (15, 14 as a Yankee) accounted for both of the Yankees’ runs. So the record is 267 HR in a season by one team, the 2018 Yankees.
The Yanks made 3 errors in this game.
Miguel Andujar got his 47th double of the season tying Fred Lynn’s record for most by an AL rookie.
Gary Sanchez finished at .186, the lowest batting average in Yankees’ history for someone with, say, 300 plate appearances. 1970 Jerry Kenney was the previous low.
Cessa (L, 1-4, 5.24) 1/3 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 0 W, 0 K.
Robertson 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 3.23
Loaisiga 2 IP, 3 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 0 W, 2 K. gave up 1 HR. 5.11
Sheffield 1 1P, 3 R, 2 H, 2 W, 0 K. Gave up 1 HR. 10.13
Tarpley 1 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 W, 4 K. 3.00
Cole 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 W, 2 K. 6.14 (Wash/NYY)
Adams 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. 7.04
Posted in Awards, Ex-Players, Mike's Musings, Players, Postseason, Regular Season
Tagged Adams, Andujar, Cessa, Cole, Kenney, Loaisiga, Lynn, Robertson, Sanchez, Sheffield, Tarpley, Voit
The Yankees (99-61) beat Boston 11-6 Friday night to ensure that they will play the wild card game against Oakland next Wednesday night in the Bronx.
They denied Boston a 110 win season, and there are only (I think) five teams in MLB history who have accomplished that. One being the 1927 Yankees, another the 1998 Yankees.
The Yanks hit 4 HR in the game and by doing that, have 264 on the season, tying the 1997 Seattle Mariners for the most in one season by a team. They have two games left to hit one HR to break the record.
Gary Sanchez started the scoring in the the top of the third with his 18th HR of the season. With two out, Aaron Judge walked, and singles by Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton made it 2-0 Yanks.
The Yanks got six in the fourth inning. With one out, Miguel Andujar doubled. Gary Sanchez walked and Gleyber Torres doubled in two runs to make it 4-0. Andrew McCutchen singled in Torres to make it 5-0. After Aaron Judge singled, Hicks hit a 3-run HR (27) to make it 8-0.
In the sixth, manager Aaron Boone made a mistake. With two out and men on second and third, Yankees’ starter J.A. Happ walked Xander Bogaerts to load the bases. Up came Steve Pearce, who has killed the Yanks this year.
Not only that, but Pearce had 5 career HR off of Happ.
Make that six. Grand slam. 8-4 Yanks. Boone never should have let Happ pitch to Pearce there.
The Yanks came right back with two in the seventh. With two out, Luke Voit homered (14, and his 13th as a Yankee) to make it 9-4. Didi Gregorius, playing for the first time since injuring his wrist, singled. Andujar walked and Sanchez reached on an error, Didi scoring. 10-4.
Didi looked good tonight in his first game back from the injury. Very encouraging. That cortisone shot to help him recover from torn cartillage in his right wrist seems to be helping.
In the top of the eighth, Aaron Judge homered (27). It was his first HR since coming off the DL from the broken wrist, and that HR not only made it 11-4, but also was #264 of the season, enabling the Yanks to tie the 1997 Seattle Mariners for the all-time single season record.
Of course, there was no DH before 1973, so the 1961 Yankees, who hit 240, didn’t have that luxury (also, Death Valley at the old Stadium killed a lot of potential HR balls).
Things then got sloppy. Boston scored a run in the bottom of the eighth and left the bases loaded.
In the bottom of the ninth, Didi made an error, Boston scored another run to make it 11-6, and they once again left the bases loaded.
Judge 2 hits, HR
Hicks 2 hits, HR, 3 RBI
Stanton 2 hits, RBI
Voit HR
Sanchez 2 hits, HR
Torres 2 RBI
Happ (W, 17-6, 3.65, Tor/NYY) 6 IP, 4 R, 4 H, 2 W, 7 K. Gave up grand slam. (7-0 as NYY)
Green 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 1 K. 2.50
Betances 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 2 W, 1 K. 2.70
Britton 1 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 H, 3 W, 0 K. 3.10 (Balt/NYY)
Posted in Awards, Managers and Coaches, Mike's Musings, Players, Postseason, Regular Season
Tagged Betances, Boone, Britton, Green, Gregorius, Happ, Hicks, Judge, McCutchen, Sanchez, Stanton, Torres, Voit
The Yanks (97-61) opened and closed the game strong offensively, but didn’t do anything in between as a furious ninth inning comeback came up just short in a 8-7 loss to Tampa Bay Wednesday night.
The A’s won, so the Yanks’ magic # over the A’s to clinch home field for the wild card game next Wednesday remains at 2. The Yanks lead the A’s by 1 1/2 games.
Neil Walker hit his 11th HR of the season, a 3-run shot, to give the Yanks a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
But Masahiro Tanaka had nothing, giving 3 right back to the Rays in the bottom of the first.
In the third, Tanaka gave up a HR, 4-3 Rays. If this was an audition for starting the wild card game, Tanaka didn’t help himself.
The Yanks loaded the bases in the fifth with one out, but Giancarlo Stanton GIDP.
In the bottom of the eighth, David Robertson came in and had nothing, giving up 4 runs, and yes, Gary Sanchez committed another passed ball. 8-3 Rays.
The Yanks scored four in the top of the ninth. Sanchez walked and with one out, Brett Gardner singled. Andrew McCutchen singled to load the bases. Aaron Judge singled in a run. Luke Voit singled in two runs. Giancarlo Stanton singled in a run. But Tyler Wade flied out and Miguel Andujar popped up to end the game.
Injury report: Didi Gregorius has been cleared to play. He didn’t Wednesday, but the cortisone shot in the wrist is helping. Aaron Hicks didn’t play because of the turf and a tight hamstring. Gleyber Torres didn’t start (tight hip/groin) but did come into the game later.
McCutchen 2 hits
Judge 2 hits, RBI
Voit 3 hits, 2 RBI
Walker 3-run HR
Tanaka (L, 12-6, 3.75) 4 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 H, 1 W, 4 K. Gave up 1 HR.
Holder 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 W, 0 K. 2.88
Green 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 0 W, 2 K. 2.53
Chapman 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 2 K. 2.49
Robertson 1/3 IP, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 H, 1 W, 1 K. 3.26
Sheffield 2/3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 0 W, 0 K. 0.00
Sheffield made a costly error on a pickoff attempt that enabled the final run to score.
