Game 140: Mariners at Yankees
-
-
- September
- 5
-
Here is the lineup:
YANKEES
Damon LF
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Rodriguez 3B
Posada DH
Duncan RF
Cano 2B
Betemit 1B
Molina C
Hughes RHP (2-3, 5.65)
UPDATE, 6:23 p.m.: Here is the new lineup:
Damon LF
Cabrera CF
Jeter SS
Rodriguez DH
Cano 2B
Duncan RF
Giambi 1B
Betemit 3B
Molina C
Hughes RHP (2-3, 5.65)
Pregame chatter: Yanks are facing LHP Jarrod Washburn (9-12, 4.37). … A-Rod went for an MRI before the game but is going to play. … Thanks to Mike Dougherty for sending in the lineup as I am off tonight.
UPDATE, 6:25 p.m.: Quite a bit of news happening … Luis Vizcaino has a shoulder issue (shocking, I know) and will be shut down until at least the Toronto series. … Chien-Ming Wang will start on Sunday in Kansas City on regular rest. That will keep him off the carpet in Toronto. … Roger Clemens had his shot in Houston and the hope is he will pitch at some point on the road trip.
It seems A-Rod was not pleased that he was sent for an MRI. But it’s hard to blame the Yankees for being careful with the best player in the game.
UPDATE, 6:50 p.m.: The Yankees are making a very smart move by using Wang on Sunday instead of Tuesday. Consider these stats:
Wang is 1-2 with a 9.00 ERA this season on turf and 0-2 with a 9.90 ERA against Toronto. He gave up eight runs in 2.2 innings against the Jays on Aug. 8.
He is 2-0, 3.46 against Kansas City this season.
It’s well worth manipulating the rotation with the days off to put him in a good position to win. This also lines him up to make an extra start on Sept. 29. Starting him on Tuesday would have cost him a start at the end of the season.
UPDATE, 8:38 p.m.: Phil Hughes has done his job, holding Seattle to two runs over six innings. Big start for him. Now the Yankees have to pick the kid up and score a couple of runs. Then it’s Joba and Mo time.
UPDATE, 9:10 p.m.: I would be a lousy manager, I guess, because I would never ask a slugger like Shelley Duncan to put down a bunt. But he got it done.
A-Rod is now tied with Mel Ott for 19th place in history with 511 homers. It’s amazing how many guys he has blown by this season. At this point, the MVP race is over. Magglio Ordonez is having a heck of a season but not like A-Rod.
UPDATE, 9:27 p.m.: A-Rod will get the Willis Reed treatment and Joba will be celebrated for his first win and continued domination. The offense went off again, etc.
But for me, the most important part of this game was the performance of Phil Hughes. He’s 21 and has had a turbulent season. Bad spring training, brief AAA stint, rushed to the majors, a near no-hitter, two serious injuries, a dominant rehab stint and then struggling for the first time in his career. Tonight just may have been the most important start of his career and he delivered.
Hughes will get lost in the shuffle tonight, that’s just how it is. But as the Yankees move forward, what he did tonight was huge.
UPDATE, 9:36 p.m.: Somebody tell the Mariners that just because they have all those pitchers doesn’t mean they have to use them.
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on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 at 6:18 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
okay, going home now
Good to see A-Rod in the lineup and in the field.
Betemit hitting righty + Duncan gives us a better chance than Matsui and Giambi hitting Washburn? Sit Matsui against KC.
I’m not a fan of this lineup at all. This game could destroy the M’s chances.
Whoo, this is more like it!
Okay, guys, gals, undecideds, whose with me on trying the whole optimism thing again?
It worked last night, it’s going to work again tonight!
Here’s to Phil Hughes’ best start yet!
Here’s to Shelley going YARD!
Here’s to 47 from ARod!
Here’s to clutch RISP hitting from Cano, Leche, and everyone else!
Here’s to great defense!
We’re going to do this! The game is OURS!
Good vibes…
from the last thread,
Rather than having Moose pitch sunday,I say use our 40 man roster to the fullest. Each bullpen guy goes an inning. Yes at the least 9 relievers. I would bet they would allow less runs than Moose would allow in his 3 innings 6+ runs.
We’re already off to a good start! Oakland beat the Angels!
NJ Star Ledger blog is reporting Wang is pitching Sunday. Moose is not scheduled to start, yet.
what’s with the hate wooly? Positivity rules!!!
im with you rebecca…so is the squirrel
Well if Rebecca says it works – I might as well give it a try!
Here’s to #9 winning the Powerball lottery!
Here’s To Jessica Simpson falling head over heals for #9!
Here’s to #9 drinking as much as he can without experiencing a massive hangover the next morning!
Here’s to #9 eating as much as he wants without gaining weight or having to exercise!
Cross your fingers!
Scooter is my hero….hopefully he shows up tonight!
hey someone deleted the troll comment.. sweet! Love this blog!
wooly—–>he gone
Maybe Joe is looking at Washburns splits this year. He has been brutally effective against lefties, who have an OPS of under .600 and both on-base and slugging against of under .300. And righties are .797 OPS against.
His three year splits aren’t nearly as pronounced, but he is definitely tough on lefties this year. And he has a very low BB rate aginst lefties over the past three years, which negates almost all of Giambi’s value.
here is to wooly, for being on this blog for a total of 5 minutes
we need the Viz or we are in trouble.
Rebecca – Just curious…Why is it such a big deal that the A’s beat the Angels? The Angels have the division wrapped up…All they’re playing for now is homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. So, am I missing something?
Armand and Migames: Whoo! Yea, that’s like it!
#9: Hahaha! Good luck with all of that! If you can will it to happen, it’ll happen!
why is A-Rod mad about the MRI, Pete?
I am pumped for a big time Phil Hughes performance!!!!!!
Chi Dave: If the Indians have a better record than the Angels, then we’d most likely play the Indians first round, which is a helluva lot nicer than the Angels!
Ouch…Would have like to see Jorge stay in the DH spot.
One game ahead vs. three games ahead. What a huge swing. I want this win!
Here’s hoping Guidry and Eiland got Hughes’ mechanics fixed.
Rebecca – OK, I see…although I don’t honestly see the Indians ending up with a better record than the Halos…However, it’s all about the power of positive thinking, right?!!!
I thought Posada might have an outside shot at starting at 1B with the new line-up.
Is it just me, or is Kim Jones looking sort of cute tonight?
For the most part, Seattle is a free-swinging team. That should help Hughes a bit…
Chi Dave–Yep, you got it!
Cano hitting 5th!!!!!
Interesting…
We need 7 runs today, please..
New lineup: Posada getting the entire day off is NICE, especially with the off day tomorrow.
Better to see A-Rod at DH, better to protect his ankle. Hope Giambi does all right and Duncan is way high up in the line up!
Phil Hughes vs. The Seattle Mariners on September 5:
IP H R ER BB K HR
5.1 9 5 4 5. 3. 1.
Phil Hughes is due for a monster game.
again the yanks need to bring up 1 more catcher for the 40th man….
it allows much more flexibility….
It’s a shame Abreu isn’t in there. Yes, I know Washburn is death on lefties, but Abreu is always good for working a count and taking pitches, which, in turn, seems to have a very positive effect on A-Rod behind him. Oh well, hopefully A-Rod gets a base knock or two, regardless…
*Yankees win 9-4*…..NINE to FOUR !!!….write it down…meditate on it…and MAKE IT HAPPEN….LAA and CLE already lost ( SWEET ) Yankees win and Boston loses….ALL AS I FORETOLD !!! ( eerie sound here ) LOL
Here’s to migames for liking men.
So we have given the squirrel the name of scooter….alright!
here you all go, enjoy:
http://migames.wordpress.com/2.....d-scooter/
Don Vito – Are you channeling the spirit of the Squirrel?!
Don Vito: Yes! Work your magic
!
I’ve been predicting that Hughes will get stronger as the year goes on. I think that by the end of this year people will look forward to his postseason start, not dreading it.
Stuart,
Why exactly do we need another catcher? Sorry if I don’t ever want to see Will Nieves in pinstripes again.
So we are supposed to be happy about having to face Sabathia and Carmona twice in a 5 games series? I don’t like it. Don’t believe me ask Rob Neyer.
Yes, if a pitcher was ever “due,” then Hughes is absolutely “due” tonight! Come on, Phil!!!
Glad they are pitching Wanger in KC. The rest day allows them to skip Clemens’ spot without adjusting the rotation.
CLE now only 1 game back of LAA for the #2 seed….GO INDIANS…..( Indian Whoops here )
dontfirecash,
Did you see my comment about Verducci’s article? It’s in the “Today in the Journal” thread about 1:00.
Don, pretty sure Cleveland won. Carmona pitched well.
How come no one is talking about Vizcaino’s responsibility to be honest with the team if he’s sore? If he told Guidry or Torre he wasn’t feeling 100% does anyone think he would have pitched?
And, people wonder why Joba’s Rules had to be imposed. Torre would’ve already burned him out. Matsui’s looked terrible lately. Needs a day off.
Yah I’m glad Wang is pitching in KC on normal rest. That’s a plus.
Wang is amazing, and yet who outside of Yankeedom knows him?
Yankees beat Carmona and swept the Indians. Anyway, we play the Indians I get a bit of ‘98 nostalgia…
ESPN just did a top 10 squirrel special on sports center because what happened yesterday. Thought it was funny =P
Give me anaheim rather than the two headed monsters of clevelands pitching staff. Dont forget we worked detroit last year and got our butts handed to us in the playoffs.
Shelly D will go yard tonight
Ivan: I saw that, it was great!
ESPN has awarded the squirrel as whats “now”
Yes just showed the 1995 playoff loss to the M’s.
Not a good omen for tonight. What are they thinking?
Here’s to a great game for Phil tonight!
Count me in for the optimism and good vibes crew!
Let’s Go Yankees!!!
I’m really thinking Phil is going to be Philthy!! come one Phil!! Do us 21 year olds proud!! make up for me being a bum right now. haha..
“Give me anaheim rather than the two headed monsters of clevelands pitching staff. Dont forget we worked detroit last year and got our butts handed to us in the playoffs.”
And the Angels don’t have good pitching? They have 3 top flight pitchers compared to Clevelands 2. It’s not even close who I’d rather face.
“Yankees beat Carmona and swept the Indians. Anyway, we play the Indians I get a bit of ‘98 nostalgia…”
Ah, 1998. The good old days.
Ivan: The squirrel in the race track was scary.. like whoa.. but it was a funny salute to squirrels!
I’m hoping this is the ‘turn the corner’ game for Hughes. I think unfortunately he has been forced to build back his stamina and strength during such important games, but I think he’s almost there.
I’ll join in the optimism party.. I am a bit worried about A-Rod though
My predictions have been good lately so here goes: I think ARod will hit 47 tonight, and Phil will pitch a 6 inning, 3 run effort.
why is torre resting both abreu, posada and matsui tonight in such an inmportant game? if he wants to rest posada, i think he should try to keep the other two in the line-up.
we need another catcher so Posada can pinch hit and not have to get behind the plate. so we can pitch hit for jose, and can save Jorge in blowouts…
I do not know why the yanks are so concerned about all 40 of the spots…
Rob–Cos lefties don’t hit Washburn.
I like Duncan in the lineup tonight. The Yanks need some enthusiasm. Here’s hoping he hits a gapper or scores from second so we can see him barrel towards the next base. 3rd. Who in their right mind wants to get in front of him??
95 playoffs that was great TV~!!!!
I was in Seattle in June (unfortunately, the Mariners were out of town). I took the Safeco Field tour. All the tour guide talked about was the 1995 series.
here we go
1995 playoffs….still stings…i think edgar martinez just got another hit
I’ve seen Washburn baffle the Yanks in the past, truth be told he worries me.
The reason I want Torre fired is because he kills veteran relievers and usually under uses kids not named Joba.
Viz is yet another in a long line of Torre victims.
C’mon guys, optimism! It’s game time! We’re going to win tonight!
So the squirrels name is Scooter? Are you implying it is the spirit of the late great Phil Rizzuto or is the name just a coincidence?
after the great phil
I was in Seattle earlier in the season (unfortunately, the Mariners were out of town). I took the Safeco Field tour. All the tour guide talked about was the 1995 series.
Jeff: Rizzuto was rather squirrel like, wasn’t he?
Washburn seemed like he was much better with the Halos, I think he has stunk in Seattle. Any help we can get from the lefty latinos and Hideki-san would be greatly appreciated.
And Phil is definitely due for an improvement
Sorry, I posted my above comment twice.
hey Phil’s got some cheese today.. hopefully his velocity picks up some more and his curve has bite
GREAT PLAY!
Phil Hughes’ best start since that game at Texas!
That’s tonight baby!
Two out, one more to go!
you know what great plays in early inning mean….i wont say it
That 95 series was my all time favorite. I met Leyritz last year and told him his HR in game 2 was the culmination of my all time favorite Yankee game, at least to that point.
Anyway this game is huge. We need to see some of the #1 prospect Phil Hughes tonight, not the one coming back from a hammy and ankle injuries.
Nice play to get Speedy Gonzalez. Ichiro has a girly stance at the plate, no?
Welp, thats not good. But its not bad either.
joba and the pink bag…..nice
Joba is the man!
91 on the gun… Is that better then what hes been the last couple starts?
C’mon Phil! You can do it!
Ahhh come on, relax Phil. Shake that off.
ugh
hbp, bb…not the kind of start we wanted
nice changeup there!
He’s got a nice, tight spin on his breaking ball.
garbage, he went
93 FB
93 on the GUN! give us more of that Phil!!
93 and hit molina’s spot
WHOO! Great fastball by Phil!
C’mon Yankee bats! Let’s get Phil a lead early!
There you go Phil! The fastball is showing some life. Guess Dave Eiland is helping out.
sit down seattle – it’s our turn!
Guess it would’ve been to obvious to hit Beltre, huh?
Baby steps, Phil. Just get the game to Joba!
93. Very nice. Very nice.
That last fastball was pre-injury Hughes
only thing i like about this washburn guy is that he works fast.. so hopefully we’ll win fast..
Nice try Melky
C’mon Jeter! Get a hit!
Hughes threw two changeups, as far as I could tell. One went for a strike, the other a ball. He really needs the changeup if he is going to be an effective pitcher the second and third trips through the lineup.
The Yankees lately have won against good pitchers.
Jarrod Washburn is a good pitcher.
By the transitive property, the Yankees will win tonight.
are you kidding me!?!? we didn’t get that exact same pitch last inning!!!
We get to see both Arod and Duncan next inning! Awesome!
wow he works fast. did phil even get a drink of water?!
Wow…
Ford commercial: Jeter in Blazing Copper?
Just some initial thoughts on the young Mr. Phil Hughes
Downside: 93 on the Fastball “only”. Not 95+.
Upside:1) Seems like there is more movement on the FB.
2) More change-ups.
Things can work out pretty well if he mixes up all his pitches with that kind of late movement.
where is scooter the squirrel?
Damn that was a quick inning
Mel, it’s not Ichiro’s stance that I think looks that off. It’s the fact that he wears his pants nerd-style, half way to his chest. And the ‘95 playoff series was a classic. Got me back to being a Yanks fan after all those years of garbage (not including Donnie Baseball) on the field.
So Hughes for 6, Joba for 2 and Mo for 1 tonight?
Play his enterance music he’ll be back.
NUYS!!
Nasssssty curve
Mel,
I’m not finding any comments at the end of Verducci’s article. I assume it was a good laptop joke though.
Hughsie looks like he has gooooood stuff tonight. Keep it up Phranchise!
great curveball
Nasty curve there. Hughes is on so far. He tends to have quick meltdowns. Torre should challenge someone’s bat composition if two guys get on in a row. That was the turning point in Ian’s game last week.
What was that pitch he just threw 79? Was that a slider?
C’mon Phil, you’ve got great control, let’s use it!
hes got good stuff but hes wild
2 walks.. Hmmm
I hate this ump.
Great play by Betemit!
good job wilson!
WHOO!
Phil, the Squirrel is with you!
if he’s wild, then he’s effectively wild. I like what I see so far.
The BB’s and HBP aren’t so great, but it’s encouraging to see so many swings and misses by the M’s.
Very nice inning.
hes got 36 pitches…..take it easy fanchise
Did everyone see Joba going to the pen with a pink backpack. LOL
Good job Phil!!
4 more just like those 2, is that too much to ask
Nice Job Phil!
hes slightly wild but the fact that the ump cant make any good calls isnt helping…..but phil is looking like phill of pre injury…cmon offense
C’mon A-rod! Let’s go Offense!
Whoo! Way to work the lead off walk!
nice AB MVP
way to keep the line moving!! go Arod!!
funny picture
http://tinyurl.com/2ofk4d
we need more abs like that
Great, the Yankees.com GameCast is stuck in the bottom of the first. It’s amazing that I can get more up-to-date on the game here than from the MLB.
Anyone have any good ideas how to woo the Yankees to send the YES network to Comcast?
Haha anyone see washburn’s 104 mph (yes network gun) slider? Pure heat
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Washburn’s move to first isn’t as good as Pettitte’s.
What did Beckett do to warrent that sn?
icky thump in da house!! go Shelley!!
this ump is calling in favor of seatle
Okay, Shelley’s mad he didn’t hit it out last night, so he’s totally going YARD tonight.
You heard it here first.
Duncan is winking in his mugshot for MLB.com! He kind of reminds me of Sloth from The Goonies.
Beckett – my gameday is accurate
what’s up umpire!??! wth!?!?
not another pitiful ump… ugh
I’m trying to be as optimistic as possible….
…the umpire obviously disagrees.
That was a ball
omg this ump suckss
This ump is terrible!! That pitch was in the other batters box. Come on give Phil that zone!
These calls are brutal. Phil hasn’t gotten any of those.
I guess the umps want Seattle to stay in the wild card race.
That ball was in the other batting box!
Wow, Shelley just got jobbed on that last pitch.
jennifer – beckett in general is an ahole. he also had some choice words for joba when he threw over youkilis. but beckett = biggest jerk in mlb
crap
great AB shelly…man he looked overmatched
Can we create a petition to have the umpire removed?
Being optimistic here!
nate c. – overmatched by the ump?
i feel bad for that ump….u cant run or hide from shelly
Rebecca – where do i sign?
AH okay thanks Chicago. I thought I missed something else.
I having a feeling Joe or, Gator or someone will get thrown out.
Is it just me, or do the Yankees never score any early runs for Hughes?
did you see that laser from shelley???
good play by duncan!!
Boston Dave–After the game, should this continue, I’ll make the appropriate post on my blog, and you can sign
Shelley’s got a CRAZY arm.
Shelley looks like a deer in headlights.
So far, the story of the game is Larry Vanover, the home plate umpire.
To put it charitably, he’s awful. By my count, he has already missed 14 pitches.
Quite a lot for only two innings.
No idea what his strikezone is but, its certainly not logical.
Its a shame. Big series and MLB assigns one of its crapiest crews to work it. A crew, BTW, that already cost the Yankees a game this year against the Mariners with a blown call.
Boston Dave – Must be on my end then.
Jennifer – Check out this YouTube of the last game of the Sox series last week:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzlcHGQAN_Q
At about 3:15, you can read Beckett’s lips very easily.
oh yeah!!! we touched you there ichi-boy
Rebecca, while I wouldnt mind seeing your blog… the ump better not continue with this crap.
nice throw Jorgy!!
It doesn’t help when the ump gives wasburn the zone that a truck can drive thru.
shut up ichrio. you were OUT!
DUDE! MOLINA! GUN!
Oh, that was GREAT!
i mean jose
What a throw!
Molina’s a beast.
WOW! Molina had Ichiro my a mile.
mike, lmoa
Beckett – is gameday still not working? it never seems to work for me during day games but its definitely alright now. maybe close and reopen.
It is payback. Man that is awesome. Jeter never touched him.
Another ump too lazy to get into position. But the throw did beat Ichiro by about 2 feet, despite DJ’s horrible tag.
SIT DOWN
Yeah, the home plate ump is BRUTAL
The Yanks offense is taking a holiday again.
6 – 2 mariners — My prediction for tonight.
His mother should wash his mouth out with drano. That was nasty!
At least the 2b umpire likes us! =D
Gerry Davis just made up for the call he blew on Bloomquist the last time these teams played at the Stadium.
Now the Mariners know how it feels to have a crappy umpire working a big series.
hey, Jeter’s tag was in the neighborhood and that was a fantastic throw from Molina. That call was just a reward for all the optimism pouring out of this board.
Yep, that is payback for the horrible strike call on shelley.
Too bad that blown call probably won’t be as important to the game as the one with Mike Blowers.
Its obviously early, but if Hughes can pitch like this the rest of the way (and it seems like this is the real Hughes)… look out.
Boston Dave – I got it working again, closed out Firefox and things are dandy. I do need to change my name though, I kind of feel dirty when people call me Beckett.
Wow…retro moment for me. I meant Bloomquist.
Wang on Sunday is brilliant…Hopefully this means Moose does NOT get another start as Clemens comes back for his spot on the 15th at Boston…..That series would line up to be Wang, Clemens, Hughes….I like THAT !…Oh…and the Yankees owe me 9 more runs…( I could care less if the Marooners score the 4 I predicted LOL )
I was never a boyscout, so somebody help me out-
is:
-. . –. .- – .. …- .. – -.– / .-. ..- .-.. . …
Morse code for Mariner troll?
See? Optimism works!
hopefully Phil really mixes it up today.. maybe even a slider here or there.. and an occasional changeup.. could have used a changeup in that AB with guillen
Ensuring CMW avoids TOR is a great move. Interesting that it now lines him up to pitch the last day of the season…if the yanks need that game who else would you want starting?
Beckett – yeah a change might be good. I dont even like thinking about that loser. i will not be pleased if he wins the cy young.
Phil has a nice moving fastball working, but if he can’t get another pitch over for a strike he is going to get in trouble. 0-2 on Beltre and couldn’t even throw one close enough to induce a chase swing, evn with the umps wide zone.
Wow that was out like a shot.
Hmmm 88 on that last pitch
55 pitches into the 3rd… i guess joba;s coming in for 2 tonight
see… changeup man.. we need these hitters to not be able to time his fastball.. come on Phil!!! You can do better!! POSITIVITY!!!
Ach, one mistake. It’s early. We’ll get over it. Anyway, per Don Vito’s prediction, Seattle’s gotta score four…
Jeter never risks getting his pants dirty on a defensive play.
ughhhhhhh
jeezus – ibanez?? krist
Way to go Phil. How about not throwing a 91 mph fastball right down the middle.
Hughes is looking sharp, i like what i see.
no big deal…. 9-4 Yankees…If you WILL IT, it will come !!!
FUkccc
Damn, well he was. this is still a good outing nonetheless.
definitely a mistake to throw that pitch down the middle but Hughes still looks good. The offense is due…
Come on we have to score on this bum!! LETS GO!!! Where is the squirrel?
So one mistake.
We’ll come back. The Yankees have seen that the HP Umpire can’t make a call to save his life, and they’ll adjust accordingly!
cmon phill bounce back
Damn HR’S… Welp, at least it was a 2 run shot and not a 3 run
Too early. No point is getting rattled. Washburn’s turn for damage.
that would have been nice a batter ago phil
Another rookie mistake by Hughes. You have Guillen 0-2, get too cute and throw curveballs instead of finishing him off, and he loses him.
He then throwing yet another BP fastball after falling behind 0-2 on Ibanez and he puts his team in a 2 run hole early again.
A lot of potential but, the more you see him, the more its clear he needs a full year of AAA baseball.
This kid has no business pitching right now but, they are stuck because they have nobody else.
Tough to watch and you hope his confidence dosen’t erode.
However, when you are 0-for your career at home, and make the same mistakes every single start, you aren’t ready for primetime.
Predictable Count + 2 Pitch Pitcher = Ibanez HR.
What is with Phil? He threw a 2 seam FB, slider(much more in 05) and change in the minors, not much mind you but he still featured them.
Fastball, Curve, Fastball, Curve, Fastball Curve.
That being said, he does look better than previous starts and that’s a plus.
any squirrel sightings?
Hughes looks good tonight, made a bad pitch to Ibanez, which he shouldn’t have had to do in the first place. Jeets should have gotten that grounder to get out of the inning. That was a gimme.
That is OK, kid….Yankees Bats’ will get you back BOTH of those runs RIGHT NOW !!!
58 pitches for innings…
back on the horse- time to get those runs back
Ibanez has 87 RBI’s an OPS of about .800. Definitely not a guy to make a mistake with.
SJ44 – one bad pitch. dont ruin the optimism in here!!!!
Doesn’t help that Hughes was 2-0 on Ibanez on two pitches that were arguably strikes.
Rebecca-
I like the optimism, but its not “one mistake”. The mistake is taht he can’t throw his curve or change for a strike and even with a lively fastball that is eventually going to happen. There were 6 mistakes in a row, all the 2 striek pitches to Beltre, and the 2 balls and meatball to Ibanez. And Seattle is not that good or patience, he only needs to be close to the zone with the offspeed stuff.
Hughes needs to get more efficient and stop painting corners. His pitch per inning is too high.
A year in AAA baseball would be a waste. He wouldn’t learn a single thing down there, he’d dominate the minors, come back up to the Majors and your back to square one.
It’s called a rookie pitcher going through growing pains. It happens, though it’s extremely magnified when your a rookie pitching for the Yankees in the middle of a pennant race.
OMG!! Sweetness!!
Yeah Jose!!
Mike T – he has thrown his curve and change for strikes tonight. his pitches are just off and not getting the close calls. he looks good.
and jose molina goes DEEEEEP!!!
JOOOOSSSEEEEE Jose Jose Jose JOOOSSSSEEEE JOOOOSSSEEEE Jose Jose Jose JOOOOOOOSEEEE
wow – i didn’t know molina had power???
Molina!
thats-a-ONE !!!
hhahah molina of all people todays mvp soo far
Nice! C’mon guys – - – Washburn has just about nothing, we really should be able to handle him!
Shelley Duncanstein is going to get that jack tonight that he was supposed to have last night.
WHOA! Molina goes yard! Woo-hooo!!!
Nieves misses that pitch by 2 feet and screws himself into the dirt of the batters box… LOL
Yank – Just look at Molina’s size… of course he got power!
c’mon damon – work the guy… work your magic
Hip-hip…Jo-se…..no? Ah, c’mon
dammit
I’m with Rebecca and Wolf – Duncan is going deep tonight.
I am coming around to Sj’s line of thinking on Hughes. As much as we want him to be ready to contribute he isn’t. Even with Joba’s fastball, he can’t cut it as a starter in a big league pennant race with no confidence in a 2nd picth. He was supposed to have 2 others.
The only reason he doesn’t look even worse is we are benchmarking him against the Mussina/Karstens/Igawa standard of getting blown out in 3 innings. But we aren’t going to win many games against playoff caliber teams where Phil walks a guy every other inning and gives up 2 bombs in 5 innings. That is a recipe for lots of crooked numbers.
once again, melky cannot take a pitch…
If Jose Molina goes yard we should win the game. Betemit needs to log some long hours with Donnie and Kevin Long. So much potential and so little reward.Come Phil Baby!!
I am positive that WHEN this team starts NOT SWINGING on first pitches ( like NEXT INNING ) that we ALL will be in better moods…..POSITIVE…POSITIVE…POSITIVE…
The Yanks can’t get down by 3 or more runs. Once that happends, game over.
The Chi Sox is up 1-0 on the Tigers…
we were soo positive yesterday what happened?
PETER
HOW DO YOU CONSTANTLY STICK UP FOR DAMON? HE IS SO SHOT.
HOW MANY GAMES HAS HE LED OFF WITH A WEAK POP UP IN OR BARELY OUT OF THE INFIELD?? THE YANKS GOT RIPPED BAD.
A LEAD OFF BATTER WITH SUCH A LOW ON BASE IS A JOKE.
HE TAKES HALF ASSED SWINGS.
JUST TIRED OF HIS ACT. HE IS HARD TO TAKE IN INTERVIEWS, HE SOUNDS LIKE HE IS VERY SLOW.
SURE HE WILL GO 4 FOR 5 THEN THE NEXT 4 GAMES HE WILL BE LUCKY TO GET 3 HITS.
Unfortunately, I think the reason why it’s hard to sit Damon is that Melky’s not yet a viable leadoff option for just that reason: he really doesn’t work the count. And we really don’t have anyone else.
for anyone who thinks the viz was not unnecessarily overused by torre, he has pitched in 8 games since july 25th where the yankees were ahead or behind by 5 or more runs:
7/25 – ahead 6
8/1 – ahead 6
8/3 – ahead 5
8/4 – ahead 9
8/11 – ahead 8
8/14 – down 12
8/21 – down 13
9/4 – ahead 10
Mike T – what would you do then? send him to AAA and start DeSalvo? Hughes has good stuff but definitely will have to learn and make some mistakes on the job. He clearly wasn’t the same when he got back from the DL so it’s not unreasonable to think he’s going to get better the rest of the way. You are acting like he’s expected to be a dominant #1 right now.
Boston Dave-
Are you watching the same game? Phils thrown 35 strikes and 25 balls. That ratio is not going to cut it. And I’ll bet that most of the strikes are the old number 1.
giving the run back, right Phil?
pete’s comments on wang starting on Saturday doesnt make sense to me… If Wang cannot fare well against Tornoto, do the yanks think hughes, kennedy and mussina are going to do any better?? Yanks can win a game by letting cano pitch for 3 innings against KC.. Only reasoning could be that they dont want him to start on the turf.. not because he is 0-2 against them…
Are you kidding me global? This kid NEEDS AAA. He can’t throw strike one, can’t minimize damage and, frankly can’t win games here right now.
That’s what AAA is for…..to learn all the things we see he can’t do right now.
The more you watch him, the more its clear, he is overmatched here.
We all want to see him do well but, 9 starts and he hasn’t been good in 7 of them.
He’s not getting better getting beat in the majors. He needs more minor league innings. Hopefully, the Yankees feel the same way because they aren’t doing this kid any favors keeping him in the rotation when he isn’t ready to be a contributor.
Hey Pete
A few weeks ago you had mis-typed Pettitte in at 1B when you posted the lineups. Of course we all busted your stones a little for that one. But with Phillips out and Eye Chart not back yet, do you think that could become an option instead of the Giambi experiment? What would base runners do to protect against his pickoff move then? Spoon the base?
C’mon, stay positive! There’s one out! Have to get one before two or three…
The reason people benchmark Hughes against Moose, Karstens and Igawa is that those are the other options. Unless Ron Guidry wants to make a comeback any other way of looking at it might be interesting, but not informative.
Hughes will hopefully learn and get better under the high pressure of a play-off race. Not ideal, but necessary given where we are now. Hopefully he gets more arm strength as he seems more recovered from his injuries of the mid-season.
HUGE Strikeout!
One more out Phil! C’mon, you can do it!
the amount of K’s from Hughes is very satisfying that there is something there that we were constantly told about…
Good K – just get Betancourt out so we don’t see Ichiro in this inning…
Hughes could definitely have used more Triple A. Before his rehab, he’d only had several starts there. And bear in mind, he was drafted out of high school, so he wasn’t as far along when drafted as Kennedy or Chamberlain.
SJ44 and Mike T – thankfully the Yankees disagree with you. To no surprise, as usual, you don’t have an alternative. It’s just negative post after negative post.
Boston Dave – Yep, looks like a nice Gehrig tribute name is in order. Also Wang should have a shot at the Cy, if he hadn’t been hurt earlier in the year he could be at 20 by now.
Is that minimizing the damage!
WHOO! Yah Phil!
Okay, c’mon Yankees! You can do it! THE POWER OF SQUIRREL COMPELS YOU!
Who else is there to take Hughes’s slot in the rotation? There don’t seem to be any better options right now. Hughes is having his growing pains, and it seems the team has to live with it.
Boston Dave-
I’d keep running him out there, but wish we didn’t have too.
I was an advocate of bringing him up this year, even while Pete Abe was whining that he only got hurt because he was in the bigs.
But at this point I do fear that his long term development is at risk, which would be a shame because I see lots of talent and tenacity there. And we haven’t had that from one of our owns since Pettitte and Rivera.
blackaccord,
I think the key to pete’s comment was in giving Wanger an extra start at the end of the month. Also, why not set him up to win by avoid a historically problematic team. He’s a ground ball pitcher and the rug up in Toronto doesn’t slow it down and give the fielder that extra .5 of a second to make a play.
Attaboy Hughsie, good way to salvage the inning.
Exactly done as ordered… but Phil’s at 71 pitches…
70 pitches after 4… he’s still dabbling. 17.5 pitches per inning won’t get you very far… He needs to find a way to get more efficient with his pitches.
I think he just minimized damage and threw strikes.
He’s green but he is going to be here for the stretch run. Accept it, Embrace it, Love it!
He did a better job working out of trouble this inning.
But, let’s be honest, he’s here because they have nobody else, not because he is “ready”.
He lost a season this year with the injuries and the lack of innings really show.
There are fundamental problems with the way he pitches. Namely, he can’t throw first pitch strikes too often.
Its not a coincidence Dave Eiland is here working with him.
Unfortunately, he has the white hot glare of a pennant race to deal with, as well as learning how to pitch at the big league level.
Its why, IMO, if the Yankees are smart, regardless of how he does in the spring, he has to spend more time in AAA.
If not a full season, at least half a season. He needs a lot of work.
Does anyone else think Phil Hughes is capable of being a *great* October Relief Pitcher this season?
With only 2 good pitches, I think that role would fit him well. Would mask his undeveloped pitching arsenal which he can fine tune next year.
If Phillip can get a quality start(TM) out of this, I’d be happy.
Michael T – I am not worried about his long term development. He was dominating AAA and seemed to have great command. I think SJ is right in wondering where the control went and where his confidence went in his other pitches. However, I don’t think it was a complete miss by all the scouts in baseball that this kid is good. He may need to learn by his mistakes but unless NY has a better alternative, he belongs in the big leagues. He has the stuff to succeed for sure.
C’mon A-Rod! Let’s go Yankees! Let’s get us some runs!
Boston Dave – Looks like it’s time for a nice Gehrig tribute name.
And yeah I agree, I don’t want to see him win it, I want to see Wang finally get one. I think Wang has a shot, especially if he can be the shut down ace he’s been and keep a hot streak going into the end of the month. If he hadn’t been hurt earlier in the season he might be at 20 by now.
Before we ship Phil back to AAA, can we let him finish this start and see how it turns out?
Tonight, Phil has the best fastball he’s shown since his return from the DL, and we should be happy with the improvement. His command is not there yet, but it will come eventually. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone to replace him, so we have no choice but to watch him learn on the job.
I agree Hughes could have used more AAA ball, especially after his rehab. But IMO all the other options are worse for the stretch run than a green Hughes. As long as his arm isn’t jeapordized, he fills the gap as well as whatever else is available and he has the potential to go on a little hot streak. He’s not doing it yet, but ..
Anyways, as long as there are no better alternatives and no injuries come from it, the experience could make him better a couple years down the line.
Does anyone else think Phil Hughes is capable of being a great October Relief Pitcher this season?
Yeah, if Kennedy or Mussina can step up and be that 4th starter Hughes and Chamberlain would be a good combination.
is anyone watching the game? Is arod’s swing altered because of his sore ankle? Can anyone tell?
darn.. my sister want to watch the US Open.. keep me up to speed peeps! positivity!!
C’mon Robbie – one bomb please…
all u guys knocken hughes, dont kno what ur talking about……sj, u realy think ur sooo smart and better then every one, but time after time u make these asinine statements that hold no water…when hughes starts pithing good u will be the first to jump on his ban wagon…lets just enjoy this game and stay positive and sj and all u other “educated” idiots shut the F up…
once again, the yankees are stifled by a crappy pitcher
How hard is Phil throwing tonight?
Power of the squirrel … Rebeccca you SLAY me.
Right, Yankees Offense, C’mon! You can do it! You can score more than one run!
This inning wasn’t for you, but you know you’ve got it in you! You can do it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2mxUFZZXQ0 totally crazy fight at a philly game.
SJ44,
I agree with half your comments. Hughes is here out of necessity not luxury. However, sending him down next year is absurd. The training is on-the-job from this point forward. We all have to live with the ebbs to get to the eventual flows. Hughes has it and will develop. Fact of the matter is that both he and Joba are here to stay in one role or another. Kennedy and the others (will we ever see TClip, Chase Wright, Matt deSalvo ever again?) are TBD.
fastball tops out at around 91 -
curve hit’s the low 70’s.
slider in the high 80’s
Can we start bemoaning the gazillion dollar offense that isn’t producing rather than the 21 year-old rookie who is battling out there?
donde está Jorge ??
SJ44,
How do you know Hughes needs a full year at AAA? Some time, maybe. Eventually though, sometimes the best way for a pitcher to learn is getting knocked around a bit in the Majors. I know he hasn’t had many AAA starts but when there he looked great. Maybe the way for him to learn is struggling here in the bronx.
The way I see it is his control isn’t accurate right now and his stuff isn’t 100%.
Most of his games, the opponents aren’t hitting Hughes much. His flaws are that he walks too many and has a penchant for giving up home runs. One walk and one blast makes it 2-0. We’ve seen this consistently for most of his recent starts except last Friday when he did get shelled.
Hughes has to learn better control and find a way to minimize the long ball. I’m not sure he can do that against the mediocrity that is AAA. Just watching him pitch you see the potential is there.
the yanks always seem to have a hard time with washburn…. but if hughes can hold seattle for 1-2 more innings, advantage yankees.
The only problem with putting Hughes in the bullpen, if they make the playoffs is, he has trouble throwing strikes and pitching from the stretch.
If he puts guys on coming out of the ‘pen, his strikethrowing issues out of the stretch become a concern.
At this point, they are best served keeping him as a starter and not using him out of the bullpen, IMO.
Strike 1
Take it right to Ichiro Phil!
FWIW, I ran this down on Gameday. In the first inning, Phil threw 6 breaking balls and got four called or swinging strikes.
In the 2nd: 4 thrown/ 1 strike.
3rd: 6/1
4th 8/5
Total 11 strikes and 13 balls on offspeed pitches out of 24 thrown. Not as bad as I thought, but you can see that in the inning where they did the damage, he could only get fastballs over.
This kid is good, but if the sudden (and persistent) command/control issues are due to the injury are you really “not worried about his long term development?”
Blue is brutal tonight.
“He needs alot of work”
He needs work, but I don’t think it’s alot. He looked like he was ready before he was injured, albeit only that one start. He might come back next spring after winter workouts and 5 or 6 weeks down in Florida and have regained his command and a few more mph and be ready to contribute right off the bat. To say definites like he should spend the year in AAA or at least a month or two is a bit premature. Who knows how he’ll be pitching come the end of March 2008?
wow, he was clearly safe
Sandy Cheeks says “Squirrel Power!”.
Arod came back from his MRI and went straight into Torre’s office and talked himself back into the lineup (Torre was going to use him for PH duty only), so now he’s Dhing. Betemit was originally at first, but moved to third and Giambi came in as the 1bman. Jorge is getting the night off.
Wow, Ichiro out on three pitches…
Or called out, anyway!
Think there will be any teams inquiring about Hughes in the off-season, or has that ship sailed?
BTW, it’s hilarious to see YES show a bunch of hyped pitchers who had bad first years (like Hughes) such as Smoltz, Bonderman, etc. There have been tons more hyped guys who have stunk from the get-go and continued to stink and faded away.
IMO, Hughes just allows way too many baserunners to ever be a number one guy…………
I agree with Andy. I think Phil could’ve used more time in Triple A, but he’s pitched enough in the majors that I don’t think sending him down to the minors next year would be very good for him overall. It gets to a point where you have to let a pitcher work things out on the major league level. Most quality pitchers need time to develop. It took Greg Maddux several seasons to develop into the phenom that he became. And I’m not saying that Hughes is going to become Maddux, just using an extreme example.
Hmm, Ichiro was safe right there.
DJ bailed out again by the ump. Doesn’t he realize that it was Ichiro running?
Ichiro robbed twice!
Michael T – while that is interesting… did it occur to you that sometimes a pitcher wants to throw out of the zone? those numbers are not enough.
Jennifer -
I’m living in Philadelphia – that seems typical..
haha, I hate Philly teams
Meanwhile, the Yanks are showing no patience at the plate and only make Washburn thrown 55 pitches through 4 innings.
Is it just me, or do the Yankees look like their playing like the ones chasing first place in the Wild Card instead of the other way around?
Remember those crappy calls against us when we were playing Seattle earlier in the year? What comes around, goes around, baby!
The squirrel doesn’t like Ichiro
great 123 inning fro hughes only 8 pitches
well, that was fast. let’s go get some runs!
Now *THAT* was an efficient inning.
7 pitch inning. nice.
what was the ‘on field delay’?
Hughes is not getting sent down to AAA next year unless he has a meltdown of Igawa proportions. Remember, Wang had his shaky moments in ‘05 too and that Yanks stuck with him. Hughes is here to stay.
Wow! Hughes threw what, five pitches that inning? EXACTLY what he needed!
And now the Yankees offense is going to wake up!
Squirrel sez: YANKEES! Come back with your bats….or on them!
Hughes utterly dominates at the minor league level. I’m really not sure what else he has to learn there. He needs to adapt to major league hitting – pitches he got away with in the minors are crushed in the show.
He’ll learn, but this is the only place he is going to be able to do it.
79 pitches through 5 is a little closer to the target. A walk, a bloop, and a blast and we’re up and it will be Joba time!
My guess is that the on-field delay was Seattle manager disagreeing with Ichiro’s out call
That was a strong inning. As I’ve said before, Phil actually shows a ton of poise and seems to find a way to battle even when it is obvious he doesn’t have the command he is used to. This is particularly impressive when you consider how easy the game has been too him so far in his life.
If the pressure doesn’t kill him it will make even him stronger.
dont forget that hughes (and chamberlain) are also getting to spend alot of time with clemens and pettite and while that might not necessarily help hughes with his changeup, i guarantee both guys will tell you they are very fortunate to be able to pick their brains and watch them.
Not that the radar gun is all that matters or anything…but, the start against anaheim Hughes was hitting 94-95 on the gun…since then I have seen only 91 or so. Was the ESPN gun just off? Do you think he’s not throwing as hard because he missed 3 months? Cuz in the minors he was consistently throwing a mid 90’s fastball, now just 90-91.
c’mon offense – score some runs dammit!
Come on can’t we get a hit!! Rocky where are you?
Mirada, Phil está tirarando la roca muy bien!!
My guess is that the on-field delay was Seattle manager disagreeing with Ichiro’s out call
Yes, it was
Jennifer – Geez, that guy goes nuts and attacks the event staff.
The worst I’ve ever got was going to last year’s Giants-Skins game at FedEx with a Manning jersey on. I can’t even remember how many times I was called gay or had some chant like “Eli’s not his brother, like his mother!” yelled at me. No one touched me though, and I made sure to high five every Giants fan I saw leaving the game.
Jeezus – f’in – krist – One goddam hit through 5????
hopefully another good inning from Phil and we can put this to rest (for now)… its the offense we gotta worry about right now.
Much better inning for him and, thankfully, got help from Randazzo blowing the call at first on Ichiro.
Unfortunately, they aren’t making a dent with Washburn. Hopefully, the offense can wake up.
Hard to wake up though when you aren’t working counts. Washburn was 1-5 in August. Tonight, they are making him look like Johan Santana.
Hard to understand this team. They can get dominated by some pretty bad pitchers, despite being called a “great” offense.
Its feast or famine. 12 runs last night, beggin’ for runs tonight.
Don’t you know? the Squirrel only comes out during the sixth or after!
Stay positive, we can win this!
I saw Beckett on youtube. What a potty mouth. Real men don’t use the c-word.
When is the last time we beat a good/decent lefty?
washburn = yankee killer
hard to believe betemit has seen more pitches that giambi tonight
The Squirrel only comes out after the 6th, but Im sure it’s watching from some other vantage point right now.
good ab by wilson
Last game we only had one run till the sixth inning….
Good ol’ fashioned pitchers’ duel tonight.
*F*
In that video it took so long for one cop to even show up. If that was Yankee stadium they would have had 10 cops there in a minute.
I heard that at the first game that Rocky showed up, the cops on the other side of the stadium thought something was happening and were going to run over there.
1-8 hitters r 0-15 with 1bb….BS
first the white sox, then the orioles, now the blue jays… does anybody else want to lay down and surrender for the red sox this year? does france have a baseball team?
”’The Yanks offense is taking a holiday again.
6 – 2 mariners—My prediction for tonight”’
sorry, I was overly optimistic in my previous prediction. It should be 6-1 mariners instead, with 2 hits for the Yanks. Let’s hope the Yanks can make up some ground by playing KC.
Vote for Jorge for the Clemente award
http://tinyurl.com/39vgjx
Time to empty the tank???
Guidry should tell Phil to empty the tank this inning, and plan on using Joba for two. The way we are hacking at Washburn with Putz on the backend would make another run feel like a hundred.
DUDE! SHELLEY! ARM!
As a sidenote, Cy Young award candidate Andy Sonnanstine has a 4-inning shutout going in Tampa Bay tonight.
first rule of fight club – you do not run on shelley duncan
Great throw by duncan
WOOWOO, He has a freakin cannon.
anyone warming in the pen? i’ll be thrilled if hughes can get through the 6th.
washburn, hammel, sonnistine, ramirez, and any other medicore pitchers= yankee killers
*Don’t Run on Shellys Gun*
SJ,
This isn’t the Yankees best line-up. With Abreu and Matsui out against the lefties the line-up really misses Jorge. I like Molina catching Hughes but it’s tough to rest Posada in this big of a game.
Feast or famine. How about some of last night’s production.
TKinDC-
We think alike. I pressed “submit” before your post.
Shelley Duncan just flew in from Chicago and his arms ARE’T tired.
We were shut down pretty late into yesterdays game too. We will come back!!
JJ – seems odd. too bad they cant beat down beckett and daisuke every night.
I wish Jeter still had Duncan’s enthusiasm on defense.
Saved the change for the 6th inning. Against Ben Broussard.
Bizarre.
We were?
yankee josh – without molina in tonight we’d be in real trouble
Tie game in Boston. Franconer not happy.
oh “shut down”, i read “down” – sorry Jennifer
Shelley Duncan sleeps with a night light on, because The Dark is afraid of him.
From the “without dispute” and “clearly” departments, had the Yankees been able to sign up for this effort from Hughes prior to the game, they, and we, all would have said, “Yes, Yes, Yes!!!”
Al Leiter said it best… he’s 21 … give him a break.
Great effort by Hughes.
YEAH BABY!!!
Great game by Phil! Now we get him the win!!
OK…Phil is going along very well….the Yankees owe me 8 more runs and THEY ARE STARTING NOW !!!
I’ll take it from Phil. Offense needs to get going.
well said Bobcat
Gritty performance by Hughes. We owe him some runs. Now.
Let’s get runs!
wonder if he comes out for the 7th
your last name isnt goldthwait is it
thats hughes last inning, great outing… here comes the big bat….MOLINAA
Does Posada pinch hit now for Molina?? I’d say so.
I said earlier today that Phil would pitch a good game. Looks like I was right. Our offense better not ruin it!
As with any young pitcher, it’s a progression. Tonight, Hughes made progress. Hopefully, it helps his confidence going into his next start.
Great job Phil!
6 5 2 2 6 1 – I’m pretty sure most of us would have signed up for that before this game.
Nice. A “quality start”. 6 K’s.
Now it’s 2-1 Blue Jays. Franconer even less happy.
Let’s get Hughes a win!!!!!!!
This was a step forward start for Hughes. The best thing he did in this outing was minimize damage. No meltdown innings and that’s a big step forward.
Also threw a few more changeups and the fastball has late life, which it hasn’t had since he has been back from his injuries.
Regardless of the result, he has to be pleased with his outing tonight. Its the best he’s pitched in awhile.
no chance sunny… well, i shouldnt say none but highly unlikely
Quality Start. Yes, he had some stellar defense and a few calls go his way, but it is what it is. His velocity did look down at the end of the 6th though and we shouldn’t see him for the 7th.
Now, we need to take the lumber out and wreck washburn. For the love of god, he is not Koufax.
2-1 toronto over boston…
where is the yankee offense?
I said a quality start would be good, he did one run better. Now we need offense and the bullpen.
Boston Dave,
I liked the original line-up but get that it had to be changed. Not sure if Jorge could have played first base but might have otherwise considered DHing him and giving A-Rod 2 full days to heal up.
whoops – forgot a ‘2′
6 5 2 2 2 6 1
Wake up the BATZ!
meanwhile, it may be too late to be worried about the Sox, but 38hotdogs has given up the lead
this is when we blow this baby open. come guys…
Phil did good.
we have to get more than *one* hit, tonite!
YEA MOLINA!
Wow, did we (and Molina) get lucky.
http://tinyurl.com/2td8ec
Horrible news about Juan encarnacion.
Wow Jose very lucky, he was a dead duck.
How the heck does Molina get to 2nd base there… hilarious. Who said pinch hit?!?!?!? This is our offense!
like i said, without molina in tonight we’d be in trouble
As we were holding our collective Lohud blog breath…
Lopez bobbles the ball.
if they dont score that tubby bastard after all that, we def dont deserve this win.
Jose went from Toast to Tying Run in Scoring Position.
haha Jose, we got very lucky there.
We need to time Molina from Home to 2nd – - – someone get a sun dial!!!
put Joba in for the 7th and 8th?
another MO….MO-Lina !!!…nice !!!!
What a goofy play. Way to go Jose. Let’s get him home, guys.
Nice play. Good call to bunt. Damon’s not hitting, gets Molina to 3rd with less than 2 out.
Somebody care to join Jose as the Yankees offense ???
Fly ball or grounder to the right side and the game is tied.
We will not waste this opportunity!
SJ-
Think hughes will add a few more mph on to his fastball as he builds arm strength back up?
we need to score molina… but i want hughesy to get the win. lets go DJ… right field blast
lets go melky
Even I can roll with the small ball in this situation, and with the Joba-Mo finish.
Molina steals home?
A fly ball to shallow CF could be ugly here…
Molina making a case to be every-day DH?
I usually hate smaill ball, but that was a pretty good spot for it. We MUST score this run and Joba is warming!
Shelley Duncan is so fast, when turns off the lights and he’s in bed before it gets dark!
No K here Mely.
TOR over BOS…the stars are all aligning !!!
It’s particularly odd that Jose Molina has both the Yankee hits in this game…
odd and sad
my heart sank when melky popped that up… phew
C’mon C’mon tie it up right now
c’mon – melky — hit the ball!
3-1 Blue jays going into the bottom of the 5th.
ugh… no difference….
Yankees offense from the C position is looking like 1961, when 3 catchers had 20 HR or more….
C’mon Jeter! This is where you do best! Clutch Jeter, Clutch!
EFF!!!!
great job Melky.
Digya HEAR that !!
I thought they retired the Concorde, no?
Melky is not the guy I want up in that spot, unfortunately.
Michael T- more insightful analysis from you! You aren’t related to Lady Cleo are you?
Come on Capt’n
Washburn’s last several starts have been awful, or at best, mediocre. It happens again and again and again and again to this team. Patience is a virtue, right? They seem to think an offensive explosion is going to happen every night. We need the ‘96-2000 grinding Yankees. Never has the runs scored vs. runs allowed analysis been more inapplicable than with this team. It does no good to score 12 runs in a win and then lose 4 lows coring games. But I know, optimism.
The only 2 hits are by our newest Yankee. Yankees must really hate playing against Washburn.
Let’s go Jeter.
The way Jeter is hitting, he needs to step in front of one…
if anyone ever bumps into al leiter, please ask him how many times per game he wants to smack michael K.
When my daughter was born 3 years ago, I said to my wife, “c’mon, no more fooling around, get that baby out of there”.
I have the same feeling tonight. No more fooling around, score some runs!
my heart sank when melky struck out
I absolutely hate giving up an out with a dominating pitcher on the mound. I’d rather leave him on second and put in a pinch runner. So, Jorge doesn’t get a whole night off – price you pay for not having Nieves on the 40. Stupid.
jeter’s gonna do it. let’s go…
having Damon bunt with nobody out ? not likin’ it…
This Year – Washburn always throws well against NY. like LAckey and Haren… just one of the guys they hardly ever hit. of course it doesnt make much sense, but it happens.
Big pitch…
AAAAARRRRGGHHHH!!!!!!
Next inning, guys. Next inning.
Advantage Washburn…
Horrible. why bunt when the runner is alreay on second?
fuc k
EEEEFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!!!!!!!
now hughes can only loose
God, lets try and suck less next inning offense.
Playing for the fly ball to score the runner from 3rd is a higher percentage play than playing for the base hit, when the guy with all the hits is on 2nd base.
Leadoff double from the nine hole wasted. Melky is not a top of the order hitter.
so Molina’s the only Yankee that can hit 2nite ?
jennifer – i like the bunt to get the runner to 3rd with 1 out this late in the game down by 1. melky needs to put the ball in play.
O’s getting blown out again.
this yankee offense is soo pothetic
not if joba can get the win
Hopefully, Hughes can build on this outing.
On an unrelated topic. The Clemens cortisone shot is a blessing in disguise. Give him some time off. It will only help him in October.
Washburn was 1-5 in August. But, this offense, regardless of what they do with the lineup, is feast or famine.
Its quite incredible to see this team get dominated at home in September by Sonnestine, Hammel and Washburn.
Its a shame. A team built on offense has to hit in September. If they can’t, they are in big trouble.
Let’s hope Joba can do the job.
JOBA JOBA JOBA, i forgot what he looked like.
mike t….neither is jeter lately…wtf wheres captin clutch
jeezus – what the F is with this pathetic offense tonight???
Damn! Where’s Kelly Leak?
Hey, we get to see Joba!
Jennifer, the answer is because a fly ball would tie the game. The real question is why did melky swing at a high fastball?
I’d love to see Joba throw his curve and change just to see what they look like.
Hasn’t pitched in 6 days…. don’t dig in at the plate.
Good question. Why can’t we get more than 2 hits?
yankees first 8 batters 0 for 17
I’d love to see Joba get his first win here. If we could get away with using him for just one inning he’d be available Friday.
It would be funny if Kay said, “Joba is so comfortable in the clubhouse. He went up to Torre today and confessed to an affair he’s been having with Torre’s wife”.
Pitching well vs. Yankees does not = 2 hits in 6 innings. THat was disgraceful inning.
this doesnt surprise me as washburn has always pitched well against the yanks.. even though his record is 5-4, he has a 2.48 era against the yanks..
Again Michael Kay with the spot-on analysis. “Joba hasn’t pitched for 6 days. A long, long layoff.”
You meann as opposed to the normal 4 days off he has gotten as a starter for his whole career Mike?
Wow Jose got nailed. He almost fell over.
who’s injured?
who’s injured?!
I made the mistake of turning up the volume for a couple seconds to hear Michael Kay talk about how the Mariners can pull closer to LAA if they hold on to this victory…FIRE HIS @$$ !!! Who wants to hear the flippin’ good things that can happen to the OTHER TEAM if they end up beating us….he is a total jerk and needs to shut his mouth forever !
that pitch hit 101 holly $hit
Jose got nailed, they checked him out. He’s still in.
“Damn! Where’s Kelly Leak”?
Playing a very creepy child molester in the movie, Little Children.
The bunt was the right pay last inning. Inaddition to the sac fly, it makes them bring the infield in which turns a .300 hitter into a .400 hitter. (Of course it helps if the ball is put in play).
7th inning magic anyone???????
Joba is PURE MONEY, BABY…when the Yankees put up a cooked number in the bottom of the inning, this kid gets the win…sah-weet !!!
Betencourt, I think has more vowels in his name than Minky. Any car e to count, including first names?
Joba in the 8th
Joba >>>>>>>>>>>>> Universe.
Right.
YANKEES! THIS IS WHERE YOU SCORE SOME RUNS!
I really don’t care how you score them, but you need two before Seattle gets another one! Let’s do it!
Kay said 99mph, YES showed 102 on that last fastball.
How long has it been since Joba pitched? He looks a little rusty.
joe – that was a pretty good, odd, movie
2 run shot by shelly….u heard it hear
dont forget, shelley is going yard tonight.
Michael T,
Y is a vowel right?
Joba:
11 pitches, 7 strikes, 4 balls
11 pitch ining isnt rusty
Michael Kay use to be tolerable and looked good by comparison to the blowhard Sterling. But now I actually prefer Sterling (although he is terrible). Something about Kay’s smugness and “objectivity” that makes me ill. I never thought I’d watch the Yankees on TV with the sound muted. I miss Jim Kaat. Btw, we have 2 innings. No way we score on Putz.
If we can get Washburn out of the game we can maybe get some of the lefties in. Matsui and Abreu.
man, i hate seeing Jeter in that sorry Ford commerical
there offense is so inconsitstent it is mind boggling..
Minky vs Yuny.
It is a tie at 8 vowels each. I counted the 2nd “Y” as a vowel, but not the first one. And used the proper name “Douglas”.
washburn only threw 84 pitches so far…
HIT dammit!!
boston has no good lefty starter (just lester), anaheim has none. cleveland has 1. dont listen to Kay.
wa-HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !
AROD!!!
OPTIMISM WORKS!!
47!!!
Who wanted Alex to sit this one out???
YEAH!!! didnt you call that one Rebecca?
aroooddd
ABOMB!
boom
THANK GOD FOR A-ROD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh thank god!
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank God!!!!
MVP MVP
MVP MVP
MVP MVP
MVP MVP
wow very clutch! take that washburn.
MVP MVP MVP!!!!!!!
the dude ROCKS….Here comes another run and a WIN for JOBA…as promised, ALL !!!
Arod clutch baby!!!!
Shelley’s turn…. coming right up
YES! AL MVP RIGHT HERE
Alex Rodriguez is
SSIIICCCKKKK!!!!! I’m lost for words.
If we get Washburn out of this game the last 2 innings will take 3 hours as Seattle plays match-up with their 15 bullpen pitchers (5 lefties).
And as I type that, Arod hits another big time HR.
And coincidentally, at the same time “the greatest clutch hitter in Redsox history” fouls out with the go ahead runs on.
Good God, A-Rod!
Hahaha, it seemed like the applause was dying down when Arod popped out for that curtain call. Am I crazy? Meanwhile, you go Cano!
“My predictions have been good lately so here goes: I think ARod will hit 47 tonight, and Phil will pitch a 6 inning, 3 run effort.”
Okay not to brag but that was pretty close.
*MVP!*
*MVP!*
*MVP!*
Okay, I fully expect them to show the squirrel….
But YES!!! And Shelley’s up!!
it is IN THE CARDS…Yankee go up AT LEAST 3-2 by the end of this inning…Good Night Washburn !!! NICE !!!
the wheels are falling off the washburn train!
two run HR im tellin u
now let’s see if all you prognosticators are right about duncan
lol, Michael T… you are probably right
Alex “Close and Late” Rodriguez!
Watching A-Rod limp around the bases, it’s clear he needed the night off in the field. Plus tomorrow off.
I recall when guys like Mays and Aaron were passing Mel Ott (both in their late 30s, toward the end of their careers).
I have been watching baseball since 1960; A-Rod is amazing.
I think Lopez just booted the Mariners’ season.
That sound is hear is the cracking psyche of the sinking Mariners.
Alex _knows_ curtain calls!!
Kay just said Arod right ankle sprain and bruise. That would, imo, be why he’s DHing tonight…
And that was WITH a sore ankle…
Time to get Joba his first ML win tonight.
Glad to see Hughes off the hook. He didn’t deserve to lose this game.
arod certainly doesnt leave anything to doubt when he hits one, you never know but i cant imagine him not having a great postseason if they make it
Ah yes, one of Seattle’s 23 LHPs in the pen.
Cashman needs to do everything he can to make sure Arod is back next year.
You know what? A lot more families would be less safe without ARod pumping 1K into the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation every other day.
Bless his heart he’s a giver!
Free Shelley! Forget the bunt.
cmon Torre/Bowa…. dont take the bat out of shelleys hands!
I like it.
Pardon my ignorance if this is obvious to everyone else, but who was Alex looking at off to the 1st Base side right after he hit the HR? It seemed pointed, to me.
Shelley plays small ball!
as much as I hate to ever see a Yankee bunt…that was a nice bunt…
I had mentioned the possibility of giving A-Rod the night off because I didn’t like what DHing him did to the line-up. Still don’t. And I really wanted Posada’s bat in the line-up tonight. My thought process was that sitting A-Rod would give him 2 days to rest that ankle. If it is sprained, he’ll probably be DHing for awhile. As long as Posada catches most games it’s not a big deal. The problem is A-Rod and Posada are two of our best bats and you want them both in and they both could only DH tonight.
why why why??
i think joe wants to give up an entire inning this game. hes 2/3 of the way there
OK, I really don’t like my lumberjack homer hitters bunting. Damon is one thing, but Duncan?
Not happy.
shelley duncan great job in right and then a nice sacrifice, now with giambi i’m not sure hes done anything of significance since hes been back from that injury
Sorry, that is the correct baseball play late in the game. Now you take two shots at a basehit to go ahead.
This is the style of baseball that was so successful for the Yankees in the late 90s. It doesn’t always work, and the fans usually like to see the HR, but that is the right play.
joe always gives it his best at messing things up.
Base hit!!!
We take the lead!!!
good bunt… IF shelley wasnt going to go deep there. we all knew he was, but hopefully giambi can get him home.
dumb move…now they do small ball, i garentee he would have hit a hr if we kept him in…but we will never no
Is Cano on second? ESPN GameCast says he’s still on first.
the WHEELS are comin’ off the wagon !!! LOL
good AB by the Giambino!
its not the right play becuase you shouldnt ask a righty power hitter with no out to bunt so that you can get a lefty up to face a lefty. now it worked but that doenst mean it was the right move.
ARod always looks at the dugout after his homers. Don’t think he’s glaring at anyone. Good eye, Giambino.
Shelley Duncan: the bat is his brush and Da House is his canvass
Al’s right. Cora tonight with men on 1st & 2nd. ball,ball,foul bunt, missed bunt, foul bunt.
That walk doesn’t help. It keeps the DP in order. Basehit/ball four here would be, uh, big….
Wow, I just noticed Giambi actually has a steal on the year. How’d that happen??
chance for wilson to get back on track here
“Base hit!!!
We take the lead!!!”
I’m trying to think it, so it will happen.
Montana Mike
September 5th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
Is Cano on second? ESPN GameCast says he’s still on first.
Yup, him and Giambi are both on first …..new “Yankee” MLB rules meant to even the playing field…
Bonds went yard
who’s better??
Fat Giambi
or
Skinny Giambi
WEAK wilson, cmon!
BASE HIT….WE TAKE THE LEAD !!!
Bobcat,
I’m cool with bunting a runner from second to third with no outs. It means the run can score on an out.
Bunting from first with no outs is a different thing. It still takes a hit to score a run. If you don’t bunt, you can still score a run on an out if you get hits.
C’mon be honest, how many of you were hating on A-Rod last Year? If I were Cash I’d offer him a 7 year extention a 35 mil. per year and watch him bring the HR record back where it squarely belongs….
( say it with me )
VOIII …totally agree with you !
molina grad slam!!!!
Don Vito,
I’m still seeing Marlon Brando when I read your posts.
Like I said.. Sorry, but it’s the correct baseball play late in the game.
VOIII – i am thinking more like 6yrs/180M… nobody will top that. i never hated on arod… i hate when yankee fans rip on players like that. do they think its going to make him play better if they boo him incessantly?
Dr. Acula
answer: No Giambi
Dr. Acula
Skinny Giambi is a better first baseman but forgot how to hit.
BASES LOADED….WE TAKE THE LEAD ! LOL
BASES LOADED.
One out.
Jose or Jorge up.
Yea, I’ll take it. We score here. We score big here. We win game here.
Woo-hoo!!!!!!!!! Now we need a bomb…
Let’s go Jose. At least a sac fly.
Big moment here!!!!
JOR! – GE! JOR! – GE!
Now, a fly ball gives you the lead and you turn it over to Joba and Mo.
Granny time Jorge!
_Wow, I just noticed Giambi actually has a steal on the year. How’d that happen??_
Skimask
Alright Jorge, show Leche how its done.
Posada to the plate!
this is silly….Posada pinch hits for Molina, who is 2 for 2 with a Home Run ?….I am SO ready to be wrong about this…Jorge needs to come thru BIG TIME !
NICE!! gameday says “injury delay” after youkilis got plunked. since beckett cant get hit, ill take the whiner youkilis.
Now, no bomb… more importantly, no ground ball. A deep fly ball.
Let’s go Jorge. At least a homerun. What is this the National League?
of course varitek just hit a go ahead hr… gulp
Ugh, Veritek 2-run shot, Sox up 4-3.
I hope Joba is staying warmed up – I don’t want another Wang stiffness issue again.
abreu pinch run…minky at first then?
Wow, the Mariners have a RHP in their bullpen?
Wow, the Mariners have a RHP in their bullpen?
Don Vito… you can’t be serious. You have the choice between your backup catcher, who happens to have gotten two hits off the starter, who is out of the game, or a .330 hitter?!
This is not a choice.
Great now they show the gangrene commercial again, Yuch.
“of course varitek just hit a go ahead hr… gulp”
That’s good. Let them peak now.
i sense a walk coming
OK, another night spent sitting in Cubbies traffic…Following the game on my cell the whole way! I thought A-Rod should sit tonight, but I’ll gladly eat humble pie now!!! Honestly, he showed some real toughness by suiting up tonight and playing…a kind of grittiness that perhaps we’ve never seen before from A-Rod? Either way, I give the man mad props!
This guy pitching reminds me a little of Jeff Nelson.
Bobcat,
I agree with you here. No matter what happens, putting Posada in here is the right move.
Um, big pitch?
Great count..
Lets go Jorge~!
gameday is showing pitch 2 right down the pipe as a ball… is that right or is the ump blind?
f U kay!! Who cares of the Seattle pitcher can lose it.
The gangrene commercial doesn’t actually disgust me.
I watch too much House XD
WHOOO JORGE!
I’ll take my runs any way I can get. And the best part? BASES STILL LOADED!
Say it with me,
Hip, Hip….Jorge!
Walk works here too.
“NICE!! gameday says “injury delayâ€? after youkilis got plunked. since beckett cant get hit, ill take the whiner youkilis.”
Youkilis will blame it on the Yanks somehow…He’ll say it’s all part of their master plan to render him a vegetable!
OK…I was wrong…I’ll admit it….YANKEES TAKE THE LEAD !
like i said! yeah baby!
LOL walked the go-ahead run in.
yes !!!!
Well put, Jennifer.
ouch – dude –
well thanks sean green anyway.
We are finally getting some calls our way.
You know this guy is going to go ballistic on the ump.
RBI Walk. Love it.
Well whoever predicted the thousand pitching changes seems correct
funny, the tool who kept posting 6-2 mariners predictions hasnt been back for a while
cmon damon
Rebecca – Your game plan is MONEY, baby!!! GO YANKS!!!!!
Chicago, just like Ortiz hurt his knee some time at Yankee Stadium triping over the netting.
Is Joba staying warm??
Joba for the 8th!!!
Nice at bat by Jorge.
But wow you gotta admit, we’ve been given quite a few breaks today. I’d be pretty pissed at the calls if I were a Mariner fan.
But I’m not!!!!
lol jennifer
Don’t sweat it Don Vito – - – blogging means never having to say you’re sorry for bad predictions!!!
Hmm. Joba has been sitting for a long time. Is he going to go back out there?
Thanks for the go-ahead run!
- Richmond, Va
Chicago Dave,
Youkilis will blame it on the Yanks somehow…He’ll say it’s all part of their master plan to render him a vegetable!
Very funny sir.
The Mariners and their 15 million pitching changes per game are getting rather tiresome.
Alvin, Mariners got the calls early, then the yanks got their share (the ichiro call and then that close pitch)
Question, is it still called “RBI”　if it’s not batted? Is it “Run Walked In”? LOL
By the way…I’m stuck watching White Sox-Tigers over here. Pretty good game, actually. The score is tied 1-1 going to the top of the eighth. The Sox are actually competing, if you can believe it!!!
P.S. – Mike Myers got a key out for the Sox!
haha, i forgot A-Rod’s homerun was this inning. It seems like forever ago
Whoo! I like it! Keep the Optimism flowing!
they shouldnt put joba back in
sox have Brian Corey in to protect the 1 run lead… good luck
Hope Joba is keeping loose, I don’t want to see him stiffen up like Wang did last night.
Hey all Don’t feel bad about getting breaks today. Don’t forget the horrible call we got at second earlier this year. It was against these same mariners. We lost the game because of that call.
Way to go Damon.
This game is to be had. Step on their throats with a 2 out hit….
great inning…arod started it off
_CYF
The Mariners and their 15 million pitching changes per game are getting rather tiresome._
You care not kidding.
At this point we should be happy that the Mariners aren’t brining in new relievers within at-bats.
Luckly Johnny has his wheels otherwise he would have grounded into another key double play.
9-4 Yankees !
Rebecca – if the yanks hold on, plenty of reason for optimism (3 game lead sounds pretty good to me)
LECHE!!!
Melky may be a fast swinger, but at least he’s clutch – that’s two nights in a row.
this is ridiculous
TOR about to take the lead back from BOS
Yes, beautiful! That’s what a hit and run are all about.
Nice late inning rally. I love the way Torre puts on the hit-and-run for guys who are scuffling… forces them to be aggressive at the plate.
There should be an active roster for a series or game. This is insane! Mlb needs to look into this.
leche gets some redemption.
now we don’t have to worry about joba going back out there.
don vito, thank fatso stairs for grounding into a DP
Melky! Melky! Melky!
… And Melky does so.
Another pitching change, great.
Now we can watch the Guiseppe Franco commercial 2 more times.
ANOTHER pitcher change.
though stairs was safe and the sox got the call
Uh… is Farnsworth warming up or something? lol
No complaints, though.
John McClaren has been getting his share of excercise these last few nights.
It’s 5-2 now. If the Yanks score any more runs, I wouldn’t run Joba back out tonight.
CYF September 5th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
The Mariners and their 15 million pitching changes per game are getting rather tiresome.
*HOLY CRAP* it’s a ploy by Seattle for freeze Joba!
Stop delaying the inevitable!
cmon stop changing ur dam pitchers
This only reiterates the significance of ARODS HR. That’s how it’s seemed this offense has worked lately, one guy gets a big hit and the inning just blows up. MVP.
Yea Leche!
You know, as much as I’d love to see Joba get the win, I honestly think Phil deserves this won. He gave the Yanks a chance to win, and the offense decided to come play in the seventh.
How many other games the Yankees lost were 2-1 for most of the game, before it getting blown open in the sixth or seventh?
Phil did what Pettitte and Clemens were unable to do.
Here’s to Phil.
Since the manager’s outburst at the players – the White Sox seem to be playing a little tougher which benefits the Yanks in this series against Detroit
Seattle should get fined if they throw one more pitcher out there… this is retarded.
A game like tonight, after a game like last night, shows how diverse this lineup can be. They still need their requisite dose of long-ball, but they can do a lot with hit-and-run, starting runners, bunting, etc. A lot of fun to watch.
i wodnt bring in joba to long of a wait ill bring in edwar
to long a layoff to bring joba back start with edwar and have mo warming
Yanks should hit-and-run again with Jetes…
YEAH JETER!
THIS GAME IS OURS!
Optimism = Magic Cure for All Ills!
YEAH!!! note to seattle – the pitching changes… not working so good for ya
If Torre is getting shot down because he leaves pitchers in too often, John McLaren has to be Torre’s polar opposite.
I hope the Yankee fans are booing the crap out of the Mariners each time they make a change.
and joba is saved
LOL, Sunny, McLaren doesn’t look like a devious machiavellian manipulator, but who knows what really lies behind those grandpa glasses of his. CAPTAIN!!!!! There you go McLaren, take that and shove it.
now you dont waste joba get farnsy up
Can you trust Edwar with a 5 run lead?
captain clutch!!! yeah….
on a side note… i hope someone else is warming up in the pen since this is turning into a long inning.
Wow Sterling was off again
“It is High it is far, it is gone” .. pause .. pause .. “off the wall, excuse me”
Three up in the Wildcard, lalalalala. Sing it!
Btw, Edwar in the 8th. Go MVP!!
Rebecca,
Beautifully said. I too would have loved for Hughes to get the win as he deserves it but since that can’t happen, I’ll take Joba’s first.
Now, if not Joba, who pitches the 8th? Edwar?
Sterling called the ball gone!!! I guess I’ll settle for a 3 bagger. Can we please pass the hat around for Sterling to get lasik.
can anyone tell if anyone is up in our pen?
So… I’m thinking Farnsworth then K-Ram.
I’M LOVIN’ IT!!!
Farnsworth time.
DAMN!!!
MVP!!!
HOLY #@$@#$&* SQUIRREL!
TWO RUNS IN ONE INNING!
Oh my god.
Farnsworth time now….
WHen was the last time Mo pitched?
Okay take the wrap off your arm Joba. Bring in someone else.
MVP MVP MVP – who said 9-2???
Captain putting it away.
MVP MVP!!
MVP!!! MVP!!! MVP!!!
Okay, so I was wrong about even thinking about resting A-Rod.
Torre, PLEASE don’t let Joba come out after this inning!!! (get someone, anyone, Shelly Duncan if need be to throw 4 balls at the first Seattle batter while you warm up Britton or Edwar or Farnsworth).
48!!! Alex go Boom-Boom!!!!
sterling got it right this time !
Wow….. there’s nothing left to say about ARod except… wow.
morrow is throwing 96 mph… dammmm!
guidry was just saying something to Joba there… probably “hit the showers and enjoy win #1″
JEEBUS THEY KEEP GOING AND GOING
thats just plain crazy.
im speechless
This inning is long enough to qualify as a day off for the Jaba rules. So he’ll be fresh for the top of the 8th.
Meanwhile, nice hit Jeter!
The way this game has unfolded, it’s just the perfect template. A quality start keeps it close and the Yanks pound the other team’s bullpen. Just usually not the ENTIRE 95-man bullpen.
Meanwhile, nice bomb Arod!!!!
Ok, no Joba on the 8th I hope.
Da Squirrel must be in the owner’s box
I think Phil is thinking why couldn’t you score me one ruN!!
The Captain with a big time hit.
….and #48 for Arod. I think it doesn’t get much better for the regular season..
arod…thats all i have to say
speechless
an ABOMB for AROD!!!
Boston Dave..I’m sure you will be relieved to know that Brian Corey did protect the Sox one run lead.
Holy crap.
holy crap – two homers in one inning – off two different pitchers – where’s Elias when you need em?
Pretty nice season going into contract negotiations for that A-Rod guy…
ummm arod
jenn –
I am totally with you, bring in anyone but Joba (or Farnsy)
there is the 9 I was talking about !
This is crazy…It’s like watching two completely different games! From the first through the sixth the offense was hopeless…Now they’re clutch-city!!! It’s wacky…but I sure am enjoying it!
ray – yes i was relieved, and not surprised that the ump blew a call at first in the Sox favor.
I think I’m in tears. He’s everything I hoped for last season. A-Rod, please don’t leave!
Hey, Pete? Is there a record or a maximum for most pitchers used in an inning?
And Scott Boras just breaks into an even bigger smile. Is a 7 run lead big enough for Torre to give Rivera a day off?
wow what an inning..
jeter missed a HR by inches..
wow, 2 days in a row.. Morrow provides all the power he throws 95.. they need to take him out he is shellshocked…
unbeleivable win.. Huge.. Thanks you Phil, you pitched very well…………….
Wow – TWO curtain calls in one inning
I think I know who’s gonna be on tomorrow’s covers
Ordonez has NOTHING compared to Arod.
MVP MVP MVP
Wow.
See Joba in the dugout? He was PUMPED!
On second thought, bring on some more pitchers! Good god, A-rod!
The sound of the crack of the bat on Jeter’s double was the loudest I’ve ever heard on radio, and I’ve heard a lot. For the record, John Sterling and Suzyn, of whom I’m fans, are often said to be ‘homers,’ but have noted the Mariners got screwed by the umpires tonight.
Jeezus – how mayn pitchers does seattle have left in their pen?
6 pitching changes in one inning? Someone call Bud.
Oh, when I said above two runs in one inning, I meant two HRs in one inning.
Amazing how much one inning changes a game, isn’t it?
Maybe someone should sit on Alex’s ankle before every game!
LOL!!!
write this down yankees…. be patient, work the count, and get the starting pitcher out early. then beat the bullpen senseless
ZZ-Top’s in the house!
No words to describe A-Rod. Seriously. ….WOW
rivewra actually needs to pitch. he has not pitched in at least 3 days and they are off Thursday..
go to edwar or Krazy Kyle in the 8th and mariano in the 9th…if edwar/Kyle have trouble bring in th eother one…
Wow….what will it cost to keep Arod in NY?
who’s warming up in the pen??
great confidence builder today for hughes, arod, and the whole offense…….arod is gonna hit 74 Hrs this season only 26 more to go
Torre – do NOT put Joba in the eigth – warm someone up darnit!
okay, you know Shelley wants to join in the fun…
A-Rod: “Who was this Mel Ott fellow?” (no offense to the Ott family).
Hey let me pose a question. What would you do if Ordonez won the MVP this year?
no dont bring in MO, he needs to rest as much aas possible
Holy cow, a Rick White sighting!
Does everyone love Phil Hughes again….He’s only going to get better……A-ROD you’re amazing……
I went a little crazy in my apartment
2 HRS in one inning. Wow.
P.S. – A-Rod is definitely getting 50 dingers this year…What an insane season!!
Oh, and I agree…Seattle should be fined (heavily) for these relentless pitching changes!
i think Arod may have the chevy player of the game locked down.
I see a lot of similarities to the late-50s teams. Awesome power, but they had great speed, a very deep bench, and the ability to manufacture and score as well. Those teams would routinely get behind and then guys like “5 o’clock lightning” Tommy Henrich would do some damage late.
Alex to Derek/Mo/Jorge/Andy: “Can I be a True Yankee (TM) now?”
I seriously dont recall a player ever carrying the Yankees for an entire year the way 2007 Arod has. Maybe Gator in 1978. On offense, even MVP Donnie Baseball in 1985 was arguably 2nd best on his own team to a dominat year from Rickey Henderson. (And of course, we didn’ make the playoffs that year anyway).
an we all stop with the long layoff Joba thing! It’s just bad karma!
8 runs in one inning.
What an inning! Who’s in now?
Poor Shelley. Making two outs in one inning.
Leave Joba in! He’s going to record his first major league win. Good stuff!
how great is this? Hughes, Joba, and Kennedy… all chipping in.
Was Joba doing a Ric Flair impression in the dugout?
Pete, if you get the chance, can you ask Joba if he’s a pro wrestling fan? YES showed him reacting in the dugout and it looked like he was doing Ric Flair’s “WHOOOO!” gimmick.
An eight run inning.
Last night the Yanks had seven runs in that inning.
Apparently, the seventh inning is the Yankees’ inning. Teams will not want to pitch to the Yankees in the seventh.
Scary thought: If Seattle picks up two more runs and the Yanks don’t pick up any more at the end of the game, it’ll be just as Don Vito predicted…
Don Vito Bellamo
September 5th, 2007 at 11:56 am
Rebecca, A-Rod will go 3 for 5 with a Home Run and 4 RBIS….
Jeff NJ, so we just scoreboard watch every game and see Cleveland tear it up these last 3 weeks !!!
Also, I just noticed that ESPN Yankees’ Schedule has Wang starting on Sunday ( I TOTALLY KNOW that they are often wrong…but you can’t blame a guy for dreamin’ !!! )
Slightly off on A-Rod,,,I predicted 9-4…and right now it is 9-2…WANG IS Pitching Sunday and Cleveland IS tearing it up ! I am liking this Crystal Ball I got on Ebay…SWEET !
Michael T – Arod is locking up MVP but dont be surprised if Posada makes the list. he has been huge this year too. wow, go figure… both in contract years
look at Shelly Duncan’s picture on gameday and tell me he don’t look like Herman Munster….
Awww, would’ve loved to see Duncan jack one here. He’ll get his chance
I guess this game’s done.
I feel bad for Phil. His best outing since Texas and he deserved the win.
maybe the Ms should x-ray the ball to see if it’s corked
Oh boy, Edwar is in. I hope he doesn’t get changeup crazy.
MAtty – I kind of hope you are wrong. I’d rather him do a Chuck Lidell than a Rick Flair.
thank you god of pitcher substitutions
even if they take joba out he won his first game
and bye the way……7th inning magic….. right here…..oh yeah
He came to sit on the bench. I guess he had to see what our offense could do.
Don Vito, you’re scaring me….:-P
Come on K-Ram! Put them away!
pitch 1 fastball
pitch 2 fastball
pitch 3 changeup
K-Ram, nice
Matty-
LOL
“Nature-Boy Joba Chamberlain”
Carlos Peña has hit two homers for Tampa, 37 for the season.
Man, what would I give to have him at first this year!!
Edwar is a huge enigma… 20 ks in 12 innings but a 7 ERA… I really hope they send him to a Winter League or something so he can really spot his fastball and take advantage of this ridiculous change-up he throws.
I think he can really be a weapon if he can spot the fastball – I am excited to see it. I haven’t seen him hang the change-up or get beaten on it yet, only the fastball really – which is a testament to his skill with that one pitch.
Ok, caught the last part of the inning, but I have to tell you that Shelley Duncan deserves high praise for “doing his job”. this is something that the Yankees have lacked for the past three years, guys who are willing to step out of their norm and do what is best for the team.
Gotta love Shelley.
what a great year 4 carlos pena…and to think he was playin AAA ball with the yanks last year..
y’know – my life would be a helluva lot less stressful if they could just put up that eight spot in the first instead of the 7th.
Funny shot of A-Rod fake limping going to commercial.
Why was Alex just limping alot when he walked in the dugout?
Gotta hand it to him, nice inning by Edwar.
based loaded 2 outs for detroit (1-1 btm8th)… cmon white sox
great inning 4 edwar
I live in LA.. I have all the pakcages etc. The Yankee announcers are far from homers compared to most announcing crews especially for the smaller markets…
the problem with the radio people are way to many promos it is sick the amount of plugs they need to make and if anything they sometimes are too complimentary of there opponents..
huge win. finally a little breathing room and I mean a little for the wildcard.. take 2 of 3 or hopefullys sweep KC and they will be in good shape, but it is far from over yet…
Nice clean inning for Edwar.
That’s the K-Ram I like!
It’s 5 September and A-Rod has four home runs.
He needs two more for fifty…and, well, if he hits a home run a game, he’ll break sixty…
Yanks may not have Pena, but remember, the Red Sox had him last year too. Better the Rays than the Sox…
Good job by Edwar. BTW, a couple of the pitches he threw this inning looked like sliders. Or were they just overthrown changes?
dam – both detroit and boston threatening… basesloaded in their respective games.
Update – Detroit has bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth with two outs.
We only have 6 hits?? That is just insane!
check out Joba hanging with ARod!
ARod with more HR than ORtiz and Manny combined (and almost can throw JD Drew in there)
So um..have I mentioned that I LOVE this team?!?! I’m tellin’ ya guys, it’s the optimism! Works every time!
So assuming the Yankees hold on
anyone else gonna do a celebratory shot when Joba’s 1st ML win is officially in the books?!
make that 7 hits
Yah Bobby! He came to play tonight.
For anyone interest, Rick Ankiel hit ANOTHER HR tonight.
hughes, joba, edwar…all rookies
BBB, ill do a shot. anyone else in?
Inning over…Tigers don’t score!
Also, “Hawk” Harrelson keeps giving updates on the score of the Yankee game and saying this is a “huge” game for the Tigers…
nice leadoff double
Leadoff double… here we go again…
no runs for detroit… they go to the 9th tied at 1
good ol youk whiffs to end the threat.
Wait, I can’t do a shot…I only have beer in my fridge! NO FAIR!!
Hey folks! I just got in. Looks like everything is going well tonight!!
Rebecca
I think Arod would have to break the all-time record for Sept. to hit 60. I think the record is held by the Babe. Anybody know for sure?
haha another pitching change
Boston Dave: Cool, whats your poison? I’m trying to decide whether Joba would rather I go with Smirnoff or Jager!
jorge ran away from that one. LOL
So for all that he has done, A-Rod is only 11 HRs ahead of Carlos Pena.
Trivia Question for the group….
Who was the last Yankee to hit 2 HRs in one inning???
BTW..I have no idea.
Will the Mariners ever run out of pitchers?!
LOL Ejection.
I’d go with the Smirnoff ICE.
BBB – wish I had Jagr. I have everything else. I will prob just do Jack.
Ken-Jo tried to intercept White’s tossing call!!!
Howl!!!!LOL
why is it this team can only score 9+ runs or 0 runs in a game? They need to find some consistency.
White is no fool….first man at the clubhouse buffet
Props to Phil, Alex, Joba and everyone else. Great game by them all so far. I am especially happy Phil pitched well today.
mickey, some dude in 77. they announced it on yes.
The answer is A-Rod. He did it last inning.
Mickey07
Who was the last Yankee to hit 2 HRs in one inning???
Kay said earlier it was Cliff Johnson in 1977.
I’m still laughing about the comment someone made yesterday about this pitcher and wondering which one is his husband’s name. I love this blog.
Who was the last Yankee to hit 2 HRs in one inning???
gerald williams….thats just a guess
Did anyone else want to see White & Vanover put on spandex & masks and go at it?
HR Troy Glaus – tie game
-. . –. .- – .. …- .. – -.– / .-. ..- .-.. . …
lmao, your a real ediot
Why did White get tossed? Somebody please tell me…
hey sunny – they are consistent. they consistently score 9 runs in the 7th and none in the rest. ill take it.
Babe Ruth – 17 in 1927
Albert Belle – 17 in 1995*
* Steroid Era
I think they may bring Ichiro in to pitch next
Toronto tied it up!
BTW, for you youngsters Cliff Johnson was a backup catcher. Big dude. Got into a fight with Goose Gossage (big mistake) and was sent away.
white got tossed for bitching at the ump for a pitch that was way inside.
White was arguing about a pitch… pointed his glove toward home.
I just got back from seeing Alan Alda, and I came home to a 9-2 lead and 2 ARod HRs! Was the squirrel around tonight?
Is it legal to switch batting in mid-atbat? I read that a ambidextrious pitcher cannot change arms in pitching to one batter – I would have thought that that would be the same as well?? Anyone know?
jj don’t you mean idiot?
Never thought I’d be rooting for Troy Glaus…
Thanks on the trivia…Cliff Johnson’s only award was Ugliest Player in the history of Baseball.
Bobcat,
Babe Ruth – 17 in 1927
Albert Belle – 17 in 1995*
Thanks man I couldn’t get the google search right.
White got tossed for arguing the strike zone from the mound, hollering, and gesticulating at the umpire.
Stuart, Where in LA ??? I live in Newport Beach…..Transplanted New Yorker ( 1973 )….
Rick White needs to get back to driving the big rigs. He’s completely out of place in a baseball uniform!
that’s a big check, how do you fold it into your wallet?
Does Seattle scare anyone?
You mean you had to look it up? LOL…
im out great game guys…..go white sox and Blue jays
We have seen two odd things by the Mariners:
1) Beltre checking his swing and then appealing, on his own, down to the first base umpire…before the home plate umpire made a call.
2) Jojima (sp?) trying to block the umpire (or box him out)
Is the Viz warming up with his other arm yet ?
best apart about the sox game, bases loaded with 1 out last inning and nancy drew K’s followed by a Youk K… tito elects to bring delcarmen in instead of Okajima…. they deserve to lose
They should move the squirrel to the new stadium when it is completed, give it a nice little home out by the new foul pole.
where did our pet seattle troll go? he/she was very excited about the game today.
This is why they need a third catcher on the 40 man roster. Posada should not have to catch this late in a blow out game in September. He’s beaten down enough this time of year.
Boston Dave – HA!
McLaren must be thanking the high heavens that the rosters expanded last week… otherwise Ichiro might be out there now pitching.
Jennifer, fortunately for the Yankees, the Mariners have not played well lately. During their winning streaks, they were as tough as anyone.
Just goes to show you, the team that gets hot at the right time wins.
A la NYY 1996. How do you think the Braves felt going home up 2-0 on the Yanks in the World Series?
Viz is out for a bit. Sore shoulder. I would assume they’d bring up another arm. But haven’t heard anything.
Bobcat,
At least I knew who had the record. I knew someone would know for sure. Another reason I love this blog!
jennifer September 5th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Does Seattle scare anyone?
For the first 6 innings of this game, they scared me… I’m not afraid to admit that.
They felt like it was over. But it wasn’t
we came back!!
No need to bring up another arm. Villone comes off the DL on Friday. Veras is still there, as is Britton and Bruney.
I have not read all the comments, so maybe someone has already posted this, but go to Yankees.com and check out the picture of Edwar Ramirez.
hit enter too soon.
And Scranton is in the playoffs.
Bengie Molina has a homer for the Giants. The pressure it really on Yadier in St. Louis!
I guess Mo needed work.
Mo is in.
Guess he needed work and tomorrow’s an off-day anyway
I guess its to get some work in. Fair enough…
Mo needs work????
Speaking of bringing people up, has anyone heard about any plans to call up Gardner to use as a pinch runner? I heard Thompson got DFA’d so I assumed Gardner would get the call..
_Does Seattle scare anyone?_
yeah, their fans
Speaking of bringing up other arms…How is the Ohlendorf-as-reliever experiment going? I haven’t heard anything about that lately…
Johjima actually tried to throw himself in front of the ump and incidentally blocked his “tossing” arm.
Good time to get Mo some work with an off day tomorrow. Get him an inning to stay sharp and an off say so he should be fine for the KC series.
That’s fine, Mo hasn’t pitched since Saturday.
Is Torre really bringing Mariano in for this blowout? Couldn’t Britton, Veras, Farnsworth or Bruney be trusted with 8 runs?
Come on, even Kyle would have a hard time giving up that lead.
Relievers need regular work, yes.
Attorney General is in.
Seattle didn’t even scare Dr. Frasier Crane.
Ibanez is a real pain in the ass! He’s almost as tough an out as Ichiro!!
One down, 2 to go.
That looks like Mo. LOL I was too late.
Also I forgot where Villone went. LOL
An Ohlendorf update…Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
DP coming right up
Hughes will get lost in the shuffle tonight, that’s just how it is. But as the Yankees move forward, what he did tonight was huge.
Peter, I don’t think Joe will let that happen. My guess is that he goes out of his way in the post game conference to praise Hughes.
That is one of my favorite movies. I’ve seen it like a million times.
Nature Boy Joba Chamberlain…
Kim Jones: “Joba, you got your first win tonight. How does it feel?”
Joba: KIIIIIIIIIIIIM JONES! WHOOOOOOO! Kimmy oh Kimmy won’tcha marry me now? WHOOOOO! Tonight, we dine in style! I’m a lear jet flying, limo-driving, kiss-stealing, wheeling dealing son of a gun. WHOOOOOO!!!
White Sox have the leadoff guy on in the top of the 10th.
Wow! Great game!
WOOHOO JOBA IS 1-0!!!!! Yeeeeaaaaahhhh!!
Ohlendorf has been so-so in in the bullpen. some great outings some bad ones. look for him to be at AAA next year and get the call sometime next season
I’ve met that security guy by the dugout.
Nature Boy Joba Chamberlain:
“To be… the MAN… WHOOOO! You have to BEAT the man! Whoooo! And I am… the MAN! Whoooo!”
i meant get the call sometime mid-season
Here’s DP. GREAT WIN today. 3 up in the WC. What a great night.
Let’s hear it again for A-Rod…Two dingers on a bum ankle!!!
Ohlendorf’s last two outings have been good, but before that, not good at all. As a RP, opponents are batting .322 vs. him.
To make Nature Boy Joba Chamberlain, we need:
Ian Kennedy as Arn Anderson
Shelley Duncan as Ole Anderson
Phil Hughes as Tully Blanchard
In celebration of Joba’s first win- “I’m an Indian outlaw, half Cherokee and Choctaw, my baby she’s a Chippewa, she’s one of a kind!”
What a great game all around. Very exciting stuff.
Ohlendorf’s stat page:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.....pid=456027
Pete, you’re right, Hughes had a really strong outing tonight and that should not go unrecognized! Now I’ll do another celebratory shot for him
how can the game be over Seattle still has pitchers left to bring in ?????
SJ44 do you still think that Phil Hughes *Is not a major league pitcher?* (Said in a most condenscending way) lol
*Welcome to the Major Leagues Ichiro & Co.*
Still can’t figure out how we ended by tied for the season series with the M’s. Huge win tonight. Hopefully White Sox can finish the job in Detroit.
Thanks for the Ohlendorf info., guys!
Don Vito Bellamo
September 5th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
Giambi starts at first and Minky finishes as we will have a nice comfortable lead late in the game…..
……see !…..
LMAO@ Nature Boy Schtick
Good ol’ Manny Decarlman gave up the tying homer. C’mon Toronto!
Tony Schiavone:
“Mah god! The Yankee Horsemen have just beatdown the entire Red Sox starting rotation!”
(The camera cuts to Ian “Arn” Kennedy beating down Matsuzaka. Another view shows Joba slapping a barely-concious Schilling and calling him “fat boy”)
“Fans, we’re outta time! We gotta go!”
winning run on- good ol zaun got HBP… he’s good for something
Good night all. Good game. After a bad start to this series, we picked up a game!!
We now lead the wild card by 3!! WOOHOO
What is our clinch number of the wc? Of course i’d like the division, but that doesn’t look too good right now. So you take the next best thing. Is it 20?
Thank you Vernon Wells!!
2 run homer – toronto up 6-4
okajima upchucks.
tWO RUN TATER BY TORONTO!!
For all of you those not graced by who Ric Flair is…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1nmZ5P7JLA
It gets good at about 30 seconds in.
TKinDC-
well, Joba is one of the four horseman, WOOOOOO!
May be one of the biggest wins of the year, 3 games up instead of 1. Now the Yankees need to go out take of business, it is pretty much theirs to lose and the one thing the Yankees now how to do is finish.
A couple observations:
1) As much as Boras is smiling, I still think it comes down to ARod and IMO he does not want to play anywhere else.
2) Philip (credit Max Kellerman), will be OK. You may be right SJ, he could of used more time in AAA, but the Yankees did not have that option (thanks to Igawa, Pavano, and the injuries to Rasner and Karstens). But look at some of the pitchers his age, they all struggle. Dave Eiland might be a good thing for him. I’ll reserve judgment until a later date.
All in all this was a great game and of coarse I went to the game on Monday.
Phil Huge
Matty, I think Manny would be a killer Iron Shiek
Phil Hugest
Ortiz = Undertaker. Very big, very slow, but intimidating as all hell.
Giambi as Big John Studd
Steinbrenner as Classy Freddie Blassie
I’m having trouble comming up with someone as funny as Bobby the Brain Heenan – perhaps RemDawg (Jerry Remy)
Melky as Jimmie Super-fly Snuka and I’m sure Damon could just be himself.
Called it again,,,courtesy of The Don :
CLE
OAK
NYY
TOR
All winners tonight and ALL helped the Yankee Cause !
What about Captn Lou?
If you dye Boras’ hair blond, you just might have Bobby the Brain Heenan
Arod as Ravishing Rick Rude
Beckett as Jake da Snake
and of course, Rocket as Hulkamania
And just a few days ago the Phil Hughes fan club was a lonely place to be…..
38-donuts as Capt Lou
Giambi would not pass the WWEs stringent drug testing policy
No Mass has to put that one together, with the elastic bands in the beard and all.
Schilling = Yokozuna
Arod = Triple H
Jeter = HBK
Michael Kay = Tony Schiavone
Johnny Damon = Ultimate Warrior
Scott Boras = Ted Dibiase
Total non-sequiter but since I was referencing Doony Baseball’s 1985v season earlier, I looked up the stats on Baseball Reference. Jumping off the page is Booby Meachum. I guess I must have blocked this out, but what an awful season by an every day player. Lowlights:
- 156 games, 481 ABs
- .218 BA, .302 OBP
- .266 SLG (19 xbhs)!
- OPS .568, OPS+ 59 (makes 2007 Cairo look like 2007 ARod)
Pags, Winfield, Griffey and Baylor were also everyday players at corner/DH positions, and none of them put up an OBP above .331.
And that team won 97 games with a starting rotation of Guidry, Neikro, Cowley, Rasmussen and Whitson. My how things have changed.
1000
1,000th post!!!! Yanks to win AL East in 2007!!!!!
Well ok, 1001.
999
I wonder if any of the folks who say sacrifice hits are nothing more than wasted outs saw Terry Francona just now on NESN? He said the game turned when the Red Rox failed to get the bunt down on 2 occassions and it ended up costing them the game.
Joe Torre did a great job managing this game. Shelley Duncan’s sacrifice in the 7th put the Mariners on the defensive. His call for the hit & run with Melky was perfect.
Michael T
I don’t know if 1985 was the year but, Bobby Meachum, may be the only player to over run the batter in front of him on a homerun. Also, it goes unnoticed, because they didn’t win anything, but the Yankees had the most wins in the 80’s. Imagine what they would have done in this playoff format.
Brian-
I think that was later, and it was actaully a play where Meacham and another Yankee both got tagged out at home plate. That happened to someone this year too. And dont forget the poster boy for late 80s/early 90s futility- Andy Hawkins losing a no-hitter, 4-0. Also fun fact from 1985- Meacham had 102 Ks, and only 19 xbhs, That ratio of 5-1 has got to be one of the worst ever. And my favorite line for the year was Buthc Wynegar, with a .223 BA and .320 SLG, but a .356 OBP! For a guy that couldnt hit and had no power he could work the walks. Man before his time as catcher with a .356 OBP would be highly valued today. And the out machine Omer Moreno played on that team too, registering a whopping 56 outs in only 69 plate apps, with one walk, one sac bunt and 13 hits (caught stealing and GDP). The dude’s career out/PA ratio is the worst in history.
Hughes didn’t get the win but he did exactly what I’ve been saying for weeks. All he needs to do is trust his stuff and be aggressive instead of picking corners. He’s too good for that. Good start.