Heroes aplenty in a memorable game
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- May
- 15
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Who helped win this game? Let’s count:
Phil Hughes: By no means was he great, or even pretty good. But he limited the damage and kept them in the game. He put 10 guys on base in five innings and only three of them scored.
Melky Cabera: He left four men on base early but came up big in the ninth when needed. Gardenhire made the right move to walk Cano as he almost never strikes out. But Melky has a nice touch for the dramatic.
Johnny Damon: Strategically got thrown out of the game to give a chance to …
Brett Gardner: Had a single, an inside-the-parker and a triple to start the ninth-inning rally. Those who evaluate baseball only by numbers dismiss him. But when you actually watch the games, you realize he brings something to the table.
Mark Teixeira: Got on base three times and got a little fired up in the eighth inning, which seemed to get the squad going. Carlos Gomez should watch himself tomorrow if he faces Joba.
A-Rod: He is 3 for 22 at the plate, but walked four times including a tough-minded plate appearance in the ninth inning to extend the inning.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
Josh Thomson
I can dance to this post
The Twins are pitching Blackburn a righty tomorrow. Gardner better be in the lineup and Swish on the bench.
Best win of the season?
Girardi’s muscles are so huge and he has that military man aura.
Why would anyone ever mess with him?
And 5-2 since ARod came back…
Girardi says Tex says his wrist is fine.
Anyone else think that the outfield should be Gardner, Damon, and Melky? Keep them in the outfield and move Swisher to the bullpen.
Jeter with the HR too!
love it…. great win …. id like to see some better ab’s out of cash though…. went after a 2-0 pitch in his second to last ab that was 2 feet outside.. then went after the first pitch in his last ab down 2 runs with no outs and a guy on……good stuff out of melky though
This was a fun game
That was by FAR the best $25 I have EVER spent on baseball tickets.
Where is Brett Gardner from, again? South Carolina?
also watching gardy here … his hands look like cinder blocks there so big
Good win, a lot of heart shown by these guys.
and his ears are RED
wow rebecca, great game to be at. I am jealous!
Andrew May 15th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Where is Brett Gardner from, again? South Carolina?
=====================
Yeah, I think South Carolina
That story was true ?
I can’t wait to watch the replay – not just to see the reaction, but to see Melky being pied -darn the phone ringing at JUST the wrong time.
God I hope Brett learns to hit, he’s scrappy and sounds like a leader. He prbly could beat up Pedroia too.
repost for trisha:
trisha,
Just sayin’. I was cussing & spitting until I left after the 5th. And then I was cussing & spitting in the car as radio jock kept trashing the Yankees and giving play by play of every futile at bat with RISP.
I got home and jumped on the computer and it was 4-3 with no outs. And then the Melk-man delivered!
Melky’s the starting center fielder fair and square.
But Gardner needs playing time. Even stupid radio jockey said that he’s a spark plug.
What’s our record in games where somebody gets ejected and we don’t commit an error?
=======================================
Woo Hoo! Still can’t get over this game. Joe Nathan, too!
Melky, Melky, Melky!
Excellent Post Pete…a very enjoyable read!!!
Can some please explain to me Wally Bells strike zone? It was absolutely a joke. Good thing the Yanks did not let him determine the game even though he tried especially in the 9th inning. I couldn’t believe he called those pitches strikes to Arod. Too bad there is nothing the team can do. He tried all he could to hand the Twins the game but good thing the team came threw. I am glad that MLB just lets these guys call whatever they want balls or strikes. It was horrible tonight….
Gardner now has (statistically) twice as many homeruns as Big Pahpi who won’t be catching him tonight. Because he ain’t playing!
I kinda like the “new” Arod and how he deals with the media.
Just resubscribed online to mlb tonight. The first home game of the year I’ve had a chance to see start to finish. And I couldn’t have chosen a better date for it.
The Ghosts are back people.
Tampa, Toronto, and Boston all won tonight
Good thing we did too
“Tampa, Toronto, and Boston all won tonight”
Rays with a walk off too. Boston is winning 4-0 but it’s the 4th inning.
I really can’t stand that little snot Gomez. He has a bad attitude, both last year and this. Twice running inside shows its intentional, and I think that is something that the umpires should be watching for. Though if Bell were doing the watching Gomez probably could run right over the pitchers mound to second and he would think its fine.
Its too bad that umpires can’t get thrown out of games for having a ridiculous strike zone that isn’t even close. There should be suspensions for HP umpires who affect the games like Bell did tonight.
this is very off-topic, but would you take this season from CC Sabathia, or AJ Burnett, for that matter?
17 8 3.79 225.2 207 47 211
Because this is the 2005 season for the much-maligned Randy Johnson.
Just sayin’
Girardi and Gardner look like they have about 2% body fat. And Gardenhire wanted to mess with him? Yikes!
Did you guys see who gave up the walk-off to BJ ‘he’s freaking struggling’ Upton? Let’s just say he has no vizness pitching in a tie game on the road. I always like the Viz, but it’s sad to see how much he really sucks.
Wasn’t Cleveland up like 7-3 or something?
Gotta add Girardi to that list, Pete…stuck his neck out for his player and helped rally the team. Who didn’t want to win that game in a big way after that?
7-0 lol
Let’s throw the bullpen into the mix – one run over four innings. It wasn’t pretty (runners on in each of those four innings), but like Hughes, they did limit the damage. Good job striking out the side in the 9th, when we all were probably expecting an Edwar or Veras implosion.
As for Gardner and Melky, this is why I don’t get why some fans want to be on one side or the other…as Yankees fans, we should root for them BOTH to do well. Their success helps the Yankees. The Yankees are getting more production out of center field right now than anyone could have reasonably imagined heading into the season.
They are showing Bernie’s concert, which lasts an hour.
That means encore will start at around 12:30
repost for mel!
May 15th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
That gamethread was great because inbetween cheering the Yankees on, we had a blast talking about french fries. None of the whiners were in sight and it was a joy, especially for those of us who really don’t get bent out of shape during games. But for us to have the complainers stay far away, unfortunately the Yankees have to be leading by a lot.
mel, you know Angel pointed out something extremely factual and that is some of the same people who are always there to slam the Yankees are nowhere in sight when the Yankees are doing well or they never bother saying anything positive. Obviously that is not referring to you. It is unfortunately just a distant memory now, but what a great night we had the other night when Gary G. came on later and chastized everyone for being either bipolar or discussing food.
Melky and Gardy, we need to nickname them.
M,
Cleveland was up 7-0 today and lost
And they almost blew a 9-0 lead yesterday, Tampa made it 9-6 with the tying runs on at one point. They ended up winning 11-7 though.
when I miss games they are always great. good win I guess.. They have been coming back left and right in games but coming up short but tonight they did it..
hughes hung in there and did not crumble….
Gomez had two feet on the grass. Joba needs to park one in his side tomorrow.
“Gardner now has (statistically) twice as many homeruns as Big Pahpi”
m, where did you study math and statistics?
2 is not twice as many as 0.
espn showing a poll about who’s transgression is the least forgivable.
Phelps 16%
Manny 28%
Rodriguez 56%
Rodriguez swept every state. Unreal, no? Manny got popped in March and Alex is still a villain.
A-Rod better start hitting soon.
We’re not paying him $25 million to walk. We are paying Swisher $5 million to do that.
He needs to start hitting HRs and he better start hitting them soon.
Someone with the Yankees really needs to take a hard look at the radio broadcast team next year. I like SUzyn a lot she knows her stuff BUT John STerling has to go it is an embarassment that he is calling Yankees games.
This is just whatI heard tonight as I listened to the first inning in the car:
Jeter’s ball he said was off the wall, guess what SPahn caught it (not sure how you mistake that)
Damon’s strike out he said made the count full. Then he said they needed to get their own counter in the booth as the scoreboard was wrong.
Called Morneau out on a DP and went on and on about what a great play only to then have to say he was safe.
Finally switched to hear the Yankees win only to hear him say that Angel Berroa was comng in to pinch run for Arod then after Mekly’s hit he said Cervelli was the one that scored, but guess what it was Ramiro Pena that came into PR.
You really cant make this stuff up. Either get someone who can see, someone to help him out or get rid of him the HR calls are not worth the price of admission in this instance.
Wow. Just got back from the game. More Friday night magic. I’m still floating.
Us Friday planners are finally getting our desert after years of early season abuse.
Took the wife and she approves of the new stadium. I’m still on the fence but the memories are coming fast and furious and that’s all that matters anyway.
Haha, Nick. You’re right.
So, I guess I could say that Gardner has 100 times the homeruns if I’m going to be wrong, I might as well be really wrong.
GGBG=0(BP)+ 2
“A-Rod better start hitting soon.”
He’s doing just fine I rather he draw the walk then strikeout on a pitch in the ground like Matsui did.
Johnson
Unless your name is Johnson Steinbrenner, you’re not paying Alex anything.
What kind of person has a screen name like Johnson ?? What’s up with that
pat May 15th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Johnson
Unless your name is Johnson Steinbrenner, you’re not paying Alex anything.
lol
That’s better, m.
And you’re correct, tonight Big Papi will add 0 to his total. But he might enjoy a nice ?.
David Ortiz will be benched for the whole weekend.
?
Why the heck is the symbol for pi showing up as a question mark?
Grrrr, that’s a joke killer.
Papi is sitting out the whole Seattle series.
Nick,
Some guy hacked into the system and found the tracking number. The package from the DR is “en route” to Tito’s house!
Seattle’s inspired by the Yankees. 4-1 bottom of the 5th.
“What kind of person has a screen name like Johnson”
At the risk of getting banned, someone whose first name is Dick?
ARod will hit. This is still like spring training for him. Watch in June.
For those who question balls and strikes, I have one word: Questek. That ump may be back in the minors soon after tonight’s game. He certainly won’t call any games in October if he keeps it up.
As long as the team gets good starting pitching, which can keep them close like tonight, they always will have a chance to win.
With the exception of Hughes (still learning that this is not AAA, Dorothy), they have it. Burnett will straighten out, and if Wang is back to normal, watch out American League.
Ellsbury, not to be outdone by GGBG is a homer shy of the cycle. Why is Seattle allowing him to get on base. His speed kills.
“A-Rod better start hitting soon.”
He’s doing just fine I rather he draw the walk then strikeout on a pitch in the ground like Matsui did.
…………………………..
A big fat YEAH to that brother! His walk actually kept the game alive for Melks heroics. Last year he would have struck out.
Leave him alone, he’s doing just fine.
forget the ESPN forgivable athletes talk…. they just had a nascar banned substance talk…yeah i said it …banned substance…really ??stop trying to be important nascar
?
Gardner the player and hero of the game needs to play. If this is a sign of things to come then I’m excited about this team. A player like Gardner is so huge for this team
Does “brettisgod” have a new screen name?!
AS,
Did you hear what happened? NASCAR has a banned list. But the drivers don’t know what’s on it. The driver that got popped said it was a combination of a prescription drug + Claritin. Which, oh BTW, is a sponsor of NASCAR.
The driver was initially suspended indefinitely, but he’s already back. Oh, and now they’re considering letting the drivers see the list. Huh?
Just a tremendous game…
A classic comeback…
Great that both Grit Gardner and the Melkman had key roles in this one…
Go Yanks!!!!
Joba changing his warm-up routine to try and combat 1st inning issues
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05.....ref=sports
This website is not hospitable to the greek letter Pi.
I never knew they were that many Dodgers fans in Miami
I don’t know about you guys, but this game tonight reminded me of the type of comebacks we used to get around here in the late 90’s…
It had that kind of feel to it…
And we did it against Nathan, one of the better closers in baseball…
They don’t get much better than this in the Bronx!
Man, I missed this for Star Trek? Don’t get me wrong, it was a great movie but I would’ve much rather had seen the game…
Wow, I missed the last 2 innings of the game, but imagine my surprise when I checked he boxcore and saw that the Yanks won.
I have to say, I’m extremely proud of the offense for scoring 2 runs against Nathan. Once Liriano left the game, I kept thinking they only had 6 outs to work with because Nathan is as automatic as anyone. Beating him is definitely a big accomplishment, and completely changes the momentum of this series (just like when Mo blew the save to Boston).
If you’re going to mention Cabrera leaving 4 men on base, you might also mention that he was batting RH in those situations. Weird thing to open with, frankly, considering the outcome.
Seattle makiing its move
Since the Yankees don’t have a day off next week. Do you think Hughes gets another start. Even if Wang comes back.
Nick,
I tried ‘infinity’ before, but it turned out lame, too.
BTW, did you guys notice that Mark Teixeira’s the most fiery guy on the team? It’s awesome to see him pumped when Mo made a big out earlier in the season. And then to see him jawing back at Carlos Gomez. He ran inside twice in this game alone. Is that a habit of his?
Inside the park HR totally wipes away the stain of the RS stealing home.
Ichiro gives the Mariners the lead.
RS, 3 runs off of Nathan. Tex rbi single. Melky 2 rbi single.
David Wright with a 3-run double,
6-6 in San Fran, Top 7th
Linceucm got shelled tonight
Ichiro 2 HRs off Lester tonight. Wow.
Don’t forget Rob Thomson, who waved GGBG around on the basepaths. The lack of complaints about the third base coach compared to last year is astounding.
Saying Lincecum got shelled is a gross exaggeration.
He left with a 3 run lead in the 7th inning and the pen let 2 inherited runners score. Its not like he got knocked out in the 1st inning.
Should I be watching the Red Sox game? Every time I look, the Mariners are adding on runs. Might be a good result for the Yankees.
Gee, that superior “clubhouse culture” that Boston has all over the Yankees is serving them well tonight.
This really was a total team win tonight.
Took contributions from everyone to get it done.
That’s got to be a chemistry builder in the clubhouse.
The picture that mlb gameday has of Chris Jakubauskas is weird
Before you bench Swish, did he not move the runners up in the ninth?
Miggs,
He gave up 13 baserunners (10 hits, 3 walks) in 6 innings.
Oh, no, not our clubhouse.
Haven’t you heard?
We have a an inferior “clubhouse culture.”
We’re waiting on our Theo handbook on The Art of Developing a WInning Clubhouse Culture.
It was entirely predictable, bod, you shouldn’t be surprised. If you really want a good laugh, check out the 10:46 update in the previous post. At least he spelled Melky’s last name correctly there.
Linceum had a 4 run lead and choked it away
He pitched awfully tonight. 10 hits and 3 walks
Did I mention that Hughes got his Mental Toughness for the Privileged handbook just in the nick of time for the game?
He read it from cover to cover, which is how he got out of those jams he got into.
I was actually encouraged by Hughes tonight.
Great job by Afeldt, btw,
Chris
May 16th, 2009 at 12:23 am
It was entirely predictable, bod, you shouldn’t be surprised. If you really want a good laugh, check out the 10:46 update in the previous post. At least he spelled Melky’s last name correctly there.
========
Thanks for pointing that out. And the passive aggression is duly noted
And you’re right, I shouldn’t be surprised.
The true hero of tonight’s game was the man who gave Phil Hughes the inspiration to put aside his jelloesque softness and keep the Yankees in the game.
The same man who then had the wisdom to step aside and let the greatness that is Bret Gardner lead and inspire the team to victory.
Thank you, Johnny Damon.
Goodnight.
Where’s Christian Garcia at?
And have they tried to turn him into a reliever yet?
Giving up a lot of baserunners and getting “shelled” or “choking” are 2 completely different things.
Bottom line, he left with a 3 run lead in the 7th inning.
Up until that point he had given up 3 runs.
Watch more baseball, blog less if you’re going to spew nonsense like this.
If anyone listened to the radio post game, Gardner went to a hospital this morning and hung out with children who had cancer. One of the kids asked Gardner to hit a HR for him and Gardner said he’d try if the kid tried to get better.
I think we can give credit to the Alex-hater staying away from the park tonight.
“Johnson May 15th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
A-Rod better start hitting soon.
We’re not paying him $25 million to walk. We are paying Swisher $5 million to do that.
He needs to start hitting HRs and he better start hitting them soon.”
LOL. Oh my god, this is great
Richie
May 16th, 2009 at 12:26 am
I was actually encouraged by Hughes tonight.
================
So was I. He kept us in the game without great command. That’s what good pitchers do. I think Girardi would have brought him back in the 6th had we kept the top of the inning going longer.
miggs – So lincecum pitched well?
I know you hate the mets but give them credit.
Miggs, why so angry? No need to call out the guy. Show some respect.
Evan
May 16th, 2009 at 12:29 am
If anyone listened to the radio post game, Gardner went to a hospital this morning and hung out with children who had cancer. One of the kids asked Gardner to hit a HR for him and Gardner said he’d try if the kid tried to get better.
===================
I thought the child gave Gardner a bracelet and told him he would hit a HR every AB, and that he said he’d try to hit one for her.
It’s a sweet story. Yankees got good people.
# Nick in SF May 16th, 2009 at 12:28 am
The true hero of tonight’s game was the man who gave Phil Hughes the inspiration to put aside his jelloesque softness and keep the Yankees in the game.
The same man who then had the wisdom to step aside and let the greatness that is Bret Gardner lead and inspire the team to victory.
Thank you, Johnny Damon.
Goodnight.
——————————————
He sacrificed his xtra base hitting streak also
Swish should not lose his starting job right now, but it makes sense to give him the day off tomorrow. Both Gardner and Melky deserve to play and Swish is slumping big time. If Gardner can build off of this (5 of his last 8), then he should stay in the lineup. Obviously, if Melky keeps hitting anywhere near the .330 average he’s posted so far, then he needs to stay in the lineup too. That leaves Swisher as the odd man out. If they both keep it up (and that’s a big if), Swish could eventually lose his job. If the Yankees run into this problem, it will be a very good season in the Bronx.
24 Cano
May 16th, 2009 at 12:28 am
Where’s Christian Garcia at?
And have they tried to turn him into a reliever yet?
============
Garcia just completed his last EST game in Tampa and should be headed to Trenton.
I hate “Cervy as a nickname. Who came up with that one. Reminds me of (sorry don’t take in offense but, it just does) cervix. Now we’re coming up with “Hughsie” for Hughes? We can’t think of anything better?
I was at the game tonight. During A-Rod’s 4th at bat (he walked, struck out, walked), the old guys in front of me were getting SO mad at him telling him “earn your money!” When he walked on 4 (maybe 5?) pitches, everyone was cheering but them. They were all up in arms again, angry that he didn’t “earn his money.”
That’s a bit ridiculous, though. What did they expect him to do, hit the balls thrown out of the strike zone?
Just ridiculous.
rconn23 May 16th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Ichiro 2 HRs off Lester tonight. Wow.
————————————-
And people here give Hughes a hard time. Lester has been awful this year.
We just won a thrilling game, calm down miggs. Give the guy a break, it’s not THAT big a deal
Wunderkind Josh Bard on the mound for Boston. In a bit of a jam. Let’s see if he can get out of it.
Anyone know if he’s from a privileged background? Oh, I see he induced a popout to right with runners on. Must be from the ghetto. Tough kid.
“I hate “Cervy as a nickname. Who came up with that one. Reminds me of (sorry don’t take in offense but, it just does) cervix. Now we’re coming up with “Hughsie” for Hughes? We can’t think of anything better?”
LMAO I thought Cervy was bad but, when I heard Hughsie that just took it to a whole another level.
Ichiro can hit HRs if he wants to
Guy is a great player
“They were all up in arms again, angry that he didn’t “earn his money.”
Was one of them named Johnson by any chance?
igotid88
May 16th, 2009 at 12:40 am
rconn23 May 16th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Ichiro 2 HRs off Lester tonight. Wow.——————————————————-
And people here give Hughes a hard time. Lester has been awful this year.
======
Let’s get to the nitty gritty on this Lester thing. Old money? Nouveau riche? Deprived?
C’mon.
bodi-
It’s Daniel Bard not Josh.
You guys are missing the point.
First of all, I don’t hate the Mets. I actually root for the Mets. I hate the Red Sox.
Also, I was simply pointing out that pitching into the 7th inning and leaving with a 3 run lead can never be classified as getting shelled.
Yankee fans would take that outing from Hughes every time. You wouldn’t say Hughes was shelled or choked if he pitched 6+ innings and left with a 3 run lead.
Andrea
May 16th, 2009 at 12:39 am
I was at the game tonight. During A-Rod’s 4th at bat (he walked, struck out, walked), the old guys in front of me were getting SO mad at him telling him “earn your money!” When he walked on 4 (maybe 5?) pitches, everyone was cheering but them. They were all up in arms again, angry that he didn’t “earn his money.”
That’s a bit ridiculous, though. What did they expect him to do, hit the balls thrown out of the strike zone?
Just ridiculous.
======
Hey, why should he earn his money when he can just borrow it from Phil Hughes? Everyone knows his parents are loaded.
Hughes did what he had to do— give us a chance to win.
“Was one of them named Johnson by any chance?”
The 9th inning AB by Rodriguez was actually very impressive. He didn’t try to hit a walk off. Took a 6 ball walk and let the other guys get the job done. If he keeps staying patient the hits and Homers will be there.
Great team win hopefully they keep rolling tomorrow
Buddy Biancalana
May 16th, 2009 at 12:45 am
bodi-
It’s Daniel Bard not Josh.
==========
I knew that. I was just joshing
.
pat: I have no idea
bodhisattva: that was a little argumentative for no reason, no?
Andrea,
No, just an inside joke.
There was a guy on here today claiming that Hughes lacks toughness because of his socio-economic background. I am just giddy from being at the game. I’m a huge Alex supporter. I have endorphin overload, so I apologize for hijacking your post.
The type you’re talking about I know well. Everything to them is about how much a player earns. ARod showed great plate discipline and I was thrilled he didn’t do too much with the AB there.
Hope you didn’t let the bozos ruin the game for you.
Antone
May 16th, 2009 at 12:44 am
Ichiro can hit HRs if he wants to
Guy is a great player
====
So could Jeter, if he wanted to.
I’m seeing the replay right now. When Hughes had Morneau at 0-2 it looked like he painted the outside corner and the ump just looked away. The way the ump was calling outside pitches strikes that should’ve been a no-brainer caught looking. I know it doesn’t matter now. But still.
Great camera shots by YES tonight. Got to see into the bullpen, including the table where they make coffee, and of course a wonderful shot of the toilet with the seat in the upright position, although no one was in there at the time.
Excellent win. The home plate ump was crap throughout the whole thing, but the Yanks showed a lot of mettle in pulling this one out. Hopefully it will be the beginning of a trend.
Phil kept the team in the game despite being squeezed, that’s what you like to see.
igotid88
May 16th, 2009 at 1:02 am
I’m seeing the replay right now. When Hughes had Morneau at 0-2 it looked like he painted the outside corner and the ump just looked away. The way the ump was calling outside pitches strikes that should’ve been a no-brainer caught looking. I know it doesn’t matter now. But still.
=======
Kid got squeezed a few times tonight. The HP Ump was a disaster all around tonight. Gave Nathan two pitches in ARod AB that were so far inside it wasn’t funny. Don’t know if that’s ARod hate, Nathan respect, or Yankee hate, or the guy needs a better prescription.
======
Looks like little Dusty won’t be getting on. Tisk tisk.
And also the missed scoop by Tex in the second of a would be dp that extended the inning another batter. Those 2 things I mentioned probably changes everything for the positive for Hughes.
Boston loses nice
BlowSox go down.
2.5 behind the Superior Clubhouse Culture. Nice.
Arun
May 15th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
The Ghosts are back people.
******************************
You got that right man.
It’s like Jeter said, we have to move it all over to the new stadium.
All the memories and the Ghosts.
You know baby ghosts like Thurman and Bobby M. have also made the way over too.
My recap of tonight’s game
http://www.puristbleedspinstri.....k-off.html
Aardasma, by his sheer determination to make the people of rich suburban Denver (his hometown) proud, got the Red Sox out.
Morrow has been struggling mightily lately. Santa Rosa, CA is a very nice area but there has been a slight increase in the graduation rate and income per capita there over the past month, and thus Morrow is struggling as the area is not as pure as it once was.
so far, the 2 games i’ve been to this year we came back in the bottom of the 9th and won( may 1st when we were down 9-4 and won 10-9). Im obviously good luck
The excitement tonight was incredible. People were cheering “Melky” throught the stadium, and there were continuous “let’s go yankees” chants on the train platform after the game. GREAT NIGHT!!!
*slight decrease
Kid got squeezed a few times tonight. The HP Ump was a disaster all around tonight. Gave Nathan two pitches in ARod AB that were so far inside it wasn’t funny. Don’t know if that’s ARod hate, Nathan respect, or Yankee hate, or the guy needs a better prescription.
_______________________________
I saw A-Rod’s at bat. I didn’t see the 1st 2 innings cuz I was just getting home. But the way it looked from the board and YES announcers. It was like Hughes was awful or something. He actually did well considering.
Ghosts… May 16th, 2009 at 1:16 am
Arun
May 15th, 2009 at 11:29 pm
The Ghosts are back people.
******************************
You got that right man.
It’s like Jeter said, we have to move it all over to the new stadium.
All the memories and the Ghosts.
You know baby ghosts like Thurman and Bobby M. have also made the way over too.
——————-
They were waiting for the prices to be lowered.
“The Twins looked like they’d seen a ghost late Friday night.
Weren’t those mystical forces that propelled the Yankees to all those late-inning victories supposed to stay across the street at their old stadium?
…..With the stands mostly full, the new stadium sounded a lot like the old one during its loudest moments.”
Read some of the comments that accompany the story. They sound like some Lohud Bloggers in training.
http://www.startribune.com/spo.....c:_Yyc:aUU
bodhisattva: no worries. I just didn’t know if I was missing something.
And I guess um, how dare Phil Hughes not be brought up in the slums?
Hughes had trouble with his inconsistent cutter, but he threw some nasty curves – one of which should have been a called strike 3. (Instead, the guy walked). The ump called out Gomez on the exact same pitch, so go figure.
His stuff and command were inconsistent, but what I liked was he pitched well enough to keep us in the game and worked in & out of trouble a couple of times.
It was also nice not to use Aceves tonight. If we need to, we can go Joba/Aceves/Mo tomorrow.
From Swisher’s Twitter:
Most amazing night. Couldn’t have been scripted any other way. Make sure you drink your milk tomorrow. The milk man is coming
about 1 hour ago from mobile web
““Hughsie” for Hughes? We can’t think of anything better?”
That’s a Girardi-ism. It doesn’t have to infect LoHud.
I like “Master Philip” as a nickname, at least until he earns another win. It’s also a puckish commentary on his oh-so-soft background, from which he derives no toughness.
“Phil Hughes” might be a decent name for him too. After he goes back to Scranton.
Andrea
May 16th, 2009 at 1:26 am
bodhisattva: no worries. I just didn’t know if I was missing something.
And I guess um, how dare Phil Hughes not be brought up in the slums?
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Thanks, Andrea.
Really, tonight those ideas strike me as hilarious, but they’re actually pretty outrageous.
I see I missed out on some fun with O’Neill/Tino/Cone in the booth.
Joe
May 16th, 2009 at 1:18 am
Aardasma, by his sheer determination to make the people of rich suburban Denver (his hometown) proud, got the Red Sox out.
Morrow has been struggling mightily lately. Santa Rosa, CA is a very nice area but there has been a slight increase in the graduation rate and income per capita there over the past month, and thus Morrow is struggling as the area is not as pure as it once was.
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Perhaps Morrow would benefit from taking a flat in the low-rent district?
Royals win 8-1. Grienke now 7-1 with a 0.60 ERA.
Don’t kid yourself, Santa Rosa has more than one seamy low-rent underbelly. I was posting from there all day!
Yea it was a good night in the booth, in my opinion.
Hughes proved just as much to me tonight as he does when he shuts teams down. This may be the first time the kid has controlled his mistakes and limited his damage. Great effort.
In a stunning turn of events, our bullpen does it’s job.
Hitters, even those who are slumping, are being very patient and the kids are contributing. If this team buys into the system and believes they can come back, they will and be better for it.
No more of this one swing to tie the game garbage. Work counts, play small ball and slumps won’t be as big a factor.
Though a HR from one of the big guys would be nice every now and again. When did Jeter and Damon > Rodriguez and Teix?
JoeyA,
Yup. Hughes did the same thing on Easter Sunday in AAA. Didn’t have his best stuff (because of weather) and battled through.
Cone rhapsodizing on what a “grinder” Hughes is, how he is “well-liked throughout the organization” top to bottom, etc. Looks like the board’s sycophant is a bit out of touch with “the clubhouse”.
Eiland and Cash doing their Hughes diligence in the dugout. Jeter hits it out. SOB in front of me stood up so I never saw it off the bat.
Time to go ‘nite ‘nite.
Good win. Hope the rain stays away. Last thing we need is Joba slipping off the mound.
Tony Paige is the man
how do they let these men continue to umpire in this fashion? they dont follow the rules concerning balls and strikes. it is astounding. they are ‘above the law’. one can live with phantom tags, phantom force outs at 2b… they r standard fare. but they r allowed to individualize their strike calls. we need the original strike zone back.
What a great win. I know in the last thread myself, Trisha, SJ, Nick in SF and a handful of others never gave up hope and for some reason, look what happens.
Just goes to show some of you, never give up on your team in a two run game. EVER.
Thats baseball, folks.
Pete, did you notice how quickly A-Rod got out of the group jump after Melky’s hit? Any other player coming off hip surgery you wouldn’t blame for staying out of there (one of these days someone’s gonna get hurt), but with A-Rod it just kind of looks like a guy who cannot let himself go and just be one of the guys….
JP May 16th, 2009 at 3:39 am
Pete, did you notice how quickly A-Rod got out of the group jump after Melky’s hit? Any other player coming off hip surgery you wouldn’t blame for staying out of there (one of these days someone’s gonna get hurt), but with A-Rod it just kind of looks like a guy who cannot let himself go and just be one of the guys….
He ran back to hug Tex though
JP
Stop psychoanalyzing every move A-Rod makes and just enjoy the baseball.
Actually, that’s NOT what I said Bod.
I said it could be playing a FACTOR in his lack of toughness. And you know what? You don’t know if it does or it doesn’t.
Then again, you know that and this is your passive, aggressive way of taking shots at me.
Hughes did show more toughness tonight. That was a positive in his performance.
If you read the game thread, I also said it in there.
If you want to take shots at me, you don’t need to go the passive-aggressive route. Just take it head on.
Don’t be a gutless little twerp. We have enough of them on the blog.
throwing out the head to head matchups:
yanks are 18-12
redsox are 16-15
yanks are 16-15
rays are 14-18
right now the sox have the mental advantage in the series. they feel they can come back and beat us anytime, and the most important thing, they feel they can beat mariano. that’s ok, that’s just the way it is.
but if we keep winning series (2 of 3 the rest of the way), then we should be heading into the next matchup with much more confidence. 1 big win could turn around everything against them.
and as we can see, the rays are not off to that hot start they were last season.
sure it’s a small sample size, but prior to that trip to boston, we were 3-0, then 4-2 after the boston sweep. then boston came to ny and put us on a 4 game losing streak. but since then, 5-2.
i like where we are right now. we are starting to get that swagger back. we don’t back down late in games. even some of those games we lost, we still scored runs late to tie it. need some players to get healthy and we’ll be ok.
hughes meltdown vs. boston.
hughes meltdown vs. baltimore.
some things didn’t go his way and he wilted.
tonight, some things didn’t go his way…but he didn’t wilt.
that’s what you call PROGRESS…
hughes is 22. yanks said no to santana b/c of hughes putting even more pressure on a 22 year old than should be. media is on him. and the fans are EXTRA on him. creating an almost impossible environment for him to develop at this level (which is the case for many young players in ny). but if there’s a little patience exhibited, then this kid could be a big time player for us for a long long time. but if the patience is not shown, then we will never know.
A few things:
Hughes bent but didn’t break, which is a positive. Even though he didn’t actually pitch that well. I hope he and Girardi could see something good in the battling.
It looked like Tex’s wrist got hurt on the Gomez play, I don’t care what he or Girardi says.
Gardenhire vs Girardi. Sorry Gardy but you’re not up to that.
That replay of Brian Roberts’ broken elbow still hurts to watch. Yeesh.
Hopefully Gomez sees the replays of his run down the line and realizes he’s in the wrong when he runs inside the line like that.
Gomez vs Tex. Gomez probably ain’t as up for that as much as he might think.
Gomez vs a Joba statement pitch? Gomez is not up for that one either.
That replay of Cone (Mets) pitching to O’Neill (Reds) was so long ago they looked like kids. YES should have had the editors change it into a grainy lack-and-white format and speed it up just a little bit like some of those old old clips from the Babe Ruth era.
A-Rod does not look like himself. Yet. It’s early on after he had surgery. Why do they walk him? OK, we’ll take it.
Ortiz does not look like himself either. Pitchers should challenge him next time we face the Sox. He looks done, the word ‘yet’ doesn’t apply to him like it does to A-Rod.
My impression from watching the game on on TV was that the Yanks comped a bunch of premium seats, some to famous people, an made sure to show them on their network. Nice try Trost. Even if you comped Spike Lee and showed him chatting with Jeter in the on-deck circle, 10% of the price you originally charged for the best seats is still way too much.
A-Rod’s not going to look like himself. He had no ST at all and he’s still moving around a bit gingerly from the surgery.
He might need 50-75 ABs before he really starts getting comfortable again.
Hopefully, this is the start of something big for Teixeira.
Pete,
your man-crush on phil hughes is embarasssing – this guy helped win the game? spare us please.
oh yeah – in keeping with your usual themes – wang probably helped somehow because you love him and the yanks won in spite of girardi’s stupidity.
“Johnson May 15th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
A-Rod better start hitting soon.
We’re not paying him $25 million to walk. We are paying Swisher $5 million to do that.
He needs to start hitting HRs and he better start hitting them soon.”
~LOL I don’t think THE YANKEES pay him to swing at balls instead of strikes. If the opposing team isn’t going to pitch to him there is nothing better he can do for the Yankees than take the walks and get on base!
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JP May 16th, 2009 at 3:39 am
Pete, did you notice how quickly A-Rod got out of the group jump after Melky’s hit? Any other player coming off hip surgery you wouldn’t blame for staying out of there (one of these days someone’s gonna get hurt), but with A-Rod it just kind of looks like a guy who cannot let himself go and just be one of the guys….
~and silly me I was think Arod needs to get out of that celebration with everyone jumping on each other, his hip doesn’t need that additional pressure/weight right now. Not sure how him running out of the crowds says its all about me?
I can point to one reason why the yankees are winning again: Arod,
We are 5-2 since he came back.
Here are Tex’s numbers since he came back: 304/370/652 with 2 HRs.
Arod has a 386OBP, that is sick considering he is batting in the mid 100’s. Cody OBP was 226. If you dont see the difference in that, then you just hate on Arod.
Of course the pitching has picked up the slack, i was at the game on friday when the worm turned, CC complete game shut out.
Another reason to be optimistic about the yanks is the run differential. Right now it stinks, but if you take away all three games that cmw has pitched (you cant because it has happened) but for arguments sake say he comes back as a decent pitcher and assuming he doesnt pitch as bad as he did and taking away those 3 games the differential goes from a -17 to +13. +13 is not great, but its not -17.
As of right now the blue jays are the real deal. Their run differential is +52, second best in the majors. And until that evens out, they are the team to beat. The way they are going, they have 72% chance of making the playoffs. And how we took 2 out of 3 games up in Toronto was huge for us, bigger than yesterday’s game.
The yankees do have signs of hope, again, thanks to arod, the lineup looks much better and that helps the team. But alot can happen from now to october. Arod can blow out his hip and we can be in a terrible position, tex might break his wrist, cc might damage his elbow, etc etc etc…thats stuff cannot be controled and it can happen to any team, you just deal with it.
To those who have been saying about winning each series, like sj44 has talked about, thats the way to go. This team can be really good, really soon. Right now its time to enjoy the game and see how everything plays out. But honestly, im liking our chances thanks to Arod coming back.
1. I cannot stand “Hughesie.” Until further notice, Phil Hughes’ new nickname is: “Hugo.”
And I thought he put out the minimally acceptable performance under the circumstances last night. He’s better than that, but being shellshocked as I imagine he must be, it was the first step on a long journey back to confidence and PWA (pitching with attitude). I hope he finds his inner thug and embraces him. Maybe the right music (some 50 Cent – Magic Stick?) and a tattoo might help.
2. Senor Gomez, tenga cuidado!
I’m not a fan of hitting people at all: I think it is dirty and puts a guy on base and maybe gets your starter thrown out when dusting a batter or making him dance a little is just as effective and nobody gets hurt. However, el pendejo Gomez better be wearing his flack jacket today. Joba is going to drill that punk right in the ribs around about Gomez’ third AB, depending on the score of course.
Leveling the catcher on a close play at home is part of the game and the runner and catcher each take a risk of injury, although the catcher is more exposed. Trying to break up a double play with a hard slide also exposes both players to risk and is considered part of the game. But doing what that little punk Gomez did last night was tantamount to a sucker punch, twice.
Joba drills him later in the game, (if the Yankees are ahead), in the ribs – not the head. The head would be wrong.
Two things I’d like to comment on about yesterday. First, it was a great game and it seems to me that the team has a different air about it when Alex is in the lineup. Is that just my perception as an A-Rod fan or does it seem like there’s something different about the whole team when he’s around? (Could just be the winning games thing and the fact that I’m a fan of his.) Second, read your post SJ about surf and turf for your nephew and his team! That’s an incredible thing to do, best my family ever did was a 6′ hero and 2 dozen donuts when the team had to take a bus back to NY from Pittsburgh lol I for one will be rooting for your nephew in June to fall to the Yankees. (Big name catching prospects in the system aside.) He seems like he could be the real deal from everything being written about him. Any chance he could fall due to ’signability issues’?
Pete
How could you omit Edwar and Veras from the heroes list?
No one has been more critical of them then I.
But hey, they came through. Edwar striking out Morneau after he had hit two dingers off Hughes and with Maurer on base.
Good job by the pen despite Coke giving up a homerun.
This is the team we need to field. It’s symbolic that Damon was tossed out of the game. He’s having a good year, but he’s past his prime, and needs to go. Matsui needs to go too. We need more of what Gardner, Cabrera, and Cano, bring to the table. We need to stop relying on Swisher (Who should be on the bench) to play every day. Bring up Ajax in a month, and see what he’s got. This team needs energy!
Arod should send Manny the biggest Hallmark thankyou card he can find!
“I’m confused,” said Gomez, who ran out a dropped third strike in the sixth, first ticking off Teixeira. “If I’m running inside, Gardy [manager Ron Gardenhire], the coaches are going to tell me. They don’t tell me nothing.”
http://www.nypost.com/seven/05.....169515.htm
Almost forgot that this punk was from the same farm system that gave us MLB notables Lastings Milledge and Alexi Casilla. Maybe we can help un-confuse Googie Gomez today.
“A-Rod’s not going to look like himself. He had no ST at all and he’s still moving around a bit gingerly from the surgery.”
Throw in the fact he was taken out for a pinch runner before Melk’s at-bat and it’s obvious his hip isn’t right.
When was the last time Arod was pinch ran for?
I’m sure Joba will say hello to Mr. Gomez today.
“I’m sure Joba will say hello to Mr. Gomez today.”
Say hello to my little friend…
“Throw in the fact he was taken out for a pinch runner before Melk’s at-bat and it’s obvious his hip isn’t right.”
I was thinking that Girardi foresaw A-Rod being the winning run at second base and that he might have to send him on a close play meaning a potential crash at home. So, yeah. A-Rod’s not 100% and they aren’t taking chances with him.
ironic that melky got the game winning hit on the first pitch… I think he saw a total of 13 pitches all game and swung on the first pitch twice… but I’ll take it.
“This is the team we need to field. It’s symbolic that Damon was tossed out of the game. He’s having a good year, but he’s past his prime, and needs to go. Matsui needs to go too. We need more of what Gardner, Cabrera, and Cano, bring to the table. We need to stop relying on Swisher (Who should be on the bench) to play every day. Bring up Ajax in a month, and see what he’s got. This team needs energy!”
Yeah, get rid of Damon! His AL player of the week award has proven he has nothing left in the tank!
And the HR Matsui hit in Toronto that won the game proves he is a worthless player. GET RID OF HIM TOO!
Fan Interference,
No, no, no..
The Yankees have got to rid themselves of the Saturday losing stigma they’ve had and today is the day to start it.
Yes, yes, yes. We need a young outfield to compete. Not old and slow.
“Yeah, get rid of Damon! His AL player of the week award has proven he has nothing left in the tank!”
Trade high. Trade High.
I wouldn’t call this my favorite win of the season (that moniker still belongs to 6 runs in 2 innings vs. the Angels) but it’s up there. I told you I wasn’t giving up on Gardner! (I think I deserve an I told you so after yesterday’s game!) That being said, Melky did really great too, I say we keep both!
There is NO WAY we get rid of our most consistent hitter this year. Next year he’ll be a free agent which frees up our room to go younger, but this year? No way.
Right, we have NO energy. After all, the 39 year old Jorge Posada and the (I believe) 34 year old Derek Jeter had three game winning hits between them, but forget that. We need energy, like someone fast enough to hit inside the park HR’s. Oh wait, we have that.
Actually, it was really bad baseball sense by Melky to swing at the first pitch with two outs, the bases loaded, down by a run, and facing a guy who already walked someone, but if it works it works!
sunny615 it actually makes a lot of sense for melky to swing at the first pitch because thats what nathan was probably least excepting with the pressure on melky and melky’s swinging at the other first pitches. i think he through that down the middle thinking melky would take first pitch
ljjjjjj-Maybe, that’s a risk I wouldn’t have taken. It’s not as if Melky hit a screaming line drive, more like a bloop single.
SJ44
May 16th, 2009 at 6:29 am
Actually, that’s NOT what I said Bod.
I said it could be playing a FACTOR in his lack of toughness. And you know what? You don’t know if it does or it doesn’t.
Then again, you know that and this is your passive, aggressive way of taking shots at me.
Hughes did show more toughness tonight. That was a positive in his performance.
If you read the game thread, I also said it in there.
If you want to take shots at me, you don’t need to go the passive-aggressive route. Just take it head on.
Don’t be a gutless little twerp. We have enough of them on the blog.
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Oh, chill out.
Look – you got off easy; any sociologist would have a field day with your lack of statistical support for that position.
If you had any sense of humor you’d realize you gave me some great material to work with and poke fun at. I’m grateful to you for giving me some genuine laughs on this. Other people on here also took the baton and had some fun with it, so, by all means, take a bow.
I don’t buy the Hughes toughness bit.
“Toughness” is not why any pitcher struggles. Lack of stuff or control is why you struggle.
““Toughness” is not why any pitcher struggles. Lack of stuff or control is why you struggle.”
Not to get too Catch-22 on you but when he is right, Hugo has great control and stuff. The issue for me is why he cannot bring it more consistently or why he so often cannot get right after getting in trouble and eventually stop the bleeding. That is where the interior game takes over and that’s why people question his toughness, or killer instinct or whatever.
He did a decent job last night of addressing his issues, IMO. But he’s got a long way to go to get his confidence and swagger back, something all successful starting pitchers – and fighter pilots – have. Jon Sterling once said about Al Leiter that he had “the guts of a burglar.” Not saying that Hugo lacks guts, just that he’s got to banish any apprehension and be effectively aggressive.
murphydog-No no, I meant when Hughes’s great control of stuff is on.
The fact is if you’re a pitcher running on 0, you’ll be lit up. You’ll notice even in supposedly “gritty” performances at least one “fallback” pitch is working, like a nasty breaking ball or fastball.
Check that first line; supposed to say, “No, I meant when Hughes’s great control or stuff just isn’t working.”
Its really great to see the bottom of the order contribute be it kids or grizzled vets. You don’t start taliking replacing Damon by kids until there is some kind of long term consistency. Kids can do what tehy did last nite and they can do nothingg for long periods of time. The kids are great yes but they haven’t been great for years. Damon has been just about as consistent as anyone ever has. Love the kids keep em around let em grow and oneday maybe they can and will replace JD.
By the way, seems as if Tex is starting to pull out of it.
Hope you’re right about Tex starting to come around. IMO, his “attitude” is right, not taking that crap from Gomez, even if his swing isn’t there yet.
murphydog-He’s got a modest three game hitting streak going with two of those games having had multiple hits.
Boy, the blog is slow this morning.
ljjjjjj
May 16th, 2009 at 9:40 am
sunny615 it actually makes a lot of sense for melky to swing at the first pitch because thats what nathan was probably least excepting with the pressure on melky and melky’s swinging at the other first pitches. i think he through that down the middle thinking melky would take first pitch
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QFT.
Guess Melky needs to come up with not just clutch hits, but aesthetically pleasing clutch hits. The qualifiers of his success here are ridiculous.
Qualify this: .330/.398/.511
And those are numbers that have gone DOWN.
Melky, 24, is on his way to having a banner season for himself. In the process, he’s helping the Yankees win games.
If you can’t enjoy it, at least deal with it and stop trying to discredit him!
Game post went up about a half hour ago
New Post
bod, what are you talking about? Nobody trashed Melky here, I just didn’t think it made sense for him to swing at the first pitch.
Teixeiramvp (I’m keeping the faith) (Not the troll)
May 16th, 2009 at 10:20 am
bod, what are you talking about? Nobody trashed Melky here, I just didn’t think it made sense for him to swing at the first pitch.
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Well, actually, the blogger here did when he mentioned he left 4 men on base. That’s an odd thing to bring up, especially when you don’t acknowledge that those ABs occurred while he was hitting RH.
The other stuff here reads as somewhat begrudging, and I can’t say I understand it. Is it because he made people who bellowed that he has no talent look foolish? It’s anyone’s guess what motivates the kind of stingy praise this GW hit has received here.
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And to the poster who thinks Hughes deserves no praise for his outing – does the word “context” mean anything to you? Hughes is 22 and learning his craft. For all that, he gave us a chance to win and didn’t blow up, and he certainly was not the beneficiary of any love from the HP umpire. Given the developmental state of his arsenal and his implementation of an in-progress cutter, a revamped curveball and a nascent changeup, Hughes coped admirably.
Give credit where credit is due! Our whole team battled last night and was rewarded. Everybody contributed. We even had that feel-good story with Gardner and the stricken little girl.
With Joba going, we can turn a 3-game win streak into 4. Off for Stadium drive.
GO YANKS!!!
bodhisattva-Okay, fair enough.
After winning the first two Saturdays of the season, the Yanks have lost 4-in-a-row.
4/18: Loss to Indians, 4-22
4/25: Loss to Sox, 11-15
5/2: Loss to Angels: 4-8
5/9: Loss to O’s, 5-12
57 runs allowed in those 4 games. Yikes!
That streak stops today………
My impression from watching the game on on TV was that the Yanks comped a bunch of premium seats, some to famous people, an made sure to show them on their network. Nice try Trost. Even if you comped Spike Lee and showed him chatting with Jeter in the on-deck circle, 10% of the price you originally charged for the best seats is still way too much.
**********************************************
Ansky – While agree that those seats are too much, I just have to point out the Twins network was showing all those famous people in the crowd too. I’m with you on the fact that I think the Yankees have handled a lot of things atrociously. But, I think in that particular case its not so much a withering indictment on the Yankees, as much as it is on a media that thinks thats what we want to see during baseball games.
What a great game. I could not stop watching the replays all night. The team is having fun. They will win this way.