Round Three: Red Sox returning to Yankee Stadium tonight
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Jun 07, 2011 
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Round One came at Fenway Park in early April. The Red Sox were off to a horrible start but took two of three against the Yankees. They lost their next three games, falling to 2-10 to open the season. They’ve since gone 31-16 to quickly move right back into the race.
“They were always a good team,” CC Sabathia said. “I knew all along, I think everybody knew all along, they were going to come out of whatever they were in and start hitting and start playing well. They can get hot any time, and you can get them hot. It is what it is when you’re facing them, kind of like our lineup.”
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Round Two came at Yankee Stadium in mid-May. At that point the Yankees were playing some of their worst baseball, and the Red Sox swept a three-game series as part of a six-game Yankees losing streak. The Yankees were in the middle of a 3-10 stretch. They’ve since gone 13-5.
“Right now I think every game’s big,” Nick Swisher said. “Whether it’s a rivalry game or another game, we feel that we’re playing great baseball.”
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Round Three comes this week at Yankee Stadium. For the time being, this three-game series will determine first-place in the American League East. It’s hard to make too much of an early June series, but this is Yankees vs. Red Sox. The teams are a game apart in the division, both are playing well and there’s the added spotlight of Derek Jeter chasing 3,000 hits.
“They’re a team we know we’re going to battle against all year long,” Joe Girardi said. “… Guys feeling good about themselves, feeling good about the way they’re throwing the baseball, the way they’re hitting the baseball, I think that’s important.”
Associated Press photo
BloggingBombers The Yankees drafted Dante Bichette Jr. last night with their first pick (No. 51 overall). You can follow him @Dante19jr
BloggingBombers Hard to believe Joe Girardi had nothing to do with the selection of Bichette. He named his own son after Dante Bichette.
Feinsand must be dating betsy. They think alike.
GreenBeret7 June 7th, 2011 at 9:00 am
Feinsand must be dating betsy. They think alike.
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LOL
A-Rod, Pujols, Vlad, and Chipper all have > 400 homers and >.300 averages.
Oh. That’s right. The Yankees just sh*t canned their 1st rd pick because Girardi happens to be tight with his Dad.
Had nothing to do with the kid’s pedigree, work ethic, talent, or the position he might play.
OK. I get it.
Erin-
Girardi’s sons name is Bichette Girardi??
Yankee Trader June 7th, 2011 at 9:04 am
Erin-
Girardi?s sons name is Bichette Girardi??
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LOL…I think that would qualify as a form of child abuse.
Erin-
We almost named our daughter Erin Zoe. EZ-talk about child abuse.
MTU June 7th, 2011 at 9:04 am
Oh. That?s right. The Yankees just sh*t canned their 1st rd pick because Girardi happens to be tight with his Dad.
Had nothing to do with the kid?s pedigree, work ethic, talent, or the position he might play.
OK. I get it.
****************************
I heard Girardi held them at gunpoint.
YT- that’s funny. You kept Erin as her first name I hope!! lol
MTU-
Before I forget. You asked me yesterday and I was off-line if Whelan came over with Humberto Sanchez. Yes he did, with Anthony Claggett for Gary Sheffield.
I dunno about the rest of you, but I don’t think Dante Bichette Jr. is progressing through our system quickly enough. Lets trade him for Felix Hernandez while he still has value!
Erin-
Actually it’s Stephanie Erin.
“BloggingBombers Hard to believe Joe Girardi had nothing to do with the selection of Bichette. He named his own son after Dante Bichette.”
Harder to believe the organization punted their first pick in the draft because a manager is buds with a draftees dad.
Yankee Trader June 7th, 2011 at 9:11 am
Erin-
Actually it?s Stephanie Erin.
*****************
Very nice.
“A-Rod, Pujols, Vlad, and Chipper all have > 400 homers and >.300 averages.”
Yup.
YT-
Thanks.
Erin-
1.” Albert Pujols somehow drop to the 402nd overall pick. The mechanics behind the descent remain fascinating more than a decade later. Scouts didn’t see Pujols sticking at shortstop, where he was playing, and worried about his thick body turning fat, and weren’t sure if his bat would project enough at a corner-infielder or -outfield position, and didn’t believe he was really 19 years old”.
“So he fell. Baltimore picked seven times in the first round and chose Mike Paradis, Rich Stahl, Larry Bigbie, Keith Reed, Joshua Cenate, Scott Rice and Brian Roberts(notes). They whiffed 10 more times before St. Louis took Pujols. San Diego went 0-for-17, too. Kansas City, the city in which Pujols played high school and college ball, took 16 players in the first 13 rounds”.
Those pitchers no one wants to take because they want a lot of money or going back to school are still there.
or at least one of them is a pitcher.
nice post ron ! . .interesting
It’s pretty obvious that guys like Oppenheimer and Co. don’t have a clue as to what they’re doing.
It’s proven by the fact that the Yankee farm system is only in the top 5 or so.
If they really knew what the hell they were doing it would be numero uno.
So there you have it.
MTU-
I think Anthony Claggett is with the Pirates in their minor league system and Humberto Sanchez is pitching for a Taiwanese team in the Chinese Professional League.
Pat-
I knew that A-Rod and Pujols, along with Chipper[Larry Jones] were members of the >400 homers, >.300 average club, but I have to admit I needed to look up the 4th to get Vlad Guerrero. Sorry I’m not that good with trivia!!
Feinsand used to be a good writer when he was with MLB.com, but since joining the Daily News he’s right in step with the rest of those hacks there like Lupica, Madden and Raissman.
“Feinsand must be dating betsy. They think alike.”
GB7,
That made me laugh out loud.
YT-
Keep hoping for the WS to fall out of it.
Go Tigers.
To follow up on what ron posted, interesting article on Pujols falling in the draft. Especially interesting is the last sentence from the quote below.
“In 2003, with Pujols already established as a major star, Sports Illustrated’s Mike Fish took a look at him. He quoted Kilgore, the Maple Woods coach, saying this about the 1999 draft:
They don’t know what the hell they’re doing here in the Midwest as far as drafting. There are some idiots here that think they know the game. It is damn ridiculous—13th round. This guy’s not getting paid money that some got that haven’t even stepped on the damn (major league) field yet. I had scouts come to me the next year after the draft and tell me they didn’t turn him in (as a guy worth drafting). You got damn poor scouting, that is how you explain it. You have 100 guys who do their job and know what they’re doing and another 200 scouting each other.”
http://www.hardballtimes.com/m.....rly-years/
Joba’s curve:
http://www.nj.com/yankees/inde…..bring.html
——————
He’s a STATAH.
Girardi’s relationship with Dante (if it had any impact at all) was likely more of an extra information about the player type thing. There is just no way the Yankees would use their first pick on a guy unless thy really liked the player.
It’ll be interesting how things unfold today…..at least if your a nerd like me….I realize most people could care less.
Just reading the paper this morning and came across this: “In his past eight outings, the right-handed Robertson has worked 7 2/3 innings, giving up just two hits and fanning 15 while not allowing any of his eight inherited runners to score and holding hitters hit-less (0-for-8) with runners in scoring position.”
Is David Robertson the most underrated player on our team? Maybe its worth and anonymous poll since we already know which of our players are overrated.
Yea….I just have no idea how people didn’t see what Pujols was about as a prospect. I do think teams are spending more and more on scouting now though ……so perhaps the Pujols situation doesn’t happen today.
Bryce Harper admires a HR and then blows a kiss to the pitcher as he rounds the bases:
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports......self-hurt/
Was Albert Pujols really 21 when he first played for the Cardinals? Maybe Donald Trump should investigate his Dominican Republic birth certificate!
21 yo don’t hit 37 homers, bat .329, with OPS of 1.013, do they???
Blake-
It was all pre-ordained anyway.
All the Sux picks. Great. top shelf.
All the Yankees picks. Puzzling. Awful. Sub par.
Get it ?
Uh yea….I think you could make a strong argument that D Rob is the most underrated player on the Yanks……he’s great and he’s saved a number of games this year. Joba being on the overrated list is dumb…..nobody is overrating Joba anymore…..actually his stock has fallen so much he’s probably actually underrated now because he’s pitced very well this year. He and D Rob have been vital to the Yanks.
This is one of the comments from the article I linked above
“I have family in the K.C. area, and visit there every year. One time I got into a long conversation with a hotel manager who told me he umpired quite a few of Albert’s game in the late ‘90s—both high school and American Legion, IIRC. He said he knew the scouts, coaches, and the other players, and he swears by this: He and everybody he knew was convinced Pujols wasn’t really a teenager.
According to this guy, the consensus in K.C. by 1999 was that Pujols was an adult who, for whatever reasons, chose to play baseball against kids.
The fact he was bottom-heavy, balding, and in a relationship with an older woman who had a special-needs child may have contributed to that impression as well.”
Yeah, and the only reason the Dodgers took Mike Piazza was because Lasorda was friends with Piazza’s dad. Sometimes, you get surprised. Plenty of number one picks amounted to nothing, plenty of late rounders become stars. Saying it’s an imperfect science understates it by a mile.
are DR years like dog years?
MTU,
I do think it was a surprising pick…..Im not going to pan it because I really know nothing about him. Good bloodline though and sounds like a good kid.
Kate-
Is David Robertson the most underrated player on our team? Maybe its worth and anonymous poll since we already know which of our players are overrated.
**********************
yes.
Oops, I guess my vote isn’t anonymous.
Of the tape shown at yesterday’s draft the position player that caught my eye most was by far Bubba Starling. He’s got a great swing for a high school kid and looks like he could just be an athletic beast when he fills out…..if the Royals can sign him that’ll be a great story.
Shame-
David Houdini Robertson has been a lifesaver in the bullpen, especially since Sorryano has been out!!
I don’t think D-rob is underrated anymore…we have been witness to too many Houdini performances for him to fly under the radar any longer
Blake-
I don’t think it’s all that surprising myself.
He has the genetics and the work ethic.
To me that equals success.
At least according to Garp.
The Rays had all those picks. Got boring. Next up. The Rays. Next up. The Rays …….
Too bad they couldn’t take premium talent with every pick since they’d never be able to sign them all.
Kate,
To us…..but I doubt many non-Yankee fans even know who he is.
LeBron James is another one. A man-child playing in the NBA @19. Chemistry or Natural Growth?
Blake-
I bet a lot of opposing hitters do.
Montero is a Man-Child.
And he’s comin’ to the promised land.
I didn’t know Betsy was dating Feinsand. That GB7 he’s just all over it.
YT
it is all the hormones in the chicken
The thing with Albert Pujols and his age that makes me believe that he’s telling the truth is the fact he became a U.S. citizen.
Tom-
Meant to tell you.
Clever line to Nick the other night.
“Pasta a diving Jeter”.
I always knew you had talent and didn’t just hang around barns.
MTU,
Surprising only in the fact that he wasn’t on many people’s draft boards or top 100s etc…..but the Yanks go their own way on that stuff. They take who they evaluate is best…..and that’s fine. Again, it sounds like it could be a good pick……I just wasn’t expecting it.
edit: pasta diving Jeter. sorry.
MLB_PR Jeter worked w/ @MLB & @Yankees to design DJ3K bracelets http://yfrog.com/gz69779078j. Pre-game tonight honors “Jeter’s Leaders.” @YankeesPR
Blake-
As long as we’re the only ones fooled.
Dogs are demanding to go out.
BIAW.
Are the 3 game matchups Garcia/Lester, AJ/Wakefield, CC/Beckett?
If so edge to Yankees in Game 1- Yankees with best record against lefties so far this year.
Game 2- Edge Yankees if Wakefield doesn’t throw off their swings. Maybe Gardner steals 3-4 bases. Will there be a record for wild pitches?
Game 3-Yankees sweep with CC!!!!!
MTU, thanks.
But I cannot take credit for that. SI’s Joe Posnanski popularized that phrase.
YT-
In all likelihood when you look at the record for head to head play at the end of the year it will be pretty close to 8-8.
YT-love the optimism
upstate kate-
“it is all the hormones in the chicken.”
Too funny! Do you think chicken will be added to the list of banned substances? Spinach??
LGY – That entire 9:33am post made me laugh out loud. That last line is PRICELESS.
# LGY June 7th, 2011 at 9:28 am
Joba’s curve:
http://www.nj.com/yankees/inde…..bring.html
——————
He’s a STATAH.
——————————
for any team not named the Yankees
The pujols situation will happen every year,especially when prospects don’t put up great numbers in the minors,then put them up in the majors & scouts have nothing to go on without a good stats.
That is one thing that a stat or a scout or even an ordinary person can’t predict,how some prospects turn out.
YankeesPR ?DJ3K? bands available starting Tuesday @ Yankee Stadium, Yankee Clubhouse Stores, MLB.com, Modell?s & Party City locations in NYC area
Bryan Hoch RT @Dante19jr: Wow! The greatest situation possible. The New York Yankees… Incredible. But this is just a start. Now it’s time to focus get to work.
Erin-
Looks like you might get to see Jeter’s 3000th hit, live, against the Cubs. He needs 14 more hits and had 9 hits in the 9 game road trip. He’ll have to pick up the pace during the 10 game homestand to reach 3000.
Are the 3 game matchups Garcia/Lester, AJ/Wakefield, CC/Beckett?
If so edge to Yankees in Game 1- Yankees with best record against lefties so far this year.
Game 2- Edge Yankees if Wakefield doesn?t throw off their swings. Maybe Gardner steals 3-4 bases. Will there be a record for wild pitches?
Game 3-Yankees sweep with CC!!!!!
_____________________
Pretty optimistic, there. I would like to think so, but Lester handles NY pretty regularly (as well as anyone actually handles us, anyhow), Wakefield is an enigma, and Beckett has outpitched CC (stats wise) in nearly every category but innings pitched; this comeback year for him has been all roses for Beckett thus far.
I hardley feel as enthused as you do, but I’ll go with it!
Bryan Hoch RT @Dante19jr: Wow! The greatest situation possible. The New York Yankees? Incredible. But this is just a start. Now it?s time to focus get to work
_______________________
I agree completely – he was probably expecting to still be sitting at home waiting to see his name go by today or tomorrow…going on the first day surprised him as much as anyone.
YT-I can definitely live with that.
As long as he doesn’t get it on the 17th or 19th, we’re good. LOL
Until later. Go Yankees!!
FrankiePiliere @MitchellNJ Like the feel with the bat. I find it a little insane all the hate it’s getting even from others who cover the draft
FrankiePiliere @MitchellNJ Because most people have never laid eyes on him and are slaves to lists they read. I had him going in the 2nd so not a big reach
Pujols spent 1 year in the minors and OPS ‘d .920 there. When a guy flys through a system like that and then destroys the big leagues when they get there……a bunch of scouts were asleep at games.
I think the Yanks have the pitching advantage in Game 2 and probably Game 3 as well (depending on which Beckett shows up). Can’t give Freddy the edge over Lester even though he actually has a lower ERA and the Yanks have hit good LHP well this year.
Blake, I agree with you, but Beckett has been lights out this year. And twice now, against us. His numbers aren’t a fluke. He’s gotten back to throwing that breaking pitch for strikes, and like AJ, when that happens, he’s real tough.
This will be a good test for Garcia and AJ right now.
I think AJ benefits the most from these match-ups for sure. That game 2 is looking like the one we have to win.
BryanHoch Yankees.com: Pettitte content with decision to retire http://atmlb.com/lTnG18
Game two I definitely agree with you, but it could end up being 9-7!
The key to this series is to not let the middle be in situations with guys one. AG is having a MONSTER year, and the two guys behind him are raking right now too.
Also, keeping Ellsbury off the bases would go a LONG way.
The balding thing always got me as the least likely reason for Pujols to be older than he said. Pedroia was balding in college for crying outloud. One of my best friends has been balding since high school. Sometimes you get bad hair genes.
guys on, i mean.
I was balding at 17. Nearly gone at 25. It happens.
Howard,
I’ll still take CC over Beckett any time.
Pujols does look older than 31 or whatever..doesn’t mean he is…..but he looks it.
Jerkface June 7th, 2011 at 10:23 am
The balding thing always got me as the least likely reason for Pujols to be older than he said. Pedroia was balding in college for crying outloud. One of my best friends has been balding since high school. Sometimes you get bad hair genes.
*****************
I have a 23 year old cousin who’s balding.
Again, I agree, but we’re not asking who you’ll take, but rather who’s pitching better, in which case, it’s not as cut and dry right now as we’d like it to be. Listen, Beckett has been as good as anyone in baseball this year (again, including two gems against us), so just saying CC has the edge in that game is ignoring reality.
Howard,
Have you watched Sabathia’s last 4 starts? I agree Beckett has pitched well this year but so has Sabathia…..so Ill take the better pitcher in general which is the big man. Not a huge advantage but I like the Yanks chances any time he pitches.
Last 4 starts CC is 4-0 with 1.60 ERA
Beckett is 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA.
Over the past month they are both pitching very, very well.
Its not a big advantage but CC has actually pitched better the last month and is a better pitcher in general than Beckett is…..therefore I wouldn’t quite call it a push……doesn’t mean they’ll win the game…..
When does the draft start up again?
I’m chomping at the bit to know the name of the player I should direct my ire at.
12:00 and its rapid fire today…not much time between picks.
Tom in N.J. June 7th, 2011 at 10:39 am
Beckett is 3-1 with a 2.55 ERA.
********************
oh, how I miss the days when Beckett threw batting practice.
It’s only June but there is something to be said for making a statement. We’re 17-13 at home and need to let teams know that’s our yard. Especially Boston.
I don’t like the Garcia matchup; not only because Lester is going but due to the Sux two hot lefties. AGon leads the major leagues with 50 RBIs, and Crawford is hitting .342 with 2 home runs and 13 RBI’s in his last ten games. Garcia will need great command tonight.
G O Y A N K E E S !
Hoping the Yanks nab Norris or Howard with their next pick…..unless of course there is another diamond in the rough out there
Thanks Blake.
I’ll be good and angry by then.
Also, did anybody see the video of Bryce Harper blowing a kiss to the pitcher after he hit a home run of him? Dude’s going to get one in ear…
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports......o-grow-up/
Dang Betsy, you couldn’t do better than Feinsand?
Just reading about the draft stuff.
I’m surprised the UCONN kid dropped to Boston – is he demanding a boat load of cash or something?
That video made me like Harper lol.
I know a lotta people get crazy over respecting the game and all that stuff, but I loved it. (Full disclosure: I also loved the Arod ‘HA!’ play).
Can someone give me the link to the post from ST when Chad explained who had what locker at GMS field? I want to try to see whose lockers I got pictures of from the tour the other day.
Look for Harper to be public enemy #1 in that league now (as if he wasn’t before).
Harper got drilled the game before.
There’s a reason guys don’t do that stuff. It’s not out of respect, it’s out of them not wanting to chew on a baseball their next time up.
I’m not the kind of guy who throws up a “Get off my lawn”! sign everytime something like this happens, but, he should temper his desire to show guys up before one of them puts him on his ass.
Harper got drilled the game before.
He should probably expect that trend to continue.
austinmac June 7th, 2011 at 10:54 am
Dang Betsy, you couldn’t do better than Feinsand?
_______________
That is old news and ended months ago due to irreconcilable differences. Feinsand thinks Hughes is a good pitcher….they were doomed from the start.
Harper does seem like a c@cky kid…..I mean he used wood in college games for crying out loud….even if he was good enough to do it it still had to tick opposing teams off.
God, imagine if Jeter had gotten number 3,000 in Boston.
That would’ve been insane.
I hit a walk-off home run in high school against our ‘heated’ rivals. They intentionally walked two batters to get to me. I heard they coach telling the players on the bench that ‘This kid sucks’ and ‘we’ll get out of it’.
The second I swung I stood and watched, and watched, and watched. I milked the moment for all it was worth. As I was rounding third I told the other teams manager he was number one. Dude charged me and like George Brett.
Tom,
That’s awesome!
RiverAveBlues To get to 3000 at home, Jeter needs 14 hits in 10 games. He?s done that once already this year: http://bit.ly/iYY2FZ
ChasRiverDogs Congratulations to Charleston’s 2011 SAL All-stars…CF Slade Heathcott, 1B Kyle Roller, C JR Murphy, and RHP Mikey O’Brien!!
Tom-
That’s awesome
Tom -
That is one of the best stories I’ve ever heard. Ever!
I felt a great sense of satisfaction by just reading it
CF Slade Heathcott— can’t wait to see him someday !
I don’t have a problem with him blowing kisses.. or with him getting beamed because of it. Just a clarification of my position.
And Tom, I agree with everyone here.. Awesome story.
The point being is that 18 year olds sometimes do stupid things.
the next 3 games are going to be fun for so many reasons. both positive and negative.
i plan to watch tonight and thurs on MLB Network. hoping against hope that Costas and Jim Katt will be broadcasting. wed night i plan to watch via ESPN.
Someone like Harper may actually enjoy getting drilled. A lot of times to people like him it means he won.
I wasn’t as extreme as Harper but with soccer in particular in HS and college I loved getting under the people’s skin. The best was times I got layed out so bad the kid got thrown out of the game. Drilling Harper may actually fuel him more.
Awesome Tom.
LGY, I would never have guessed that you like to be under people’s skin
Lol. On RAB they have a post about Andy’s appearance on Kay’s show and it says he plays on his church softball team. Imagine playing softball with Andy.
LGY, I would never have guessed that you like to be under people’s skin
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Nooooooo. I’m not like that at all anymore!
I once got an opposing pitcher ejected while playing on my co-workers softball team. He kept complaining that my foot was on the batters box line (super open stance) so I started showing bunt and he lost it.
Drilling Harper may actually fuel him more.
Until drilling him has intent to hurt him. Plunking someone in the back is a little different than trying to knock off their helmet because he’s showing everyone up. He’s uber talented, and you can believe guys were out to get him (think: ARod) well before he decided he wanted to start showing them up and embarassing them.
I once got an opposing pitcher ejected while playing on my co-workers softball team. He kept complaining that my foot was on the batters box line (super open stance) so I started showing bunt and he lost it
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Nice.
I wonder what it would take to get Andy ejected from a softball game
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