I haven’t checked to see if this has been covered by Bronx Pinstripes before I was here, but I would imagine Scott and Andrew weren’t covering these types of stories in 2014.

In February of 2014, a comedian tweeted a thread about an experience he had on a date, when he ran into Derek Jeter. As tribute to one of the greatest stickmen of all time, Derek Sanderson Jeter, I present: “Once she’s with Jeter, she belongs to the streets bro”. A 25 act play…

Remind me to tell y'all about the time Derek Jeter left the club w/ a girl I came with. #that1stillhurts #ilikedher

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

I mean what are you suppose to do when Derek Jeter pushes up on a girl your dating at the club

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

He was so smooth about it tho. I didn't even know it happened until 20 mins after they left the club

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

I was just sitting at the table with my drink in my hand. And this was before the days of smart phones so I had to just stand there

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

Acting like everyone in the club didn't just see Jeter leave with my girl. I had to act like I wanted to stay and listen to music

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

ALONE

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

Hell, I was more mad she left cause she was my ride. They could have hooked up but at least given me a ride home

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

So I got my girl AND ride taken…

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

Worst part is I couldn't be mad at him for pulling her. Couldn't be mad at her for picking him over me. So I just was mad at myself

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

I didn't watch baseball for like two years after that…

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

Needless to say I never talked to that girl ever again… Once she's with Jeter she belongs to the streets bro

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

@Rickonia that's what you get for bringing your girl to the club dummy

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

I hate Jeter, the Yankees, pinstripes, and the number 2 #Jeter

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

PS I had to catch the bus back to my hotel cause my card got declined paying for the bottle service

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

YOU DON'T KNOW SADNESS UNTIL THE COCKTAIL WAITRESS COMES BACK W/ SECURITY TO ASK YOU IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER CREDIT CARD

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

And of course you have to act like you have another credit card, knowing good and well those credit cards are maxed too

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

So just to recap, I lost my girl to Jeter, I have no ride, and my credit card got declined

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

I HAD TO CATCH THE BUS. YOU DON'T KNOW HUMBLE UNTIL YOU HAVE TO CATCH THE BUS AFTER THE CLUB

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

I'm heated y'all. I must have repressed the memory but the more I think about it, the more mad I'm getting

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

And y'all know that out of town hook up is hard. I'd been putting in work for weeks. Met chick on MySpace and everything

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

Been working on that for min.. Put her in my Top 8 on Myspace, flew into town, took her to Bahama Breeze for Jeter to take her

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

I had to spend the rest of the 'vacation' looking up old relatives acting like I came to visit them cause I needed somewhere to stay

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

I sleeping on my great aunt's next door neighbors floor while Jeter hitting home runs with my top 8

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

Just did get done paying off that credit card too…

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

*fights air*

— Ricky Smith (@Rickonia) February 12, 2014

The post The best Derek Jeter story you’ll ever read appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

The season began about as well as could have been expected. Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira got off to blazing hot starts. Brian McCann, Brett Gardner, and even Jacoby Ellsbury had productive first halves. As the trade deadline neared, the Yankees were six games up in the division over the second-place Blue Jays, and were well-positioned to make a move to all but assure a division title. David Price and Cole Hamels were both available, and conventional wisdom was that the Yankees needed to add one of them to strengthen their roster for the postseason. At the very least, they could add Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres to form a super-bullpen. Kimbrel, Dellin Betances, and Andrew Miller would be the one of the most devastating 1-2-3 punches in MLB History.

In terms of prospects and assets, Brian Cashman was fully loaded. Greg Bird and Luis Severino were knocking on the MLB door. Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez were showing serious development. The Yankees had more than enough firepower to acquire an ace at the deadline.

Instead, Brian Cashman did nothing. Sound familiar?

We know how the story ends. A-Rod, Tex, Gardy, McCann, and Ellsbury essentially ran out of gas. The Blue Jays made bold moves for David Price AND Troy Tulowitzki. Cole Hamels was dealt from Philadelphia to Texas. The Blue Jays surged past the Yankees and easily won the division. David Price dominated the Yankees down the stretch. The Yankees spiraled from clear division favorite to a Wild Card team. They limped into the game with 87 wins, and got shutout at home by Dallas Keuchel and the Houston Astros. Season over.

The 2015 season left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth, but five years later, there’s no doubt that Brian Cashman made the right call. While adding an ace would’ve probably allowed the Yankees to secure the division and maybe a round, this simply wasn’t a championship-caliber roster. Sacrificing elite prospects (and current cornerstones) like Judge and Sanchez would’ve crippled this team’s future. The bottom line is that roster wasn’t winning a World Series whether they added a pitcher or not.

While the 2016 trade deadline is often cited as the transition point for the new core, the heavy lifting occurred one year earlier. By doing nothing, Cashman kept the structure in place for the current 5-10 year championship window.

The post How the 2015 trade deadline shaped the “new core” appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Instead, we spent the decade falling short of even making the World Series and most importantly, we’ve let down the children. There are 10-year-old Yankee fans (DOUBLE DIGITS) walking around this planet who have never reached the pinnacle. This is a flaw in the system, and it needs to be fixed ASAP. The children are our future, and without a World Series to rub in everyone’s face, they are missing out on the the best part of being a fan of the greatest organization in sports.

THERE ARE OFFICIALLY 10 YEAR OLD CHILDREN WHO HAVE NEVER SEEN THE #YANKEES WIN A #WORLDSERIES. WHAT A CRUEL WORLD WE LIVE IN pic.twitter.com/tX5Kf89Ewd

— George's Box Pod (@GeorgesBoxPod) November 4, 2019

Let’s go out and get a frontline starter. Not for me, but for the children.*

* Also for me.

The post The Yankees need to start thinking about the children appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

I just prayed.

I asked god if he could let the Astros have Byung-Hyun Kim face the Yankees. pic.twitter.com/HVBcqytrZ7

— Joe (Bronx Pinstripes writer) (@deflategator) October 20, 2019

I didn’t expect anything to come from this. That was until DJ LeMahieu came up. He had himself a long at-bat before putting one into the seats. This game was tied and, while most of the world sits in unrest and slowly dives into civil war, my prayers were answered.

Maybe this season wasn’t a wash, I began to think? Maybe this was as much of a miracle as we all thought it would be? There was, as our merch says, magic in the Bronx – albeit we were in Houston. (Yankee ghosts travel right?)

DJ LEMAHIEU WITH A 10 PITCH AB AND A GAME-TYING 2-RUN 9TH INNING BOMB pic.twitter.com/93sCTSpaYO

— Starting 9 (@Starting9) October 20, 2019

Not even ten minutes later though, Jose Altuve crushed our hopes by literally crushing a hanging breaking ball from Aroldis Chapman. It was the type of crack of the bat where, you knew it was gone before it even left the infield. The camera panned high in the sky signifying the end of what was supposed to be THE year for the Yankees.

Now we’re all asking ourselves, how did this happen? Whose fault is it? How could they lose after that? Should they have just laid down and died in the Bronx? Did Hicks really have to play hero against Justin Verlander?

This Aaron Hicks bat drop?

*chef’s kiss* pic.twitter.com/n7XsOLQj2B

— Cut4 (@Cut4) October 18, 2019

I’m happy the Yankees put up a fight, but there is no doubt in my mind that the hope they gave us made it worse – at least for me it did. Can you be proud of them? Sure. Pride still doesn’t have me watching the Nationals walk all over Houston and not think: ‘Well they don’t look all that tough. How did the Yankees lose?’

Right now I am at a point with the concept of ‘hope’ where Red was in the beginning of Shawshank Redemption:

“Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.”

Like Shawshank but with a bad ending

I can end this talking about how Andy crawled through muck and crap to get to freedom and have it be an analogy about the upcoming season for the Yankees. I can say that Gerrit Cole can potentially be that proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Unfortunately this season’s end has me real sad.

It feels like the part in Shawshank where Andy finds out from Tommy Williams who the real killer is only to have the Warden snuff him out the way Altuve snuffed out the Yankees.

What’s worse is there is nothing to amend the situation. The Nationals are a cool story and them beating the Astros would be awesome but let’s be real. Is that really satisfactory? Another team winning a title?

It just isn’t. As fun as it is, it never could. It’s a temporary fix like most things big pharma makes us take to make the sadness fall back into our belly.

The other day I even tried watching a movie to get better and find some relief. It was called ‘Midsommer.’ The movie began with a girl’s parents getting murdered and she ends up getting sucked into a weird, Swedish sex cult where they throw the elderly off mountains because, well, they’re too old for their society.

The whole thing ends with the girl calling that place home. She has them burn her boyfriend alive and she becomes queen. The cult makes up for her parents getting murdered. The end.

I should have expected Hollywood would offer me nothing either. I wouldn’t recommend anybody watch it unless you want to continue feeling horrible about yourself.

The post Looking back: Did DJ LeMahieu’s game-tying ALCS home run make this feel worse? appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

A team not known for power, Minnesota broke the Major League record for home runs in a single season, albeit with doctored baseballs. The Twins finished with 307 home runs, just one more than the Yankees. Home runs will be a factor, as they have been all season, but the two team’s pitching will be the difference-maker.

You don’t need another preview right now, though. Here’s a look at five times the Yankees squashed the Twins’ postseason hopes and dreams.

Yankees vs. Twins: 2003 ALDS

One of the trademarks of the Yankees victories over the Twins over the years has been the late-inning rally. Such was the case in the second game of the 2003 ALDS.

The Twins captured Game 1, 3-1 and sent their ace Brad Radke to face Andy Pettitte in Game 2. The Yankees left-hander outlasted his opponent, limiting the Twins to a run and four hits over seven innings in a 1-1 ballgame. He also struck out 10 hitters.

Radke quickly got himself into trouble by hitting Nick Johnson to start the bottom of the 7th inning. Juan Rivera bunted Johnson over to 2nd base, prompting Twins manager Ron Gardenhire to call on right-hander LaTroy Hawkins.

The Yankees’ Alfonso Soriano singled to snap the tie and Derek Jeter reached on an error with both runners moving into scoring position. Jason Giambi broke the game open with a 2-run single to center for a 4-1 lead.

The next move was a simple one. Yankees manager Joe Torre sent for Mariano Rivera for a six-out save. Rivera retired the side in the 8th inning on three ground ball outs and pitched a 1-2-3 9th to even the series at a game apiece.

The Yankees won the next two games to quickly end the series.

Yankees vs Twins: 2004 ALDS Game 2

Just as they had done in the previous postseason, the Twins won the first game of the 2004 ALDS. The Twins’ confidence rose with a 3-1 in lead in Game 2, but it “Deja vu all over again”. Once more, Radke took the hill for Minnesota and once again he faltered.

Jeter, Gary Sheffield, and Alex Rodriguez all went deep off the righty and the Yankees went in front 5-3 after seven innings.

This time, however, Rivera couldn’t record a five-out save. Called on with two on and out in the top of the 8th inning, Rivera gave up an RBI single to Justin Morneau and a ground-rule double to Corey Koskie to knot the game at 5-5.

The game moved to the 12th inning where Torii Hunter smoked a 1-0 Tanyon Sturtze fastball into the left-field seats.

Twins’ closer Joe Nathan, one of the best at his job in his era, worked a relatively quiet 11th inning but he soon learned that the Yankees were not afraid of him.

After striking out John Olerud, Nathan issued walks to Miguel Cairo and Jeter to put the tying and winning runs on base. A-Rod followed with a blast to left-center that one-hopped the warning track and went up over the fence in left-center. The ground-rule double tied the game and moved the winning run, Jeter, to third base.

To set up a force at any base, Sheffield received an intentional walk and lefty J.C. Romero was called upon to face the left-handed-hitting Hideki Matsui. “Godzilla” wasted no time, lining the first pitch to right field.  Jacques Jones was playing shallow, but the ball was hit hard and right at him, leaving the outfielder flat-footed. Jeter easily beat the throw home for a 7-6 winner.

2004 ALDS Game 4

After winning Game 3, 8-4, the Yankees looked to put the Twins away in Game 4 at the Metrodome. But, Minnesota wasn’t going quietly. They built a 5-1 lead after five innings against Yankees starter Javier Vazquez.

It stayed that way until the 8th inning when the Yankees’ bats came alive once again.

Santana and Grant Balfour held the Yankees to five hits through the first seven innings, but new pitcher Juan Rincon had no such luck.

Sheffield reached on an infield single and advanced to second base on a wild pitch. After Matsui drew a walk, Bernie Williams singled to right to plate Sheffield and cut the deficit to three. Rincon struck out Jorge Posada but Ruben Sierra hit a towering drive on a hanging 2-2 breaking pitch high into the seats in right-center to tie the game.

You could hear the life go out of the Metrodome.

The contest was still tied in the top of the 11th inning when A-Rod reached on a one-out double off of Kyle Lohse. It wasn’t as dramatic as Sierra’s home run, but the Yankees went ahead after A-Rod stole third base and Lohse uncorked a wild pitch to put the Yankees on top 6-5.

Rivera cruised through the Twins lineup in the bottom of the inning to close out another ALDS over the Twins.

Yankees vs Twins: 2009 ALDS Game 2

For the first time in five years, the Yankees and Twins once again met in the first round of the postseason.  After taking Game 1, the Yankees trailed the Twins 3-1 in the bottom of the 9th in Game 2.

The Twins had taken the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the 8th inning off of Phil Hughes. One of the runs scoring as Rivera failed to strand an inherited runner.

Just as they had previously, the Yankees needed to rally against Nathan, and they did just that.

Mark Teixeira led off the inning with a single, bringing A-Rod to the plate representing the tying run.

Nathan fell behind in the count, 3-1, and then left a fastball right down the middle of the zone. A-Rod crushed it into the Yankees bullpen in right-center to tie things up. The game moved on to the 11th inning where it appeared the Twins would take the lead.

Damaso Marte allowed back-to-back singles by Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel to open the inning. Michael Cuddyer then singled against David Robertson to load the bases with no one out. That’s when D-Rob when into Houdini-mode.

Delmon Young lined out to Teixeira for the first out of the inning. With the infield pinching in, Carlos Gomez grounded to Teixeira, who fired home for the force out. Brendan Harris then skied to Brett Gardner in centerfield to finish D-Rob’s great escape.

The Twins sent out left-hander Jose Mijares in the bottom of the 11th to switch Teixeira to the right-handed batter’s box. It wasn’t high and it wasn’t far, but Teixeira’s line-drive off the meatball Mijares served up to him cleared the left-field fence for the game-winner.

The Yankees won Game 3, 4-1, for a three-game sweep en route to their 27th World Championship.

Yankees vs Twins: Wild Card Game 2017

Meeting for the first time in eight years, the two squads faced off in the 2017 Wild Card game.

Yankees starter Luis Severino only lasted one-third of an inning as the Twins lineup pounced. Brian Dozier led off the ballgame with a solo home run. After a one-out walk to Jorge Polanco, Sevy then served up a 2-run gopher ball to Eddie Rosario.

The Twins had to be thinking this is our time after Eduardo Escobar and Max Kepler followed with a single and a double to send Sevy to an early shower. But, Chad Green had other ideas.

The hard-throwing right-hander struck out Byron Buxton and Jason Castro to keep the score where it was at.

Twins starter Ervin Santana did himself no favors by walking Gardner to start the bottom of the 1st. Aaron Judge then lined a single to center and suddenly the Yankees brought the timing run to the plate.

Gary Sanchez fouled out, setting up a battle between Santana and Didi Gregorius. The count was full when Didi lined a game-tying home run into the right field seats.

Yankee Stadium erupted as if the team had just won the World Series.

In the bottom of the 2nd inning, it was Gardner’s turn to go deep. He turned on an inside pitch from Santana and lined it into the second deck in right for a 4-3 Yankees lead.

The Twins tied the game in the top of the 3rd inning but the Yankees answered right back with a big hit from an unexpected source in the bottom of the inning.

Sanchez looked like he would be stranded after two outs followed his lead-off double. But, Greg Bird…yeah, that guy…singled to right off of Jose Berrios to give the Yankees the lead back.

Consensus Rookie-of-the-Year Judge then put on a power display in the 4th. With Gardner on first base, Berrios hung a breaking pitch that Judge promptly deposited amongst the fans in the left-field seats.

D-Rob, Tommy Kahnle, and Aroldis Chapman shut down the Twins over the final six and two-third innings to crush the Twins once again.

2019 ALDS

Will the Yankees end the Twins’ dreams yet again? Here’s to the Yankees vs Twins and “Deja vu all over again!”

The post Yankees vs Twins: Top 5 dream crushers appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

But now we shift our focus to ALDS Game One.

We shall show no mercy to opponents, getting win after win,

Making everyday hug season with Cameron Maybin.

In the outfield there’s Gardner and Stanton, even the Judge,

On our chase for 28 we will not budge.

“Get Machado! Get Harper!” Our players we do not buy,

But we still stand proudly wearing the interlocking NY.

We’ve lost a lot of men including Miggy, Tulo, Hale, and Holder,

Betances tore his achilles tendon after dealing with his shoulder.

Let’s not forget Tauchman and Hicks,

Also Clint Frazier, even with his sweet kicks.

God forbid we leave out Bird, who barely saw the light,

We dodged a bullet with Paxton and his butt oh so tight.

“Next man up” is what we all say,

As well as “Thank goodness we’re not a Ray.”

We also are glad we’re not a Twin,

Because we have Nasty Nestor, Johnny Lasagna, and Cory Gearrin.

Rehabbing from TJ were Jordan Montgomery and Ben Heller

We’ll take those Twinkies and (Ells)bury ‘em in the cellar.

Other reserves included Lail, Rosa, even a guy named Chance,

I think we can all agree to just take him and Morales and send ‘em to France.

And we’re not done there, seeing the likes of Ford, Valera, and Estrada in the infield,

I still Gleyber should have scored after we had appealed.

Up the middle we have Torres and Didi Gregorius,

When we see Didi’s tweets we know we were victorious.

At the corners we have Edwin, Voit, DJ and Gio,

We have so much depth, Dios mío!

And behind home plate, none better than Gary Sanchez and Austin Romine,

The bright lights of New York we will surely outshine.

Ottavino, Kahnle, Britton, Chapman, Green,

Is this the best bullpen we’ve ever seen?

How about the rotation with Sevy, Tanaka, and Happ?

Catching these guys I sure hope Higashioka is wearing his jockstrap.

I can’t go on without give more guys some love,

Harvey, Lyons, Mantiply, Barrett, and Tarpley all put on a glove.

Let’s get one last championship for CC,

It’ll surely take the pressure of that knee.

After playing nineteen years in the bigs, Sabathia surely is rich,

But if you bunt on him, you’ll certainly get a “That’s for you b*tch!”

We all surely want that ring,

So many will get one, even Mike King!

I am confident, lead by General Boone,

That the Commissioner’s Trophy will return home soon.

So let’s be loud BP Crew –

Bleeding Yankee blue will help see it through.

We’ll need contributions from everyone, maybe even Cessa and Wade,

I hope to see you in November at the pararde.

The post On the eve of the postseason… appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Let’s take a deeper dive into the numbers against each of the above teams.

Team stats

That’s not a typo. The Yankees have punished Baltimore pitching to the tune of 61 home runs in just 19 games. That’s 3.21 home runs per game. Their overall slash line as a team against the Orioles is pretty darn good, and the pitching has been adequate.

Understandably, the team’s ERA is inflated against the Red Sox. These two teams tend to play high-scoring games. Just think back to London. For what it’s worth, the Red Sox’s ERA against the Yankees this season is 6.52.

We pitched very well against Tampa. The problem is we haven’t hit that well against them. Yet we ended the season 12-7 against the Rays, and there is still an ever so slight chance that we seem them again in the playoffs.

Relative to the other teams in the division, the Yankees’ numbers against Toronto are middle-of-the-road across the board. That is reflected in our 11-8 record against them, the worst among the group.

Individual stats

The most prominent individual stat that stands out is Gleyber Torres’ home run barrage against the Orioles. Gary Sanchez got his fair share, too. Torres hit 13 HR (20 RBI, 1.512 OPS) while Sanchez launched 10 (22 RBI, 1.354 OPS).

DJ LeMahieu has smoked many teams, but notably the Orioles (.403 AVG in 62 AB) and Blue Jays (.400 AVG in 80 AB). He has also entered the rivalry by hitting .301 against the Red Sox in 73 AB.

Oddly enough, Aaron Judge struggled this year against the Orioles, hitting a measly .191 with 2 HR and 8 RBI. He is now a career .290 hitter against them with 15 HR and 40 RBI in 176 AB. It is somewhat astonishing that Gleyber has just two fewer home runs against them in one season over about one-third the number of at-bats (66). Judge struggled against Boston (.227 AVG, 3 HR) and Tampa (.194 AVG, 3 HR) as well, but did great against the Blue Jays (.404 AVG, 4 HR).

On the pitching side, James Paxton has started four games against each of the Orioles (3.42 ERA), Red Sox (3.28 ERA), and Blue Jays (4.50 ERA). CC Sabathia has found his way into six games against the Rays (five starts), pitching to a sparkling 2.90 ERA. Tanaka continued to own the Rays, as he had a 1.59 ERA across 28.1 innings pitched this season.

The post Recapping the Yankees’ play against the A.L. East appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Yankees Clinch

Winning the A.L. East was just the first step on a long road that will take 11 wins to bring home championship #28, AKA “Replace for 28”. Whether it was DJ LeMahieu or Gio Urshela or Cameron Maybin or Tommy Kahnle or Gleyber Torres…someone always came through and that will have to continue for the Yankees to succeed.

But, let us truly savor this division title. This is a 100-win team despite all of the injuries and a myriad of replacements. Guys that you would never have imagined ever stepping on to a Major League field or wearing a Yankees uniform stepped in and, more importantly, stepped up.

So, in celebration of another division title in this great “LegaCCy” that is the Yankees, here’s a look back at some of the most memorable clinching moments.

1996 Yankees Clinch

The start of the Yankees late 1990s/early 2000s dynasty really began with a strike-shortened season that deprived the Yankees of a possible 1994 playoff berth. A year later, they followed it up with heartbreaking playoff loss to the Seattle Mariners.

But, the ’96 squad was destined for greatness. Many players stepped up that season as well, not so much due to injuries but because of an incredibly deep and talented roster. Wade Boggs and Charlie Hayes at the hot corner. Tino Martinez and Cecil Fielder across the diamond at first base. An outfield with Tim Raines, Darryl Strawberry, Bernie Williams, and Paul O’Neill, and earlier in the year, Gerald Williams and Ruben Sierra.

The Yankees maintained a 10-game division lead in early August, but it was down to 2.5 games in mid-September. The Baltimore Orioles were breathing down the Yankees’ necks when the two teams met for a three-game series at Yankee Stadium on September 18th and 19th.

The Orioles led the opener 2-1 in the bottom of the 9th and had closer Randy Myers on the hill. But Myers walked the first two hitters and Bernie Williams slapped an RBI single off of reliever Alan Mills to tie the game 2-2.

In the 10th, Derek Jeter reached on a lead off single, moved to third base on a pair of outs and came home with the winner on Ruben Rivera’s single. The teams played a doubleheader the next day with the Yankees jumping all over Mike Mussina in Game 1 for a 9-3 win. Mariano Duncan, who made up t-shirts “We play today, We win today, Das it” drove in three runs. Shaky starter Kenny Rogers chipped in with five-plus shutout innings.

Even though the Orioles won the nightcap, the Yankees lead was up to four games and it remained that way after splitting a four-game series with the Boston Red Sox. That brought the Milwaukee Brewers to town for a September 25th doubleheader and a chance for the Yankees to clinch the division.

Game 1 was never a contest. The Yankees blew out the Brew Crew 19-2, busting things open with a 10-run second inning. Tino Martinez drove in five runs, Bernie chipped in three more and the Yankees banged out 20 hits against a quartet of hapless Milwaukee pitchers.

With the score so large, there was no need for John Wetteland or Mariano Rivera on the mound. Instead, manager Joe Torre send out Jeff Nelson to record the final three outs and start the celebration.

Nellie struck out the first two hitters and got Fernando Vina to fly out to Bernie in center to seal the deal.

It was Yankees first non-strike season divisional title since 1980. Just for good measure, the Yankees unloaded the bench in Game 2 and swept the twin-bill.

2005 Fenway Clinch

Many fans didn’t know for sure whether the Yankees would clinch when the played the Red Sox up in Fenway Park on Saturday, October 1st, 2005.

The teams entered play that day with identical 94-66 records, with another game…the season finale…scheduled for Sunday.

But, Major League Baseball decided on different tiebreakers for the 2005 season. The Yankees held a 9-8 season series lead after Boston won Friday night’s series’ opener 5-3. If Boston swept the series, they would be division champs. If the Yankees won one of the weekend games, they would be division champs even though the teams could have identical records after 162 games.

So, on Saturday the Yankees sent out Randy Johnson against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

The Yankees pounced on Wakefield in the 1st inning for three runs with Gary Sheffield belting a two-run home run.

Manny Ramirez countered in the bottom of the 1st with a two-run HR of his own off the “Big Unit”. But, the Yankees kept adding runs on.

Hideki Matsui took Wakefield deep in the 3rd inning and Alex Rodriguez added his 48th home run of the season in the 5th. Johnson gave up three runs in 7-1/3 innings and the Yankees came away with an 8-4 win to clinch the AL East.

1998 Early Clinch

The 1998 Yankees squad ran roughshod over the American League like no team had done since the 1954 Cleveland Indians. The team rang up 111 regular season wins since clinching the division title was a mere formality. One that arrived on September 9th.

Though the team led the A.L. East by so many games, the division clinch was still sweet since it occurred at Fenway Park. The Yankees entered the day 19.5 games ahead of second-place Boston. The Red Sox were not only not in the Yankees’ rear view mirror, they weren’t even on the same highway.

Wakefield had the misfortune of being on the mound back then too. The Yankees pasted him for five runs, two on a Jeter home run, over four innings to take a commanding lead.

But, Orlando Hernandez was not himself that day. El Duque struggled with control and surrendered a grand slam to Scott Hatteberg in the bottom of the 4th.

Just like this season, the Yankees turned things over to a dominant pen that limited the Red Sox to one run the rest of the game. Meanwhile, O’Neill hit a pair of solo home runs to boost the lead to 7-5. Rivera came on in the 9th and was greeted by Jorge Posada. “Let’s do this right now.” was all the catcher needed to say.

Rivera recorded a 1-2-3 9th inning, inducing John Valentin‘s game ending grounder to Jeter. It was the Yankees first road clinch in 20 years.

The Greatest Clinch of All?

That road clinch that came 20 years earlier? Bucky “Bleeping” Dent. Fenway Park. Notice a trend here?

In one of the greatest Yankees seasons of all-time, it was no shock that the division title would come down to one game. A 163rd game to see who went on to the ALCS and who went home for a very long winter.

The Yankees had rallied from 14.5 games back in the heat of the summer to play for all the marbles on October 2nd, 1978.

Ron Guidry was in the midst of the greatest season of his career (25-3. 1.74) when he took the hill for the Bombers against former teammate Mike Torrez.

Torrez had recorded the final out against the LA Dodgers in the 1977 World Series when he gloved Lee Lacy’s pop-up bunt in the 9th inning of Game 6. Now, he was the enemy.

The Yankees trailed 2-0 in the 7th inning when the magic happened. One-out singles by Chris Chambliss and Roy White put the tying runs on base. Torrez retired Jim Spencer for the second out, but then up stepped Dent.

The Yankees shortstop entered the day with four home runs on the season and was batting in the 9th hole. He nearly couldn’t complete the at-bat after he fouled a 1-0 pitch off the top of his foot.

After getting the area frozen with Ethyl Chloride and getting a new bat from Mickey Rivers, Dent parked Torrez’s next pitch into the netting atop the Green Monster. The Yankees had a 3-2 lead and never looked back.

Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson added tack-on RBI and Goose Gossage wrestled his way, with some big help from Lou Piniella in RF, through 2-2/3 innings to hold on for a 5-4 victory. Future Hall-of-Fame member Carl Yastrzemski, playing his final season, came to bat in the bottom of the 9th representing Boston’s last hope.

With runners on the corners and two outs, Gossage got Yaz to pop up a 1-0 fastball. Third baseman Graig Nettles camped under it and squeezed it in his glove, atop his left shoulder. How sweet a clinch is.

One clinch down. Three to go!

The post Yankees Clinch: memories appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Did it just get dusty in your office?

This video came out 5 years ago today, and it just made me tear up exactly the same way it did 5 years ago. Now here we sit, a couple of hours from clinching our first division since Derek Jeter was on the team. Not only that, but we are welcoming back the man that Jeter traded to us, Giancarlo Stanton.

It’s been such a long season with a billion injuries, but watch this video and think about how sad you were then. We weren’t sniffing the playoffs, we were losing the cornerstone of our franchise, and there was almost no hope in sight. Think about how good we have it now and enjoy clinching this division, but remember, we still have work to do.

It's September 18th. The playoffs start in less than two weeks.

At this point, you're either with us or against us.@JJFromTheBronx and @Keith_McPherson discuss the #Yankees detractors and more on this week's George's Box.

Listen here: https://t.co/iyUrBbOygc @BronxPinstripes pic.twitter.com/7H2y0Qh9WF

— George's Box Pod (@GeorgesBoxPod) September 18, 2019

The post Remember the Derek Jeter “My Way” commercial? appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Seventy. In one month. That’s a lot of home runs. Of course, that’s been the sentiment around the entire league. A lot of home runs have been hit, and there has been one major reason why.

Steroids.

Wait, just kidding, this isn’t 1998. My bad. Perhaps steroids aren’t as prevalent in ball players anymore as much as it is inside the actual baseball.

The ball is juiced! The new rallying cry of baseball purists of this era is alive and well, but what’s important to note is, they’re not wrong. In the future, this will most certainly be looked upon as the “juiced ball era” just like the time of steroids will be the “steroid era.”

It seems as though in every new era of baseball, there has been something to jeopardize the integrity of the game, and maybe it’s not hurting the entertainment value itself (baseball is making more money than it ever has), but it is hurting the one thing baseball is built around: records.

There is no question the balls have been doctored, whether intentionally or not. Home runs are happening at a record clip, and players who statistically were never home run hitters are suddenly Babe Ruth-esque. This is no secret anymore, and it’s widely talked about around the league, among the fans, and even among the players.

So with the incredible amount of home runs being hit, and nothing seemingly ending that any time soon, it had me wondering.

If someone active in this league, right now, were to break the home run record, how would people perceive it? Would we care? Would we follow? Would we celebrate? Would we champion them the true home run king? Would we scoff? Would we complain? Furthermore, what is the home run record in people’s eyes? Is it Barry Bonds‘ 72 home runs or is it Roger Maris‘ 61?

We are technically in the post-steroid era, and if that’s the case, we should technically be watching clean baseball, so records should mean something again, right?

Unfortunately, the home run record in baseball will always come with controversy, and I’m certain no matter who it is, even if it’s the greatest baseball player living right now in Mike Trout, there will never be unanimous agreement on its relevance.

In short, in my opinion, the home run record is dead. Perhaps a physical asterisk won’t accompany home run number 73, but there will surely be a mental one among enough people where it will never truly feel meaningful again. This is nothing new. Even when Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s record, it came with controversy (it took him more games than Babe Ruth).

So to some, the home run king is still Ruth. To others, it’s Maris. Still to others, it’s Hank Aaron, and there are even some who consider Bonds the king. He does have the most, after all, steroids or not. However, this is the problem. In every era, there’s a new king, and in every era, the game of baseball is simply different.

So perhaps the only way to move forward while still appreciating this great game is we effectively close the record books on home runs, and we stop comparing players from one generation to another. We take baseball for what it is: a game that looks slightly different in every new era, where great players exist that don’t need to be compared to other great players that existed before them.

Hank Aaron vs. Barry Bonds.

Mickey Mantle vs. Mike Trout.

Babe Ruth vs… Adam Ottavino?

The fact is it is impossible to compare players from different generations because the game always has an asterisk. It always has something. It always has a difference. You simply cannot compare Babe Ruth to Mike Trout because Mike Tout can’t play in the 1920’s and Ruth can’t play in 2019. What we can do is choose who the best or most dominant player was in each era, celebrating the fact they were the best in their era of ball, in the time where they had nothing to compare it to but the competition around them. Mike Trout can only compare himself the competition of today, to those around him, in the era of the game he’s in.

The record books are like the Bible to baseball, and part of playing this game is to watch great ball players strive to break records. The problem, though, is now we question everything we watch, instead of enjoying the moments for what they are – all-star players doing all-star things.

Will the home run record book ever actually be closed? Of course not. If a player like Mike Trout broke the home run record, he would be the home run king and it would ultimately be celebrated by Major League Baseball.

However, the conversation will start all over again. Some will find it meaningful. Some won’t. Some will crown him king, some will crown an asterisk over it. Some won’t care whatsoever and some will rejoice it’s no longer Barry Bonds. Wherever you stand, the bottom line is it will be questioned more than it will be celebrated, just like it has over the course of history.

So my question to you is this: If someone broke the home run record today, would you care? Or is the HR record effectively dead?

And could baseball ever find a way to bring it back to life again?

The post Is the home run record dead? appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Embed from Getty Images

Being from Albany, N.Y., that season was bittersweet for me, on another level too. That summer I was able to watch Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte, but after that year, the Albany-Colonie Yankees were gone. So too was the best shot at a World Series title for Don Mattingly. Sure, the 1995 squad made the playoffs, but the 1994 club had such great chemistry.

Embed from Getty Images

That team boasted six players with double-digit home runs, and five players batting .300 or better. Paul O’Neill won the AL batting crown with a .359 average. Wade Boggs hit a robust .342. Their three backstops, Mike Stanley, Jim Leyritz, and Matt Nokes, smacked a total of 43 home runs. They also had their fair share of pop out of O’Neill, Danny Tartabull and a blossoming Bernie Williams.

Embed from Getty Images

In the field, they were steady with Mike Gallego and Pat Kelly up the middle, Boggs at the hot corner, and the slick-fielding Mattingly at first. The outfield speed of Luis Polonia, Williams, and the arm of O’Neill made for a solid trio as well. Plus, their bench also had the likes of some of those mentioned above, along with Randy Velarde, Gerald Williams, and a good mix of players who rode the Columbus shuttle.

On the pitching side of things, Jimmy Key had a league-leading 17 wins and finished second in Cy Young award voting. The rest of the rotation (Jim Abbott, Melido Perez, Scott Kamieniecki) all had winning records, save for Terry Mulholland. Plus, they had an emerging young Sterling Hitchcock. Out in the bullpen, it was like 1981 all over again for Steve Howe, pitching to a 1.80 ERA and saving 15 contests. Bob Wickman was another workhorse out there as well, appearing in a staff-high 53 games.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Their young manager, Buck Showalter, was among the sharpest and most hard-working in the game. It was a team that stood in first place, at 70-43, outscoring opponents 670 to 534.

Embed from Getty Images

For Yankees fans, the dynasty that followed lessened the blow. That being said, it’s interesting to think about what could’ve happened if the season had played out, win or lose.

Would that team have been kept together, win or lose? If they had won it all, would Mattingly have retired a year early and gone out on top? Would Showalter have left the stresses anyhow and bolted like Mike Keenan and Pat Riley, or would he have stayed on and continued to build a dynasty? Does a kid like Hitchcock make a splash in the ’94 playoffs, prompting the club to send Pettitte and Russ Davis to Seattle for Tino Martinez? Could a young Bernie Williams have had a rare bad first postseason, prompting an impatient George Steinbrenner to deal him, leaving center to Gerald Williams, Ruben Rivera or Ricky Ledee? What if Wickman was lights-out in the playoffs and they dealt away Mariano Rivera? Might Joe Torre have been hired in 1995, upon being let go by the St. Louis Cardinals, or would he have even been hired at all?

Those thoughts and scenarios all range from surreal to scary. Thoughts that make one wonder if the Yankees would have 28 titles, would be working on number 23, or somewhere in between.

The Yankees franchise has had its share of glory, pennants, and championships. They’ve also had seasons end just short of a triumph and in disappointment (think 2001, 1960, etc.).

Yet, unlike those teams, the most stinging thing about the 1994 Yanks will always be that they never truly received a fair shot.

The post 25 years later: Remembering the forgotten 1994 Yankees appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 40 years since that horrible day. The phone rang in the late afternoon and I picked it up in my parents’ bedroom. My best friend was on the line. “Guess who died?” he said. Immediately, I thought it was one of our friends. It was an odd way to say hello.

I joined him in complete shock when he said, “Thurman Munson”.

“What? Get out of here!” I replied. Why would someone call me and tell me such nonsense? Only it wasn’t nonsense.

I turned on the TV and put on the local news – we’re talking pre-ESPN days – and there it was. A burned-out wreck of a private plane was all that remained.

Thurman, with a friend and an instructor aboard, was practicing takeoffs and landings when something went horribly wrong. The plane crashed through trees and slid into a boulder, well short of the runway.

The large rock brought the small jet to an abrupt halt and trapped Thurman in the pilot’s seat. As his two friends got their wits about them, the plane caught fire. Try as they might, they couldn’t get Thurman out of his seat. And, he couldn’t help them. Had he survived, Thurman likely would have been permanently paralyzed.

The Yankees’ 1979 season died right along with their Captain. One year earlier, the team had made their miraculous comeback from 14.5 games back in the AL East to win the World Series. But, the 1979 season was a mess from start to finish.

Early on, Goose Gossage broke his thumb in a shower-room scrap with Cliff Johnson.

Manager Bob Lemon’s calm demeanor had helped to guide the Yankees to their ’78 comeback. But, his son Jerry died in a car accident just 10 days after the Yankees captured the World Series title. By all accounts, Lemon’s heart wasn’t into managing during the ’79 season.  After 65 games, Lemon was bumped up to the front office and replaced by the man that he replaced, Billy Martin.

The team sputtered out of the opening gate to a 10-11 record, and by the end of July sat 14 games behind division-leading Baltimore. Everyone thought, “No problem. We came back from 14.5 last year and we’ll do it again.” The odds weren’t good, and two days later any hope of a comeback ended. And, no one cared.

Thurman Munson, our Captain

The Yankees selected Thurman Munson with the 4th overall pick in the 1968 Amateur Draft. Two years later, he won the AL Rookie of the Year Award and finished 19th in the AL MVP voting. He and fellow youngsters Bobby Murcer and Roy White, and young veteran Mel Stottlemyre, gave a starved fan base some hope in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.

Number 15 quickly became a team leader and a fan favorite. He could be gruff, funny, intense and moody. His teammates and managers loved him, and the media (for the most part) got along with him.

Thurman’s first All-Star selection came in his 2nd season, the first of seven All-Star teams that included the Yankees’ catcher.

He drove in 100-plus runs three years in a row, not common for a catcher at the time, and grabbed the AL MVP Award in 1976. That same year, Thurman became the first captain of the Yankees since Lou Gehrig when George Steinbrenner named him to the post. He was as popular as future captains Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter.

Thurman was a top tier defender before injuries to his knee, right shoulder and thumb took their toll. He compensated for his injury-caused deficiencies with a rapid-fire release to throw out baserunners.

His rivalry with Boston’s Carlton Fisk amped up the rivalry between the teams’ fans. We loved him even more after he brawled with the Boston backstop.

And, most of all, he helped lead the Yankees back to the promised land. The team grabbed three straight pennants and their first two World Series titles since ’61 and ’62.

He was the team’s original “Warrior”.

Thurman’s quest to fly began due to his wont to be near his family in Ohio. He missed being with his wife, Diana, and children Tracy, Kelly, and Michael.

The Captain worked diligently for his pilot’s license and handled his plane in fine fashion. However, when he upgraded to a more powerful machine, some of his teammates and friends became concerned that Thurman wouldn’t be able to handle the bigger plane. Unfortunately, it appears they were right.

The Yankees wrapped up a series in the windy city with the White Sox on Wednesday, July 31 and had the next day off. Thurman and Piniella stayed overnight with Murcer and his family at their Chicago-area home. The next morning, Thurman took off from the local airport. His teammates would never see him again.

Saying Goodbye

Despite the pain and agony they were going through, the Yankees began a three-game series at the Stadium with the Baltimore Orioles on August 3. A number of former Yankees held roster spots on the Orioles, including Scott McGregor and Tippy Martinez.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house that Friday night in the Bronx, nor at homes around the country. Not from the sky either, as the start of the game was delayed by rain.

The Yankees took the field in the top of the 1st inning, except for catcher Jerry Narron. The Yankees left home plate empty on purpose to honor their fallen brother. Both teams stood in front of their dugout as Terence Cardinal Cooke stepped onto the field to deliver a prayer. The fans erupted into applause upon its conclusion.

Robert Merrill sang “America the Beautiful” as the Yankees scoreboard read, “OUR CAPTAIN HAS NOT LEFT US — TODAY, TOMORROW, THIS YEAR, NEXT…OUR ENDEAVORS WILL REFLECT OUR LOVE AND ADMIRATION FOR HIM.”

What followed was a mix of silent prayer and a rousing ovation from the fans. Narron then joined his teammates on the field and the game got underway.

A 1-0 loss was followed by a 5-4 loss and a Sunday victory. Then the team went to Ohio for the funeral on Monday. It was an emotionally exhausting day. Murcer and Piniella delivered eulogies in front of 300 mourners at the Canton Civic Center. Hundreds more stood vigil outside of the building. On Sunday, approximately, 2,500 people entered the Center to view the casket.

“Thurman was the best of competitors…unselfish…a winner…rough and tough but fair,” Piniella said.

“We don’t know why God took Thurman away from us…but as long as we wear the Yankee uniform he’ll never be too far from us,” Piniella told listeners, who included former Yankee players Rick Dempsey, Scott McGregor, Bobby Bonds, Paul Blair, Jay Johnstone, Mickey Rivers and Sparky Lyle.

“God give you the strength, Diane,” said Piniella to the widow, “to raise your family of three children just the way Thurman would have wanted.” (Washington Post, 1979)

“The life of a soul on earth lasts longer than his departure,” said Murcer. “He lives on in your life and the life of all others who knew him. He lived, he led and he loved.”

“Whatever he was to each one of us, he should be remembered a man who followed the basic principles of life; he lived with his wife, Diana, and his three children; he led his team to two world championships and he loved the game, his friends and, most of all, his family.”

Murcer added: “He was No.15 on the field and he will be No. 15 at the doors of Cooperstown. Loving, living and legend. History will court my friend as No.1.” (NY Times, 1979)

Following the funeral, the Yankees returned to New York to take on the Orioles in the finale of the four-game series. Martin told Murcer to take the night off, but Murcer felt he needed to play.

With the Yankees trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the 7th inning, Murcer ripped a 3-run home run off of Orioles’ starter Dennis Martinez.

Then, down 4-3 in the 9th with two men aboard, Murcer ripped a two-run double to left off of Tippy Martinez to give the Yankees a 5-4 walk-off win.  Those in attendance went wild as Murcer and Piniella hugged in the dugout. It ended an emotional roller coaster of a day.

Moving On

The legacy of Thurman Munson continues on, from his locker preserved in the Yankee Stadium museum, to his wife Diana’s annual appearance at Old Timers’ Day.

His importance to the team and his approach provided valuable lessons to his catching successors, such as Jorge Posada, who became good friends with Diane over time.

The Thurman Munson Award Dinner is held annually in New York City to honor local athletes and non-athletes alike. The most recent recipients included Didi Gregorius, Miguel Andujar, and Aaron Boone.

On this August 2, like every August 2, we look back with a smile and a tear and miss our Captain, Thurman Munson.

The post Thurman Munson: 40th year remembrance appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

As usual, the club was loaded offensively. The Opening Day lineup was absurd: Johnny Damon, Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams and Robinson Cano. All off-field considerations aside, there are maybe four Hall of Famers there. Just absurd.

The pitching, though … well, let’s just say the absences of Andy Pettitte and his flame-throwing buddy Roger Clemens were felt. The Yankee rotation was led by Chien-Ming Wang, a pseudo-ace who generated plenty of ground balls but nearly no strikeouts. Wang was the kind of guy who could eat up a lot of innings at a nice clip, but made you pine for a true shutdown arm. (The Yankees found such a hurler in the winter of 2009.)

Mike Mussina was still around, prominent as ever in the Yankee rotation, and in fact, his 2006 season was pretty strong. By this point, Mussina’s cleverness became even more important as his stuff faded. Finishing out the top three was Randy Johnson, acquired before the 2005 season in yet another desperate trade made by a mid-00s Yankee team to get some pitching. The Big Unit was pretty good in 2005 — not quite his peak self, but good — and pretty bad in 2006.

So, that was the top three. Solid, more famous than productive, but solid. Here’s the fun part, though. Guess who had the fourth-most starts for this 97-win team. Just guess.

…

…

Jaret Wright. Jaret freaking Wright. Spoiler: it wasn’t great (140 innings, 4.49 ERA). The bullpen was the bullpen, led by a predictably astonishing Mariano Rivera and the usual assortment of mid-00s worrisomes, aside from Scott Proctor, who was awesome and subsequently buried alive by Joe Torre‘s usage.

Heading into late July, the Yanks found themselves in second place. They clearly needed a pitcher — sounds oddly familiar, eh? — but frankly, there wasn’t one to be had. No major starter changed hands in the summer, and frankly, had the Yanks just brought back Pettitte and Clemens — never mind, sorry.

But, the Yanks had cash and were eager to make moves. The lineup remained potent, but with Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui hurt for the most of the season, the outfield had become a bit thin. How thin? On July 30, the same day the team swung the big deal we’re about to discuss, the Yankees started Aaron Guiel in right field. He was hitting sixth. A very young Melky Cabrera was in left, batting eighth.

So, what to do? Brian Cashman swung a big trade and acquired right fielder Bobby Abreu and starting pitcher Cory Lidle from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for CJ Henry, Matt Smith, Jesus Sanchez, and Carlos Monasterio. Henry was the Yanks first-round pick in 2005 and never amounted to anything. None of those prospects did.

Abreu was a sneaky great player in Philadelphia, overshadowed by more potent sluggers but nearly as valuable as most. Abreu got on base a lot — in eight full seasons with the Phils, Abreu’s OBP was .415 — and, early on, Abreu was a smart base-stealer and a more-than-capable defender. In the Bronx, he made an already strong lineup all that much harder to get through.

Cory Lidle added reliability to a rotation that aged Joe Torre. Johnson was struggling; beyond Wang and Mussina, there were some serious pray for rain moments. Lidle wasn’t a star, but he was reliable. With that lineup and the Sandman waiting in the bullpen, guys like Lidle won a lot of games in the Bronx. Lidle ate up some innings in 2006 and was poised to be part of the Yankees rotation in 2007, but died tragically in a plane crash that off-season.

Ultimately, the 2006 season ended poorly, as the Yankees were defeated in the ALDS by the upstart Detroit Tigers. (Jaret freaking Wright started Game 4 on the road. WHAT?!?!)  Alas, Cashman’s move at the deadline bolstered a depleted lineup and a beleaguered rotation. The 2019 Yanks sorely need a starter or two — probably more than even the 2006 squad — and it remains to be seen what the team can cobble together. If the goal is a championship, reinforcements are needed.

Adam Adkins podcasts and writes about baseball at AdkinsOnSports.com. His most recent Ode to a Pitcher breakdown covered Zack Greinke.

The post Patient with power: Remember when the Yanks got Bobby Abreu? appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Yankees All-Star Trivia

1. Which future Yankees’ pitcher surrendered the 1967 game-winning home run to the Reds’ Tony Perez in the top of the 15th inning? ____________ (5 points)
2. Who was the last Yankees’ pitcher to start the All-Star game for the American League? (3 points)
   a) Mike Mussina  b) Roger Clemens  c) Andy Pettitte  d) David Wells
3. Who was the last Yankees’ pitcher to earn the win prior to the 2019 All-Star game? __________ (10 points)
   

   Middle Innings

4. What opposing pitcher allowed Aaron Judge‘s 2018 All-Star game home run? _________(3 points)
5. Which Yankees All-Star Hall of Fame pitcher holds the record for career All-Star victories? __________(10 points)
6.  The very first All-Star game took place at Chicago’s Comiskey Park in 1933. Can you name the six Yankees on the AL team? (1 point for each right answer).
   

   The Homestretch

   Embed from Getty Images
7.  Which two-time Yankee is tied with Mike Trout for the highest career All-Star slugging pct. (1.000). (5 points)
8. What Yankee has the second-highest All-Star career slugging pct.? (3 points)
9. Three of the top six All-Star career base stealers played for the Yankees at one time. Name them. (2 points for each right answer).
   

   Extra Innings

10.  Which Yankees pitcher has a 0.00 career All-Star ERA? (1 point)
11. With Gary Sanchez‘ start in this year’s All-Star game, Yankees catchers have started 24 All-Star games. Name the other five Yankees catchers that have been the AL’s starting All-Star catcher. (2 points for each right answer)

Click here to see the answers.

How did you do?

58 – 62 Hey now, you are an All-Star
53 – 57  You’re an All-Star reserve
49 – 52  Enjoy your time off
45 – 48  You’re going back to Triple-A
< 45  What are you, a Mets fan?

The post Yankees All-Star trivia appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

During the dynasty years, the rotation was essentially set by the time Cashman assumed full-time GM duties in 1998. Granted aces don’t grow on trees but Cashman’s trade deadline track record suggests more “stuff guy” projects than bonafide aces. As the current edition of the Yankees’ angle for an ace to stabilize a rotation riddled with injury question marks, we look back at some of Cashman’s deadline driven starting pitching deals.

DENNY NEAGLE

Embed from Getty Images

In 2000 David Cone battled through a lost season and Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez posted an up and down campaign. To solidify the rotation, the Yankees acquired the southpaw Neagle and his train noise impressions from the Cincinnati Reds. Neagle, along with Mike Frank, was acquired for outfielder Jackson Melian, third baseman Drew Henson, pitchers Brian Reith and Ed Yarnall. None of those guys panned out for the Reds and they eventually traded Henson back to the Yankees.

Neagle came out gangbusters in pinstripes, limiting the Philadelphia Phillies to one run in eight innings. His next outing was a complete game with eight K’s against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Even his next start against the Minnesota Twins included six K’s in seven frames, pitching to the scoreboard with four runs allowed in victory.

August and September were a mixed bag and late September Neagle found himself tangled in the tailspin.

Neagle didn’t start in the ALDS against Oakland. The Yankees lost both of his underwhelming ALCS outings against Seattle, where he posted a 4.50 ERA. He was OK in his start against the New York Mets in Game 4 of the World Series, leaving with a 3-2 lead with two outs in the fifth.

STERLING HITCHCOCK

Embed from Getty Images

Another lefty with a postseason and Yankee pedigree, the Yankees took a flier Hitchcock, who worked his way back from injury in 2001. Attempting to shore up the back of the rotation, the Yankees sent minor-league outfielder Darren Blakely and Brett Jodie to the San Diego Padres for Hitchcock.

In ten outings, including nine starts, Hitchcock registered a 6.49 ERA. His best outing was an eight-strikeout complete game against the Chicago White Sox. Hitchcock also recorded six K’s in four scoreless frames of relief in the World Series.

JEFF WEAVER

Embed from Getty Images

Weaver was billed as another “Cone.” He had “stuff,” an arsenal of pitches and arm angles. He was also a basketcase. Acquired in a three-team trade involving the Detroit Tigers and A’s, gave up lefty starter Ted Lilly, outfielder John-Ford Griffin, and minor-league pitcher Jason Arnold to the A’s. The Tigers got Franklyn German, Carlos Pena, and Jeremy Bonderman from the A’s. The Yankees got Weaver from the Tigers in 2002.

Lilly pitched a solid decade plus and was a two-time All-Star across multiple stops.

Pitching parts of two seasons in the Bronx, Weaver compiled a 5.35 ERA in 237.1 innings, making 47 appearances, including  32 starts. Weaver also gave up a game-winning home run to the light-hitting shortstop Alex Gonzalez in the twelfth inning of Game 4 of the 2003 World Series against the Florida Marlins.

He was also the gift that kept on giving, traded for an even bigger veteran headcase, Kevin Brown, of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Weaver had his one shining moment winning a ring with the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals, ironically against the Tigers. New York, however, was not a fit for him.

ESTEBAN LOAIZA

Embed from Getty Images

Still chapped at George Steinbrenner swooping in and signing David Wells after he had a handshake agreement with David Wells in the 2001 offseason, Arizona Diamondbacks Owner Jerry Colangelo sent Curt Schilling to the Boston Red Sox for a bag of baseballs and asked for a king’s ransom for Randy Johnson. Hence the Yankees couldn’t land “The Big Unit” until a trade before the 2005 season and settled for plan b, Loaiza.

In 2003, Loaiza was an AL All-Star, led the junior circuit with 207 K’s and finished second in Cy Young voting. An All-Star in 2004 with the Chicago White Sox, the Yankees dealt the talented but frustrating Jose Contreras to the South Side for Loaiza.

In 42.1 innings, Loaiza posted an 8.50 ERA in ten outings, including six starts. Loaiza didn’t make any starts in the playoffs and took the loss in relief during Game 5 of the ALCS.

The next season Contreras would pitch out of his mind and help the Chisox hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy.

SHAWN CHACON AND AL LEITER

With Brown, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright injured and or busted, Cashman played ninja with some low key moves in 2005. Chacon, once highly touted with the Colorado Rockies, was acquired for pitchers Eduardo Sierra and Ramon Ramirez. Plus, the ex-Yankee lefty with a postseason pedigree, Leiter, from the Marlins for basically nothing.

While Ramirez would carve out a nice nearly decade career of relief, Chacon saved the Yanks bacon in 2005, posting a 2.85 ERA in 14 outings, including 12 starts, compiling 79 innings. Chacon tossed a solid start in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Los Angeles Angels, going 6.1 innings, yielding two runs on four hits, fanning five. Leiter would actually pick up the win in relief during that game as well.

Embed from Getty Images

Leiter had a memorable outing on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball at Fenway Park, fanning eight in 6.1 frames, allowing three hits and one run in the victory. Leiter would mostly grind out five innings during his starts until being mostly relegated to the bullpen in September, pitching to a 5.49 ERA in 62.1 innings.

Embed from Getty Images

CORY LIDLE

This trade was more about Bobby Abreu but the Yankees also got Lidle from the Phillies in 2006. Lidle was mostly up and down posting a 5.16 ERA in 45.1 frames.

Embed from Getty Images

BRANDON MCCARTHY

Lost in the desert and pitching to a 5.01 ERA, Cashman sent Vidal Nuno to the Diamondbacks for McCarthy in 2014. McCarthy nearly pitched the Yankees back to relevance by posting a 2.89 ERA with 82 K’s in 90.1 innings across 14 starts. A stealth move which paid off.

Embed from Getty Images

SONNY GRAY

Embed from Getty Images

Do I even have to rehash this one? OK, Sparky, the Yankees passed on obtaining Justin Verlander from the Tigers for basically a salary dump and all he would do is pitch the Houston Astros past the Yankees and onto their first World Series title in franchise history in 2017. Gray, to be fair, wasn’t terrible, pitching to a 3.72 ERA 65.1 innings in 11 starts. Yet, he was far from the ace who was a 2015 All-Star, who finished third in the junior circuit in Cy Young voting. Gray got knocked around by the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS but provided a representative outing against the Astros in the ALCS.

By 2018, Gray, who was traded for outfielder Dustin Fowler, shortstop Jorge Mateo, and pitcher James Kaprielian, was a lost cause, relegated to mop-up duty by the end and pitching to a 4.90 ERA. Those three haven’t materialized yet but what a waste of prospects. The Yankees traded Gray, complained about pitching to Gary Sanchez and throwing his slider, to the Cincinnati Reds.

The Yankees also obtained Jaime Garcia from the Minnesota Twins, who pitched to a 4.82 ERA in eight starts in 2017, not great.

Embed from Getty Images

J.A. HAPP AND LANCE LYNN

Embed from Getty Images

Happ was exactly what the doctor ordered down the stretch in 2018. Obtained from the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Billy McKinney and infielder Brandon Drury, Happ posted a 2.69 ERA in 11 starts, fanning 63 in 63.2 innings. Yet, Happ couldn’t put the Yankees over the hump and was smoked by the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the ALDS, recording a 22.50 ERA in two innings. A great clubhouse guy, the Yankees re-signed the veteran lefty.

The Yankees got Lynn from the Twins for Tyler Austin and minor-league pitcher Luis Rijo. Lynn, to be fair, was pegged to be a reliever but was thrust into a starting role because of crybaby Gray. Lynn registered a 4.14 ERA in 54.1 frames. His 11.57 ERA in two postseason appearances was nothing to write home about.

Embed from Getty Images

CONCLUSION

So, there you have it, some threes, sixes, jacks and wild cards in that bunch. But aces? Not so much. Will Cashman be dealt a better hand in 2019? Only time will tell.

The post Unlike past track record, Cashman needs to come up aces appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

A few things to consider:

• Winning the 2004 World Series is not promised
• The Yankees still could go on to win the 2009 World Series and every other year
• The Red Sox may still win their other championships

Essentially, would you take the risk to cause a butterfly effect, that could go either way for the future of the Yankees, to know that we didn’t blow a 3-0 lead in 2004 to the Boston Red Sox?

Personally, I would in a heartbeat. I’m 34 years old and spent my first 18 years of life pretty much never leaving the Bronx. I was in 6^th grade for the 1996 World Series and just coming into my own of really understanding the game of baseball. Winning 3 more championships as I got into my high school years was amazing and losing in 2001 was complete heartbreak. So heartbreaking that I ended things with the first girl to do mouth stuff to me because she said, “There is always next year.”

In 2004 I had just gotten to Drexel University, in Philadelphia, and the guys in the dorm room next to me were Red Sox fans. This was the first time I had ever seen one in real life and unlike my experiences with the girl in the last paragraph, this interaction left ME with a bad taste in my mouth. Much like when I talk to a Met fan today, I just couldn’t understand why they would cheer for such a failure of a team. Add in that I was making my rounds of rushing fraternities (best friends a guy could buy) and being very vocal about my fandom as the Yankees took a 3-0 lead. That perfect storm of the people I was surrounded by and my shitty personality, made it the perfect storm to be the worst thing to ever happen to me.

Combine all of that with the fact that I’m a bit of a gambler, and I trade 2009 for 2004 in a heartbeat. The Yankees would have likely run through the Cardinals to claim their 27^th championship a bit earlier and not felt the needs to try and fill holes with more and more aging stars over the next few years before backing up the Brinks truck to buy the 2009 title.

As we all know, my opinion is usually the right opinion, but I decided to ask some of the other writers what they would do if presented the same option. The below are in no particular order other than Scott and Andrew being at the bottom because you probably want to know their opinions and will keep reading to get there.

Nick Kirby – @NkirbyNYY – Keep 2009

I was a junior in high school during the 2009 world series in the Philly suburbs. I was pretty much the only Yankee fan in my entire school, so winning that World Series was a must. The Phillies and their fans were very confident going into that series as they were the defending champs at the time. All of my friends were talking a ton of trash, and I knew I was going to get absolutely shredded if the Yanks lost. I didn’t know many Red Sox fans growing up, so winning that world series and shutting up the bandwagon Phillies fans that surrounded me was the number one priority.

JJ’s Note: Nick spelled his own Twitter handle wrong when he sent it to me. Just to give you an idea of how the Philly school system is going.

Rohan Arcot – @rohanarcot20 – Keep 2009

Three words: flags. fly. forever. It’s that simple. I’m not old enough to remember the late 90s dynasty, so the 2009 WS win is the only one that I felt I was a part of. I also had mono during the ’09 series, and the WS win was a huge pick me up while I felt like I was slowly dying. You also don’t give up a sure thing World Series for just a chance at another one. As John Sterling keeps telling us, you can’t predict baseball and there’s no way I’m risking the 2009 title just for the chance of the 2004 one. Flags fly forever, another AL title doesn’t.

JJ’s Note: Way to slide in that you got mono, which makes everyone think you were making out. I got mono in college, but it was from a guy, playing beer pong. Maybe I didn’t buy all the best friends?

Milan Toolsidas – @MToolsidas29 – Keep 2009

A championship is a championship. 2004 stung for sure, but there were no guarantees we would’ve won it all anyway. Plus, personally, I was only eight years old and had a quick memory. Even though I was alive for ’96, ’98, ’99, and 2000, the ’09 championship was the only one I have been able to truly enjoy. My cousin is from Boston and is a big Red Sox fan and I was finally able to rub it in. Sure, they can do the same thing with ’04, but I finally had a counterpunch.

JJ’s Note: I don’t know how much Red Sox fans actually care that we won in 2009.

John Bleh – @JohnnyBleh – Trade for 2004

Man, what a tough question. As a Yankee fan growing up and still living in New England, I think I’d take that trade. It would’ve changed the dynamic of that decade between those two teams. If the Red Sox had been smothered in ’04 I think there’s a decent chance that group of guys wouldn’t have ever won a series. Yanks might have gone on to win a few more. You just never know how the butterfly effect will unfold. I loved the ’09 world series team and Matsui getting WS MVP was awesome, but I’d roll the dice on this one. Just like as a Giants fan, I can always laugh at the Patriots, I feel like Red Sox fans will always have ’04 up their sleeve to make fun of us with. My tune might change if we don’t win a world series in the next couple years though.

JJ’s Note: John don’t worry about the next few years, worry about getting down for the parade in a couple months.

Joe Randazzo – @DeflateGator – Keep 2009

I wouldn’t trade a ring for an ALCS win. This would be like asking Stone Cold Steve Austin to trade in one of his Wrestlemania main events where he won the WWF Title because he didn’t get to win the 2002 Royal Rumble. (I’m sure he would’ve liked the title and not take on a drunk and older Razor Ramon but whatever) That 2009 World Series was important — although it feels like a century ago — because it christened the new building with a championship. If you take that away the last time the Yankees had a title is 2000. Their last World Series appearance is against the Marlins. That just seems like misery. All that matters are rings. Doesn’t matter how you get them, what you did or what players fit the bill as a “true Yankee.” You get the title because winning is the only true Yankee way. If we don’t win then we are Fenway Park’s true identity — losers.

JJ’s Note: Although I disagree, the wrestling talk really pulled me in here.

Frank Marco – @FrankieMarco – Keep 2009

103 wins. 17 walkoffs. 2009 was a special year and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Yes 2004 sucked bad, but I am grateful for #27. It was Jeter’s 5th World Series. CC’s First. AJ Burnett’s Game 2 World Series performance was something I’ll never forget. Johnny Damon’s steal of 2nd base, and then going to 3rd base because no one was covering! Arod’s game winning hit after the steal. Arod’s Game tying Homer off of the camera in RF. Lots of great moments. Wouldn’t trade that for anything.

JJ’s Note: Frank has lived pretty much his whole life in Nashville and thinks the best Italian Hero (he calls it a sub) is from Jersey Mike’s and he put mayo on it. Tough opinion to trust.

Drew Sarver – @mypinstripes – Keep 2009

You NEVER give up a World Series title. Especially, one we waited 9 years for. Since we haven’t one any since, you just never know how long a drought can last. ’04 is dead and buried. As someone else mentioned, keep ’04 as is and have Mattingly win a title in ’94 or ’95!

JJ’s Note: Here’s a hot take, I feel nothing towards Don Mattingly. I watched him growing up and thought he was the best, but he never led the team to a championship, so I just don’t care. He’s basically the Yankee’s David Wright to me. I did meet Don though and he’s a nice guy.

View this post on Instagram

“So he hit 59 Home runs and you traded him to the #Yankees? Thanks.”

A post shared by Jack Jokinen (@jjfromthebronx) on Jan 30, 2018 at 11:12am PST

Karen Veenstra – @karen_veenstra – Trade for 2004

I was in HS when this happened, and it was humiliating. I refused to go to school. I still think about that series and how it all went wrong. 2009 was SO amazing and it felt memorable because I was a full-fledged adult when it happened, not just HS, and it had been a long time since we won, and it’s so hard to say you’d give up a championship. Perhaps only a Yankee fan could make this decision because we are such a successful franchise. But 2004 was something I wish never happened. I like to forget it happened. (And 2001, I’d take that over ’09 too, just saying). And maybe it keeps the Sox curse alive. Can’t guarantee we would have won the World Series that year, but I would have taken my chances. We were better than St. Louis that year. Stomp on Red Sox throat. Always! And anyone saying they’d keep 2009 because they can’t imagine not winning since 2004, how do we know we wouldn’t have won again after that? We can’t assume that if we won in 2004, we wouldn’t have won again after that. Perhaps it changes the trajectory of things and we do win more after that. Just like we can’t assume we would win the 2004 World Series after beating the Sox, we can’t assume we would never have won again after that, either.

JJ’s Note: 

Adam Adkins – @RealAdamAdkins – Keep 2009

Imagine this. Imagine the New York Yankees, with all their fabled pinstripes and bulging salaries, having not won a World Series championship since 2004. That’s not a fun story. Plus, don’t sleep on how joyous the 2009 postseason run was. Alex Rodriguez whipped up on Joe Nathan, Brian Fuentes and Carl Pavano; Mark Teixiera hit a walk-off blast; CC Sabathia cooked the Angels; and the Yankees, the best team in the league in 2009, won the title.

JJ’s  Note: This guy got his own name wrong too.

Mike Gwizdala – @MikeGwizdala – Trade for 2004

I wavered in both camps and while there’s no guarantees in life and championships are championships, I’d love to see this black mark erased from the Yankees, Joe Torre, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, etc. I’m assuming the Yankees would win more titles, maybe they close out the old yard and even open the new one with championships in this scenario. Even if the Red Sox eventually won, like in 2007, they wouldn’t have broken “The Curse of the Bambino” like this. Plus, every time you hear about a team blowing a 3-0 lead in sports, this comes up. Of course I’d trade both for 2001 or Don Mattingly getting a title in 1994 but that’s another story for another day.

JJ’s Note: Mike sent this in DRAMATICALLY late based on the timeline I gave everyone, but he agreed with me so I added it without reading it.

Scott Reinen – @ScottReinen – Trade for 2004

This is an easy decision — for the full explanation, download and subscribe to the Bronx Pisntripes Show — Andrew and I talked about this at the end of Thursdays show. — TLDR: I’m spoiled and lived the 90s Championships + I wanted to step on their throats and if they lose that series (especially get swept) …we’d still be chanting 1 9 1 8.

JJ’s Note: Can you believe the balls on Scott to just plug his podcast in my blog post? On top of that, he is super stingy when it comes to giving my BP shirts for free. I just don’t get what his deal is, but I’m going on their show this weekend to sort it all out.

Andrew Rotondi – @Andrew_Rotondi – Trade for 2004

I would trade ’09 for not blowing the ’04 ALCS in a heartbeat. I’d even consider including the 1999 WS as well, which was the least memorable of the 90s dynasty run. That’s how painful and embarrassing 2004 was. I was in high school and surrounded by Red Sox fans in Rhode Island, so losing to them was devastating. Winning in 2009 was fun, don’t get me wrong, but I have no emotional attachment to that team. It was bought and paid for. Maybe had that team (Jeter, ARod, Teixiera, Sabathia, etc.) won another championship, I’d remember that 2009 team more fondly, but they didn’t.

I believe if the Red Sox were swept in 2004 their tailspin into despair would have continued and they would still be without a championship. That makes the Yankees blowing a 3-0 lead in 2004 the single worst sports choke in history and it will never be topped. Ever. Screw you JJ for making me think about these awful memories.

JJ’s Note: First Scott plugs the podcast and now Andrew comes in with 2 paragraphs? These guys are something else. I don’t really have any issue here but want to point out that Andrew scheduled his wedding for the same day as Game 4 of the World Series this year and isn’t coming to Saturday’s BP event because of his bachelor party. Can’t wait for the “Where is Andrew?” chant we start.

Looking at all of the responses, I think this is just an age thing. A lot of our writers are too young to remember what it was like to be so totally dominant over Boston, that the idea of them winning was impossible. For people 30 and up, we crave that dominance again because 2004 took something out of our souls. Or maybe we just hate losing more than we like winning?

What would you do if given the option? Comment on Facebook or reply on Twitter if you saw the article in one of those places, or feel free to tweet at me directly. Unlike the names on Jersey’s argument, this one actually has two sides.

Follow @JJFromTheBronx

The post Would your trade the 2009 World Series to win the 2004 ALCS? appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Venue: London Stadium

Saturday, June 29, 2019, 1:10 pm ET, FOX

Sunday, June 20, 2019, 10:10 am ET, ESPN

2004 Tokyo trip

Many fans will remember the only other time the Yankees have played a regular season game outside of North America: 2004 in Tokyo, Japan. The Yankees and then Devil Rays squared off for two games to open the season. This was, of course, monumental for the sport; however, it was also very important to one specific Yankee. Hideki Matsui signed to come over (details) ahead of the 2003 season, and he certainly got the warmest welcoming – especially after hitting a home run:

In honor of the Opening Series in Tokyo, here’s a clip from 3/31/04, when Hideki Matsui rocked the Tokyo Dome with a home run against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays: #MLB開幕戦 pic.twitter.com/JhksSY9BUv

— ً (@NYYDJ2) March 21, 2019

The Yankees dropped the first game of the series 8-3 but rebounded to trounce Tampa 12-1 the following day. Mastui ended up going 3-for-9 with the aforementioned home run and 3 RBI over the course of the two games. Another player who homered in Japan? Current MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark. Here is the starting lineup that was rolled out for both games:

Derek Jeter, SS
Hideki Matsui, LF
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Jason Giambi, 1B
Gary Sheffield, RF
Jorge Posada, C
Ruben Sierra, DH
Enrique Wilson, 2B
Kenny Lofton, CF

The starting pitchers were Mike Mussina and Kevin Brown.

The team arrived four days prior to Opening Day, and for many it was their first time out of the continent. Derek Jeter exclaimed, ”I didn’t know what to expect. But it’s kind of amazing — you go somewhere and people recognize you. It’s kind of overwhelming, considering how far away we are.”

Many took in the country as much as they could. Matsui, Jeter, and A-Rod joined Joe Torre in visiting the US Embassy. Joe Girardi was also there, as he had just joined the YES Network after he retired following the 2003 campaign. He went to visit a military base. The Yankees even played two exhibition games before Opening Day: one against the Yomiuri Giants (6-2 win) and the other against the Hanshin Tigers (11-7 loss).

1955 trip

What might be less known is that the Yankees actually have played other games outside of the continent. These were exhibition games that occurred after/before the 1955 season. The team was comprised of players such as Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Elston Howard, and Billy Martin, among others. They played games not only in Japan, but also Manilla, the Philippines, and Guam from October 11 to November 21. The manager at the time was Hall of Famer Casey Stengel, and he led the team to a 24-0-1 record. If you thought the jet lag in 2004 might have been bad, how about flying across the world in propeller planes?

Now, we are so close to the sport’s biggest rivalry heading across the pond. Given the Yankees’ presence, I would suspect (and hope) that the number of Yankees fans outnumbers the Red Sox. And hopefully, they will return with a great experience and a couple of Ws.

The post A look back at the Yankees’ 2004 Tokyo trip appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Following in the footsteps of a father that played in the Major Leagues is not an easy thing, especially if your father is in the Baseball Hall of Fame and was as famous as Yogi Berra was. But, that’s the “burden”  that Dale Berra took on when he became a Major Leaguer with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1977.

Dale, who recently released his memoir, “My Dad, Yogi: A Memoir of Baseball and Family”, had an average career in the sport. But, he did win a World Series ring as a member of the 1979 Pirates, “We are Family” team, and led the league in intentional walks (IBB) in 1983. (He hit in front of the pitcher for all but two of the IBB).

Yogi became the Yankees manager in 1984 and the following winter, Dale was acquired from Pittsburgh (along with Jay Buhner…we’re not going back down that rabbit hole…and Alfonso Pulido) for Steve Kemp, Tim Foli, and cash.

Yogi got the opportunity to manage his son. Blessing or a curse? We’ll never know.

Just 16 games into the 1985 season, George Steinbrenner fired Yogi and replaced him with Billy Martin v4.0. Both father and son were devastated. (We’re not going down the George-Yogi rabbit hole either.)

Dale played 90 games over two seasons with the Yankees, putting up his normal numbers (a .622 OPS), and was released in July. Houston signed him in August and he played his final Major League season with the Astros in 1987.

He may not have had his father’s career, but Dale got to call himself a Major Leaguer for parts off 11 seasons.

The Son surpasses the Father

It’s every father’s wish that his son can do better in life than he did, even if his life was wonderful. In terms of baseball, Ken Griffey Sr. had a wonderful life. His 19-year career saw Sr. win two World Series championships with the Reds (’75-’76), earn three All-Star appearances, and put up a .296/.359/.431 slash line, with 200 stolen bases.

After nine seasons in Cincy, Sr. was traded to the Yankees in Fall ’81 for a pair of minor leaguers. He played 4+ seasons in the Bronx, at times showing flashes of his brilliant play from his younger days.

Griffey’s best play in NY came in the 1983 season when he hit .306/.355/.437, stole six bases in seven attempts, and scored 60 runs. Griffey’s ’83 season is even more impressive when you consider that he was the regular first baseman, a position he had never played before in the Major Leagues.

One overlooked fact about Griffey is that he never struck out more than 69 times in a season. In fact, Griffey twice matched, or came close to matching, total walks in a season to total strikeouts in a season.

Sr. could also make some wall climbing catches in left field, a portend to Jr.’s future defensive prowess.

Jr. burst on the scene in Seattle as a 19-year old in 1989 and one year later became teammates with his Dad.

On September 14, 1990, the Mariners’ starting lineup showed Sr, batting second and playing left field. Next to him in centerfield and right behind him in the lineup, was Jr.

In the top of the 1st inning, with a man aboard, Sr. launched a two-run HR to center field off California Angeles starter Kirk McCaskill. Moments later, Jr. stepped into the box and sent McCaskill’s offering into the left-field seats. The duo became the first (and only) father-son duo to play on the same team, let alone homer in the same game. And, they to hit back-to-back blasts to boot.

Jr. quickly established himself as the best player in the game. Before injuries affected his play, it appeared that he would be the player to break Roger Maris‘ single-season home run record of 61 and Hank Aaron‘s career mark of 755 home runs. Jr. hit 56 home runs in back-to-back seasons (’97-’98) and went on to hit 630 home runs for his career.

Jr. collected 10 Gold Glove Awards, an AL MVP trophy (’97), and was a 13-time All-Star. In no surprise, Jr. was a first ballot Hall of Fame selection when he garnered 99.3% of the vote (remarkably three voters left him off their ballot).

Which Alou are you?

The Alou family has given much to baseball. Brothers Felipe Alou, Matty Alou, and Jesus Alou once manned the same outfield for the San Francisco Giants. Felipe and Matty both played for the Yankees in the 1970s.

Felipe’s career topped that of his brothers’. He played with six organizations over 17 seasons in the Majors. He twice topped 200 hits in a season for the Atlanta Braves, leading the NL both times, and finished 5th in the NL MVP voting in 1966.

Felipe’s son, Moises Alou, followed in his father’s footsteps with a 17-year career of his own. Not only that, but he got the chance to play for his father in both Montreal and San Francisco. The younger Alou collected more than 2,100 hits, 300 home runs, and 1,200 RBI, and was a six-time All-Star.

Moises had the unfortunate bad luck to be part of the 1994 Expos’ team that seem fated for the playoffs when a work stoppage ended the season, and as a member of the 2003 Chicago Cubs team that had its postseason in part derailed by the infamous Steve Bartman-incident. As you may or may not recall, it was Moises that was poised to catch a foul ball when Bartman interfered with the potential out in Game 6 of the NLCS. The Miami Marlins rallied to win the game and went on to capture the pennant and the World Series title.

Yankees’ Father-Son: Not all Make it

Mickey Mantle, a man who needed no introduction after an 18-year Hall of Fame career, was a Dad to four boys. It included his namesake, Mickey Mantle Jr., who played one unmemorable season (1978) in the minor leagues for the Alexandria (VA) Dukes, a Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate.

Graig Nettles was one of the best hitting/fielding third baseman in Yankees and American League History. His son, Jeff Nettles, shared both a position and a birthday with his famous Dad. The younger Nettles played with the local Somerset Patriots in the independent Atlantic League and spent some time in the Royals and Orioles organizations.

Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford‘s son Eddie Ford was a 1974 first-round draft pick (20th overall) by the Boston Red Sox. The shortstop reached as high as Triple-A but didn’t hit enough to make it to the Majors.

Other Notable Yankees Father-Son Families

Roy Smalley Jr. played shortstop for the Yankees from 1982-1984 as part of a 13-year career. His Dad’s career spanned 11 seasons as a National League shortstop.

2003 ALCS hero and current Yankees manager Aaron Boone is part of a three-generational baseball family. His grandfather Gus Boone and his father Bob Boone preceded he and his brother Bret Boone.

1962 AL Rookie of the Year Tom Tresh played shortstop and outfield in 8+ seasons for the Yankees before injuries derailed his career. His Dad, Mike Tresh, spent all but one year of his 11-year career as a catcher for the Chicago White Sox.

First baseman Mike Hegan wore the pinstripes in 1964, 1966-1967, and 1973-1974. His father, Jim Hegan, was a Major League catcher for 18 years and was a member of the Yankees coaching staff for over a decade, including part of the time his son was on the squad.

Infielder Jerry Hairston Jr. only played 45 games for the Yankees in his 16-year career. But, those games were for the 2009 team that won the franchise’s 27th World Series title. With the Yankees up 1-0 in the ALCS, Hairston singled to start the 13th inning and came around to score the game-winning run. His brother Scott Hairston patrolled the outfield for 11 seasons and six organizations. Their Dad, Jerry Sr., played for 14 seasons in the bigs, all but 51 games of which were as a member of the White Sox.

But, we’re not done yet. Jerry Sr.’s father, Sam Hairston, played catcher in the Negro Leagues, minor leagues, and four games for the 1951 White Sox team. Okay, follow me now. Jerry Sr.’s brother, Sam’s son, and Jerry Jr. and Scott’s uncle, John Hairston, played three games for the 1969 Chicago Cubs.

Here’s to more Hairstons in baseball and once again, Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads and Dads-to-be!

The post Yankees’ Father-Son combos appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

Unfortunately, Buckner will always be remembered for Game 6 of that ’86 Series. With the Sox up three-games-to-two, Mookie Wilson’s 10th inning grounder scooted between Buckner’s legs at first base to give the Mets the win. What’s forgotten is that the Red Sox had taken a 5-3 lead in the top of the 10th only to see pitchers Calvin Schiraldi and Bob Stanley blow the lead. Had Buckner fielded the ball cleanly, the game would have moved to the 11th inning and we have no idea what might have happened then.

While Buckner was the object of ridicule for decades, the onus should have fallen squarely on the shoulders of Red Sox manager John McNamara. Buckner’s body had broken down and was no longer the smooth fielder he once had been. But, instead of subbing Dave Stapleton at first base as he had in the three previous Red Sox World Series wins, McNamara stuck with Buckner. Afterward, Johnny Mac said he wanted Buckner to be out there for the celebration. Oops.

Because of that single play, most younger fans don’t realize that Buckner was a fantastic ballplayer. A second-round selection (1968) by the LA Dodgers out of high school, Buckner made his debut one year later at age 19.

In his first full season in the Majors (1971), Buckner struck out just 18 times in 383 plate appearances. There are sluggers today who strike out more than 18 times in a single week.

A lack of “the whiff” was a trend throughout his Major League career. Buckner’s highest total of strikeouts in a season was 39…in 518 plate appearances. Those are Joe DiMaggio-esque numbers.

Buckner was also a speedster. In 1974, he swiped 31 bases in 44 attempts and finished with 183 for his career. Injuries and ensuing surgeries curtailed his speed and mobility.

That same season the Dodgers won the pennant and Buckner finished 25th in the NL MVP voting.  He was the Dodgers’ primary left-fielder at the time and hit .314 with 58 RBI, 40 extra-base hits, and more walks (30) than strikeouts (24).

Unfortunately, Buckner’s first experience in the World Series wasn’t an enjoyable one, as the dynastic Oakland A’s won their third straight championship.

Buckner moved to the Chicago Cubs in January 1977, along with Ivan DeJesus. Rick Monday headed west to LA in return. Chi-town is where Buckner enjoyed his best seasons.

He finished 14th in the NL MVP voting in 1980 after winning the batting title (.324) and hitting 10 home runs and 41 doubles. And, yes, Buckner walked 30 times and struck out just 18 times.

In the work-interrupted 1981 season, Buckner led the league in doubles, as he would again two years later, and made his only All-Star appearance. A year later, he topped the 100-RBI mark for the first time in his career.

The Cubbies made Buckner a full-time first baseman when he first arrived and in May 1984 Boston needed someone to man the less-hot corner. Buckner headed from one team with a tremendous World Series drought to another, when he was shipped up to Boston for Dennis Eckersley.

Buckner finished his eight-year Chicago “phase” with a .300/.332/.439 slash line and a 1.18:1 walk to strikeout ratio. His hard-nosed play made him beloved by Chicago’s Bleacher Creatures.

In his first two full seasons with the Red Sox, Buckner topped 100 RBI and tied and set career highs in home runs (16, 18). The ’86 Red Sox wouldn’t have been in the World Series without the stellar play of the 36-year old native Californian. 18 years into his career, he still ranked 12th defensively among Major League first baseman (per Fangraphs).

Things were different between the Yankees and Red Sox in 1986. The rivalry had petered out because one or both teams weren’t competitive at the same time. It didn’t fully ignite again until the mid-to-late 1990s. That being said, Yankees fans hated Roger Clemens and Wade Boggs back then.

And, the ’86 Mets were about as arrogant as you could get. While young stars Doc Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, and Ron Darling were among those admired, fans loathed Gary Carter and Keith Hernandez.

So, when the two teams met, many Yankees fans, myself included, were rooting for the Red Sox. Or, perhaps, it was more of an anti-Mets sentiment. Either way, no one who rooted for the team from the Bronx wanted the Mets to win the title.

Watching the Red Sox take the first two games was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The Mets captured the next two but Bruce Hurst outpitched Gooden in Game 5 to put the Red Sox one game away from ending their then-68-year title drought.

Clemens and the Mets’ Bob Ojeda locked horns in Game 6 with the Sox taking a 3-2 lead into the 7th inning, due in no small part to an error by the Mets’ Ray Knight. “The Rocket” struck out eight in seven innings, but then things went sideways for Boston.

Clemens claimed afterwards that he wanted to go back out for the 8th inning. McNamara claimed that Clemens begged to come out of the game. No matter what actually happened, McNamara pinch-hit rookie Mike Greenwell in Clemens’ spot with a runner in scoring position. Greenwell struck out.

The Red Sox would go on to load the bases with two outs in the 8th. With Buckner due up, Mets’ manager Davey Johnson called on his closer, lefty Jesse Orosco. McNamara could have countered with either Don Baylor or Stapleton to pinch-hit. Instead he stuck with Buckner, despite Orosco’s prowess against left-handed hitters.

Buckner flew out to end the frame and the game remained 3-2, Boston.

McNamara brought in Schiraldi to start the 8th inning. The former Mets reliever had been acquired by Boston as part of a seven-player trade that saw Ojeda move to New York. Schiraldi’s regular season was magnificent. His Game 6 performance was anything but that.

He gave up a leadoff single to Lee Mazzilli and then made a poor throw to second base on Lenny Dykstra’s sacrifice bunt attempt. A good throw probably would have gotten Mazzilli out. Wally Backman then bunted the runners over and McNamara opted to intentionally walk Hernandez to load the bases.

Schiraldi fell behind Carter 3-0 and had no choice but to throw a strike. Carter hammered it to left for a game-tying sacrifice fly.

After a scoreless 9th inning, the Red Sox took the lead in the 10th on a Dave Henderson home run and a Marty Barrett RBI single. The Red Sox were three outs away from Nirvana.

McNamara sent Schiraldi out for a third straight inning of work and the right-hander quickly retired the first two batters. Then, the Mets woke up. Consecutive singles by Carter, pinch-hitter Kevin Mitchell, and Knight cut the lead to 5-4.

Veteran Bob Stanley came on to face Wilson. With the count 2-2, Stanley threw a pitch well inside that just ticked off catcher Rich Gedman’s mitt and ricocheted to the backstop. Once again, the score was tied.

On the 10th pitch of the at-bat, Wilson’s grounder eluded Buckner’s grasp and the rest was history. Well, not until the Red Sox blew a 3-0 lead in Game 7 and Schiraldi was the losing pitcher once again. (Don’t worry…while we were disappointed the Mets won, we continued to laugh at the Red Sox’ continued misfortune.)

Though fingers could be pointed at many of the Red Sox players and their manager, Buckner bore the brunt of the vitriol. The Red Sox released him in July 1987 and he finished the year with the California Angels.

Buckner spent 1988 and 1989 with the Angels and KC Royals before finishing his career back in Boston in 1990. On June 5, the Red Sox released him, effectively ending Buckner’s 20-year career.

He finished with 2,715 hits, a .289 lifetime batting average, and only 453 strikeouts in over 10,000 plate appearances.

After the Red Sox won the 2007 World Series, Buckner threw out the first pitch the following Opening Day. He received a standing ovation from the Fenway Faithful. After the game, he was asked if he had any second thoughts about a Red Sox reunion.  Buckner replied, “I really had to forgive, not the fans of Boston, per se, but I would have to say in my heart I had to forgive the media for what they put me and my family through. So, you know, I’ve done that and I’m over that.”

Bronx Pinstripes sends its condolences and best wishes to Buckner’s wife Jody and to his family and friends.

The post Remembering Bill Buckner appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.

All of that baseball. All of those games. 188 in all. All of that time. A gazillion innings later… and it’s practically even.

That’s the beauty of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. It’s been a back and forth chess match with no end in sight. It’s been years of dominance for one team, and years of dominance for the other. It’s been years of tied records in the end and years of a playoff birth for both, one, or neither. There’s been a year for a broken curse, years of iconic fights, a year with a 19 inning game, and a year with a shortstop diving into the stands with a backup catcher walking it off.

But most of this? It all happened before 2009. It all happened when the rivalry was in full swing. When the hatred ran deep. When Pedro Martinez knocked down Doc Zimmer. When A-Rod fought Jason Varitek. When Aaron Boone sent Boston home. When Dave Roberts ran and ran and ran on Yankee pitching to help the Sox win in what was the most historic comeback in sports history.

Then things fell quiet. Both teams went about their business. The Yankees won in 2009. The Red Sox won in 2013. Players were traded or retired. The hatred didn’t run as deep. The games weren’t as intense. The faces weren’t as familiar.

In 2011, the Yankees were 6-13 against the Sox. In 2012, the Sox were 5-13 against the Yankees. In 2013, the Yankees were 6-13 against the Sox. In 2014, the Sox were 7-12 against the Yankees. Not much drama. No close records. No heated series’. Each team had a year of dominance, and no year felt evenly matched.

Everyone, including the fans, took a collective breath. We sensed this old chapter was ending and wondered what the next chapter would hold.

Then came a new era in Yankee brass. A new era in young coaches like Alex Cora and Boone. New analytical binders and dropped contracts like A-Rod’s. Like Cashman “throwing away a season” in trading away big names for young prospects, promoting young talent like an Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez and Tyler Austin. The Red Sox bringing up young talent they stored away and signing a slugger like J.D. Martinez.

The last two years have been filled with young talent, for both teams, and a renewed rivalry and hunger to win. Both teams are good. Really good. One team made it to within one game of the World Series. The other won it. Both teams hate each other. Tyler Austin against Joe Kelly. Aaron Judge’s boombox against the Red Sox clubhouse.

Last year the regular season ended in a near tie, with the Yankees going 9-10 against them, with the dagger being the Red Sox sweeping the Yankees in four games during a late August match up, effectively ending the Yankees bid to win the division. The Red Sox went on to beat the Yankees in the Division Series and won the World Series, capping off an historic 108 win season.

Enter 2019. The Yankees replaced their jinxed boombox with strobe lights, fog machines, and big wins. The Red Sox replaced their 108 win season with mediocre baseball and shoddy pitching. The Yankees have momentum. The Red Sox have a hangover. The table is set. The food is plated. All the Yankees have to do now is feast.

It’s only May 31 and the New York Yankees have the chance to close the door on Boston’s hopes at a pennant.

Yankees versus Red Sox always present big games. The players get hyped. The fans get hyped. The media gets hyped. Even in June it can feel like a playoff atmosphere, but for these 2019 Yankees, I believe they should play like it is, too. Yes, it’s June, and the Yankees cannot win the division this early in the season, but the Red Sox sure can lose it. As long as the Yankees do what they’re supposed to do: sweep the Sox and effectively ruin their chances to win this division, just as they did to the Yankees last August.

As it stands today, the Red Sox are 7.5 games behind the Yankees. If the Yankees were to sweep this now three game set, they’d be 10.5 games up, with the Sox having to make up 11 games in the loss column. Unless the Yankees have an historic meltdown of epic proportions, that’s a pretty daunting deficit to come back from, even in June. Impossible? No. Probable? Yes.

The New York Yankees will have a chance to put their rival, World Series Champion, 108 win Boston Red Sox to bed. In June. Who saw that coming this early in the year? What more can you ask for as a Yankee fan?

This doesn’t mean the rest of the Yankee/Red Sox series’ mean nothing. There is plenty of baseball left between these two rivals, and you can bet the Red Sox will fight tooth and nail to stay within striking distance of the Yankees. They are the defending world champs, remember. The battle will continue all season long and the Red Sox will be vying for a Wild Card spot. They’ll play each other 8 times in 11 days this August and things are sure to get heated in those dog days of summer.

So the late season match ups and the new school players will have an old school feel. This is the new chapter we all were waiting for. The rivalry that was, now is. Another decade of war between these two? Yes, please. The Red Sox won last year’s battle. So if history has proven anything these last decades, I believe it’s the Yankees turn next.

If only the Tampa Bay Rays would go back to their Devil Ray ways.

The post Would a Yankees sweep put the Red Sox to sleep? appeared first on Bronx Pinstripes | BronxPinstripes.com.