Results tagged ‘ Derek Jeter ’
3 Wins: 1st Nerve-Racking, 2nd Bittersweet, 3rd Comforting
Yanks Take First Three From Tribe
I shouldn’t complain too much…I mean at least we are winning this time. Then again, the Cleveland Indians are not the same Cleveland Indians of the earlier months. But, then again, the Yankees aren’t the same either. So they’re both different, so I guess that balances out. So these three wins for my Yankees WERE legit.
Game 1 was the first game in a long time that I sat down and watched from beginning to end without falling asleep! Ivan Nova toed the rubber, and had a surprisingly dominant outing. The offense was surprisingly alive as well, exploding for 11 runs with RBIs from Robbie Canooo, SwishyNicks, Jo-P0, Ahh-the-GrandyMan-Can, Brettiboo, A-Rod, Texy-Wexy, from up and down the loaded lineup. I’m proud to report that Brett Gardner has been playing much better baseball of late, as well as Mr. Jorge Posada, whose batting average is now way over that Mendoza line (and it appears it will only continue to rise above it). Maybe Jorge wasn’t hitting because his son was going to have ANOTHER surgery, and you know, maybe since he’s a man with a heart, maybe he was nervous/stressed/upset/unfocused because of it? And maybe since his son is now recovering and the worst is behind him, maybe Jorge can concentrate fully on baseball and breathe a sigh of relief? So maybe he’s not done, so stop pushing him out before his time?
Game 1 was fun to watch in regards to Nova and the offense, but it made me nervous at other times. Like after Curtis Granderson homered in the 2nd and Mark Teixeira was immediately plunked high up on his back – if he didn’t duck it could’ve hit is head – and a fight almost broke out between Joe Girardi and Indians skipper Manny Acta. That made me nervous/infuriated because I HATE WHEN MY BOYS GET HIT. But it was all good. The Yankees added on a bunch of runs after that. So HA-HA.
The other thing that made me nervous in Game 1 was the bullpen. Yeah. My fears are realistic. The bullpen was horrendous. Utterly dreadful. The Yankees, in the 7th , had an 11-2 lead, but they had to call on Mariano Rivera to get the final outs, because the bullpen just couldn’t do it. Just thank GOD for Mo…without him, we’d really have NO ‘pen whatsoever.
I missed the entire Game 2 because I was at Marist College’s Orientation! It was a spectacular day: I got to know some students, toured the campus, and felt comfortable there throughout it all. It’s nice knowing I picked the right place! But while I was enjoying my day, the Yanks had a game to play. Bartolo Colon, according to my brothers, had his typical stellar performance, but it was cut short after he hurt a hammy covering first base. He was taken out of the game, and he is now on the 15-day DL – and he says he will return in the 15 days, but they always say that…
That is a HUGE blow to this team. Bartolo Colon is one of the best pitchers in baseball right now. He’s better than CLIFF LEE. <<Yeah. I said it. And he’s a WAY better value. He, to me, is the Yankees #2 starter. And now he’s gone. The bullpen sucks, I don’t want the starting rotation to suck that badly. So the news of that 4-0 win was not as sweet as I would have hoped for.
Game 3 was extremely comforting, because I was saying how the starting rotation without Colon needed to step it up a notch, and Freddy Garcia stepped it up a few (especially when I remember his last outing…eeek). Freddy was phenomenal. 6.2 innings, 1 run, just everything the Yankees and I could have hoped for. And the offense? Explody once again, with contributions from everyone! INCLUDING those two guys I mentioned above – Brett Gardner and Jorge Posada – who are continuing their hot-hitting. Oh, and Jeet’s getting closer to #3000!
So after an icky bad stretch, the Yankees have themselves a modest three-game winning streak. The offense looks more alive, and I’m hoping overall they can be more consistent and keep this going. The starting rotation took a big blow with the loss of Colon, but if everyone can just do a littttttle bit more like what Freddy did, then maybe we can survive these “15 days” Colon promises. And the bullpen, well, I don’t know…(don’t ruin it, Virginia! You have to end on a good note!).
And um, I graduate a week from today! And my college is awesome!
The Yanks go for the SWEEP tomorrow.
GO YANKEES!
When They Suck, I Play With Buck
In one respect, this past week has been a dreadful one. In another, it has a blessing.
In one respect, it has been one I will try to forget. In another, it’s one I’ll always remember.
At my family dinners, we are distressed. Then we smile.
My Yankees have dropped six straight games, and it is very hard to watch. Suddenly, this team that looked so good just doesn’t have that drive anymore. I’m not even going to attempt doing game summaries about this past week because honestly, I might accidentally punch my laptop out of anger by recalling those memories I am trying ever so hard to repress. If you didn’t see the games, don’t worry – you didn’t miss anything but aggravation.
The team is in turmoil. Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter are feuding with the front office. None of the offense, except for home run leader Curtis Granderson, are performing to the best of their abilities. And the pitching just cannot hold a lead. Not to mention, the defense has been pretty messy as well. I’m hoping they can straighten out the issues off the field, so the on-field play returns to Yankee normalcy. We’ll have to wait and see.
I’m sure some of you remember when I posted in early March about the passing of my dog Jesse. He meant the world to me, more than the Yankees. He was my brother, and still to this day I can’t think about him without tearing up. The house was just not a home without him. We knew Jesse could never be replaced, but we all needed another dog.
So on Friday May 13, we got one. He, like Jesse, is a yellow lab. But he’s a puppy. We named him Buck. And for an 8 week old puppy, he sure is special. It was so hard to pick one out of all the puppies, but something just drew me in to little Buck. Now that he is part of my family, I knew we made the right choice. He’s going to be a great dog.
An 8 week old puppy is a lot of work. Now that AP exams are over (yay!) I figured now was the time to get a puppy. He has his moments, which we call the “Manic Puppy” state, where he goes crazy and starts being mouthy and biting everything in sight. Buck usually gets like this after dinner – perfect timing for the Yankee games.
So since the Yankees have been sucking, I’ve been spending the majority of my evenings playing with little Buck. He has helped distract me from the terrible week the Yanks have had.
Here’s the little cutie!
The game starts in about 10 minutes. And I just heard Buck’s squeaky toy! Either way, win or lose, I know with Buck, it’s going to be a fun night.
But seriously, Yankees – 6 in a row is enough. I want a win!
GO YANKEES!
Revenge: The Yankee Way
ly did me a favor by hitting it. So thank you, appreciate it” (Smiles at camera, walks away).
Okay, Maybe I Spoke Too Soon…
Bullpen Fails in Heartbreaking 5-4 Loss
….or maybe JOE GIRARDI IS A MORON!!!
-Control yourself-
It’s too early in the season for this, and I have too much homework to not be doing, but I’m too frustrated so I need to vent.
Before I go completely insane, I should recap the game for those of you who were lucky enough to NOT see it. The first 7 innings were actually pretty entertaining. But from the 8th on, it was hard to watch.
CC Sabathia got the start last night in order to keep him on regular rest. My not-as-chunky-but-still-Hefty-Lefty tossed a fabulous game. He’s a God. Sabathia went 7 innings and allowed just 2 hits early in the ballgame.
Sabathia finished his night with a 4-0 lead, thanks to a 3-run BOMB by Teixeira and a solo welcome-to-the-Bronx home run from the smiley Andruw Jones. One of the highlights of my night last night was watching Andruw Jones try to catch a ball that ultimately went foul. The ball went directly into a fan’s meal, and sent it plummeting onto the field – right on Jones. It was amazing.
And of course after this, Jones never stopped smiling.
Anyways, Sabathia left the game having thrown 104 pitches. Not too many, but for this early in the season, it made sense to take him out.
But it didnt make any sense to me to put Rafael Soriano in. Note: I felt this way BEFORE he blew it.
First of all, Soriano has worked a respectable amound lately. Since the Yanks had a seemingly insurmountable 4-0 lead and the Twins bats were dead, I didn’t think there was a need to use the setup guy. He could have had the night off, and they could have started the 8th with David Robertson or someone. But no.
Another reason why I didn’t want Soriano in the game last night, is because it seems that whenever closers or guys with closer-like stuff and a closer-like mentality (Soriano) always SUCK when the team has a rather-large lead. Even the best guys, like Mariano Rivera, have experienced the non-save situation struggles. And when we all know that Girardi is a “master” at conserving and managing his bullpen guys, I just didn’t understand why in the world he decided to use Soriano last night, and why he let him suffer through that horrible inning.
Soriano wound up loading the bases with 1 out in the 8th. It was apparent after he faced the first batter that he had absolutely NO command, but Girardi didn’t do anything. Soriano walked in a run, and ultimately destroyed the Yankees’s chance of winning by giving away their 4-0 lead. Although he didn’t get the loss (they lost 5-4 in 10 innings), it was over after he blew it.
I don’t blame the bullpen for this loss. It’s not Rafael Soriano’s fault. He is an amazing pitcher when he’s doing his thing. But last night, he WASN’T doing his thing. He’s supposed to come in when the game is tight, not fold under the pressure, and get the guys out. Last night was not that situation, and I’m not mad at HIM for struggling…I’m just mad he struggled.
Joe Girardi is who I want to strangle. He said that if he could do it again, he’d to it the same way. WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM? I mean is it me? It makes sense if you saw the game…the Twin offense was completely dead. That 4-0 lead seemed like 100-0. There was no need to use Soriano last night. I still believe that the Yankees have the best bullpen in baseball. This game doesn’t make me lose confidence in Soriano at all.
Joe Girardi…what are we going to do with you…
And tonight! I was already mad at Girardi tonight. He planned on sitting Derek Jeter, Russell Martin, AND Jorge Posada tonight. He wanted A-Rod to DH, and he was going to use Eduardo Nunez at short, Eric Chavez at third, and GUSTAVO MOLINA AND HIS SPRING BATTING AVERAGE OF .067 behind the plate. Wow. And with 5th starter Freddy Garcia on the mound. I mean really? Isn’t the idea, like, to win the game? Why would he sit half his team all in one game?
I don’t know…sometimes I think Girardi TRIES to lose. Some of his decisions are crazy.
Hey, Joe! Stop trying to lose! No need to throw games away…Maybe you’re trying to make things exciting and dramatic, trying to make the season come down to the wire, trying to keep Yankees fans on their feet.
NO NEED!
The AL East is hard enough, just let my Yanks do the drama on their own.
As much as I wanted to see the game tonight to try and get my mind off the horrible loss, I’m almost glad they didn’t play tonight. With that lineup, things didn’t look too good anyway. Now EVERYONE gets the night off.
I wonder what Joe Girardi’s going to do tomorrow…
It’s Gonna Be a Good Season…
Yanks Off to Winning Start
The day I had waited for for what seemed an eternity finally arrived on Thursday: Yankees Opening Day! I didn’t know what to expect, so I went into the day with no expectations. Sure, I didn’t want to admit it, but I was worried about them facing Verlander in the Opener. I was worried about certain guys getting off to a good start. And I was worried about the weather.
And most importantly, I was worried about missing the majority of the game because of school.
Being the nerd I am, I had to stay after school Thursday for a meeting with the Superindenent that I could not skip. “Aw jeez,” I thought. “That’s an extra hour of the game I”ll miss. I hope my boys do alright.”
When the 3:00 bell rang, I fled the school as fast as I could.
“How’re they doin?” was the first thing I asked my Dad on the way home.
“Tied 3-3.” he said.
“How’s CC?”
“Doing alright, not his best.”
“Who tied it up? Like, were the Yanks winning and did they blow the lead, or what?” I nervously questioned.
“They were down 1-0, Teixeira hit a 3-run hom-
“MAAAAAAAAARRKK!!!!!” I couldn’t hlep myself. I was just so stunned that Teixeira did something big in game 1. It was his first Opening Day hit with the Yanks.
“Then the Tigers came back,” my Dad finished, not the least bit startled by my exclamation. He’s used to that.
Once we got home, it was the top of the 7th, and Sabathia had been relieved by Joba Chamberlain. CC’s line was pretty good: 6 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 2 walks, and 7 strikeouts on 106 pitches.
I was impressed by Joba Chamberlain, who still had the icky hair, and who had a perfect 1-2-3 7th.
I was lucky to get home when I did. Bottom of the 7th, game tied 3-3, my cutie Curtis Granderson stepped up to the plate. All offseason long, my family and I discussed how we thought certain guys would perform. I said that I expected huge things from Curtis this year – I felt he’d reach the 40 home run plateau in 2011.
Sure enough, Curtis hit a monster home run into the 2nd deck in right field to give the Yanks a 4-3 lead.
“OH MY GOD, CURTIS!!!! AWWW!!!! WE’RE WINNING!!!!”
Way to make me look good, Curtis!
From there on, the Yanks never looked back. They tacked on 2 more runs via a Derek Jeter sac fly and a Nick Swisher RBI single. The bullpen was perfect: Rafael Soriano and his #29 jersey impressed me with a 1-2-3 8th, and Mo was Mo looking good with high socks and a 1-2-3 9th.
Yankees win game 1 by the score of 6-3.
They couldn’t have played better. The Heroes for the Opening Day win are Mark Teixeira for his big blast, Curtis Granderson, for his stellar defense and clutch homer, and the Yankee bullpen, for being perfect.
I was able to catch the entire game 2, a game where Burnett didn’t suck, and the Yankee offense exploded.
My boys got off to a 3-0 start in the first inning thanks to an RBI double by A-Rod (who WILL be MVP this year), an RBI single by Cano, and a sac fly by Swish.
The longball was key for the Yanks in game 2. Mark Teixeira DID IT AGAIN with a 3-run homer to give the Yanks a 6-0 lead. He’s on pace to hit 162 home runs this season! Keep it up, Mark!
Russell Martin surprised the heck out of me when he went deep for a 3-run shot in the 5th to give the boys a 9-3 lead. Honestly, I didn’t expect much from Martin. But in the first two games, he has impressed me. I didn’t expect him to steal bases, and he’s done that already. And he filled the home run column. I think he’s going to be the best #9 hitter in baseball.
The Yankees added on another run in the 6th with an Alex Rodriguez home run. He’s a beast.
A.J. Burnett was decent through 5 innings. He looked good over the first 4, but ran into a little trouble in the 5th. He managed to escape with minimal damage. Burnett allowed 3 runs over 5 innings and struckout 6. He was relieved by David Robertson who had a scoreless 6th. Luis Ayala, who I thought was pretty mediocre in Spring Training, gave up 2 runs. Boone Logan saw a little action, and Mariano Rivera closed out the game for his 2nd save of the season.
The Heroes for the Victory here are the homer boys: Teixeira, Martin, and A-Rod.
It’s such a beautiful thing…the Yankees are 2-0 this year, and the “best team in baseball,” the Boston Red Sox, are 0-2. One of their star-offseason acquisitions, Carl Crawford, has not gotten a hit yet. And their pitching has been dreadful so far.
HA. HA. HA!
Who’s the best team in the AL East? Can I hear you say it?
NEW YORK YANKEES.
Ahh, it’s a beautiful thing…I love it.
It’s gonna be a goooood season.
Catching Up: Cliff Lee, College, Christmas
A lot has happened since the last time I posted, and I’ve had more than enough time to reflect. Yesterday was Christmas, and all I wanted was some Green Day sheet music and Cliff Lee. I got my music (yay!), but not Lee…he signed what seems an eternity ago with the Phillies. Little coward…At first I was devastated about Lee, but after awhile I began to think: he NEVER wanted to be a Yankee, so why the heck did I even want him in the first place? Baseball players, especially pitchers, are fragile creatures. If they aren’t happy, they will not be successful. Cliff Lee was to scared to come to NY, so whatever.
In other news, I found out on Thursday, December 17 that I was accepted into Marist College and received a hefty scholarship. It was my first and only choice, so thank God I’m in. I hope to Major in Sports Communications. Now that that big weight has been lifted from my shoulders, I can concentrate on more important things, like the blog. Being a nerd, I will still do all my schoolwork, but I won’t have spend as much time on it (it’s time to enjoy senior year). Instead, I will spend time doing fun stuff, like playing piano and putting myself on youtube, learning guitar, and blogging.
Although I haven’t blogged in awhile, I have been staying on top of the baseball news. Johnny Damon is available, and I heard the Yankees might be interested in signing him. But I then heard that it will be “unlikely” for the Yanks to sign him. Personally, I’d love to see him back. I was crushed to see him go in the first place. Johnny Damon is a fan-favorite, and I think the Yankee organization owes it to the fans do make a move like signing Damon, especially since they couldn’t make the Lee thing work out. Damon can still play, and if he’s happy (in New York) he will be even better. And he’s such a good clubhouse guy…he might even be able to help straighten out A.J Burnett! I miss his smile, I miss is hair, and I miss his shirtless interviews…Aww, Johnny I hope you come back.
I’ve learned this offseason to not take anything for granted. So for now, I’ll just expect NOT to get Damon. So if the Yankees do get him, I’ll be extra happy.
It’s been a pretty dull offseason for the Yankees, minus the whole Derek Jeter saga. They signed former-Met Pedro Feliciano to be a leftt-specialist with Boone Logan. They also signed former-Dodger catcher Russell Martin, which I don’t like. I mean he’s a fine player and everything, but I’d really rather see Jesus Montero play. I don’t care how “ready” he is. I know the offseason is not over, but I’m just not expecting the Yankees do make any big moves. And with their starting rotation in the shape it is right now, I honestly do not think they have what it takes to contend in 2011. Sabathia, Burnett, Hughes, Nova, Mitre…not too good. So if that is the case, then why don’t they just use Montero?
I have been saying it ever since the Yankees missed out on Lee: if they aren’t going to win next year, all I want is to see Jesus Montero, this phenom, get a full year in the Bigs under his belt. If the 2011 season started tomorrow, I wouldn’t expect to win. And I’d be okay with that. I think many Yankees fans, especially ones like me who are 17 years old, have been a bit spoiled: all we’ve ever known are Yankees who win. But every once in a while, even the best teams go through periods where they are not on top. And if 2011 is the start of that period, that’s okay: I’ll still be a fan with things to look forward to, like Montero. I’m just praying that they don’t trade him.
My Mom keeps saying that I’m not being a good fan because I’m “counting them out already.” I’m just being realistic. To win, the team has to have a dominant rotation. CC Sabathia is an ace who we can count on. A.J. Burnett is too inconsistent – actually last year he was consistently BAD. Phil Hughes is a question mark – he needs to prove that he can do it again. Ivan Nova? Yeah…young, we don’t know what we are going to get. And Sergio Mitre….now I love the guy, but he’s not good enough to pitch every five days for the Yankees. With that, the Yankees won’t win. But my Mom keeps on saying “the offseason is not over, maybe they are working on something we don’t know about.”
Okay Mommy, we’ll see…I think you are wrong.
But I hope you are right…
Black Friday Deals
I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving surrounded by family, friends, and yummy food! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year, and after Thanksgiving it gets even better. I LOVE Black Friday. It’s the kickoff to the Christmas season, and it’s the perfect time to shop! I have my eyes on a pair of boots that are on SUPER sale. I also want some sheet music. It seems that the prices of everything drop dramatically today.
If only.
Material things that I desire like boots and sheet music only go so far in achieving happiness. What really makes me smile are the people in my life. I am truly thankful for the people who make my life worthwhile: my family, friends, and my beloved New York Yankees.
I’m know it sounds silly, but I’m worried that some of the Yankees who’ve been a part of my life forever will not be in 2011…like Derek Jeter.
Derek Jeter is breaking my heart. Now I’m not sure if any of it is true, but I’ve heard a lot about the whole contract thing, and I can’t believe this is the Derek Jeter I’ve grown up watching. This Derek Jeter supposedly turned down the Yankees’s fairly generous offer of 3 years, $45 million, and may want something along the lines of 6 years, $150 million. Whoa.
Throughout his many years in pinstripes, Derek Jeter has been portrayed as a “good guy.” He’s a real team player, and he is the Yankees. I’m just baffled now. How could he be this greedy? Maybe he’s not the guy I thought he was…this is heartbreaking.
Money is the name of the game. And I guess it really does change people. This is Jeter’s first opportunity to be a free agent, and he’s surely trying to make the most of it. But if he really is this great team player everyone says he is, then wouldn’t he understand that he’s not worth $150 million, and that he should just accept what the Yankees offer (because it will be way more than any other teams anyway), because they have other things to do this offseason? Like signing this guy?
Meanwhile, I’m a little annoyed at the Yankees for not bringing back Kerry Wood. They let him go, and I thought they would offer him arbitration, but they didn’t. I think they are crazy for letting him go. He had the lowest single season ERA out of ANY Yankees reliever in their history last year. What more could they want from him? I say, give Kerry Wood whatever money he wants, because unlike Derek Jeter, he proved that he was worth it last year.
Hey, maybe if we’re lucky, these guys will go on sale for Black Friday…
If only…
Silver and Gold…and Cliff Lee!
Oh, Sam the Snowman…and my favorite Christmas movie. Since baseball is over, I guess it’s okay to start looking forward to the Holidays. I don’t really know what I want for Christmas this year.
The offseason has been relatively interesting so far. MLB Network’s “Hot Stove” has been filled with news about the Gold Glovers, the Silver Sluggers, and of course, Cliff Lee.
I’d like to congratulate the three Yankees who won awards so far this year.
Congrats to Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, and Robinson Cano on receiving Gold Gloves at short, first, and second! A-Rod should’ve won, too, but I guess that would have seemed unfair. I’m proud to say that my Yankees have the BEST infield in all of baseball.
Robbie Cano didn’t stop at the Gold Glove. He ALSO received a Silver Slugger Award!
Congrats, Robbie! Put both those beauties on your Christmas Tree this year and make Sam the Snowman proud.
Speaking of Christmas Trees, I actually do know what I want under it…
-He says he doesn’t like the heat, so he might not want to stay in Texas.
-Texas says they might get Victor Martinez as an incentive for Lee to return to them.
-Cliff Lee’s stupid wife claims that she hates New York.
-Ryan Zimmerman said he’d give Lee some of his salary to bring him to Washington (lol).
-Brian Cashman is God.
Jeez this is really stressful. I’ve been a good girl all year long…and all I want for Christmas is Cliff Lee. Oh, Santa, Brian Cashman, is this so hard to accomplish?
These rumors are killing me. Cashman, just show him the money. I’m tired of waiting!
We’re In!
Yanks are Officially in the Playoffs!!!
The Yankees were playing so badly that I thought they were on the verge of a catastrophic collapse. It was sickening…embarrassing…the team was dead. I remember them being 2 wins away – so close I could almost taste it – and yet I felt those 2 wins might have well been 200, because I didn’t think there was any way they could win the way they were playing. But that’s all over now. With just 3 games left to play, the Yankees are tied for first with those pesky Rays in the AL East. Homefield advantage would be nice, but I don’t really care about it as much as I did a few days ago. I’m just THRILLED that the Yankees are in the postseason! I think that if they win the ALDS, then they are going all the way. But I’m getting ahead of myself: I want to talk about how we clinched!
September 26, 2010. Yankees vs. Red Sox. A game I surely thought the Yankees would lose, especially because they were losing 1-0 in the 7th inning, having shown zero signs of life with the bat. But all that changed with 1 swing of the bat by The Drama King himself, Mr. Alex Rodriguez. His 2-run homer in the 7th gave the Yankees a new life, and their first lead of the night. They were ahead 2-1.
Just like last year, Alex is arguably the most important player for the Yanks.
I thought that would be enough for them to win…but Mariano Rivera was icky – VERY icky – in the 9th, allowing 2 runs and letting the Yankee lead slip away. 3-2 Red Sox. But in the bottom of the 9th, Robbie Cano singled sharply with the bases loaded, tying the game. For the first time in ages, the Yankees were showing fight. They weren’t done yet.
In the 10th, Curtis Granderson led off with a single and Brett Gardner laid down the perfect bunt for a single. For some reason, which still seems mindless to me, the Red Sox intentionally walked Derek Jeter, to LOAD THE BASES WITH NO ONE OUT. Why on earth would anyone do that? ESPECIALLY when the other team can get a walkoff? I don’t know.
Patience proved to be a virtue for my Yanks and Juan Miranda. His patience at the plate and great at-bat resulted in a walk – a WALKOFF WALK, and the Yankees won 4-3. Sadly, I didn’t see any pies fly. But that’s okay…I was just glad to see them win!
Thank you, Juan!!!
The Heroes for this Victory which brought the Yankees magic number down to 1 were Phil Hughes, for his starting effort, A-Rod, for that super-clutch homer, and Juan Miranda for the walkoff.
The clincher came on September 28 against the Blue Jays, and the Yankees couldn’t have had a better guy on the mound for a game of this importance. CC Sabathia was fabulous, throwing over 8 innings of 1-run ball.
CC was his usual C”Cy” self, but what impressed me most about this win was the offense: the Yankees built every one of their runs. A-Rod, Teixeira, and Cano had sac flies. A-Rod also had a bases loaded walk. Greg Golson had an RBI groundout. There were no home runs. Everything was built, and that’s good. In the postseason, the Yankees are going to have to be able to score like that if they want to win. And they do want to win. So they’ll have to.
The Yankees won this game 6-1, and had a little fun with the bubbly. Watching my boys run around pouring ice cold champagne on each other’s heads is enough to make me smile any day.
The Captain gets a taste.
My Cutie-Curtis Granderson gets his first ever taste of postseason parties.
A bunch of my goofy boys ♥
I can’t decide how I think the Yankees will do in the postseason this year. Do I think they are as good as last year? I don’t know. There were a few bad stretches last year, and I guess I didn’t notice as much because the struggles weren’t right before the season’s end. This year’s struggles arrived at a more nerve-racking time.
Even so, I don’t think anyone, even myself, has the right to or should predict the Yankees postseason success. The postseason is a whole different animal. I enjoy it. But it also makes me a wreck – even when they win. I can’t take the pressure.
With that said, I’m going to enjoy these final three games of the regular season in 2010.
GO YANKEES!!!
New Life
Yanks Headed in Right Direction
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, and it’s been awhile since the Yankees really looked good. The past few series have been hard to watch. After that 8-game winning streak, the Yankees just fell apart: They lost 2 of 3 to the Orioles, and would have been swept if it wasn’t for Nick Swisher’s walkoff heroics. They were swept by the Rangers. They lost 2 of 3 to those pesky Rays, and they had opportunities to win each of those games. And the first game against the Orioles in this series looked like it was going to continue this losing trend. Magically, the Yankees turned the tides. And just like that, it seems the Yankees have a new life.
The Yankee jumped to a 1-0 lead in game 1 thanks to an Alex Rodriguez solo homer, but that was all the offense for awhile. Despite being in line for the loss, A.J Burnett pitched well, and I was satisfied with his performance. I felt bad that he wasn’t going to win it.
Bottom of the 9th, Yanks down 3-1. Jorge Posada took his turn at bat, and 11 pitches later he was on first with a leadoff single. I was thinking “Oh…here they go again…getting my hopes up for a comeback that will never happen…”
Jo-Po ♥
Or so I thought.
Little did I know, that brilliant at-bat by Jorge would set the tone for the rest of the inning.
Curtis Granderson singled with 1 out. With 2 outs, The Drama King Alex Rodriguez stepped up to the plate. I wanted to watch, but I just couldn’t – I couldn’t watch A-Rod make the final out, because my Dad would never let me hear the end of it. (I thought so negatively because honestly, the Yankees were awful for so long. Even though I had the slightest feeling that A-Rod would do something big, I didn’t want to express it…I didn’t want to jinx him.)
With 2 strikes, A-Rod decided to wash away my worries. His 3-run homer revived both the Yankees, and myself. Finally, things were looking brighter.
Alex drove in all 4 Yankee runs in game 1.
Mariano nailed down the save, and the Yankees won 4-3.
I wondered: Could the Yankees string a few wins together? For game 2, the Yanks had the perfect guy on the hill: my sweet Hefty-Lefty, CC Sabathia ♥
The game 2 victory was a perfect team win. The offense was back, and it exploded for the first time in a LONG time. Jorge Posada set the tone once again with his clutch 2-run single in the first inning. Cano had a 2-run homer, Granderson had a 3-run homer, everyone contributed.
CC Sabathia wasn’t CC-spectacular, but he was still good. Yankee fans get spoiled with CC. Even so, CC’s 7 innings of 3-run baseball was good enough to earn himself that 20th win.
Congrats on this milestone, C “Cy.” You are the best ♥
The heroes for the 4-3 victory in game 1 are A.J. Burnett, for a solid start, and A-Rod for all that offense. For game 2′s 11-3 win, the heroes are Cano and Granderson, for their homers, and CC Sabathia for yet another quailty outing, and for winning #20. And Jorge is a hero for both, because he set the tone for both wins.
All of a sudden, things are looking brighter for my Yankees. They are back in first place. Burnett pitched well. CC pitched well. Jeter is hitting again. Gardner and Swisher are back in the lineup. And best of all, Andy Pettitte is returning today. If Andy can be good, then I think the Yankees have a great shot at going all the way. CC, Andy, and Nova seem like enough to win it. And if BURNETT can stay sharp…..wouldn’t that be something…
These 2 wins very well may be the start of something good for my boys.
GO YANKEES!!!!
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