Last night’s finale in the rain-shortened series at Fenway was so satisfying. I wasn’t optimistic going up against Sale, who’s always murdered the Yankee offense, and it wasn’t as if he had an off night. It was just that he was bested by Tanaka, who not only blanked the Red Sox but pitched a complete game. (I would not have been happy if Girardi had pulled him for Layne, a Red Sox castoff, or Chapman, who’d thrown a million pitches the night before.) He was brilliant, and the Yankee hitters scratched out just enough runs to make me exhale between innings.
And then there was Wednesday night’s game. Severino was brilliant too. He seems to have shaken off last season when he was so mediocre and come back strong. And enough can’t be said about Judge. Even when he strikes out or grounds out, he’s such a badass presence at the plate, not to mention when he’s diving over a wall to make a catch. I’m still waiting for Bird to get hot. And with Didi coming back for this weekend’s series against the O’s, I hope he’s not rusty. With Gary Sanchez waiting in the wings to return off the DL (it was nice to see him join the others in the dugout last night), we’re slowly settling into a picture of what this team will look like and how it will perform. I’m encouraged. I really am.
It was lovely to watch Tanaka outpitch Chris Sale. A very satisfying two games. Now we need to win this series against Baltimore and, if we can sweep them, slip into first place.
That would be excellent!
I’ve been expecting growing pains and we may very well still experience them sometime down the road as that’s just part of baseball. But I’m enjoying this season as it’s been such great fun to watch so far. The offense has improved so much from last year and can only get better when Didi and Sanchez. The starting pitching has exceeded expectations so far. It remains to be seen if they can continue this pace. If they can’t, the improved offense should hopefully be able to carry them.
I really am starting to hope that Tanaka extends with the team or re-signs if he opts out. He would be very hard to replace as he’s been brilliant as the team ace. Cueto, Darvish, Arrieta, and a few others are available the upcoming offseason if worse came to worse but I’d like to see if they can try to extend him if possible.
I agree about the starters exceeding expectations, Leo. While CC is likely to go off and pitch elsewhere, Tanaka would be worth re-signing provided his arm stays healthy. Lurking in the back of my mind is that small tear, and though he and the team say he’s feeling fine, I worry it could rear its head as we go deeper into the season.
Glorious walk off! That’s all that needs to be said. This team is special. You just know teams of the past 4 years or so would’ve likely lost in a whimper. This had the makings of a tough loss and this offense didn’t give up and carried our pitching which wasn’t good tonight. It’s still real early to call this a guaranteed playoff bound team but at least it’s so much fun to watch. I’m enjoying this immensely.
Holy moly! That game was insane last night, Leo. So many heroes and, of course, walkoffs are always exciting, as was Castro’s game-tying HR. The Yanks and O’s usually have slugfests especially on a warm night like last night when balls are flying out of the Stadium, but that was a crazy game. And you’re right – this team is resilient. The only knock was on CC. Not a good performance, obviously, and we’d just been saying how good the starting pitching has been. Oh well. Maybe just an off night for him.
I’m so with Leo, enjoying this immensely! I turned the television off Friday night after Trumbo’s grand slam since I had a busy Saturday coming up and it was to start early. I did, however, tune in for a few minutes right before I went to bed, saw Ellsbury’s grand slam and went to sleep feeling more optimistic. I didn’t know if this team would pull off a complete comeback but I felt sure they could and that’s a very different feeling than what I’ve had the last couple of years. What a great way to wake up when I checked my phone and saw the final score, then relived those marvelous moments via video. And then to see them go right back at it on Saturday – yes, glorious!! Two Janers in a row!!
I accidentally have MLB.tv this year. I usually get it for the last six weeks of the season then cancel. This year our lives went crazy during the off season with illness and death in the family and when I finally went to cancel my subscription in March I was too late. Now I’m glad I made that mistake because if there was ever a year to watch Yankee baseball, this is it! And I found out I can watch archived games later in the day, which was perfect yesterday when I was busy until around 4:00. Now let’s go Yankees – I want Jane to bring out her broom for tomorrow’s blog :).
Audrey, I was overjoyed that we had two Janers in a row – against the first place O’s, to make it even more sweet. If we sweep, you’ll hear me cheering in Vermont! Sorry to hear you had a death in the family. I can relate as my mother died in November. Not a fun winter at all. But seeing all the homers and runs scored has been a gift. (Still worried about the starters though, except Tanaka.) MLB.TV is handy to have, all the more because it comes with the At Bat app for my iPhone and I can check the games when I’m out. Fingers crossed for today!
So sorry about your mom, Jane. She would have loved this year’s Yankee team. November and December were bad months last year and Novembers have been bad for for us for a few years now. Don’t know what it is about that month but we dread it every year. We seldom get through it unscathed.
Sounds like your winter was on a par with mine, Audrey. Rough times. Here’s hoping this November will be an easier one for you and your family.
Jane and Audrey, I’m sorry to hear about your losses to your families. I hope and pray for you guys and your families to be able to cope and continue through such difficult times. Baseball can be a small source of escapism for fans like us which is what I hope the Yankees can provide to you two right now.
Jane, thank you for providing us this blog for discussion. You’ve cultivated a terrific community of fans over the past few years since you’ve started it and I’ve read your posts in the past about your lovely mother. This small community is close and we are here to try to uplift each other not just on our beloved Yankees but also anything that we may have personally going on.
What a lovely comment, Leo. I’m flattered that the blog has fostered a little community where we can celebrate the wins (in life and in baseball) and commiserate about the losses (ditto), and I’m glad you’re a part of it. My mother loved the Yanks. But she had dementia and as time went on, she stopped watching the games, stopped remembering the players’ names (although, oddly, she never forgot Melky!), stopped watching TV and reading the paper altogether. But maybe wherever she is now, she’s taking pleasure in this team, the same way we are.
My dad is struggling with Dementia now, Jane and it is an ugly disease. Fortunately he is in the early stages and can still enjoy the Yankees.
Thank you very much, Leo. I, too, like the feeling of community blogs like Jane’s create. Based on the way the Yankees are playing this season I expect our community to grow. The more the merrier!
Yes, dementia is a cruel disease, Audrey, and I’m sorry you’re seeing it first hand with your father. Enjoy him while you can, as I’m sure you are. Today’s game is tied at the moment, but I’m hoping we’ll break through!