Instead, the laughing lady is back because it turns out there was nothing to be afraid of in Arlington. Not with CC, Jeter and A-Rod on the case. (And Mo, although his outs weren’t very Mo-like; they were actual fly balls instead of his usual broken bat grounders.) Oh, and I need to give a shout-out to Chris Stewart, who’s really growing on me.
CC was more ace-like than he’s been in a while, and I felt relaxed with him out there – even after Hamilton’s homer. Good job by Girardi letting him pitch the eighth.
A-Rod’s homer was a nice display of power. He does seem to like hitting in Texas.
But Jeter was the story for me tonight. Yes, he made that error, but his offense is off-the-charts amazing right now. It’s like we’re watching a time machine or something.
What’s he’s doing to turn back the clock? He told ESPN after the game that he was just reverting to his normal way of hitting after having tinkered with his stance/swing early last year. Girardi thinks it’s the lack of pressure over the 3,000th hit milestone. But I’m convinced it’s because he’s got a secret new girlfriend.
Just kidding. I have no idea why he’s doing a terrific impersonation of himself from the last century, but I sure hope he keeps it up.
Looking ahead to the Japanese one-on-one tomorrow night, it’ll be the veteran…
Versus the kid.
I can’t predict this one at all. Kuroda has really been knocked around, but Darvish might be jittery with all that media in attendance. More importantly, the Yankees are notoriously inept at hitting pitchers they’ve never faced so Yu could dominate. We’ll find out soon enough.
Tags: A-Rod, CC Sabathia, Chris Stewart, Derek Jeter, Josh Hamilton, Mariano Rivera, Rangers, Yankees
Glad to see we’ve still got the knack to knock around Holland. A-Rod’s homer was huge and he almost had another one in his last at bat so let’s hope it’s a sign that he’s going to get going and get hot along with his buddy Jeter. Maybe Jeter could give him a drink from the same fountain of youth. Aside from those 2, Grandy gets an honorable mention for driving in the first 2 runs early. CC has looked better. Not a dominant performance but that was to be expected with a strong offense but it was still a good lengthy outing. Looking forward to see Kuroda vs Darvish and see what we missed out on.
Yes, Grandy does get an honorable mention, Leo. He got the party started.
I’m so happy the Rangers won tonight! And I’m so happy the Rangers lost tonight! (that playoff game was intense, Jane!!)
Anyways, I watched both games at the same time, as if it were my job! And funny coincidence, when the NY Rangers tied the game at 1, the Yankees pushed across the 3rd run seconds later. I don’t know what that means, but it was cool to see.
CC was sharp tonight, even though he gave up four runs. I think it’s still early enough where he’s still got to build up that late game endurance. And there’s only so much you can do against a team like this. They have not only the hitting, but they’ve got major experience with two straight World Series appearances, so they’re not going to let anything affect them. Tomorrow’s game may be a bit scary with Kuroda on the mound. Hopefully he’s wily enough to get out of the jams we know he’ll get into.
But like you said Jane, Jeter was the story tonight, starting out 4 for 4. Washed up, huh? Getting old, huh? He’ll never be the same, huh? Well, he’s only hitting .411 16 games into the season! With 4 home runs and 13 RBI’s! OBP of .436! 5 doubles! Remember how about two months into the season last year everyone was concerned with not only his low average but also his lack of extra base hits? There’s none of that talk now! Oh, and check out the hits… He’s got 30 hits already! In other words he’s on pace for 300 hits!! Now, ok, we all know he’s not going to get 300 hits or keep up the .400 batting average, it’s just great to see the captain doing what he’s been doing for so long. What I was confident he could do again. I tell everyone who will listen that he was hurt the second half of 2010 (that busted hand) and he had all these naysayers telling him to change his swing when he didn’t need to. Now he’s back to his old self, and it’s a pleasure to see!
Great to see A-Rod showing some pop in his bat lately too! He’s another guy who should have a typical normal year for him, as long as he stays healthy. These guys are too good to just forget or all of a sudden ‘lose’ it. The Yankees made a pretty decent statement early on with those runs. Hopefully the rest of the series will send a loud enough statement to not only the Texas Rangers, but the rest of the American League!
We demand to be heard…
All of Jeter’s detractors from last year should be publicly exposed and humiliated but just seeing the Captain pound the ball game after game and have the hits pile up is enough of a comeuppance or now. Perhaps his most impressive hit last night was his first at-bat – to continue to hustle down the first base line the way he does says everything about his heart and his determination. Few other Yankee hitters would have turned that grounder into a hit. As for the error – I’ve said before that Tex’s great defensive abilities seem to induce a little sloppiness in our other infielders. That was a prime example. I just hope they can nip that in the bud and not take Tex’s abilities for granted.
CC looked very much in control most of that game. I loved his last inning pitched, when he used all of five pitches to get three outs. Maybe he and Mo can have a contest this year to see who have have the most innings with fewer than a half-dozen pitches thrown. The Yankee fans would win that one!
Congratulations to the NY Rangers, YankeeCase. I heard it was a tough game with some controversy afterwards and possible fine(s)? And now they’ve pushed it to a Game 7? Should be tense. Back to the Yanks and the other Rangers, I agree that the Rangers aren’t going to roll over, even if they’d been 10 runs down, but our pitching was just too good. Tonight could be another story altogether with Kuroda. He has to figure out how to pitch to a powerhouse lineup like theirs or we’re in big trouble.
I think most people felt Jeter was declining, Audrey, not just the detractors. I have to admit I was worried that he was losing the ability to hit with any power when he basically wasn’t getting anything out of the infield for a long time. It’s been amazing how he’s turned that around. Good point about Tex and how he’s saved many an errant throw. We (and I’m sure the infielders) expect him to catch everything. I was saying last night how lucky we are that Cashman signed him. What a luxury after a guy like Giambi at first base. Loved that last inning of CC’s!
I just thought the game was a huge relief. Even though we were coming off a big win, it was just so nice to see everyone perform the way we know they can, especially CC and A-Rod. (Tough night for poor Tex). I thought the game had a real playoff feel at the beginning…our guys really dug in and went to work. I definitely enjoyed every moment of the game and went to bed with another smile on my face (cheeks still hurt from Saturday’s smiles). I wrangled a Wednesday departure for our trip, so I’ll be able to watch tonight’s spectacle. I hope Kuroda competes the way we know he can. I can withstand a loss if we at least play well and compete. Just want to see a good ball game! And I loved it when one of the announcers, Sean McDonough said, in response to Jeter’s grand performance, something like ‘yep, he’s washed up….have The Ceremony at The Stadium and say good-bye.’ LOL! I know I’m a broken record, but I’m so happy for The Captain.
Simply excellent. A memorable weekend, followed by a delightful surprise last night…
Couldn’t watch the Sawx series, being outa town and consumed by Alumni Weekend. Just had to hope that the Sports Gods, who are often (but not always) kind to me when it’s absolutely impossible to watch any games, would weave their magic wands. When our local hockey team (the Caps) surprised Boston on Saturday afternoon, it was a Good Omen. Then — opening the paper at brunch Sunday — the Yanks did WHAAAT? Well, no need to beat a dead horse…unless maybe that horse wears Red Sawx…?!
Last nite…well…when you’re in a groove that tells you “the less you watch your fave teams, the better they do” — well then, ya gotta take one (or another one) for the team. And so it went. I’m waiting for some inevitable snarky ESPN types to suggest that Jeet’s on PEDs or something…in the meantime, like a poker player on a roll, let’s just go with that Hot Hand…! Already I’ve heard that tonite’s pitching matchup will be Nationally Televised in Japan…and the trends, as Jane points out, are not good…so of course, it’s essential that I do my part and NOT watch. Counting on y’all to pull ‘em thru, once again. And thanx!!
You’re delaying your vacation to watch the game, Ruth? Now that’s a true fan. Kudos. I’m not sure I’d do the same, especially after tax season.
No one has suggested Jeter is on PEDs, Dave, and they won’t. All anyone – including ESPN announcers – talk about is how he plays the game the right way and is the best guy in the game. You should have heard Francona on the subject the other night. He had nothing but the highest praise for the captain. Of course there will always be jerks out there, but I think the sniping will be minimal for someone like him.
I’m not saying I wasn’t worried last year myself, Jane. There was a period during which Jeter was looking pretty bad last year. But I believed he would come out of it and am just glad my faith was justified. I just don’t think many of the nastier naysayers will ever admit to be wrong about Jeter or anyone else, for that matter. They just move on to their next victim. You have people like that in every area of opinion writing. But I am glad so many in the baseball and sportswriting world recognize Jeter’s greatness as a player and as a person. Saying nice things about other players doesn’t take anything away from you team or its members.
Dave and Ruth are both showing such true fandom! I honor you both.
Jane, admittedly it’s not much of a ‘vacation’ due to financial constraints…just a few days away to the Eastern Shore…so it wasn’t that hard to delay it a day..but I will take the compliment of being called a ‘True Fan.’ True that!
Agreed about the media – for the most part – recognizing Jeter’s greatness, Audrey. And I also agree about Dave and Ruth and their sacrifices for being true fans: Dave because he’s staying away from watching and Ruth because she’s staying home to watch!
By all means, take the compliment, Ruth. A few days away from this computer sounds like heaven to me. I can’t wait until July when I take off for the east coast.
East Coast? Jane, are you going to organize a ‘She-Fan Meeting’ at one of the Yankees games? I STILL haven’t been to the new Stadium…maybe I could use a blog-team meeting as an excuse.
I always come east in the summer, Ruth. It’s usually for the month of August but we’re doing July this time. I haven’t checked the schedule of Yankee games (I’m always pretty last minute and need to plan ahead more) but will do so eventually and maybe we can schedule a meet up. We did it with Audrey and YankeeCase last year and it was great to meet them.
Yeah Jane, it was a big win for the NY Rangers, forcing a game 7! They’re the number one seed and its only the first round. The other number one seed lost, so…. If I could I would go to the game this Thursday. I could temporarily be RangerCase for a night, with the Yankees being off that day, lol. (Starting to really not like Ottawa! I saw the Rangers lose to them last year when they were the worst team in the league, and now this series….!)
But I’m boring everyone with hockey talk, back to the Yankees! Dave, I do the same kind of things sometimes, so I definitely understand! Whatever sacrifices for the good of the team! And Ruth, yes you are a true fan, true that!!
Jane wouldn’t you love to get a feel of the buzz this pitching matchup is generating in Japan? They are so gaga over their athletes, and to have two guys make it big in the Major Leagues and matchup against each other must be a tremendous source of national pride. Short of having one of their own being named World Series MVP (ahem, Matsui-san), I can’t imagine a bigger baseball thrill.
Jeet-uh. Does it really get any better than that guy? My goodness. Since Albert left me, all I can think about is Jeet. Good for him! And good luck against the whirling Darvish. He’s no Strasburg, I tell you that.
Haha, RangerCase. I’m calling you that until/unless the Rangers get knocked out in Game 7. And yes, it must be a national event in Japan with this pitching matchup. With all that country has been through, it’s great that they have something fun to look forward to.
I hope you’re right about the whirling Darvish, Jeff. I’d like to see him whirl right into the dugout about, say, the third inning.