If you’d told me that Kuroda would outduel Hernandez, I might have raised an eyebrow. But it happened. After what seemed like an endless 1-1 tie, the Yankees broke through and dethroned the King, thanks to Ibanez’s latest blast, speaking of surprises. I was down on Raul’s signing in the beginning of the season, but he’s making me a believer.
Cano is on a total roll now – both at the plate and in the field. It’s like someone waved a magic wand over him and turned him back into the superstar we know he is.
The bullpen was great too, right down the line.
But the star of the night was Kuroda. No, the Mariners aren’t much on offense. And Kuroda does seem to have first inning problems. But he was pitching to major league hitters and he shut them down – the definition of a good outing.
I went out for dinner with Dodger fan friends after the game and was happy to tell them that their former battery mates, Kuroda and Martin, would have made them proud.
There was a lot to smile about during today’s game. Not only did I get my 10 Runs, but I got them in Bronx Bombers fashion. Small ball is swell, but I do love homers.
Lots of applause to go around.
* Kudos to Hughes. During the first inning I said out loud, “Here we go again.” He didn’t look great and I figured we’d be in for another short outing from him. Wrong. It turns out he was great. If he can continue to pitch like he did today, I’ll feel a whole lot better about our rotation. But in the meantime, clap clap clap for Hughes.
* Kudos to Cano. He looked like a different person today and not just when he hit the granny. His swing was smooth and Cano-ish, like we’re used to seeing.
* Kudos to A-Rod. That homer into the fountains or whatever they are was fun to watch.
* Kudos to Swisher for coming back from his injury and making his presence felt.
In truth, the game that really interested me today was Red Sox-Orioles. I was at a party late this afternoon and started listening on the way home. (I think it was the bottom of the ninth.) Once I realized we were talking about extra innings yet again between those two teams, I was glued. What fun that they both had to bring in position players to pitch – especially Chris Davis, who’d been like 0-for-100 at the plate. Who could have guessed that he’d get the win. Baseball is one amazing sport. Kudos to him too.
Just had to pass this along, courtesy of the lovely Kristen Hudak at ESPN, who sent it to me this morning….
This is SportsCenter Launches First Spanish-Language Spot
New York Yankees slugger Robinson Cano featured in English and Spanish Version of “Handshakes”
(Bristol, Conn) –On Wednesday, ESPN will introduce its first-ever Spanish-language spot from the iconic This is SportsCenter franchise. Just in time for Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, “Handshakes” features New York Yankees All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano in a send-up of his popular handshake routine with teammates.
“Handshakes” will air in English and Spanish in the United States and across Latin America. The spot will debut in Spanish on Wednesday, April 4, at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN Deportes. The Spanish version will also air during Dan Le Batard is Highly Questionable on ESPN2. The English version will debut at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN during Baseball Tonight.
“Just as handshakes are a universal greeting, sports are a universal experience,” Cano said. “As a bilingual athlete, it is an honor to bring This is SportsCenter to life for Spanish speaking fans.”
This marks the first time ESPN has brought its longest running and most successful advertising campaign to viewers in a language other than English. ESPN has actively engaged in crossover initiatives to better serve the growing U.S. Hispanic audience across ESPN and ESPN Deportes through shared talent, integrated editorial efforts and cross-platform advertising opportunities.
“This is a landmark moment for the This is SportsCenter franchise,” said Carol Kruse, senior vice president of Marketing, ESPN. “Reaching the Hispanic sports fans continues to be a priority for the ESPN brand, and this is just another example of our commitment and many efforts to engage with this growing audience.”
“Handshakes” explores how Cano’s friendly and creative handshakes with ESPN staffers enable the quick spread of the common cold across the ESPN campus in Bristol, Conn. The spot was created by Wieden + Kennedy New York and filmed at the ESPN campus in February.
I love that they chose OUR All-Star second baseman to front this spot.
The report that the Yankees have picked up the option on Cano is no surprise, obviously, but I wasn’t sure about Swisher. Not when some in the media were batting Beltran’s name around and not after Swisher’s anemic performance in both the ALDS and through stretches of the regular season. His defense really came around and he’s certainly one of the most entertaining, fan-oriented guys on the team, but there were times when he frustrated me and I wondered if we didn’t need a right fielder with more talent.
On the other hand, he’s still better than the guy he was traded for.
Wow. What a performance. When Nova came out of the game, the crowd at the Stadium gave him a huge ovation. So did I. I got up off the couch and stood there applauding in my living room.
The Tigers helped, swinging at pitches in the dirt, but that was part of Nova’s magic: his ball moved all over the place. The Yankees’ defense also contributed. I’m still marveling at Jeter’s relay to Martin at the plate, for example; it was sheer perfection.
Of course, tonight’s win could also be called The Robbie Cano Show.
Photo: Bill Kostroun/AP
Six RBIs. Seriously. Do you think he likes batting third? Actually, he probably doesn’t care where he is in the lineup, but I love him in that spot. I would expect the Tigers to start pitching around him, given that A-Rod isn’t 100%, but we’ll see.
Overall, the Yankees just played great baseball tonight. No complaints. Well, except one. Okay, two. There was Posada’s base running mishap. Sigh. And there was this guy.
Photo: Getty Images
I realize Ayala pitched well over the course of the season but lately? Not so much. When he came in for the ninth and couldn’t get the job done, I had flashbacks to the other night at the Trop. What a shame to have to bring Mo into the game in that situation, but our savior took care of business with cool efficiency.
So. We won the first one. Whew. It feels fantastic, doesn’t it? I’m doing a happy dance right now.
I was out today, so I didn’t watch or listen to the game. But I jumped for joy when I got home and read about it. Woohoo!
Sounds like special applause should go to:
Cano
Swisher
Jones
Cervelli
Montero (sweet that he got his first hit)
Robertson.
But where’s the Colon that shuts teams down? I know, I know. He gave us innings and he pitched well enough to win. I’m just a little worried that he’s a bit out of gas.
Anyhow, I love that we got the “W” and that A-Rod’s back in the lineup. Life is good in Yankeeville. Now if the Rangers could do more damage at Fenway, things would be even rosier.
I also bought a poncho for ten bucks. It was like wearing the kind of plastic bags you get at the dry cleaner, but it did keep me from getting totally soaked.
When Michael and I arrived at the Stadium at noon, it was raining and I never thought they’d play a complete game, given the forecast. The tarp was on the field, so we hung around the great hall and looked for Audrey and her friend. After texting each other, we met up in front of the Hard Rock Cafe. She came all the way from Vermont and I was thrilled to meet her.
Next, we went in search of food. We figured we had plenty of time to kill, so Michael had his Lobel’s sandwich and I opted for a Boar’s Head sub and eventually we went to our seats. We’d heard the game would start at 2:30 and we wanted to be ready.
As soon as we sat down in section 104, along came YankeeCase. It’s hard to see him because the background was so dark (the rain was picking up again and my She-Fan Cam was getting wet), but here he is in the flesh. Such a hunk, right?
Michael and I sat under our hoods and umbrella as the game started and the rain continued to fall. Hughes was just awful. I know he struck out batters, but he took forever to throw the damn ball and he couldn’t get Matsui out and we looked at each other and said, “It’s gonna be a loooong day.”
When the score was 7-1, we thought about bolting. We were wet and depressed and wondering why we’d bothered. And then YankeeCase texted me that the boys would be making a comeback. I wrote back, “You promise?” He said yes.
So we stayed. And I’m I glad I did. Wow. What a great, crazy, incredible game. Cano’s slam landed two rows in front of us. Martin had a career-type day. Granderson amazed everybody. Even Andruw Jones got in on the homer act. And it was so much fun sitting right behind Swisher and watching him play with the crowd throughout the game.
It never occurred to me that no team in major league history had ever had three grand slams in a game, so when the scoreboard posted the fact we were doubly happy we’d stayed.
I’m still shaking my head and we’ve been home for a couple of hours. Long day but an unforgettable one.
(I’m too euphoric to dwell about the state of our pitching except to say that Hughes really disappointed me. And I think the Cory Wade experiment needs to end.)
P.S. YankeeCase just sent me a pic that his cousin took of him after he went back to his seat. He’s wearing the “she-fan” button that Melissa (it WAS Melissa, right?) made last year. It says, “I confess. I read the she-fan blog.” Pretty great, huh?
I know. He looks like he’s saying, “I won a game? Seriously?” And if he were my husband, I’d make him do something about the hair. But whatever. He got the “W” – thanks, in part, to Girardi for pulling him before he could blow the lead yet again.
He gave up a lot of ground balls, many of them hits, and he had his usual bad inning. The good news is that the bad inning wasn’t that bad (if you don’t count walking in a run). I guess that’s progress.
Nice pickoff by Boone Logan and another by the tag team of Martin and Cano. Excellent offensive display by the Captain. And Posada continues to show signs of life.
I like it a whole lot better when we take a series opener than when we don’t.
No, I’m not talking about the vagaries of the stock market. I’m talking about the ever-changing winds of the Yankees.
(courtesy: denninger.com)
Today’s series victory over the Angels continued some upward trends:
Colon’s terrific starts.
Granderson’s remarkable power.
Soriano’s perfection since his return from the DL.
Cano’s home run derby-ness. (I think I just invented a word.)
The Yankees’ ability to beat a team that used to bedevil us.
But there were some downward trends that carried an ominousness to them.
Mo’s ineffectiveness against lefties.
Mo’s decreasing velocity.
Mo’s cutter not cutting.
Mo’s recent tendency to serve up the long ball.
Yes, I’m freaked out about Mo. (Cory Wade’s little meltdown didn’t register on my freakout scale.)
I know I said he goes through rough patches in August, and he does. The runs he gives up tend to come in bunches. He always bounces back and I expect him to do the same this time too and then be his god-like self for even longer stretches. But whenever he shows he’s human, it’s hard to take. With Jorge having been marginalized, I can’t conceive of Mo retiring and the Core Four eroding into the Core One.
Aside from his bizarre pitch-out that ultimately led to a White Sox run, Ivan Nova gave the Yankees a lot to think about tonight. Remember when he couldn’t get out of the 5th inning? So much for that problem. He was superb – the best he’s ever looked, particularly his command of the slider. He kept the hitters completely off balance and didn’t walk anybody. Plus, he was throwing 93 mph in the 8th.
How do you send him down to the minors?
You don’t.
On the other hand, a six-man rotation doesn’t work. It just doesn’t.
I’m glad I’m not Cashman.
I’m also very glad Cano hit that homer early to give the Yankees the lead. Humber was impressive and I was afraid we wouldn’t get to him. Nice manufacturing of runs after that. And then came Martin’s monster homer against Bruney. Wow.
I didn’t get my 10 runs, but I’m not complaining. Great game.
So the Indians beat the Red Sox and we go to Fenway tied for first. What a huge series this will be.
