That was a direct quote from Michael Kay after Gardner made that tremendous throw to nail Duda at home plate (nice tag by Russell Martin too). Unfortunately, no one could save Pena’s bacon or anything else about the kid. It was a bad day at the office for him. For Mo too. He kind of looked like he was phoning it in for some reason. (I hate writing that.)
It’s not the end of the world that the Yankees dropped the series finale to the Mets, but to waste the fine outing by Garcia was frustrating. Also frustrating was our offense; they caught a break when Dickey and his knuckleball left the game but still couldn’t manage the necessary runs.
Still, there’s very good news with Jeter coming back. I’m excited about it. I’ve missed him. And I think the defense of Nunez and Pena made everybody miss him even more.
And Nova? Well, I’d rather have him pitching in Scranton than sitting around in our bullpen. And he’ll be back, no doubt.
For me the question mark is Hughes. Which Hughes will we see on Wednesday? The one with velocity and command or the guy that dithers around on the mound and is gone by the fourth inning? Fingers crossed for the former.
The All-Star selections? Ask me if I care. Of course I wish every Yankee could be picked and it would be cool for Robertson to get his shot, but it’s an exhibition game. It’s about as exciting to me as the WBC. Sorry.
Hope everyone’s enjoying the holiday weekend despite today’s loss. Happy 4th in advance.
Well that sucked…
So we start things off with a rain delay. And then Freddy Garcia gives up two deep fly balls to center. I just thought to myself, “Oh, here we go. This oughta be a good one…” And then he gave up the run. But he settled down after that. I couldn’t tell you what he was throwing out there, but it must’ve been some real good stuff!
I knew Dickey and his knuckleball would give us problems, and the offense just seemed to have no life. Robinson had a great double that had me going, “Go Robbie, go!” And then that shot by Brett Gardner down the right field line off of Isringhausen had me out of my seat screaming, “Go Brett, go!!” I knew a triple was in store for us! If Reyes can do it on a regular basis here, so can Brett! Boom! And we had the lead soon after!!
Screaming, “Let’s Go Yankees!!” as loud as you can in an opposing ballpark is something else. It’s not like at Yankee Stadium where you have the total support of all (or most) in attendance. Cheering in Citi, there were pockets of Yankees fans, but you knew it was risky business. They shout back, “Yankees suck!” in between our chants as if that will dissuade our team… Pfft!!
Now, this is where I wonder where the blame should be placed.
After they took the lead, my friend had to be taken to the airport (the rain delay sorta messed with our timing of things). So I left my cousins and others behind and took her. As we’re walking out, we hear about the jam David Robertson put himself in from the radio broadcast throughout the ballpark. We get to my car and apparently everything is ok again. Ok. So, cool. Lower the radio for some chit-chat. After some time, we wondered if Mo had come in and finished things up already. Nope. We just hear about the game being tied… Arg…!!
So I finally drop her off and make my way back to Citi. She then texts me, asking about the game. And just then, the walk-off hit… I text her back the bad news. When my cousin and others get to the car, he tells me they all just got up and started heading for the exit after the second out of the bottom of the ninth…
So, who’s to blame, Jane? Me or my cousin, the Yankee GM? Or maybe we both fouled up the team. A double-whammy? What a pair of jinxes… Ack! God help us both!!
http://yankeecase.mlblogs.com/
What a pair of night and day differences we have in Martin and Jeter, and their counterparts. Martin’s absolutely perfect throw to second to nail the base stealer and his handling of the wide throw to home by Gardner (on Pena’s first late game error with the game on the line) are such a stark contrast to Cervelli and his antics. I was a bit perplexed when they picked Martin up, but not any longer. We’d be a mess without the guy. And at shortstop…the Nunez/Pena combo and their bumbling inconsistencies on defense look all the worse when compared to the (still) rock steady Jeter. The second Pena error cost the Yanks the game, plain and simple. They both need to get their poop in a group, and fast.
Another solid starting pitcher performance was encouraging, but squandering it was not. I actually like how that big ballpark plays, with the extra base hits and so on.
I simply can’t take the All Star thing seriously when Texiera isn’t even in the conversation.
I’m SO glad to hear someone else say they don’t care about the All-Star Game. I have never wanted to cheer for a team with a bunch of players I hate (i.e.- anyone on Boston)…. and it doesn’t matter. I just hope no one gets hurt.
Oh, that’s right, YankeeCase. You were there. The rain delay (for the rain that never came) must have been fun – not. I think I’ll blame your cousin for the loss. After all, he didn’t stay until the final out. Loved your wrap-up as always.
Martin was a great pickup, NYL, even though his offense has tailed off. The pitchers really seem to like the way he calls a game and his arm is strong and accurate for the most part. Pena used to be such a good defensive player. Not sure what’s going on with him, but he hasn’t been the same this year. Agreed about Tex not making the A-S team. He didn’t sound too broken up about it though.
I have to be honest about it, Rachel. It just doesn’t excite me to watch the American League versus the National League – home field advantage or not. It’s a marketing event as far as I’m concerned.
We lost to Dickey again. The biggest AS snub this year has to be CC. But I would rather watch CC win in the World Series. I loved our 7 game win streak. Crazy how the Red Sox are behind by only 1.5 games.
I tried to be philosophical about yesterday’s loss – after all, we really can’t win them all (thought I’m not sure I truly accept that and I’ll bet the Boss never did). But I hate to lose the way we lost that one.
The only value I find in Pena’s ridiculous error is the final proof that the Yankees are not the same without Jeter. I am so sick of hearing these idiot announcers, whether for FOX or TBS or the other team, trot out the statistics of how many games the Yankees have won since Jeter has been on the DL. The way they say it they are definitely implying cause and effect and that is total crap! The Yankees were surging before Jete hit the DL and he was definitely a part of that surge. Without Jeter their winning percentage is .777. When they began their winning surge in mid-May (the game after I attended their loss to TB) they went 16 for 24, or .666, not exactly bad. But if you drop the three Boston games (which I am going to) their winning percentage is .761. So Jeter’s absence has definitely not been the difference, especially since we can’t possibly know what positive things he could have done for the team that remained undone, offensively or defensively. Nunez has definitely been amazing with the bat, but his errors have been a depressing counterbalance. And Pena hasn’t brought either offense or defense in great abundance. In conclusion, it is clear to me the Yankees are not ready to throw Jeter on the dustbin of baseball history yet!
I’m glad I am not alone in disliking the All-star game. All it means to me is three days without Yankee baseball – what good is that? And not to include Tex and CC and David Robertson – really? I hope the AL wins but I probably won’t watch much of it. Like Rachel, I just can’t bring myself to root for players I dislike.
It’s a weird snub, Drew. Doesn’t CC have the most wins in the AL (maybe he’s tied with somebody but still)? But I’m with you – I’d rather he save himself for the World Series than pitch for one inning in a game that doesn’t matter. The winning streak was fun. The Red Sox are bound to hit a bad patch. All teams do. We just have to hope we don’t hit the same patch at the same time.
We have to be philosophical about the loss, Audrey. We won the series. That’s pretty great. We’ve gotten spoiled during Interleague because we’ve had things our way. That said, it was a tough one to lose. Those announcers? Yech. What do they know about Jeter or any other player? They drop in for one game here and there and don’t see the Yankees every day like we do. I don’t pay any attention to the national guys. Ditto on the All Star game. For me, it’s just a break without any real games.
Jane, I read your blog everyday and it helps me through the good, the bad and the ugly. Last night after I wrote the company that sent my defective voodoo dolls, chose another shirt to wear, strategically placed my life size Jeter cardboard figure, got a party hat(with black veil) for The Boss’ birthday and looked up National Anthems in NYY Stadium, I felt better. Happy 4th and God bless America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_UyIz64yrQ (aforementioned youtube video)
I agree totally about the All-Star game. If it’s supposed to be important, since it determines home field advantage for the World Series, then the best players should be out there, without regard to hurting any team’s feelings. That is the gist of the discussion among the broadcasters yesterday. I worry about people getting hurt in what is basically an exhibition game, no matter what MLB says. Dizzy Dean lost his career many years ago by being hit with a batted ball during one of the All-Star games. I remember reading some player’s autobiography when I was younger, and the game was regarded as a pain in the neck by the players. Instead of getting a second wind before the second half, they had to travel somewhere to put on a show, and it was kind of resented. At least there is only one All-Star game these days. Does anyone else remember when there were 2 each season? All I know is that I miss real baseball during those days.
I have to respectfully disagree with everyone else. I always enjoy the All Star Game. It’s nice to see the best of the best players chosen from each league to play against each other and it’s much more fun than any other major league sports’ All Star games. Yeah I question some of the players in it (CJ Wilson over CC what the hell?) but other than that, it’s enjoyable to see talent from other teams that you usually aren’t able to watch. More often than not, the right players are usually chosen (as much as it pains me to say this, Gonzalez is simply better than Tex). I wish there was more incentive to win so it wouldn’t just feel like an exhibition but I still enjoy it. Not as much as real baseball but it’s something at least.
As for last night’s game, I had the pleasure of missing what seemed like a disappointing loss. I turned on the radio once I left work only to painfully listen to Sterling call Mo blowing the save. Disappointing to say the least and to ultimately lose but after a great winning streak, I can usually brush off a loss like this easily and move forward.
Hi, Kelly. I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the blog and decided to comment. Welcome. And thanks for the video link. I loved it, especially when they showed Mo on the big screen! I hope the Boss will watch over the Yanks tonight in Cleveland while he’s celebrating his birthday. He always hated to lose there.
There used to be two All-Star games, Corinne? I’ve got to be older than you are but I don’t remember that! I think you’re right about many of the veteran players viewing it as a burden. If young guys like Robertson get selected, however, I’m sure they’re thrilled. And remember how excited Swisher was last year? Injuries are always a concern during these exhibitions, but I’m more turned off by the pomp and circumstance of an event that’s really about merchandising. And the home run derby is one of the most boring things ever, in my humble opinion.
Leo, it’s always good to have lots of opinions. I’m sure there are many, many fans who enjoy the A-S game as you do. But A-Gon over Tex? Ouch. I know he’s having a terrific season, but I’m with Audrey in the sense that I have no interest in watching the players of rival teams (especially Red Sox players). You’re lucky you missed yesterday’s game. Disappointing, yes, but you’re right about the winning streak. It was fun while it lasted.
Of course I had to research the 2 games per season. Yup, it happened, but Corinne must be older than us Jane if she remembers it! This is from wikipedia
“From 1959 to 1962, two All-Star Games were held each season, but this format was abandoned.”
According to baseball-almanac.com, it looks like mostly one was mid-July and one late July/beginning of August. But in 1960, they were held on July 11th in Kansas City and July 13 at Yankee Stadium.
http://www.baseball-almanac.com/asgbox/yr1960as.shtml
I bet Corinne isn’t older than I am, Melissa. She just has a better memory. I should certainly have remembered the two All-Star games during those years you referenced. But it’s very possible that my interest in the event was as non-existent then as it is now. Thank God they abandoned the idea of having two. Can you imagine interrupting the season to do that? Crazy.