I’d be a hypocrite if I said I wasn’t happy about A-Rod’s grand slam tonight. It gave the Yankees a win in the series opener against the Giants and kept them from a very long winter – temporarily.
But I’d also be lying if I said I wasn’t conflicted about the grand slam moving him ahead of true Yankees legends. His record is tainted. We don’t know when he was using what banned substances or how they did or didn’t contribute to his ability to bang out homers. I’m sure Randy Levine isn’t thrilled to have to write those bonus checks for each of his milestones.
But he’s playing hurt and hasn’t been hitting (or running), and it must have been pure upper body strength that sent tonight’s big homer out of the Stadium.
CC, too, hung in there. I didn’t see the whole game, but I could tell he was grinding even against the weak-hitting Giants.
I was impressed by Nunez’s defense at third (yes, I’m actually praising Eduardo Scissorhands). Clearly, he’s capable and has a good arm. He just needs to….I don’t know……be more consistent?
Pettitte’s retirement announcement was a bittersweet reminder that it really is the end of an era. I keep wondering where our next starting pitchers will come from, but that’s a discussion for another time.
