Aaron Judge Archives - Page 2 of 2

Tanaka Vs. Sale. We Win.

April 28, 2017

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola) (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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.

Meh in Pittsburgh Except This

April 24, 2017

I could watch Aaron Judge hit tape measure homers all day long. Talk about bombs. The flip side of Saturday’s bomb against the Pirates that even elicited a tweet from Dave Winfield was yesterday’s strikeouts and the team’s overall offensive futility against Ivan Nova of all people.

Part of me was glad to see Nova pitch well and I’m sure he was really up for facing the Yankees. The other part would have preferred a win, of course. When we only manage to scratch out a run, it’s disheartening.

Back to the positives, this team has shown a lot of guts the way they come back from being several runs down. They don’t give up, and I love that.

This week should tell us even more about what they’re made of. We’re facing the Red Sox at Fenway, the team that’s supposed to win the division, maybe win it all, so let’s see how we measure up. If we’re lucky, Greg Bird will finally fly.

A New Winning Streak Started Tonight

April 19, 2017

Last night’s loss to the White Sox was disappointing, especially after the Yankees mounted a challenge against old friend Dave Robertson in the ninth and especially after the seven previous wins in a row made it feel as if we’d never lose. But tonight was another notch in the win column, and, I hope, it will lead to another streak.

There were homers aplenty: Judge, Hicks, Castro, Headley. There was more good starting pitching: Tanaka. And there was more good relief work: Mitchell, Layne. I’m encouraged.

After tomorrow’s off day, it’s on to Pittsburgh. I have to say I’m not and never have been wild about inter-league series and certainly not this early in the season. But the schedule is what it is. The first series against the Red Sox is just around the corner, so there’s that to look forward to (or dread).

7 Game Winning Streak!

April 16, 2017

And another sweep, this time of the Cardinals. The starting pitching was great throughout the series. And the Baby Bombers, in particular, have been fun to watch. In tonight’s ESPN game, Judge kicked things off with what should have been a homer, but the umps refused to overturn the call. Then Bird connected with an undisputed homer. Hicks had one too. And all this without Gary Sanchez. Even Chase Headley is hitting like a monster. I don’t know how long this win streak will last, but I sure don’t mind counting higher and higher. Like 10 wins in a row would be a nice round number.

Two Words: Aaron Judge

April 12, 2017

He’s the new Babe Ruth. At least this week. And I’m loving it.

Yanks Save Face Vs. Orioles

April 9, 2017

Somebody had to stop the Orioles from winning every game this season. Why not the Yankees? In today’s finale, we did just that: beat them to prevent getting swept in Baltimore.

Aaron Judge had a good day. So did Holliday, Castro, Torreyes and Ellsbury, among others. But the bad news involved Gary Sanchez. Just when he was getting on track at the plate, he was pulled with a bicep strain and put on the DL. And his baby bomber cohort, Greg Bird, is also ailing.

Injuries. Here we go again. I know, I know. They happen. They’re part of baseball. They’re just so disappointing.

On a positive note, tomorrow is Opening Day at the Stadium. Maybe – again, I’m trying to stay positive – Pineda will have a decent outing and mow down the Rays. If not, I fear he’ll be booed. I’ve been noticing on social media that fans have lost patience with him. I hope he proves us all wrong.

Opening Day – Yay. Yankees Lose – Boo.

April 2, 2017

Yes, I’m back, and so are the Yankees…..but not in a good way.

Tanaka, who was so great in spring training, was awful today at the Trop against the Rays.

“He’s only human.” “He was over-pumped.” “He had nothing.” Those were among the explanations for his poor performance that left the Yankees in an early hole. But he wasn’t alone in his mediocrity. The Baby Bombers didn’t do much bombing against Chris Archer.

One thing I’ve never understood is why we keep pitching to Longoria, a notorious Yankee killer. How about walking him once in awhile? Just a thought.

Another thing. I miss Jeter. And Mo. Even A-Rod just a tiny bit for the drama (I’m enjoying reading tidbits about his romance with J-Lo and wonder how long that’ll last.) But I’m excited about Sanchez-Bird-Judge-Hicks and want them to succeed. Today was only one game, but they really will need to get off to a good start if they want to hang around. They’ll also need a good start if they want me to hang around. I’m happy we’re in a rebuilding phase and are done with many of the onerous contracts. But I like winning. I do. I’m a Yankee fan through and through.

The Baby Bombers Continue to Impress

August 22, 2016

Gary Sanchez is not a fluke. Since he was called up, all he’s done is hit, whether as DH or as catcher. He was instrumental in both wins in Anaheim against the Angels, Friday and Saturday night, and has made himself an essential part of “the New Yankees.” It was too late for me to watch the Angels series here on the East Coast, but I loved waking up and reading about the wins and how Sanchez played a role in each one.

Ditto: Aaron Judge, Ronald Torreyes, Luis Cessa and Chad Green. Judge continued his offense. Torreyes, though little used, got his chance at third base when Headley got hurt and took advantage of it. Cessa pitched brilliantly on Saturday night. And Green was terrific last night but received no run support.

All the fuss about the kids isn’t to say we haven’t gotten better play out of the veterans. Both Ellsbury and Gardner made spectacular leaping grabs in the outfield. Tanaka pitched well on Friday night. And McCann contributed a homer.

I was hoping the Yanks would sweep the Angels, a bad team this year, but it wasn’t to be, and last night’s loss thwarted their chances to move closer to a Wild Card spot. They really can’t afford to lose at this point.

So while they’re in Seattle for the series starting tonight and I’m fast asleep, I hope they’re pummeling the Mariners.

You Be the Judge

August 14, 2016

The big guy, Aaron Judge, made his Yankees debut with a bang over the weekend. Two bangs. The day after A-Rod’s farewell on Friday night against the Rays, which I’ll get back to in a minute, rookie outfielder Judge hit a homer, right after his rookie teammate Tyler Austin hit his, and history was made. Judge’s homer in today’s losing finale only cemented his reputation as The One to Watch. Throw in Gary Sanchez, and the Baby Bombers are an exciting crew. Didi and Starlin are dynamic players too. If only Severino knew how to pitch the way he did in his rookie season last year.

Celebrating Mo’s installation in Monument Park with all the greats in attendance was sweet, the way dipping into the Yankees’ glory days of the past is always sweet, but my eyes are looking toward the future now and I like what I see.

That future was made possible in large part because of A-Rod’s release. After all the drama of the past week during which Girardi was castigated for not playing him in Boston in every game, Friday night’s goodbye at the Stadium went smoothly, not counting Mother Nature raining down on the pre-game ceremony. Say what you will about A-Rod, but he looked genuinely thrilled to have his daughters etc. there to honor the occasion. And when he not only hit an RBI double and played third base before being lifted, he was over the moon. I was moved when he tipped his cap to the crowd. I really was. The guy seems to have made peace with his past and it’ll be interesting to see if he lands somewhere else or sticks around to mentor the young players next season. I do expect to find him in the broadcast booth during FOX’s coverage of the playoffs.