Chase Headley Archives

Welcome Back, Matt Holliday!

September 4, 2017

Just having a little fun with the name, but did the Yankees ever miss the bat of Matt Holliday. He came back not a moment too soon – contributing mightily to the crucial series win over the Red Sox. Now we have a true DH or even a first baseman, if necessary.

Chase Headley’s hot streak at the plate also comes at the perfect time. And how about Severino’s pitching in this series? Inning for inning, he bested the great and powerful Chris Sale. Good for him and good for the Yanks. CC is showing what a crafty pitcher he’s become too. His spat with Nunez over the bunt on Friday night was comical – as was Jim Rice’s retort to him – but it doesn’t matter now since we won’t play the Sox again (thankfully). I was happy for Judge’s homer last night, but he really has fizzled out. Which is, again, why Holliday’s offense is so important.

Too bad Hicks is now gone with an oblique strain. He had cooled off lately, but he’s had his share of injuries this season.

So now? We have the always-difficult Orioles to deal with. I hope there’s no letdown and the Yanks keep playing great baseball. I want the division, not the Wild Card!

A Series Split

August 6, 2017

After the miserable first two games in Cleveland, I was afraid we’d get swept by the World Series aspirant Indians. But – hoorah – we squeaked out the win on Saturday (thank you Headley for hitting that go-ahead homer and Chapman for notching the save despite making me sweat). Today’s game wasn’t a squeaker but rather a good old-fashioned bashing. Severino was brilliant against a great offensive team, and Ellsbury – the poor, maligned Ellsbury, who is constantly being grouped with the Yankees’ worst free agent signings – had a clutch triple. I’ll bet the boys feel good about themselves at least for the moment.

On the troubling side is the Gary Sanchez story. As I’ve been writing, his defense has been suspect for awhile – from passed balls to errant throws – but Girardi finally saw enough in Cleveland. He benched Sanchez today in favor of Romine and said he intends to use him sporadically as DH until he can work through his catching problems. Cashman offered the theory that muscle weight gain has made Sanchez less agile behind the plate. Girardi seemed to question Sanchez’s work ethic. It must be tough for the kid who burst into the majors late last season, slugged his way to being a fan favorite and now must take a step backward. But that’s the reality if he wants to succeed in pinstripes.

Also of note is Holliday going on the DL for back trouble. He hasn’t been right since the virus that was never diagnosed, but he was giving us a big offensive lift early in the season. I hope he comes back healthy and ready to contribute.

In the meantime, all hail Severino for a stellar pitching performance today.

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.

9th Inning Meltdown

September 14, 2016

Dellin Betances?!!!???!!!

Why can he not throw the ball to home plate if he can fire a 100-mph fastball to a batter? I’m asking, of course, because this sort of short throw has dogged Betances since spring training and it came back to haunt him in tonight’s finale against the Dodgers. Talk about a heartbreaker.

The Yanks had a chance to capitalize on last night’s win and draw even closer to the Wild Card and the division. But they were locked tonight in a 0-0 battle until the end when they had a complete and utter meltdown. Why wasn’t Headley playing closer to the bag at third? Why did Castro not catch the ball at second? And why oh why did Betances have to throw home like a third grader? GRRRRRRRR.

I’m not a happy camper right now, especially with the long road trip ahead and the days/nights slipping away. The Yankees begin a huge series in Boston tomorrow night and the future is in their hands. If they beat the Red Sox, good for them. If they don’t, it’s so long until next year. Which is another way of saying tonight was a must win and a doable win but they didn’t make it happen.

400 Homers Is a Big Deal

May 15, 2016

Carlos Beltran has joined the 400 club and an elite one it is. I don’t know how much gas he’ll have in the tank as the season progresses, but for now he’s delivered power when we’ve needed it and made a case for himself as a Hall of Famer. He’s also supposed to be a really nice guy. Bravo, Carlos.

Oh, and – no small thing – the Yankees took the series from the White Sox despite having lost to arguably the sport’s best pitcher, Chris Sale. Chase Headley of all people had a big hit today, and Chapman continued to throw heat in save situations. All in all, a good weekend for the Yankees.

As we move into the second half of May, I’d love to see them bust out of last place in the division. I’m not even asking for first place. Just please let them get out of the cellar. I’d say that maybe the warmer weather will help them, but it got colder again today and the coming week doesn’t look much better. Isn’t it supposed to be spring or am I just disoriented from living in California so long?

Ugly in Texas Except for Him

April 28, 2016

Watching Eovaldi almost throw a no-hitter in the middle game of the Yankees’ series in Arlington was a thrill. Evo has had trouble going deep into games, but he lived up to Cashman’s expectations in that one.

The rest of the series, however, was more of the same from this team: limp bats. Yes, A-Rod came back last night from his oblique injury and got some hits, but the Yankees are in last place and look like it.

Chase Headley. Why? Isn’t there a younger, more sure-handed option at third who can hit? He’s just not inspiring. But then who is right now? They can’t seem to break out of their malaise even with decent starting pitching performances across the board. Batters are stranded. The offense can’t get the big hits. Blech. And now they go to Boston? Double blech.

I was just given Legends seats for Yankees-Royals on May 11th and, aside from the fact that I don’t do cold temperatures at night and that my idea of perfect weather for Yankee Stadium is a sweltering afternoon in July, I can’t pass up the opportunity to go. Maybe playing against a really good team like the Royals will motivate the Yanks to play better. I sure hope so.

2015 Yankees: Feast or Famine

June 15, 2015

When the Yankees are good, they’re very good, going on winning streaks and eliciting all sorts of praise from the media and predictions of post-season glory. When they’re bad, they’re just plain ugly, losing games in particularly gruesome ways and making me wonder how this collection of professionals could look so amateurish.

Yes, they salvaged the finale in Baltimore yesterday, but on Friday and Saturday nights they were at Camden pitching poorly, letting balls drop between players, failing to hit in key situations and making sloppy errors (what in the world is going on with Chase Headley this season?). It’s either feast or famine with this team, all or nothing, inconsistency to the max.

Also annoying is the cast of every-changing middle relievers coming and going from the minors or trash heaps of other teams. Other than Esmil Rogers (bye bye), I can’t tell one from another. We need a relief corps we can depend on.

CC has turned into a serviceable but unremarkable starting pitcher. I had hoped he’d morph into Pettitte or Mussina in his later years, but he hasn’t. He’s been better than Chris Capuano, but that’s not saying much for a guy the Yankees are paying a bucket load of money to.

Speaking of money, I figured it was only a matter of time before the Yankees and A-Rod would be gearing up for a battle over his milestone bonuses. Yes, he’s helped the team a lot and yes, he’s made quite a comeback and yes, his attitude has been humble and very rah-rah team. Behind the scenes, he wants his money and the Yankees don’t want to pay him his money and they’re all headed for a showdown. If I were A-Rod, I’d take the offer they made to give money to charity on his behalf, but it sounds like he’s not having any of that. Here we go again.

Welcome Back, Headley and Capuano (I think)

December 16, 2014

I knew the Yankees wanted Chase Headley back, but I honestly didn’t expect them to pony up the money and years he wanted. They did, and he told the press he actually left money on the table to come back to New York. So there’s that….and the fact that he’ll be the everyday third baseman while A-Rod, should he show up at spring training ready to play, would be the mostly-regular DH. I’m OK with Headley 2.0 as long as his balky back doesn’t limit his playing time and/or ability to swing the bat. He’s been compared to Scott Brosius over the past few days and I would love to see the comparison hold true.

As for the news today that the Yanks had also brought back Chris Capuano, I wasn’t exactly blown away. Capuano was a pleasant surprise last season. I didn’t have high expectations for him and he really pitched better than his numbers would have predicted. So why not bring him back, I guess, except that Cashman said, “He definitely has a spot in the rotation.” Seriously? So he’s our Max Scherzer? That is not OK. Our rotation needs a true ace now that the health and sturdiness of both CC and Tanaka are questionable, and Capuano doesn’t fit the bill, nor does Pineda at this stage of his career. So Cashman, do me a favor. Go get Scherzer already unless some team already has and I missed it. The Yankees can afford it. We need a Christmas present. Just do it.

Some Positives in a Season of Negatives

September 17, 2014

How impressive that Dellin Betances actually surpassed Mo’s single-season strikeout record tonight. I mean seriously. Jeter’s retirement signals the end of an era, but here we have another homegrown kid who made good. One season does not a career make, but it’s a start.

Other bright spots? McCarthy. Who knew he could pitch so well and so consistently? Maybe even he didn’t, but he has.

And then there’s Headley. The guy gets hit on the chin and comes right back and dives into the stands to catch a ball. If I’m the Yankees I sign him for next year.

And then there’s the fact that we’re done with the Trop for 2014. Yay. Enough with the hit batsmen.

So now it’s countdown time until the end of the season. I have to say I’m ready to put this one behind me. It was a miserable year for injuries, for disappointments, for sad stories like Carlos Beltran and his wife losing their baby, all of it. Time to turn the page and hope for better things to come.

Baseball Always Surprises

September 12, 2014

And not just because it was Esmil Rogers who did the Gatorade honors last night at the Stadium instead of the injured Brett Gardner. There were so many unlikely aspects to the finale against the Rays.

Early on in the game, the Yanks were getting no-hit and it felt like another night of offensive futility. I kept saying, “Why am I even watching this?” But then Chris Young, an unlikely hero if ever there was one, broke things up and, later, won it with his walkoff homer. Also unlikely? That Martin Prado would come off the bench, hamstring aching, and smack one out. I hope he didn’t reinjure himself by staying in the game.

And then there were the two not-so-happy surprises: Jeter getting hit in the elbow and poor Headley getting hit on the chin – on the same night that the Marlins’ Giancarlo took one in the face during their game against the Brewers and had to be carried off on a stretcher. Jeez. What amazed me was, intentional or not, these pitchers weren’t warned or ejected or anything. Sure, they were shaken up – who wouldn’t be? – but professional guys shouldn’t be throwing at the heads of batters, period. If your control is that bad at this point in the season, go do something else for a living. Ugh. At least Headley wasn’t hit in the neck/throat/windpipe, which I had initially feared.

What does the Rays series mean to the Yankees’ playoff hopes? Nothing, if you ask me. But it was nice to see the team get a boost. The players looked excited and happy and that made me happy too.

A Happy Ending

September 4, 2014

Mark Teixeira made it a tie ballgame in the bottom of the ninth against the Red Sox tonight, and then Chase Headley sent the Yanks to a game win and a series win. I was on my feet cheering.

The Yankees may not win another series this season, who knows, but all I wanted for them was to get out of their offensive doldrums and play entertaining baseball and they did. The Red Sox are only a shell of their former selves, except for Ortiz who just keeps hitting bombs year after year, but taking two of three at home was fun anyway. I loved how excited the players got tonight after Headley’s walkoff, like a bunch of little kids. So cute.

As for Headley himself, he was a nice pickup. I wonder what’ll happen to him when A-Rod comes back next year (theoretically). Come to think of it, how will the Yankees deal with A-Rod coming back? (Hal said he’s looking forward to it. Yeah, sure.) In the meantime, Headley has played a solid third base and had a few timely hits.

The weekend series against the Royals should be interesting, with Sunday’s Jeter Farewell ceremony certain to be a tear jerker. I still can’t imagine the Yankees without him, but it’s clear that it’s the right time for him to head off into his new life. I have no doubt that he’ll succeed in whatever arena he pursues. He’s The Natural.

What’s With All This Winning?

July 26, 2014

I wasn’t jumping for joy when I heard the Yankees traded for Headley earlier in the week, but I must admit that ever since he had his star turn in the extra inning walk-off win, I’m wondering if he’s our lucky charm. From the minute he was inserted in the lineup (sorry, Solarte and Wheeler), it’s been a good run for the boys. Now they’ve had a nice stretch (not counting the game with all the errors) against the Reds, Rangers and, last night, Blue Jays. And last night they actually scored six runs! Not a 10-run Janer by any means, but it wasn’t their usual two or three either. Yes, the Rangers are a bad team, and yes, we always beat Mark Buehrle. Even Ichiro, who’s been stone cold, got into the act with a homer in that one.

I guess what I’m saying is that with a couple of additional tweaks to the roster – another hitter and one more starter – and some mediocre play by our rivals for the wild card and the division races, we might actually hang in. Fun!

What's With All This Winning?