Didi Gregorius Archives

AlDS Sweep: Check!

October 8, 2019

With the chatter about the “New Twins” and the “Bomb Squad” and all the other nicknames for the current Minnesota team with their impressive homers and young players (plus Nelson Cruz), I didn’t think history would repeat itself and the Yankees would dominate the ALDS.

Clearly, I was wrong. The Yankees were stupendous in every way – pitching, offense, defense and all-around focus.

I was thrilled to see Didi break out of his slump. I was thrilled to see Gleybar establish himself as a postseason star. I was thrilled to see Judge provide not only the big bat but also use his full size to make catches others only dream about. I was thrilled (after getting over my surprise) to see Gardner succeed batting third in the lineup with his pesky at bats. I was thrilled to see Paxton and Tanaka have such great starts. I was thrilled to see Severino battle out of jams. And on and on.

Do I wish Stanton would get hot? Sure, but at least he got on base several times. Do I wish Sanchez would start hitting bombs? Yes, but he’s had a strange year, And it’s only a matter of time before my new favorite, Eddie Encarnacion, walks the parrot the way he’s been swinging lately.

As a St. Pete resident, I’ve been watching the Rays-Houston series too, and I have to admit that the Astros are scarier than ever, which is why I was mildly heartened that the Rays found a way to pummel them yesterday. I assume – hopefully, I’m wrong – that the Astros will prevail in that series and we’ll be stuck facing Verlander and Cole, not to mention Greinke. But who knows.

In the meantime, I’ll revel in the Yankees being the 2019 ALDS champs and hope they spend the rest of the week working hard, staying sharp and getting ready for anything and anyone.

Poor Didi. Poor Us.

September 24, 2018

Didi’s headfirst slide into home plate won Saturday’s game against the O’s. It also cost us his services, most likely for the WC game. When I read that the Yanks not only lost the finale of that series yesterday but also announced that Didi’s slide caused torn cartilage in his right wrist, all I could say was, “A kick in the gut.” That’s what it felt like. He’s the lynchpin of the infield and in the lineup. Sure, Gleybar can move to shortstop or Hechavaria can start there, but there’s no replacing Didi at such an important time. Boone said they’re giving him a cortisone shot to see if it alleviates the pain/inflammation enough that he can still play. I’m doubtful. Torn cartilage hurts and usually requires surgery.

But onward. I’ll be at the Trop tonight for the start of the series against the pesky Rays. Obviously, I’d like to see a win.

Why Is Losing Such a Bummer?

June 11, 2018

The Yankees beat the Mets two out of three games at Citi Field this weekend. And yet it’s last night’s loss in the finale that bugs me. Well, it bugs me that the offense wasn’t exactly robust throughout the series, but it especially bugs me that we were shut out. Watching guys like Stanton and Sanchez flail at the ball is depressing. And what happened to Didi? How do you forget how to swing at a baseball?

I know, I know. The big guys will get hot one of these days and go on a tear. But right now? I’m not happy with them.

And then there’s Tanaka’s injury. He could be on the DL awhile. Montgomery’s lost to us this season. Doesn’t Cashman have to go out and get a starter? Like now? Or is he thinking of bringing up more AAA kids?

If the Yanks are serious contenders this year, we need starting pitching and consistent offense if not always in the middle of the order then throughout the lineup.

Yeah, last night left me with a bad taste. I need to snap out of it.

Mt. Crushmore!

April 4, 2018

Ok, Greg Bird is out of the picture for now, but how about the murderer’s row on display in today’s finale against the Rays? Stanton, Judge and Sanchez all hit bombs and Didi put on a HR show yesterday. Good job, guys.

Severino was impressive even if the Rays are notorious underachievers at the plate.

The important points were that Stanton rebounded from the booing he earned yesterday, Sanchez woke up from his slumbering start to the season and Judge continued to flex his muscles. If I were an opposing pitcher, I would have nightmares thinking about facing this lineup even if they do go into slumps now and then.

Speaking of offense, the O’s come to the Bronx for our first matchup with them this year. They can hit, but can they pitch? We shall see.

Oh – I forgot to mention – I’ve been spending the winter in St. Petersburg, FL (actually I did mention it in a previous post about going to the first spring training game at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa), and now I’ll be living here full time starting in June. So whenever the Yanks come into town to play the Rays, I hope to be at the Trop. I also hope to catch a glimpse of the players while they’re coming and going at their hotel. Recently, I snapped this pic at the Vinoy while the Red Sox were in town.

Do you honestly think I’m NOT going to take a photo of our heroes? Not a chance.

My State of Mind Last Night

October 12, 2017

The Yankees are onto the ALCS! The Yankees are onto the ALCS! I’m still in shock. Happy shock. I got about 20 seconds of sleep from being so amped up by the time I turned off the TV last night!

CC was tremendous. D-Rob was tremendous. Chapman was tremendous. And that’s just the pitching.

Didi’s two homers not only chased Kluber ultimately but gave CC and the rest of us some room to breathe. With an early lead, the Yankees at least had a chance. But the key for me was, of course, that Herculean at-bat by Gardner, fouling off pitch after pitch with two on base, ultimately knocking in those runs. Wow. Just wow.

I could spread the kudos around to everybody – all the Yankees contributed during this series. But I was just so happy for them when it was over. They fought and fought during each elimination game and came through. So resilient. Especially Chapman. I thought his arm would fall off, but no. He was sensational. Will he have any gas in the tank for Houston? I’ll worry about that tomorrow.

Was I surprised that the vaunted Indians didn’t perform better? You bet. They were the team to beat, but they had so many errors. I’m sure they’ll be brooding about those missed opportunities during the off-season. They’re a great team that just didn’t get it done.

Of course, I do take credit for all of this. I ate my lucky club sandwich before each and every win, and I’m so sick of them I want to hurl. But hey, a fan has to do what a fan has to do and I’ll be choking back another on Friday night.

Oh – one thing: a plea to Girardi. PLEASE drop Judge down in the order to, like, 7th. I love Judge, but the strikeouts are ridiculous. Until someone teaches him how to hit a curveball, move him down in the order.

Party On!

October 4, 2017

Yes, it’s another old picture, but last night’s game ended too late for me to pop champagne. Suffice it to say I was celebrating in my mind. The Yankees are going to the ALDS!!!!

The game was such a bummer in the beginning. Severino was clearly overawed/nervous/too pumped, not to mention too inexperienced to start a one-game wild card playoff with everything on the line. He’s a kid. Too much pressure on him, as good as he’s been this season. He got knocked around in the first, couldn’t locate, couldn’t get outs – until he was out, and thank God. I kept yelling, “Pull him, Joe!”

And Joe listened. Chad Green was superb in early relief, truly. His strikeouts were huge, setting up a chance for the Yanks to come back in the bottom of the first (bless you, Didi; Gardner too). Of course, Judge had a homer as well in his first postseason game, because Judge has destiny on his side. Everyone in the Stadium crowd seemed to be wearing #99 on their backs. I loved that the pitch before the homer was up and in by Santana, and Judge glared at him – just as Gardner did – before taking him deep.

And then there was D-Rob. I hope his arm doesn’t fall off. He was a trooper, pitching so well for so long when he’s used to one or maybe two innings, no more. He got us through to the other relievers, who held the Twins scoreless the rest of the way. Sure, we burned the bullpen, which doesn’t bode well for the future, but that’s how it goes when you’re fighting for a spot in the ALDS.

I would love to have seen the Yankees do more scoring after the flurry early, just to give myself some breathing room and to let Joe use the mop-up guys in the pen, but I’m not complaining. I’ve been tough on Joe this season, but he made all the right moves last night.

Well, I am complaining, but it’s ESPN I’m mad at. Number one: why must the games start at 8pm and drag on forever thanks to their zillion commercials? And the commentary is mind-numbing; the trio in the booth never shut up.

But now it’s on to Cleveland and the start time on Thursday night is 7:30 on FS1. My Tribe fan friend tells me it’s supposed to pour that night. She also said she’s hoping for midges; it’s that time of year. The Yankees’ path to victory against the Indians won’t be easy (ugh- Cory Kluber), but we’ll see. We know how to deal with midges now, and it’s not bug spray.

Two Walk-Offs Made for Exciting Baseball

June 30, 2016

And Didi figured in both wins against the powerhouse Rangers. (I won’t mention the first two games in the series; they were definitely forgettable. I mean that first one with the long rain delay? Just ugly.)

On Wednesday night, the Yankees were down and out, and I was heading for bed when lo and behold they came all the way back to win on Didi’s homer in the ninth.

Today, after a brilliant start by Pineda (so good to see him throw well again, especially against such a contender), Didi tied the game with a homer and Headley came home on a walk-off passed ball (I’ll take it).

I wasn’t expecting a split with the Rangers, but maybe the two back-to-back wins will galvanize this team and propel them to play well the rest of the way. It doesn’t help that Beltran, our best power hitter, has a hammy issue or that McCann, despite his heroics during this series, is hobbled by a bum knee, or that Teixeira is being treated as if he’s made of glass or that A-Rod is hitting like a guy who’s about to be released. That said, the rest of the guys can pick up the slack, and the pitching can still get better. With a trip out west, anything is possible. They should be able to beat the Padres at the very least.

A Win – Finally!

August 14, 2015

What a relief. When McCann hit a homer early in last night’s game against the Indians, the series finale, I said, “Please don’t let this be it. They need to pile on.” And so they did. I don’t know whether Stephen Drew is eating his Wheaties or going gluten free like Tex or what, but he’s been Babe Ruth lately despite his pitiful batting average, and any runs the Yankees have scored have been due to him and other bottom-of-the-order types. But last night Ellsbury awoke from his slumber, which is exactly what this team needed. Gardner followed suit. Beltran has quietly improved. Didi’s been off-the-charts great. And a victory finally came.

Evo seems to be our stopper. He keeps winning even though it’s never really pretty. I don’t know what’s up with Betances and Miller, but they’re scaring me lately. They’re always turn their innings into dramas. I remember the days when they took care of hitters one-two-three.

A-Rod looks spent. Has his comeback runs its course? Or does he just need a day or two off? I guess we’ll see in Toronto, where Girardi plans to rest him on Saturday, I think. The fact is he’s old. He’s had two hip surgeries. As good as he’s been, he might have hit a wall. Or not.

The star of the Cleveland series in my mind, despite the losses, was Didi. Has he ever turned things around. He’s been his own highlight reel at shortstop, and his offense has been surprisingly reliable. I take back all the bad things I said about him.

Oh, and I must mention Greg Bird, our latest rookie to join the team. We’ve all been hearing a lot about Bird – what a great hitter he is, how Cashman wouldn’t part with him in any trades, etc., and last night we got to see him in the flesh. Even though he went 0-for-5, I have to say he looked like he knew what to do at the plate and he hit the ball hard a couple of times. I think he’s got potential.

And now another series against the (gulp) Blue Jays at their place. I fear their offense. I fear their pitching (Dickey even more than Price). I fear their turf. (Why can’t they get grass already.) But maybe, just maybe, the Yankees are feeling better about themselves after the win last night and will play like the first place team they used to be.

CC Comes Roaring Back

August 7, 2015

I was switching back and forth last night between the finale of Yankees-Red Sox and the Republican debates (I’m a political junkie in case no one figured that out by now), but I did catch a lot of the game. CC looked fired up (thanks to the home plate ump), threw with conviction and resembled his old self. I hope it wasn’t a fluke.

Ellsbury, too, came out of his slump and delivered. And I have to say that Didi has not only shown terrific defense (what an arm!) but improved so much at the plate.

Overall, it was a good series win, despite the Red Sox’s limitations this season. The first game was another offensive juggernaut with a good performance by Tanaka. Severino, the much-heralded rookie I was looking forward to seeing, lived up to expectations for the most part but was bested by Boston’s talented knuckleballer. I wish the Yankees had gone back and watched video of how their teammates handled Wakefield back in the day, but they seemed completely at a loss. And then came last night.

It’s heartening to keep winning series and I just hope the trend continues right into the fall. How cool would that be?

The Yankees Offense Was Crazy Good

August 2, 2015

It almost seemed automatic that the Yankees would keep having Janers. We’ve seen 21 runs and 13 runs and another 12 runs today. My anger (see last post) certainly wasn’t directed at this team’s offense, which has been better than I could have imagined. I mean Tex. Seriously. The guy will far exceed 30 homers this year. And Didi, who couldn’t hit his way out of a paper bag when the season started, has become one of our most reliable hitters. It’s been a pleasure to watch both of them.

My problem continues to be with the pitching. While Evo and Nova were great, Saturday’s experiment in throwing one of the kids into the rotation was a bust. I’m sure Mitchell slayed everybody down on the farm, but in Chicago he showed he wasn’t ready for prime time. The much-heralded rookie Sevarino pitches Wednesday against the Red Sox; I hope he fares better. I still think we need a veteran arm to stabilize things if we’re going to keep that nice comfy lead in the division, never mind compete in the fall.

But right now I applaud the Yankees for coming out ahead during the long, arduous road trip. Welcome home, boys.

Looking Up

April 20, 2015

After this weekend’s sweep of the Rays, who are admittedly not the Rays of old and don’t look to be contenders for anyplace but the AL East cellar, I’m thinking the Yankees might be in better shape. Tanaka’s performance the other night was stellar and, unless A-Rod is using some new, undetected form of enhancement, he’s hitting like a guy who could actually help the team. Other contributions have been heartening too (McCann et al), but the real standout for me has been Miller. If he keeps getting those saves, I could become a believer.

As for the Didi Experiment, oh my. Nobody expected him to hit, but field? Yeah. He was supposed to be a defensive upgrade over Jeter and faster. Unfortunately he’s made errors, both mental and literal, and his baserunning has been head scratching. But I’m chalking it up to nerves. He has huge shoes to fill, plus he’s new to the league, new to New York, new to the major leagues. There’s a learning curve and I hope he comes around before the boo birds make things worse.

This Detroit series should be interesting. They’re good. Really good. But at the moment I’m more focused on unpacking the 100s of cartons that are sitting at the new house waiting for attention as well as the NY Rangers who play Game 3 of the playoffs tonight. Onward.

The Injury Bug Is Back

April 2, 2015

As the season is about to get underway, the Yankees have called in reinforcements already, acquiring a utility infielder from the Astros named Petit (not to be confused with Pettitte). Why did they need this guy? Because Didi, our new shortstop, is hurt and Ryan, his backup, is hurt and Pirela, the second baseman is hurt. That’s a lot of “hurt” for April 2nd.

And I’m not counting Tex’s strained whatever and Ellsbury’s strained whatever, since they’re both said to be okay now. Maybe.

And of course I’m not counting the rehabbed knee of CC and the tenuous arm of Tanaka. Sigh.

On the bright side, it’s a long season and hope springs eternal, and the other teams in our division have problems of their own. And you know what else? It’s easier to approach the season with lowered expectations. At least it is for me. I’m not counting on Yankees 2015 to win a championship. I’m not even counting on them to make the playoffs. I’m hoping they’ll play good, solid, competitive baseball and leave the rest to the Baseball Gods. Or the Steinbrenners. Same thing. I’m also hoping A-Rod will not get hit by opposing pitchers. What I wouldn’t mind is if goes on a tear, popping A-bomb after A-Bomb. He can also lose the humble persona (I’ll do anything Joe wants me to do, I’m just here to play the game I love, I just want to help the team, etc.) and do something wild and crazy, like start dating – I don’t know – Gwyneth Paltrow. We need some off-the-field excitement if you ask me, just a whiff of naughtiness, and if anybody can deliver that, it’s the A-man.

What a Newsy Friday!

December 5, 2014

Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America

I’m not sure I get Cashman’s thinking on this trade, but the Yankees have a new shortstop and his name is Didi Gregorius. He’s young and said to be a very good defender, which is positive, but he’s not much of a hitter at all. Brendan Ryan sort of fit that bill, didn’t he? Besides which, we had to give up Shane Greene and I liked the kid. He did a great job as a starter for us, was gritty and competitive and effective. But hey, I guess good shortstops were hard to come by. And while Didi isn’t Derek, at least they have the same first initial. :)

And then there was another burst of activity.

Andrew Miller is a great addition to the bullpen and I’m surprised the Yankees went for him and his hefty price tag. I thought the Dodgers would land him. But more to the point, I’m wondering why Cashman was hot for Miller when our homegrown Dave Robertson is asking for four years too. Maybe we’ll still sign DRob, but if not it’ll be a head scratcher. Let’s just say I’d be thrilled to have them both.

Now it’s time for a starting pitcher. I really, really hope spending $$$ on Miller doesn’t preclude that. We need help in the rotation. Seriously.