New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
So Martin went to the Pirates after all. Now what? The Yankees don’t have a catcher. Cervelli is not an option and Romine isn’t ready and the catchers out there, including A.J. Pierzynski and Mike Napoli, are not interesting at all. Maybe when Cashman finishes rappelling he can find someone good.
At least Mo is signed, sealed and delivered.
I was very grouchy after the loooong wait for this game. I got even grouchier as the scored remained deadlocked and the Yankees had me flashing back to their RISP failures of the regular season. Between the stranded runners, the baserunning blunders and Jeter’s uncharacteristic bobble, I couldn’t stop growling. I even grumbled that Cano must have been reading all the articles about his “sweet swing” because instead of carrying the offense he couldn’t seem to stop swinging at balls. There was only one happy note: CC. He kept getting routine outs from the Orioles and kept my hopes alive.
And then along came the Russ Bus.
Martin’s homer against Johnson in the ninth was worth waiting for. Suddenly, I could breathe. Whew. And then the floodgates opened and the game became fun with a 7-2 score.
CC. Wow. Maybe his time-out with the injury gave him a second wind because he’s been great ever since he came back. He sure earned his money tonight.
It’s always a relief to win the first one in a short series (at the away ballpark, no less), so this was big. What to make of the packed house of orange wearing, “Yankees suck” chanting people? I’d only ask: Where were they all season long and couldn’t they have come up with a more creative way to disparage the opponent?
And then there was TBS’ coverage. Ripken and Smoltz were exceptional players, obviously, but didn’t they sound depressed when the Yanks scored in the ninth? I thought somebody had died.
Actually, Cano was hit on his left hand (old pic from a game at Fenway). If those x-rays aren’t negative – or even if they are and he’s bruised and swollen – I don’t know what will become of us. He was just getting hot again too. Let’s hope he’s okay.
And Kuroda. What a warrior to stay in the game and give the Yankees a chance to win after that rocky start. But he’s clearly struggling with fatigue and we need him fresh and rested.
On the positive side, how about Russell Martin? If anyone told me he’d have 20 homers this season, I’d have done this.
It was a sloppy game by the Blue Jays, but the Yanks hit the ball, scored throughout the game and didn’t let up. Loved it.
Naturally, the O’s won too so the tight rope tightens even more. Oh, boy.
Congrats to Homer Bailey on the no-hitter. I’d never heard of him, but I’d heard about the guy he beat: our very own AJ.
The way CC was pitching tonight? Not only was it vintage CC, the way we were used to seeing him, but it allowed me to relax even though the Yankees were only leading the A’s by the score of 1-0. It felt like we had more runs because he was so dominant.
However, my sense of security exploded in the ninth with Soriano’s blown save. Sigh. I guess Sori was tired after that doubleheader. He sure looked it.
But Robertson was great in the 10th and held the A’s in check so that the Russ Bus could take off. Has he been clutch lately or what?
Great win for the boys to open a key series with a contender.
The way CC was pitching tonight? Not only was it vintage CC, the way we were used to seeing him, but it allowed me to relax even though the Yankees were only leading the A’s by the score of 1-0. It felt like we had more runs because he was so dominant.
However, my sense of security exploded in the ninth with Soriano’s blown save. Sigh. I guess Sori was tired after that doubleheader. He sure looked it.
But Robertson was great in the 10th and held the A’s in check so that the Russ Bus could take off. Has he been clutch lately or what?
Great win for the boys to open a key series with a contender.
First Russell had muscle with that three-run shot to put the Yankees on the board. Whew. Then Pearce, whoever he is (yes, I know he was an Oriole) hit one out. Then A-Rod joined the evil homer party. It was swell to see the Bronx Bombers again, truly. Jeter had a great offensive night too.
Hughes was mostly good enough to keep the O’s in check. Cody Eppley? Not so much. Why Girardi keeps going to him is beyond me except that I guess there’s no one else. D-Rob must have read last night’s post because he was much better. And Soriano did his untuck thing. Game won. First place secured…at least for now.
So she’ll be in every post until the Yankees lose again.
Being back in sole possession of first place makes me breathe easier, even if it’s only by one game. Seeing the offense bounce back numerous times tonight was also heartening. Getting key hits from Russell Martin was a nice surprise. Not having to cringe when our bullpen took over from Kuroda made me do a happy dance. And having a little luck (thank you, Rays) felt good.
No, nothing is certain and there’s a long month ahead, but I liked this game. A lot.
I was out for dinner with friends – without cell service at the restaurant – so I had no idea what happened in the game until I got in the car and started driving home.
So Martin was the hero. Did he ever need to get off to a good start in the second half. Did the Yankees ever need him to get off to a good start in the second half.
And Tex with the two homers. Impressive. I hope he goes on a tear now.
The Angels are always tough, so I was nervous about tonight’s matchup. But Kuroda is proving to be a consistent guy for us, long ball aside.
Way to kick off the rest of the season, Yankees. I was really happy to walk out of that restaurant tonight and hear the good news.
I felt nostalgic (as well as ecstatic) when Russell Martin hit his walkoff homer today. The Yankees haven’t had a walkoff in a long time, and I missed AJ sneaking out of the dugout with a towel full of the white stuff. Oh well. I guess the tradition officially ended with his departure.
This game had it all, didn’t it? It gave us the sweep of the Mets but also demonstrated a more varied offense than we’ve seen. Yes, there were homers but a hit parade too. Very satisfying.
Andy’s barehanded grab of the comebacker? Not very satisfying. He said it was just instinct to reach for the ball, but shouldn’t it be instinct not to reach for it too? After all these years? Knowing it’s the dumb thing to do? Apparently, the hand is swollen but not serious. Still, will he be fine for his next start? Kuroda said his foot was fine, but who knows if he’ll be OK for his next outing.
Soriano’s blown save? Not very satisfying. But the guy’s been great before today and closers blow saves, so I’ll give him a pass. Besides, he’s been used a lot lately. Maybe he was tired.
Mostly, I was just happy for Martin. To hit two homers, one a game-winner, after all his struggles this season was sweet. Felicitations, Monsieur.
Tonight’s win over the Rays wasn’t just vintage Pettitte. It was Hall of Fame Pettitte. He was extraordinary over his seven-plus innings with those ten strikeouts and efficient pitching. He was so good that when Russell Martin hit the grand slam, I didn’t doubt for a second that the “W” belonged to the Yankees.
Of course the Rays’ miscues helped my confidence. Weren’t they supposed to be like the Angels – i.e. all about pitching and defense? Not that I could see. Shields was mediocre and the infielders were sloppy. Not the first place team I was expecting.
Tomorrow’s another game and Nova hasn’t been inspiring, so things could reverse themselves in a hurry. But for now, I’m going to enjoy my evening. I went to the farmers market this afternoon and bought some of these for dinner.
Heirloom tomatoes. Yum. And the best news is that I only wanted to eat them instead of throw them at the TV in frustration.
Well, no words that I should put in writing.
So I’ll try to clean up my vocabulary and just say that the Yankees lost a frustrating one tonight in Anaheim.
Why frustrating?
I suppose an argument could be made that it would have been just as frustrating if we’d lost 1-0 to Weaver. But, for me, climbing all the way back from a big deficit and still losing is worse. And Hughes bothered me, as I said. He’s looked good against bad teams lately, but tonight he was tested and he flunked.
I’m going to bed grumpy.
If you’d told me that Kuroda would outduel Hernandez, I might have raised an eyebrow. But it happened. After what seemed like an endless 1-1 tie, the Yankees broke through and dethroned the King, thanks to Ibanez’s latest blast, speaking of surprises. I was down on Raul’s signing in the beginning of the season, but he’s making me a believer.
Cano is on a total roll now – both at the plate and in the field. It’s like someone waved a magic wand over him and turned him back into the superstar we know he is.
The bullpen was great too, right down the line.
But the star of the night was Kuroda. No, the Mariners aren’t much on offense. And Kuroda does seem to have first inning problems. But he was pitching to major league hitters and he shut them down – the definition of a good outing.
I went out for dinner with Dodger fan friends after the game and was happy to tell them that their former battery mates, Kuroda and Martin, would have made them proud.
Jeter was very Jeterian with his four hits, setting the tone for a tidy win over the O’s.
Big hand for Nova, who may have been the worst pitcher at spring training but has been the ace of the staff so far. If he keeps throwing like he did tonight, he’ll slide into the #2 spot and give Kuroda a shove down the ladder.
Andruw Jones belted one out. He’ll never inspire confidence in the outfield at this stage of his career, but he’s still got the power swing.
What was up with using Mo in the non-save situation? Did he really need the work? Or was he brought in to nail down the win? Either way, he got the job done but didn’t look comfortable doing it. If Gardner hadn’t caught that shot to end the game….Well, I won’t go there. I’m just saying that Mo isn’t Mo-ish yet.
I don’t get the YES postgame show, but there seems to have been a tiff between Martin and Andino over tipping pitches in the ninth inning. I don’t know how you “tip” Mo’s pitches – they’re all cutters – but there was definitely some yammering going on between the two. Will it carry over into tomorrow night’s game?
Oh, wait. Wrong team.
Via LoHud:
Derek Jeter was pulled from today’s lineup because of a tender left calf. Joe Girardi said hes decided Jeter wont play again until Tuesday, but he labeled this as more precautionary than anything. He hasn’t forgotten what happened to Jeter’s other calf last year.
Also, Russell Martin was scratched because of soreness in his left groin. Its unclear whether it happened on yesterdays play at first base.
Nick Swisher has told Girardi that his tight groin feels better, but Girardi decided not to play him today either.
Add Pena, Nunez and Garcia to the injured list, plus assorted minor leaguers in camp, and you’ve got a hospital full of patients.
Is this just a case of the usual spring training aches and pains? I can’t blame it on “aging players” because the younger guys are having pulls and strains and freakish stuff as often as the older ones.
It’s just a little unsettling, and I find myself bracing for the next casualty.
I also bought a poncho for ten bucks. It was like wearing the kind of plastic bags you get at the dry cleaner, but it did keep me from getting totally soaked.
When Michael and I arrived at the Stadium at noon, it was raining and I never thought they’d play a complete game, given the forecast. The tarp was on the field, so we hung around the great hall and looked for Audrey and her friend. After texting each other, we met up in front of the Hard Rock Cafe. She came all the way from Vermont and I was thrilled to meet her.
Next, we went in search of food. We figured we had plenty of time to kill, so Michael had his Lobel’s sandwich and I opted for a Boar’s Head sub and eventually we went to our seats. We’d heard the game would start at 2:30 and we wanted to be ready.
As soon as we sat down in section 104, along came YankeeCase. It’s hard to see him because the background was so dark (the rain was picking up again and my She-Fan Cam was getting wet), but here he is in the flesh. Such a hunk, right?
Michael and I sat under our hoods and umbrella as the game started and the rain continued to fall. Hughes was just awful. I know he struck out batters, but he took forever to throw the damn ball and he couldn’t get Matsui out and we looked at each other and said, “It’s gonna be a loooong day.”
When the score was 7-1, we thought about bolting. We were wet and depressed and wondering why we’d bothered. And then YankeeCase texted me that the boys would be making a comeback. I wrote back, “You promise?” He said yes.
So we stayed. And I’m I glad I did. Wow. What a great, crazy, incredible game. Cano’s slam landed two rows in front of us. Martin had a career-type day. Granderson amazed everybody. Even Andruw Jones got in on the homer act. And it was so much fun sitting right behind Swisher and watching him play with the crowd throughout the game.
It never occurred to me that no team in major league history had ever had three grand slams in a game, so when the scoreboard posted the fact we were doubly happy we’d stayed.
I’m still shaking my head and we’ve been home for a couple of hours. Long day but an unforgettable one.
(I’m too euphoric to dwell about the state of our pitching except to say that Hughes really disappointed me. And I think the Cory Wade experiment needs to end.)
P.S. YankeeCase just sent me a pic that his cousin took of him after he went back to his seat. He’s wearing the “she-fan” button that Melissa (it WAS Melissa, right?) made last year. It says, “I confess. I read the she-fan blog.” Pretty great, huh?
I know Phil has gotten better and better since coming off the DL, but tonight he was spectacular. He was economical. He threw strikes. He was everything we could ask for. Good for him. I was almost ready to write him off a few months ago, so my bad. We need him now more than ever with Big Bart’s recent slump and Garcia’s mysterious cut finger.
Nice game for Russell Martin too.
Come to think of it, who didn’t have a nice game tonight? I’m a little worried about Jeter. He had that awkward slide at home plate and looked a little gimpy afterward. Sure hope he’s okay.
I’m trying not to feel sorry for the Twins, because I want us to keep winning to stay in first place. But wow. They look sad, don’t they?
Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.
