Tagged: Chan Ho Park
Quite Unorthodox
Yanks Win Series Finale in Epic Adventure
Last night’s Yankee game was far from the norm. And if I may be permitted a cliche, you never know what you are going to see on the baseball diamond. A lot happened on the diamond last night that utterly confused me. But it was okay, because the Yankees won 11-4 and won the series.
Pitching Analysis: I was a little ticked off at Girardi for losing faith in Sergio Mitre so quickly – I mean it was 1 bad start. But whatever, I have a heart. That’s why he’s the manager and I’m not (that was harsh, Joe. I apologize). So Dustin Moseley got the start last night, and I have to say: he really impressed me.
I wasn’t too sure at first, though. Moseley got into a quick bases-loaded jam in the 1st inning. I was beginning to think “Would Mitre be any worse?” But unlike Mitre, (I’m sorry baby! I must be honest…), Moseley didn’t unravel. He battled back, and escaped the inning having allowed just 1 run on a sac fly by Austin Kearns. He threw 30 pitches to do so, but he did it.
Dustin Moseley: A beast on the mound 🙂
After that, Moseley was amazing. He really was. That was the only run he allowed in his 6 innings of work. Despite throwing 30 pitches in the 1st inning, Moseley got his pitch count under control. He threw 83 pitches, and 55 were for strikes. With every inning that passed, I was beginning to fall more and more for Moseley. He looked really….really good….kinda like Mitre….if you know what I mean….
Those eyes…Oh baby…
I never thought it would happen this quickly, but I think it did. I mean, I never thought I would like the guy replacing Mitre, who I LOVE. But now…well….OKAY I’LL ADMIT IT!
I LOVE DUSTIN MOSELEY!
Ahh…that’s better 🙂
So the bullpen was one thing that remained normal this game: David Robertson was good, and Chan Ho Park was suckish. Very. And he knew it.
Ooh…he doesn’t look to good…now I can’t help but think about that diarrhea thing….
This poor man…
Defensive Analysis: The defense was good up until the 9th inning. I guess Girardi was so sure that the Yankees were going to win. Otherwise, he would have never put Marcus Thames at 3rd base. MARCUS THAMES HAS NEVER PLAYED THIRD BASE! It’s no wonder he airmailed that throw to 1st into the SEATS. He was throwing like an outfielder. It was the weirdest thing, because he made a great play to get to that ball. But his throw was an epic fail. That 9th inning got a little too interesting. The Indians scored three runs, and I was waiting for Girardi to get Mariano warming.
Offensive Analysis: Once again, the Yankee offense exploded. But it took a long time for the explosion to actually occur. A-Rod had a sac fly in the 3rd to tie the score at 1. And in the 6th, the Yankees finally took the lead on an RBI single by Jeter. But after that, the floodgates opened.
In the 7th:
-Cano hit a solo homer, giving the Yanks a 3-1 lead
-Swish and Gardner walked
-Cervelli got an RBI single, making it 4-1
-Colin Curtis was hit in the butt (poor cutie) to load the bases
Aw.
-Jeter walked with the bases loaded, making it 5-1
-Granderson got a 2-run single, now 7-1
-Alex Rodriguez got a 2-run single. 9-1 Yankees!
The offense had a mini explosion in the 8th when it tacked on 2 more runs. RBI singles by Ramiro Pena and Juan Miranda gave the Yanks an 11-1 lead.
But perhaps the best offensive highlight, was the no offense at all. In the 9th inning, the Indians did what the Yankees did back on April 13th last year: they used a position player to pitch! What! But the best part was that the Yankees didn’t have a 1-2-3 inning since the first. And wouldn’t you know? Little Andy Marte pitched a 1-2-3 inning. AND HE STRUCKOUT NICK SWISHER!
Andy Marte for Cy Young!
I bet Nick Swisher is the only position player to ever have gotten a strikeout as a pitcher, and to have struck out against a position player. I think letting Marte pitch was a good decision by Manny Acta. It was a miserable game for his team, so why not boost their spirits with some humor? The Indians really got a kick out of it. And so did the Yankees! I bet Nick Swisher did.
So the Yankees won the series finale for the 11th time in a row. The heroes for this not-so-regular win are the entire Yankee lineup for their contributions. And for the first time ever, a hero will be from the other team: Andy Marte. It was amazing what he did out there.
Oh, and how could I forget the other hero: Dustin Moseley, my newest love ♥
These two are so cute!
The Yankees start that crucial series with the Rays tonight! I wish them luck.
A Quick One While She’s Away…Or NOT!
Yankees Play All 9 Frames Despite the Rain…and Win!
My little brother is as obsessed with The Who as I am with the Yankees. I sit there listening to my Michelle Branch music, and he’s next to me listening to The Who. Then I begin to hear The Who more clearly than I do Michelle Branch. We don’t say anything, but then we begin competing with each other: I put my volume up, he puts his up. The Who plays louder than Michelle Branch to begin with, so he always wins.
Yesterday I was out and missed the beginning of the game. I heard the Yankees 4 run 3rd inning on the radio, which was nice. Curtis Granderson homered, Ramiro Pena singled, Jeter knocked him in with a double, Tex got an RBI single, and A-Rod hit an RBI double. All that added up to a 4-2 Yankee lead.
By the time I got home, it was already the bottom of the 4th inning. I had the pleasure of seeing Curtis Granderson go deep again to give the Yanks a 5-3 lead.
The GrandyMan can? Yes! I hope this is a start of your hot-streak, Curtis!!!
Then in the 5th, the rain came down, and I figured “Oh man…I missed 4 innings and now it’s raining and this game is going to be a quick 5-inning rain-shortened game.”
My little brother made this song get stuck in my head for the LONGEST time.
I was WRONG!!!!!!!!!! And I’m glad I was 🙂
Sure, the umpires signaled for a rain delay, but they were determined to get the game in – even though the Yankees had the lead and it was an official ballgame. After a long 2 hour and 30 minute rain delay, baseball was resumed! And I was there to see it all!
Pitching Analysis: Phil Hughes wasn’t great yesterday, and he didn’t come out again after the rain delay. So once again, the Yankees had to use their bullpen for multiple MULTIPLE innings. Boone Logan did a nice job once again, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings. Since Marte is hurt, he is the specialty lefty in the bullpen. I gain confidence in him each time I see him throw.
Boone throws hard. And when he locates, he is pretty dominant.
As for Joba and Chan Ho? They were their usual cruddy selves. I wonder why Park is still on the team, and I wonder why Joba still sucks. They should’ve traded him when they had the chance, because no one is going to want him now. We’re stuck with him!
Offensive Analysis: Once again, the Yankee offense exploded. The 3rd inning was a pretty big run outburst, but the 8th inning rally was even larger. In the 8th:
-Curtis Granderson led off with a walk, stole 2nd, and advanced to 3rd on the stinky throw.
-Brett Gardner reached on an error and stole 2nd. I’m glad he’s feeling better 🙂
-Jeter was intentionally walked to load the bases with 1 out.
-Nick Swisher (who I am also glad is feeling better) drove in 2 with a single!
-Tex singled to re-load the bases for…..A-Rod.
This is the part that I wasn’t too fond of. This is the censored version of what my notebook says:
“A-ROD HBP UP & IN. F*** BLAKE WOOD. A-Rod out, Colin Curtis in. 10-5 Yanks.”
NO!
Blake Wood…I don’t care if it wasn’t intentional. I hate him. Who does he think he is? “Hi! My name is Blake Wood and I’m sure you’ve never heard of me! But I’m gonna be cool and tough and back Alex off the plate – it’s good baseball! Oh no! I missed my location because I suck! Now I hit Alex in the forearm and hand and he might be hurt! Oopsy!”
Oh God…
I was beyond angry. Oh, A-Rod….you poor baby…I’m glad you aren’t hurt too bad. That was scary. I’m so sorry Wood destroyed your chances of getting #600 at home.
But at least I was able to see another milestone in that 8th inning yesterday.
-With loaded bases, Robinson Cano drove the first pitch of his at-bat into the seats in right after 1 bounce. Ground rule double! 12-5 Yankees! And for Robbie, it was his 1000th career hit. Aw, Robbie…you have come so far!
Okay…he’s still a goofball, but I love him ♥
So the Yankees take 3 of 4 from KC, and all of their wins were of the offensive explosion variety. The heroes for yesterday’s 12-6 finale win are Boone Logan, for relieving Hughes nicely (since he’s the only one who pitched well yesterday!), and the entire Yankee lineup, for banging out 12 runs on 14 hits, and especially Curtis Granderson for finally living up to his potential.
I hope Curtis can stay hot, and I hope the Yankees keep on winning.
GO YANKEES!
Aren’t Offensive Explosions Delightful?
Yanks Score 10 Runs in 2nd Straight Game
Colin Curtis made me giddy with his dramatic 3-run home run to give the Yankees 10 runs in the Angels finale. And last night, the offense exploded once again. It was quite a hitting frenzy for both teams, but my Yankees came out on top. The Bombers took the first of four against KC by the score of 10-4.
Pitching Analysis: CC Sabathia really wasn’t very good last night. And this time, he made that customary flustered face of his because he got into a ton of jams.
That’s the face. Aw, CC….
Despite the struggles, CC got the win. And rightfully so. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t the usual C “Cy” performance we have become accustomed to, but it was good enough to keep the Yankees in the game with a chance to win it. In 6.1 innings, CC allowed 4 runs on a jaw-dropping 11 hits. He gave it his all, throwing 120 pitches. David Robertson inherited CC’s mess in the 7th, and got out of it unscathed.
One thing I love about offensive explosions is that the Yankees have the luxury of using their stinky pitchers. But last night, they did this before the game reached blowout status. In the 8th inning, when it was 6-4 Yankees, they put in Joba. He loaded the bases, but managed to get Jose Guillen to ground out to end the inning. Crisis averted.
In the 9th, the Yankees had a 6-run lead, so they turned it over to Chan Ho Park to close it out. He did so fairly easily. I wonder why he is still on the team. Every time I see him, my mind plays a montage of him blowing leads and talking about diarrhea. It’s not pretty.
Nightmares….
Offensive Analysis: I had a feeling this game was going to be a slugfest. The starter for the Royals was Bruce Chen, who, to put it nicely, hasn’t seen much success against the Yankee hitters. This trend continued last night. Let’s take a look at the Yankees’s numbers against Chen and the rest of the Royal hurlers from last night:
| NY Yankees | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeter, SS | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .274 |
| Swisher, RF | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .303 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .261 |
| Rodriguez, A, 3B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .275 |
| 2-Pena, R, PR-3B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .193 |
| Cano, 2B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .332 |
| Posada, C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .268 |
| Thames, DH | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .289 |
| 1-Curtis, PR-DH | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .259 |
| Granderson, CF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .239 |
| Gardner, LF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .296 |
| Totals | 36 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 14 | .273 |
Ooh. That’s not pretty. Offensive explosions are so exciting. But last night, there were certain swings that really made me cheer. One of these came in the 3rd inning off the bat of Derek Jeter:
Connection…
It’s deep….
A valient effort by DeJesus, but no catch!
Jeet rounds third, and breaks for home….
He slides….
HE’S SAFE! INSIDE THE PARK HOME RUN BY DEREK JETER!!!!!!!
It was pretty cool seeing Jeter fly around the bases like that. But I was upset that DeJesus got hurt. I was looking forward to seeing him play this series because he is my favorite Royal, but he’s going to miss the remainder of this series. I wish him a speedy recovery. Anway, Jeet’s home run tied the game at 3.
The other swing that genuinely excited me came in the 7th inning off the bat of the Drama King, Alex Rodriguez. He’s such a beast. It was an opposite-field blast…
Oh boy! Oh boy oh boy oh boy! You know what’s next…HISTORY! #600! I can’t wait….I hope he gets it this weekend in the Bronx!
The heroes for this Game 1 win are Jeet and A-Rod, as well as everyone else in the lineup who beasted last night. I would love to see more offensive explosions this weekend, but if I can’t, then I’ll just settle for 1 bomb from A-Rod.
Good luck, Alex. And Go Yankees!!!!
And That Concludes the 1st Half!
Yanks Take 3 of 4 in Seattle
Winning this series before the All-Star break is incredibly comforting. If anything else, it shows that my Yankees aren’t getting lazy – they stay focused no matter what time of year.
Here are my quick thoughts about each game:
Game 1 – Yankees win 3-1
Andy Pettitte continued to amaze me, but I wondered: Why can’t he field a bunt? Alex Rodriguez continued to be clutch. 3rd in the league in RBI? Pretty beast.
CLUTCH…
Game 2 – Yanekes win 6-1
Mark Teixeira’s hot-streak was not a fluke? 2 HR in one game is good Mark, but sadly not good enough to get you onto that All-Star roster. You’re a little late. And Phil Hughes! Bouncing back from some not-so-good starts…way to get back to your Philthy self!
I was praying that he’d be good. God, thanks for listening 🙂
Game 3 – Yankees lose 4-1
Javier Vazquez silenced all those idiots who wanted to trade him for Jayson Werth by tossing 5.2 no-hit innings before Ichiro got the first “hit,” a ball hit off Javy that he threw wildly (should’ve been an error.) Nick Swisher continued his hot-hitting with a big fly of King Felix. AND WHAT IN THE WORLD IS WRONG WITH JOBA CHAMBERLAIN???? He single-handidly destroyed the game for Javy and the Yanks.
Aw, Javy…it was an error! You pitched great. Thank Joba for spoiling your “W.”
Game 4 – Yankees win 8-2
A pitching rematch from the game I saw on July 1st. CC Sabathia dominated just like he did when I saw him. And I love when everyone is hitting! The entire lineup, including guys like Marcus Thames, contributed to this win. And when you add to this the Mariners’s sloppy defense and the bright shining sun, it gets even more fun.
Mark Teixeira’s “sun double.” Poot Saunders…that must be a helpless feeling.
The Yankees concluded te first half with a sparkling record of 56-32, 2 games ahead of the pesky Rays. Looking ahead to the 2nd half, these are a few things I’d like to see:
-Curtis Granderson heating up. He’s hitting around .350 over his last 6 games. Hopefully he can keep this up after the break.
-Maybe I should call this “things I WOULDN’T like to see.” I wouldn’t like to see Chan Ho Park anymore. Just get rid of him. Designate him for assignment, and bring up someone who can actually help this team, maybe Boone Logan.
-Continued dominance from our starters (duh).
-A healthy Mariano. He’s a little worn out, which is why he’s not going to be at the All-Star Game even though he’s an All-Star. Hopefully, he can rest-up over the break and be back to his regular robotic self for the 2nd half.
-#600. A-Rod is getting closer every day to that magic number. I remember his 500th home run against the Royals. It was an unforgettable moment. I can’t wait for this next milestone!
-Nick Swisher in the Home Run Derby! THAT’S TODAY! I spent a pretty nice chunk of my week voting for Swish in the Final Vote Campaign, and it paid off! I must have voted around 3000 times, give or take.
I honestly don’t think Nick is going to win the Home Run Derby, but hey – you never know. Nick has really surprised me with his outstanding first-half this year. I’m starting to believe that he can do almost anything. But no matter what happens tonight, I’ll be happy. Just seeing Nick at this event is going to make me smile.
I’ll have a big smile too, Nick ♥
I can’t believe the season is halfway over. That’s kind of sad. It’s been so much fun so far.
But I know that the best has yet to come.
Yankees, congrats on a great first half! Enjoy the break, enjoy the All-Star festivities, and I’ll see you again Friday 🙂
Nowhere Near Hot Enough
Burnett Stinks Again in Yankee Loss
No doubt, last night was extremely frustrating. The Diamondbacks are one of the worst teams in basball, so of course a loss to them is annoying. I adjusted my entire schedule so I would be able to see the whole game: I slept until noon so I could stay up late without an issue – and then I didn’t even want to. The most aggravating thing about the loss was A.J. Burnett. My lord, something must be done with that man. The Yankee lost 10-4, and I knew right away it was going to be a bad night.
Pitching Analysis: I tried to wipe the slate clean and give Burnett a chance last night. He got the first two outs quickly. Then Justin Upton hit a solo home run. Okay, I thought. 1 run isn’t the end of the world, especially since the D-Backs have Rodrigo Lopez on the mound. We can catch up.
I was wrong 😦
After hits my Montero and Young, I was beginning to worry. But still, I thought A.J. would get out of it. Nope. Adam Laroche hit a monster 3-run home run. That’s what I get for being optimistic. But no, A.J. was not done yet. Mark Reynolds’s home run drained the last of my good mood out of me. After 1, the Diamondbacks led 5-0. I was ready to put this one in the “L” column.
Burnett allowed another run in the 3rd, and would have allowed more if not for a gorgeous diving play by Curtis Granderson. After that, I changed the channel whenever I saw A.J.
Yeah it’s hot in Arizona. But I’m not sure how hot you are anymore, A.J.
He finished the night having thrown 4 innings, and allowing 7 runs on 9 hits. His ERA is climbing, and is now at 4.83. A.J. hasn’t won in his last 5 starts. And when he’s on the mound stinking it up, he doesn’t even look like he cares.
Chad Gaudin pitched a scoreless 2 innings. I didn’t really watch him, but I’ll give him credit for pitching well. Once I saw Chan Ho Park, I didn’t even bother watching the rest of the game. I switched over to AMC to give my full attention to the movie I was watching when the Yankees were pitching. I didn’t get to see Park surrender the 3-run homer to Upton, making it 10-3. I was too busy watching Dirty Dancing. It was hot in Arizona last night, but I just wasn’t feeling it. I decided to turn up the heat by watching Patrick Swayze dance. Ow-ow. That made me feel a little better…
Mmmm…I love this movie. It’s so sexy.
Offensive Analysis: Of course, Rodrigo Lopez had to pitch the game of his life last night. The Yankee offense struggled. The first thing I had to cheer about was when Nick Swisher’s triple brought home Brett Gardner.
Oh, Nick…you are always hot 😉
To be honest, I didn’t see any other offense. They scored 3 more runs, but I didn’t bother to watch. But it wasn’t like the bats were hot anyway. The runs came on sac flies and stuff. Yeah that’s not good enough.
Despite the miserable outcome of the game, the Yankees are still in first place – a half a game ahead of the Rays, who are now tied with the Red Sox who cheat at Fenway. It’s getting awfully tight in the AL East. Hopefully, the Yanks can quickly forget this loss, and move on. There is no room for losing streaks. We’ve got to be positive!
Look at it this way: Burnett won’t pitch for another 5 days!
GO YANKEES!
[Out]Field of Dreams
Yanks Hammer Halladay at Home
I know it’s cliche, but it’s true: you see something new every day. After discovering who was pitching for the Phillies, I never thought the game would have the results it did. Did I ever think the Yankees would beat up on Roy Halladay – the man who was perfect just a short while ago? I love my Yankees and have faith in them, but I never thought they would get to Halladay the way they did. I’m so proud of them. To my surprise, the Yankees won 8-3.
Pitching Analysis: Our ace CC Sabathia knew who his opponent was, and made sure to come out of the gates strong. CC was superb, C “Cy” like, in the first three innings of the game, striking out 6 in that span. In the 4th, he ran into a little trouble, and surrendered 3 runs. But it’s not like he was stinky and unraveled. I have to say, that Phillies rally was very cheap: a single off CC’s hand, a grounder out of CC’s reach, and a hit batsman to load the bases with none out. Then two singles, and an RBI groundout. That’s some pretty intense offense, lol.
Great job, Hefty-Lefty!
CC went 7 innings, allowed just those 3 runs on 5 hits, and struckout 7. The bullpen was solid as well. David Robertson pitched a 1-2-3 inning, as well as Chan Ho-not-outta-the-Park. I was hoping I’d see Mitre in this game, but all of a sudden he’s randomly on the DL. He has an oblique strain. Oblique….mmm.
Offensive Analysis: I never in a million years expected the Yankee offense to explode against Halladay. In the first inning, they went down quickly, and I was like, “Oh jeez…here we go.” But in the 2nd, everything changed.
Nick Swisher started the rally with an innocent 1-out single. Jorge Posada then singled, and I began to think “rally,” although I really didn’t want to. I didn’t want to jinx it. It was Brettiboo Gardner’s turn to bat. Oh my God. I love that man. He hit a ball into the gap in right-center, and it went all the way to the wall! Victorino bobbled it, but even if he didn’t I knew where Gardner’s destination was. Gardner made it to 3rd base, for a 2-RUN TRIPLE!!! That must have killed Halladay. It gave the Yankees an early 2-0 lead.
Speed is sexy 😉
I thought the 2nd inning was fun, but the 3rd was pretty thrilling in itself. My cutie-Curtis Granderson has quielty been playing very well lately. But last night, he was loud. In the 3rd, Granderson hit a line-drive, 2nd deck solo home run – the 1st homer Halladay allowed to a lefty all year. Congrats Grandy! 3-0 Yankees lead.
The GrandyMan can 😉
Robinson Cano then crushed a ball for a double. NickySwish-Swishalicious came up to the plate next. He is 5th in the voting for AL outfielder for the All-Star Game. I’ve done my duty and voted. Hopefully, other fans will as well. I think Nick earned himself plenty of votes with 1 swing last night. Swish hit a MONSTER 2-RUN HOMER into the RIGHT FIELD BLEACHERS! 5-0 Yankees!
Swishalicious definition, makes them girls go crazy….
The Yankees added 3 more to cushion the lead. Mark Teixeira hit a solo homer in the 5th – he wrapped it right around the foul pole. My darling Francisco Cervelli broke the game open with a clutch, bases loaded 2-run single in the 7th, making it 8-3. And that’s how it ended.
What a way to start this World Series rematch! Better than the first game of the World Series last year – that’s for sure. The Yankees dominated in this game. The heroes for the victory are CC Sabatha, for getting a win against a team that’s not the Orioles – and a pretty decent team in the Phillies. The other heroes are our stellar outfielders: Brett Gardner, Curtis Granderson, and Nick Swisher. All three of you are perfect Yankees. Perfect.
You are an outfield of dreams ♥
______________________________________________________________________________
I just want to add before I forget – I have a celebrity lookalike. Like Jane did over at Confessions of a SheFan, this celebrity lookalike involves Ramiro Pena. Let me know what you think:
Dev Patel, aka Jamal! Ramiro!
Well, Jane’s might be better 🙂
It’s Deja Vu All Over Again
Oh wait, that’s Yogi Berra – wrong catcher. My oh my, the Yankee offense, ESPECIALLY Jorge Posada, has been mighty fine lately. Today, the Yankees closed out their series against the Astros in winning fashion, completing the sweep. The Yanks beat the Astros 9-5.
Pitching Analysis: Phil Hughes toed the rubber today in search of his 9th victory of the season. He was Philthy through the first 5 innings, but he hit a bump in the 6th that he was unable to escape from. Hughes allowed just 1 run in the 1st, on a sac fly by Carlos Lee, but surrendered 4 in the 6th. The big blow was a 2-run homer by former Yankee Kevin Cash. After that, Girardi pulled Hughes for Marte – not willing to take any chances. Aside from that 6th, Hughes was good at limiting the damage. But it was clear that he did not have his best stuff today.
He still is in line for an All-Star spot.
The bullpen did its job today. Damaso Marte got out of the 6th just fine. Chan Ho-in Park pitched a scoreless 7th, Joba threw a scoreless 8th, and the Great Mariano closed it out with a scoreless 9th.
Defensive Analysis: Despite the wet weather, which usually makes things messy on the field, the Yankees played solid defense today, with individuals making sparkling plays. In te 3rd, Ramiro Pena made a gorgeous diving play on a liner to rob Michael Bourn of a potential extra-base hit. Ramiro seems to do something big, even if it is small, in every game he plays. Brett Gardner made a nice leaping play in the 7th on a deep fly ball by Carlos Lee. Glad to hear that his thumb is stable enough for him to play.
Offensive Analysis: It took the Yankees a little while to get on the board, but when they did, they did it loudly. In the 4th, Robbie Cano tied up the game at 1 with a solo home run, his 13th of the season. Then Posada, Gardner, and rookie Chad Huffman (cutie!) walked to load the bases for Ramiro Pena. Ramiro once again delivered, knocking in 2 runs with a single and giving the Yankees their first lead of the day – a lead they held on to.
The Yankees were extremely patient at the plate today. In the 5th, Granderson, Cano, and Swisher walked to load the bases for who: Jorge Posada. Facing the same situation as yesterday, Jorge had the same mindset: get a good pitch, and put a good swing on it. Lucky for him, the results were the same. On a 2-0 count, Posada got a pitch to hit, and launched it into the right field seats – the same spot as yesterday – for his second grand slam in as many days! I knew he was going to hit that. I said it:
“Wouldn’t it be something if Jorge went deep again? Oh my…haha then I guess I can’t be saying how I want Cervelli in his place anymore. OH MY…HOLY JESUS….he DID do it! AW! JORGE!!!! GRAND SLAM!”
Hip hip, JORGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was the first time a Yankee hit a grand slam in consecutive days since Bill Dickey, another catcher great, did it in 1937. But more importantly, it gave the Yankees a 7-1 lead. If yesterday didn’t give Jorge confidence, today definitely did.
The Yanks scored their final 2 runs in te 6th inning on RBI singled by Swisher and Gardner, giving the team a 9-5 lead. And that was how it ended.
Congrats Yankees on sweeping the Astros! The heroes for today’s finale win are Ramiro Pena, for his glove and clutch bat, Brett Gardner, for the same reasons as Ramiro, and Jorge Posada for his astonishing feat of pure beastness at the plate today. Jorge, although it seems sometimes that I don’t like you, it’s not true. I really DO like you. It’s just that I LOVE Francisco Cervelli….you know…..love…as in, like….looooove ♥ I love you too, though. But I don’t have these fantasies about you that involve…..things…
Trust me, it’s probably better this way 😉
GO YANKEES!
Start Them Up….They’ll Never Stop
1st Of Many Walkoffs for Yanks
Don’t you hate it when you are so tired and you know it’s late, but you don’t go to bed and then by the time you DO go to bed, you aren’t tired anymore? I usually hate this. But last night, I didn’t mind it one bit. I laid there for awhile, knowing I should get a good night’s sleep because it was only Monday (well, almost Tuesday at this point), but it was the peaceful kind of not sleeping. And eventually, I drifted asleep with comforting images of my Yankees. Yes, my Yankees…they played an amazingly dramatic game Monday night – I game I don’t think I will forget.
Pitching Analysis: Joe Girardi did what I thought he would do, although it didn’t please me. He skipped over my Javier in favor of the Phenom Phil Hughes to start the series opener. But to everyone’s surprise, Hughes struggled mightily. Hughes let a large lead slip away, on the strength of homers by Ortiz and Martinez. Phil only pitched 5 innings, and allowed 5 runs on 6 hits, turning the once easy-night for the Yanks into an outright nail-biter.
Hughes…I can’t believe YOU made me nervous…
The bullpen sent me onto the brink of insanity. Boone Logan surrendered a solo home run to V-Mart. But he wasn’t the scary one. Chan Ho Park, fresh off the DL, couldn’t keep it in the park. Deja vu. He allowed Pukilis to hit a monster 2-run home run, which turned the tides into the Red Sox favor, because they finally had the lead. It was detrimental to my confidence, and, I thought, to the Yankees’ confidence as well.
Damaso Marte flirted with disaster when he put 2 men on base in the 8th inning. With 2 out, Girardi made a bold move: he brought in Javier Vazquez. This was it – it was Javier’s first time relieving for the Yankees since the ’04 Damon grand slam tragedy. It was Javier’s time to redeem himself and give the Yankees a chance to win. And he did. And they did. Javier stuckout the always-dangerous Youkilis, ending the Red Sox rally.
Good job, Javy ♥
Offensive Analysis: The Yankees got out of the gates quickly and scored a boatload of runs early. In the 1st, Jeter and Gardner singled, Teixeira walked, A-Rod hit a 2-run single, Cano hit an RBI single, Cervelli got an RBI double, and Thames got a sac fly. Add that all up, and by the end of the 1st, the Yankees smashed Dice-K around well enough for a 5-0 lead. In the 2nd, Tex added another run with an RBI double. That made it 6-1.
The Red Sox inched closer, and the Yankee bats died a bit. Marcus Thames added to the now-slim lead with an RBI double in the 5th, making it 7-5 Yankees. But after this, the Yankees failed to score again. Well, until later…..
After Park blew the lead, the momentum shifted in favor of the Red Sox. But after Javier struckout Youk, the momentum was back in favor of the Yankees. And just in time – it was the bottom of the 9th. Crunch time. Comeback time for the Drama Club. But they would have to do it off Jonathan Papelbon. They’ve already embarrassed him once this season – but Granderson was not around to hit another homer off him. It was up to heart of the Yankee order.
Brett Gardner led off the bottom of the 9th with a double. The Yankees needed 2 runs to tie, 3 to win. Mark Teixeira hit a deep fly ball to right-center, but it was caught for an out. I thought it was gone and jumped up. But it wasn’t. I thought the ball wasn’t carrying anymore. Thank God I was wrong.
Alex Rodriguez, the Drama King of the Drama Club, stepped up to the plate with hopes of keeping the rally going. I begged to the TV, “Ohhh….Come on A-Rod…Please, please do something baby…”
Papelbon threw the pitch, and A-Rod connected. I was ready to jump up, but I stopped myself – not wanting to jinx it like I did with Teixeira’s. Was I seeing things? I gasped, “Oh!.” It was really going. Going, going….GONE! A-Rod did it again! His 2-run, storybook home run tied up the game at 9, and sent the stadium and my living room into an unbridled frenzy of cheers. My Grandma and I high-fived. Our boys were alive. But they were more than that – they were revived, ready for a comeback. I knew then that the pie was going to happen that inning.
Haha…what NOW Papelbon???
After Cano hit a ball well for an out, my darling baby Francisco Cervelli came up to bat. Sensing his excitement, I too was excited. I thought he would get the pie. Papelbon decided to throw a hissy fit. He decided to ruin my fantasies, and send me back into a painful reality.
The pitch was too fast and too inside, I knew that right away. Francisco tried to get out of the way, but he couldn’t. All I saw was that it was up and in – I didn’t know where it got him. I was immediately thinking of his poor little head, although I knew it didn’t get him there. As it turned out, it his Cervelli in his sexy tricep, and he was mad. And I was mad. Rightfully so. I screamed when he was hit, and my little brother came out from his bedroom only to say, “Hey! I’m trying to sleep here…no more screaming!!!”
No one does that to MY baby on purpose….
Marcus Thames then came up, and I was still annoyed that Cervelli wouldn’t be the hero. But before I even had the chance to pout, or think anything, Papelbon threw the pitch. I knew Thames’s claim to fame was that he could crush a fastball. He was sitting dead-red. Indeed it was a fastball. Indeed, Thames crushed it. This was a no-doubter. Marcus Thames hit a beastly walkoff, 2-run home run off the most arrogant obnoxious excuse for a pitcher in baseball. He touched the plate, threw his helmet, and the celebration began. Ignoring my brother’s request for silence, I screamed. We won! How could I not?
Connection!
Yankee teammates get ready to mob Marcus.
Everyone knew what was to come next: In Marcus’s on-field interview, all hears were on Marcus, but all eyes were scrambling around, looking for the Pie Man. Slowly, stealthily, A.J. Burnett emerged from the dugout, and squished that pie into Thames’s smiling face. Direct hit. The crowd went wild.
That’s a hot look for him 😉
And so concluded my wonderful Monday evening. Yankees win it 11-9. The heroes for this Yankees Classic-worthy victory are Javier Vazquez, for proving he can do it and for shifting the momentum, A-Rod, for his game-tying big fly, and Marcus Thames, for winning it in walkoff fashion. Walkoff….the Yankees have a knack for getting into the knack of walkoffs. Once they get a pie, they want more and more.
If you start them up, believe me – they’ll NEVER stop…
Where Are My Yankees?
Tough Series in Detroit for Yanks
So today in school I was dreading to go to gym as I always do. And as always, gym period came. For the first time since like….well…ever, I had fun in gym. We played baseball! Only with a squishy ball and a wiffle bat. My team was awesome. Our whole lineup, which consisted of Rafael, Megan, Leland, Zach, Stephen, Jackie, and me, exploded with offense. And our pitching was great, thanks to Raf who filled in for the gym teacher. And the defense, especially Megan and Stephen, were on top of their game. We won in blowout fashion, something like 19-3. Our team was consistently good througout.
Why can’t my Yankees do this?
It’s frustrating….This past series in Detriot was utterly dreadful, with exception to game 3 in which Phil Hughes continued to shine and the offense woke up. I’m beginning to worry – have the injuries actually caught up with this club?
The fact is, the Yankee lineup just isn’t as intimidating at all. On Opening Day, the best bunch were sent out there:
- Derek Jeter, SS
- Nick Johnson, DH
- Mark Teixeira, 1B
- Alex Rodriguez, 3B
- Robinson Cano, 2B
- Jorge Posada, C
- Curtis Granderson, CF
- Nick Swisher, RF
- Brett Gardner, LF
Take away Nick Johnson and Curtis Granderson. Then you have Marcus Thames and Randy Winn filling in. But if they play, then there is no one on the bench. Except Ramiro Pena and Cervelli (♥) Not to be mean, but Ramiro really stank the other day. He came up 3, I repeat 3 times with men on base/in scoring position, and made unproductive outs every time. Guys like Greg Golson and Juan Meranda are emerging, but are far from the quality of the Big names.
Wake up, cutie! You used to be so clutch…
Our pitching has been relatively icky lately as well. Javier Vazquez was very solid in his start, going 7 innings for the first time all season. Injuries to pitchers like Pettitte, Park, and Aceves have hurt the pitching staff. Sergio Mitre started for Andy the other day and wasn’t great. Sorry Sergio, you weren’t. David Robertson has been a nightmare out of the ‘pen. CC and A.J. both got knocked around too much in their last starts. It’s scary when the guys you really depend on fail you. A.J. goes tonight….I hope he fixed himself.
CC I was disappointed with you yesterday. I hope you do better next time, my Hefty-Lefty ♥
I know, I know…the team is just going through a bad stretch. But can they really afford to do this? Now? The Rays haven’t stopped winning. And tonight marks the start of an extremely hard part of the schedule for my Yanks: 3 against the Twins, 2 against the Red Sox (I’m still enraged at Josh Beckett), 2 against the Rays, and then 3 on the road against the Mets. These are games that the Yankees have to win, or else it’s gonna look bad.
But maybe….hmmm….maybe this bad stretch DID come at a good time….Maybe since they did bad the past series, the odds are in their favor to go on a nice long winning streak. And, maybe since Derek Jeter only got 3 hits in like 30 at-bats on this road trip, maybe he’s ready to wake up now. Yeah….and Cano will get hot again, because odds are he won’t be in a cold stretch for too long. And A.J. will beast tonight because, well, he’s a beast. Javy will follow up with another good start. CC will bounce back C “Cy” style. Robertson will find it. Cervelli will keep being sexy. And eventually, my wounded-warriors, Curtis GrandyMan (miss you baby ♥), Nicky-J, DandyAndy, Ace, and Chan Ho will come back.
Things will get better for my Yankees. Just as they did for me. My AP’s are OVER, and I miraculously survived. And I had fun in gym today? When does that happen?
Only 14 real school days left. Whoa. Then it’s practically summer, and in summer I can blog everyday again…. I bet a lot will happen in these 14 days, for me and for the Yankees. I bet we get some of our hurt players back, and the other guys will get hot again. And some guys, like Francisco Cervelli-welli-jelli-belli ♥♥♥ will remain hot all year long.
Jesus…I waaaaant him ♥♥♥♥
Oh yeah….I sure love these guys. Good luck tonight boys!
GO YANKEES!
A Grand Finale
Yanks Win Series In “Grand” Fashion
Last night’s Yankee game was AWESOME! It had everything a Yankees/Red Sox game should have: a little good pitching, a little clutch hitting, and a LOT of drama. The Yankees won again, and believe it or not, actually won the first series against Boston this year! And at Fenway? Who would have thought…My boys can do the impossible 🙂 The Yankees won last night 3-1, and it was surely an exciting game.
Pitching Analysis: Andy Pettitte, who really had no Spring Training at all, started for the Yankees last night. But the fact that he didn’t get much practice didn’t bother me. I knew Andy would be fine. He always finds a way to pitch well, even if he doesn’t have his best stuff. But last night, at least from what I could tell, Andy was on. He went 6 innings, allowing just 1 run. That 1 run was an RBI single by Big Poopi in the 3rd inning. What a dandy from my Andy. ♥
Don’t take this the wrong way, but one of the highlights of my night took place in the 5th inning. Andy Pettitte clonked Kevin Youkilis in the head! I laughed…I know some of you may think that’s rotten, but I did. I just hate Pukilis so much. No one likes him. I mean what’s to like? And it’s not like Andy meant to hurt him. Youkilis was fine, he wasn’t hurt. So I don’t really feel bad about laughing and saying “Yeah! Go Andy!”
When Joe Girardi put in Chan Ho Park in the 7th inning, I almost fell off my chair. But when he trotted out there for a second inning of relief, I was in even more disbelief. Girardi didn’t stop there…he didn’t stop torturing me. Yes, Park came out for a THIRD INNING OF WORK. I let my mind convince me otherwise at the time, but after the game I realized the truth: Chan Ho Park did a helluva great job. 3 innings of 1-hit, 0-run relief against the smelly sox who cheat at Fenway? (The insults are on now…I didn’t like the way they played last night.) I am proud of Chan Ho. I didn’t know he was suffering from the flu! Maybe that’s why he stank the other night. Now I feel bad about giving him a hard time..aw….Chan Ho I’m sorry! I’m just an inconsiderate little brat. Don’t feel bad. I do love you now…I’m so sorry it took this long.
After Park’s brilliant outing, the Sandman took over. The Yanks had a lead by this time, so the 10th inning was an easy one for Mo, who nailed down his 2nd save of the year!!! Overall, it was a spectacular night on the mound for all my Yankee hurlers.
Defensive Analysis: Not much went on defensively last night. The Yankees didn’t make any errors and were solid overall. In the first inning, Ellsburry pummeled poor Andy as he ran to first. Andy fell on the cold, hard ground, and Jacoby was safe. The Yankees had to defend their bodies later on. After Youkilis was hit in the 5th, Lackey hit Jeet in the elbow, then the ump called a warning, and the drama stopped there. I was hoping maybe when Andy was ready to come out of the game, he could just hit a Red Sock and get thrown out, since he would have been ready to exit anyway. But that didn’t happen…Andy is just too sweet of a guy.
Offensive Analysis: It took the Yankees a long time to get on the board, and as each inning passed without a Yankee crossing the plate, I grew more and more tense. I was like, “Are they seriously going to lose 1-0?”
But then I remembered: These are the Yankees, they don’t lose like that. They never stop fighting. I knew that eventually, they would figure it out, and score.
They figured it out in the 7th inning, when Lackey was out of the game. Off of Daniel Bard, the young guy who thinks he is all-that because he can throw 99 mph, Jorge Posada doubled. Due up next was Nick Swisher, who just keeps on getting sexier everyday. He looks even hotter when he hits well. Last night, he had me drooling. He came through inthe clutch! Nick hit a single into right field that scored Jorge, and tied the game at 1. I was relieved that they finally scored!
The Yankee bats were held quiet until the game went into extra innings. In the 10th, the Red Sox went with Jonathan Papelbon. I hate that man with a passion. He thinks he’s so intimidating on the mound, when really he’s not. That stare he does? I mean, if I was at the plate and I saw him do that, I would strikeout because I’d be on the floor laughing so hard because he looked so stupid, and I wouldn’t be able to focus. Maybe that’s why he does it. No…he really does think he looks scary. I don’t know what the Yankees think, but in my opinion, Papelbon looks like he wants to masturbate when he does that face.
Okay sorry. That’s enough ranting about Papelbon for one day. Anyway, Curtis Granderson came up, and he looked ready to make an impact. He impacted the ball, that’s for sure. Yesm Curtis Granderson hit a HOME RUN OFF PAPELBON!!! And gave Yankees had a 2-1 lead! I was beyond proud of the little cutie. The Yanks tacked on another one for insurance when Mark Teixeira drove in a run with an RBI groundout to make it 3-1.
Ooooh Curtis……♥♥♥ my love for you has started to flourish….
So there you have it! The first series of the year is over, and my Yankees came out on top. The heroes for this delightful victory are Andy Pettitte, for his dandiness, Chan Ho Park!, for his surprising dominance, and CUTIE Curtis Granderson ♥, for his clutchness. Seriously, no joke, I am now madly in love with that guy. I mean when the Yankees got him, I thought he was cute and all…but now, now I am infatuated with the man….mmm. It happened so suddenly….after last night, he looks even more adorable than he already was! And he’s so articulate…what a package: he’s got the looks, the smarts, AND the skillz! And he’s going to be on the team for a nice, long time. Yay….♥
I better stop gushing…this could start to get a little out of hand if I let it go on hehehee 😉
GREAT job Yankees, you all make me proud. Especially you Curtis 😉 You made last night a Grand finale for the team, and Grand-opened my heart.
Live, Eat, and Breathe Yankees 