Well, the Yankee bats came so awake Monday that it took two ballparks in two cities to contain them. And they made some noise Tuesday as well. But the pitchers “dropped the ball” in a 12 -7 loss to the Pirates, the team’s first loss in three games with Pittsburgh. Ace CC Sabathia, throwing mostly hard stuff, surrendered four runs and a team cycle to the first four Pirates hitters, with right fielder Garret Jones delivering the last three runs on a three-run shot into the two-year-old Tampa Tribune deck beyond George M. Steinbrenner Field’s right field wall. Continue reading A Southpaw Steps Forward
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It was hardly what any Yankee fan still reeling from what took place in October 2004 wanted to see. It didn’t help that Jimmy Rollins took Javy Vazquez’s first pitch over the George M. Steinbrenner Field wall in right field in front of a crowd swarming with Phillies fans. And Vazquez was pitching for a team that hadn’t won since its Spring opener five days ago. In that time the Yankees have been swamped by teams putting crooked numbers on the scoreboard, having been reached for a six-run inning once and two five-run onslaughts. Continue reading Wecome Back, Javy This was the advice from the very popular beer guy at Dunedin Stadium where we witnessed the Blue Jays host the Tigers Sunday afternoon. As it turned out, it was a wise move to blow off the three-hour trip to see the Yankees embarrassed by the Twins in Ft. Myers. It was on this day in 1857 that baseball decided that a game would constitute nine innings, not nine runs. Reverse that rule and two of the last three Yankee losses would have ended early. Continue reading Catch a Buzz Well, the weather in Tampa and the Yankee play continued heading in two different directions Saturday afternoon, as the home-standing pinstripers took it on the chin from the Blue Jays, 9-1. But although the offense continues to struggle, much of the day’s trouble can be tied to one unfortunate bullpen outing. Continue reading Waiting for Good Play
Pitchers and catchers report February 17, can we be far behind? We’re sticking to the greater Tampa Bay area, so we’re headed over to Dunedin on Sunday instead of taking the 2+ hour drive to see them play the Minnesota Twins at Hammond Stadium in Ft. Myers. Continue reading Spring Training 2010 Tampa, FL, March 7 — Chien-Ming Wang followed C.C. Sabathia’s strong Friday start with three solid innings Saturday afternoon as the Yanks work to get their starting five in order. Wang allowed a singleton home run among three hits, but he struck out two and looked like his old self while coaxing five ground ball outs in a 3-1 loss in a packed George M. Steinbrenner Field Continue reading Off Again Offense Tampa, FL, March 6 — Friday was the 110th anniversary of the day aspirin was patented, something C.C. Sabathia might have been interested in hearing once he witnessed the first inning his fielders handed him in his Yankee debut game vs. Detroit in George M. Steinbrenner Field. Ryan Raburn was overmatched on a four-pitch strike out and Placido Polano followed by lofting an opposite-field rainbow down the line in right. Continue reading A Successful C.C. Debut |
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I have to imagine that, like most sports figures who experienced success early in life, Joba Chamberlain must have a nice collection of memorabilia. For his sake, I hope it’s not calendar-based, because if it is, March 5 has to be shaping up as one of his least favorite days. A year ago, for instance, he started a game against an undermanned Team Canada from the World Baseball Classic. Five batters, four walks and 28 pitches in, Joe Girardi removed him with no one out in a six-run inning in a game where Canada held on to win 6-0. 
It was fitting that Thursday’s Yankees/Phillies contest in Clearwater saw the teams come up with just five hits and no runs between them through six innings, as the nine hurlers who carried the action to that point were led by Philly’s Roy “Doc” Hallday and CC Sabathia from the the Yankees, two of the very best pitchers in major league baseball. Home-standing Halladay, in particular, was midseason nasty, retiring six of seven batters around a Placido Polanco error on 22 pitches, with three strike outs and no walks, while throwing first-pitch strikes to every guy. 
Everyone seemed to be ready to settle into Opening Day at George M. Steinbrenner Field Wednesday afternoon quietly, feeling their way, making a mistake here and there, and zipping through a pitching-dominated game. The lowly Pirates were the visitors, with some interesting one-time Yankees in tow, and the crowd size was minimized by the 55-degree temps, a whipping wind and the all-too-intermittent burst of sun.