Lakeland and Tampa, Fla., March 1, 2019; Mets 7, Tigers 1 and Baltimore 2, Yankees 2 — A lovely day, a lovely evening, and 15 innings of Spring Training baseball. We ended up in Tampa where the Yankees and the visiting Orioles played to a 2-2 tie, but not before watching the first six innings of the Mets 7-1 win over the Tigers. Of note from Lakeland was a solid outing from reigning NL Cy Young Jacob deGrom (three innings, four strike outs, one hit), the sloppy Detroit pitching (three wild pitches in a five-pitch stretch in the second), and two singleton home runs from the visiting team, its lone resemblance to the night game in Tampa that would follow. Continue reading
Author Archives: Dan McCourt
Good Day, Sunshine!
Tampa, Fla., February 28, 2019; Yankees 8, Pittsburgh 6 — The annual search for the perfect day to attend a Spring Training game in Tampa has been suspended, because it arrived today, Thursday afternoon. J.A. Happ got the start against the visiting Pirates, and the teams scored seemingly at will early, with the Yankee end-of-game replacements eventually pulling out an exciting 8-6 victory. Continue reading
You Win Some, You Lose Some…
Lakeland, Fla., February 27, 2019; Detroit 10, Yankees 4 — Dat’s it, I’m afraid; the eventual rain that delayed, then ended, Wednesday’s Yankee game vs the Tigers interrupted D.J. LeMahieu’s leadoff at bat in the top of sixth, not the fifth. Off a day of driving rain, dazzling morning sunny skies and 80-degree temps gradually devolved into a partly cloudy day, then a sky totally blanketed in clouds. Continue reading
That’ll Be the Day
Tampa, Fla., February 25, 2019; Yankees 3, Toronto 0 — While all of Tampa breathed a sigh of relief that Monday, despite early clouds, developed into a gorgeous mid-70s sunny day, coming off a string of hot, humid ones, speaking for myself, I would have been OK being cooked a little on my first day South. And I was certainly happy that the feared Tuesday raindrops were not in evidence. But more to the point, most in attendance were pleased that Yankee pitching dominated on a perfect day, and the Bombers cashed in a 3-0 home opening win over the Blue Jays. Continue reading
Knockout Punch
Bronx, N.Y., September 1, 2018; Yankees 2, Detroit 1 — Masahiro Tanaka tossed a beauty in a 2-1 win over Detroit in the Bronx Saturday, one that could have been a shutout but for some early bad luck, or a loss if he didn’t make a dazzling escape from a dangerous seventh inning late. This was done in front of a big crowd in pleasant temps, though not under sunny skies. Continue reading
Bronxian Rhapsody
Bronx, N.Y., August 19, 2018; Yankees 10, Toronto 2 — The Yankees literally drove the Blue Jays from the Bronx Sunday afternoon with a 10-2 thrashing, built largely on a six-run first, with struggling first sacker Greg Bird punctuating the frame with a no-doubt-about-it grand slam 10 feet or so inside the right field foul pole. Continue reading
Yankees “Hammer” Jays
Bronx, N.Y., August 18, 2018; Yankees 11, Toronto 6 — Following two straight games where the Yanks fell behind by multiple runs in the first inning (one loss, one win), Luis Severino and his mates took no prisoners Saturday afternoon in sweltering Yankee Stadium, pounding their way to an 8-0 lead by scoring in each of the first five innings. Didi Gregorius got the place rocking with a two-run first-inning jolt, and the rout was on. Continue reading
Lords of the Flies
Bronx, N.Y., August 12, 2018; Yankees 7, Texas 2 — It’s a habit I could learn to like. For the second straight day Yankee power hitter Giancarlo Stanton drilled a first-inning home run to give the Yanks an early 1-0 lead. It felt like it eased the burden on CC Sabathia, who, despite throwing six shutout innings with seven strike outs and just one hit, labored in this one early. Continue reading
Timeline Tightrope
Bronx, N.Y., August 11, 2018; Yankees 5, Texas 3 — This is a timeline of an ugly, tense, terrifying, but ultimately terrific, day. I entered Yankee Stadium at noon despite rain prediction percentages hovering near the exit velocity of an Aaron Judge-struck ball. The infield was covered, but the grounds crew removed it, smoothing the dirt and laying the foul lines in time for a 1:10 Lance Lynn first pitch. Continue reading
Oh HAPPy Day
Bronx, N.Y., July 29, 2018; Yankees 6, Kansas City 3 — Yankee land was abuzz Sunday afternoon when newly acquired lefty J.A. Happ took the mound in the Stadium to face the Kansas City Royals in the last of a four-game set. Things started well, as he coaxed the first two of his eight ground ball outs to start the first. But things took a momentary turn when DH Salvador Perez — a thorn in the Yankees’ side all weekend — lined a 1-0 pitch into left field for a one-base hit. Had shortstop Didi Gregorius timed his jump better, he may have snagged it, but this was a clean single, the first hit Happ surrendered in pinstripes. But fear not; the next Kansas City hit led off the sixth inning. Continue reading