With seats far removed from home plate and the action, fans in the left field corner grandstand established that they knew what the difference in this game would be, hard-throwing righty Phil HUUUUUUUGHES.
Promise Philphulled
Author Archives: Dan McCourt
Ichi-2 in a–Ro
August 19, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – The Yankees cashed in their second straight series win while concluding their seven-game homestand Sunday night with a 4-1 victory over the Red Sox in the ESPN Sunday night game, the second time in three weeks Yankee fans have been “thrilled” to spend a late Sunday night in the Bronx. A home team win this time around notwithstanding, however, locals could be forgiven for having visions of the major league scheduling department filled with images of monkeys and dart boards. Continue reading
Fast Times in the Bronx
Confession time: Down one run, I was hoping Derek Jeter would work a walk. Instead he made a little more history, and tied the game while he was at it.
Surviving Scoreboard Sabotage
August 15, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – It’s not rare that a fan’s mood undergoes a sudden change during a baseball game, but it’s usually directly attributable to something that has taken place on the field of play. I was weary from the 100-minute rain delay Wednesday night, but with wins in two straight vs. Texas, the Yanks had just taken a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third, and I was psyched. Continue reading
Defending the Turf
August 14, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – The Yankees assured themselves of no worse than a split of their four-gamer hosting the Texas Rangers Tuesday with a 3-0 win, but you would have had to forgive Hiroki Kuroda if he doubted the runs would come, given his 1-0 loss to Felix Hernandez and the Mariners in Yankee Stadium nine days ago. The crafty righthander had a mesmerizing slider all night, and teased 44,000-plus with a no-hit bid for much of the game, but early on he missed a few too many times with his fastball, while his teammates were doing everything but scoring against Texas ace Matt Harrison. Continue reading
Lowe Down on a Big Win
August 13, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – It would have been easy to hype the first of four games between the two-time AL Champion Texas Rangers and the most successful franchise in the game in Yankee Stadium Monday night, but the record took care of that. Texas had the best record in the league by half a game to start, and the Yanks had the same lead at the end. Continue reading
My New BFF?
Me and my new bff. Alex was engaging and receptive. I was astounded.
Head of the Class
August 3, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – Granting that the Seattle Mariners will not be found on any encyclopedia page discussing a “juggernaut,” you still had to be impressed with the statement game CC Sabathia threw in a 6-3 victory in the Bronx Friday night. Perhaps the best way to put into perspective the walk and home run in the ninth inning that made the score seem competitive is to reveal that the hefty southpaw hadn’t once to that point gone to a three-ball count, that the long ball was just the third hit, and that he had faced just two over the minimum 24 batters through eight innings. Continue reading
Tinker to Evers … or Else
As Ichiro Suzuki took the Yankee Stadium field for the first time wearing pinstripes Friday night, he seemed composed, but the crowd was certainly buzzing. He would score two runs, with a hit, a solid first effort.
Jones Beans Cecil
Bronx, N.Y., July 17, 2012 – I had to scratch my head a bit once Blue Jays southpaw Brett Cecil delivered his first pitch in Yankee Stadium Tuesday night. Posted as “Changeup, 83 mph,” it has always intrigued me when a pitcher starts his night’s work with a change. By definition, the pitch is supposed to fool batters by being a “change” from what they would expect. But if your first pitch is a change, it’s a change from what? Continue reading