June 18, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – Only the most tentative of Yankee fans were feeling the heat early in their Monday night battle with the Braves in Yankee Stadium. Coming off nine straight wins and 14 quality starts in 15 games, ace CC Sabathia and the Bombers were not only behind Mike Minor and Atlanta 2-0 halfway through; they were being no-hit by the young lefty. Although CC had collected his eighth win in this same match up six days earlier in Georgia, he had struggled early, and Minor left that game up 4-0. Continue reading →

June 10, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – The storyline on game three between the Mets and the Yankees in Yankee Stadium was not the final score (5-4), or even that it was won by the home-standing Yankees for the three-game sweep. Unlike the domination the Bombers displayed Friday night, or even the one-run (for most of the game) slog on Saturday night, where the visiting Mets had the lead for all of five outs in the fifth inning; on Sunday the Mets took control of the game with a three-run second-inning rally behind an effective Jon Neise, and held it for five frames. Continue reading →

June 9, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – If there is a lesson issuing from the 4-2 Yankee victory over the Mets in the Stadium Saturday night (aside from “What? We have to prove ourselves against these guys again?), it might be that it’s time to stop obsessing about the unbelievably bad record the Yanks have batting with the bases loaded, and except our “homer-ness.” It hasn’t been that consistent failures with the bases packed look bad, or that thiis phenomenon leads to play that can be described as inelegant. It has simply been a concern whether or not the team can win that way. Continue reading →

June 6, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – You had to admire the way Alex Cobb of the Rays and Ivan Nova of the Yanks went about their work Wednesday night. Nova came right at Tampa batters, with 14 first-pitch strikes to the first 18 Rays, and throwing 69 of his 103 pitches for strikes. Cobb performed similarly, finding the zone on nine of 12 first pitches to start, and 16 of 26 overall; his strikes/balls ratio was 68/37. Continue reading →

June 5, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – Nothing went right for James Shields and the Tampa Bay Rays in Yankee Stadium Tuesday night, a game in which they were shut out, 7-0. They scored no runs, struck out 10 times and, before Freddy Garcia came on to get the last five outs in mop-up capacity, their offense produced two singles, a number their defense “topped” with three errors. Continue reading →

May 23, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – Finally, the Yanks got to play a game Wednesday night where life itself, seemingly, did not hinge on how they would perform at the plate with no one out and the bases loaded. With the superb Andy Pettitte going seven-plus innings, and two long balls by Alex Rodriguez and one by Curtis Granderson, the Yanks had a 5-0 lead after three, and coasted to the 8-3 win from there. Continue reading →

May 22, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – I was a little puzzled watching a group of Yankees warm up in short left field before Tuesday night’s game with Kansas City. Derek Jeter sprinted toward center field, as Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson were making their way back, and then Swish did a funky high-five with Robinson Cano, who was just then joining the group. Mark Teixeira did stretches down the line. Here I was, tied up in knots, sleep-deprived, and near frantic over whether the team would score enough, or at all, in the coming game, and the players were, to all appearances, loose and free, and enjoying their evening’s work. Continue reading →

May 18, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – You had to wonder if Andy Pettitte’s approach to Friday night’s start vs. Cincinnati in Yankee Stadium was altered four pitches in. Following a swinging strike out, error and sac bunt, he faced a go-ahead Reds run 90 feet from home plate. While it’s true that Pettitte left the team to rest and prep for this game before last night’s 4-1 loss in Toronto, he has to be aware that the Yankees currently are doing just about anything they can not to score. Continue reading →

May 12, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – I had the strange experience when recording the starting pitcher numbers in the eighth inning Saturday afternoon that I was confusing the teams. It was a gorgeous day in the Bronx, with every one of almost 44,000 present primed to celebrate both Yogi Berra’s 87th birthday, and a Yankee win. There was cake at home, where Ron Guidry drove Yogi, and Jennifer Steinbrenner and Derek Jeter joined them at the plate to offer best wishes. Continue reading →

May 11, 2012, Bronx, N.Y. – The only two uncomfortable moments for a Yankee fan during the Bombers/Seattle Friday night contest in Yankee Stadium under surprisingly super-pleasant conditions are easy to identify. They were the two singleton home runs against pinstriped hurler Hiroki Kuroda for all the Mariners runs in the 6-2 Yankee win. Continue reading →