May 28, 2017, Bronx, N.Y.; Yankees 9, Oakland 5 — The Yankees wrapped up their current homestand by winning their fourth of six games, a 9-5 decision over the visiting A’s Sunday afternoon. It was a sloppy affair in which only eight of 14 runs scored were earned. Winner Michael Pineda surrendered a rare three walks, and gave back a run on his own error. But the 45,00 who attended this one will remember it for the first grand slam of right fielder Aaron Judge’s career, a drive that turned a 2-1 A’s lead on its head; it was Judge’s 16th homer of the year. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 29, 2017; Yankees 12, Baltimore 4 — It wasn’t excruciating exactly, but you might have thought so given the explosion of joy released when Aaron Judge finally sent his 10th 2017 home run over the wall in right center Saturday afternoon, increasing the Yankee lead over Baltimore to 12-2 in the seventh inning. After all, it came 160 minutes from the beginning of the game, and 19 hours after he stroked his ninth the night before. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 28, 2017; Yankees 14, Baltimore 11 — Quick turnaround before we’re back at the Stadium, so it would be foolish to attempt a blow-by-blow description of what transpired in the Bronx Friday night. Suffice it to say the Yankees fell way behind, staged a furious comeback, and walked off with an unlikely win. Why much of a crowd reported to be about 37,000, but that seemed actually bigger, stuck around despite the Yankees being down 9-1 in the sixth, and 11-4 in the seventh, is anyone’s guess. The team is playing very well, it features a group of young stars (or stars-to-be), and it was not only a Friday night, but a perfect one for baseball in a city where the nights (and days) have been dreary for some time. If they stayed because it was date night, or for the weather, they got quite a bonus. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 14, 2017; Yankees 4, St. Louis 3 — Already on something of a roll, the Yankees got a better start from staff ace Masahiro Tanaka Friday night, and their stellar bullpen pulled out another one-run win, 4-3 over the visiting Cardinals. Following a dreadful outing in Tampa, and an uneven one in Baltimore, Tanaka pitched very well for six innings after a bumpy first frame. Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 12, 2017; Yankees 8, Tampa 4 — If Yankee lefthander Jordan Montgomery, making his major league debut vs the Tampa Rays in the Bronx Wednesday afternoon, wanted some knowledge about what it would be like, he would have been well advised to look to the mound and the guy who opposed him, fellow southpaw Blake Snell. Almost exactly one year ago, Snell was making his debut as a visitor on the same mound. He pitched well, made one mistake in the first inning, and he failed to cash in a deserved win. Both young guys threw well enough to win today, though both would leave one out short of qualifying for the elusive “W.” Continue reading →

Bronx, N.Y., April 10, 2017; Yankees 8, Tampa 1 — “Big Mike” Pineda and Mother Nature collaborated in giving Yankee fans one of their best days in years, perhaps decades, Monday afternoon in the Bronx. The offense chipped in with three home runs, but Pineda was clearly the reason the team came away with an 8-1 victory in the home opener. Continue reading →

April 23, 2016; Bronx, N.Y.; Yankees 3, Rays 2 &#151 There was a point early in the 2015 season where the Yankees seemed to have found a recipe for success. They had stormed into contention largely on the strength of unexpected power from the middle of their order, but years of playoff disappointments in the early 2000s had shown that riding the home run to postseason success is a risky strategy. Continue reading →

September 27, 2015, Bronx, N.Y.; Yankees 6, White Sox 1 — I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the 6-1 Yankee win over the Stadium Sunday afternoon, the last home day game of the regular season, probably the last of the year 2015. It wasn’t just because my team won another must game, which they did. Or that rookie Luis Severino continued to impress with yet another dominant start, though he certainly did effectively control the Chicago lineup, shutting them out over six innings, allowing just five hits and a walk. Continue reading →

August 24, 2015, Bronx, N.Y.; Yankees 1, Astros 0 — If you attended the Monday night Yankee game hosting the Astros hoping to see signs of a resurgent offense, you had a tense, unsatisfying night, at least until the final moment when Brett Gardner scored the game’s lone run. But if a classic pitcher’s duel is more your cup of tea, you were in for a scintillating experience, and one tremendous ballgame. Continue reading →