Bronx, N.Y., June 17, 2015; Yankees 2, Marlins 1 — Well, the Yankees dropped a 2-1 decision to the Marlins in Miami on Monday in the first of two, and beat them 2-1 under the same scenario, this time in the Bronx, tonight. It makes me very eager to see tomorrow night’s 11-run explosion.
But seriously, there is not a lot to say about this Wednesday night win. On a pleasant evening, Yankee righthander Michael Pineda had fabulous stuff, and for one hour and 49 minutes, he had 44,000 fans in attendance, and millions at home, wondering if we would be seeing a no hitter. The early speculation was actually about a Perfecto, but Michael walked one batter each while striking out two in both the fourth and fifth innings. And although the Yankee defense has had highs and lows all season, the only play preserving matters to this point was a nice grab of former Yankee Ichiro Suzuki’s liner toward left by Didi Gregorius to end the third.
The borderline mellow watching experience was enhanced by the night’s main subplot, Alex Rodriguez’s unrelenting march to 3,000 hits, something perhaps not on the screen of fans in many cities, but a hot topic both in Miami and New York. Alex delivered the game’s first run with his 2,996th hit, a sharp single to center in the first, after going just 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter in the former city, the one he grew up in, Monday and Tuesday. Alex would reach base four times, and his second single would contribute to the rally that scored the game-deciding run, even if he was pegged out at home following Carlos Beltran’s rbi single in the fifth. But, more to the point, he had given Pineda and the home team rooters a lead in the first, so Michael could pound the zone with (some) abandon, and we could lustfully — if nervously — root him on.
Featuring 95 mph heat, mixed with a high eighties slider that had the Marlins bailing, Pineda was brilliant, striking out nine and collecting another nine outs on ground balls and popups. On the other hand, the fourth and fifth innings drove up his pitch count, and heaven only knows how Joe Girardi would have handled things had he carried his no-no into the eighth. He stood at 94 pitches (62 strikes, 15 of 23 on first-pitch strikes, and 14 swings and misses) entering the seventh, but Miami’s Christian Yelich drilled the next toss deep into the Yankee bullpen. As a detractor of the Beltran signing since day one, I offer the following: He made the slightest turn from his right field position when this ball was hit, while prospect center fielder Mason Williams sprinted toward the wall, appearing ready to run through it. While I love the passion, in this case, Carlos, with his two hits and an rbi, was right in deciding against the chase.
All-world home run hitter Giancarlo Stanton did follow with a drive to deep center, but what that does, more than anything else, is further solidify just how good Pineda was. When Williams grabbed this ball, it was the first contact the Yankee outfield had with a ball all night. One out later, Joe replaced Michael with Chasen Shreve, who closed the frame with a strike out of first baseman Justin Bour, but not before the proud Yankee righty was feted with a standing ovation from much of the appreciative crowd (even though they were apparently so bored with his shut-them-down pitching in the top of the sixth that they had gotten a wave going).
Girardi believes in resting his players and using the whole roster, an admirable trait in a manager with some aging players, but his decision to sit Mark Teixeira — please tell me Tex was just resting, and not hurt — in favor of Garret Jones at first could have been pivotal. Jones did go 0-for-3 with a walk in place of power-hitting Teixeira (though he was robbed of a two-run single when Bour speared his hotshot liner in the seventh), but it was Tex’s stellar defense that was needed. But Jones surprised many by running down and catching Marcell Ozuna’s foul pop way beyond first as Pineda’s last out in the seventh, and he caught Brian McCann’s rushed throw to close the frame when the ball got loose on Shreve’s strike out. In the eighth, he stood even taller.
Justin Wilson, “Willie” in Joe’s weird parlance as he named him setup man, had a bad eighth inning, walking the eighth-place hitter with one down and surrendering a hit to Ichiro that sent the tying run to third. (On this grounder, truth be told, Jones reacted slowly after holding the runner on — a play could have been made.) But backed into this corner, Girardi brought in Dellin Betances for the five-out save, and brought his infield corners in. Jones charged Dee Gordon’s 0-1 hopper and fired high to McCann at home. The reach (for the high throw), then sweeping tag elicited a “Safe” call, but it was overturned on replay, still 2-1, Yanks.
Getting two outs on three pitches, Betances survived the ninth, despite a single, then walk after two outs, and the victory was complete. Pineda picked a good night for his beaut, as on this day in 1880, Hall of Famer John Montgomery Ward, tossing for Providence, threw a Perfect Game at Buffalo. June 17 is also the birthday of Irishman John Robert Gregg, an educator famous for developing an early system of shorthand.
On Wednesday night, Michael Pineda pitched brilliantly, Alex Rodriguez drove in a key run while climbing to within three hits of 3,000, Garret Jones effectively filled in at first, and Dellin Betances cashed in a five-out save.
That’s the Long — and the Short — of It
BTW,TYW
YANKEE BASEBALL!!!