Baseball’s Savior

A Biased Look at the New York Yankees, the Greatest Franchise in the History of Sports

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September 29, 2005

Yankees Stay on Top

by @ 10:37 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

Damn you David Ortiz. This would have been a lot easier if the Red Sox had lost, but Fat Papi had to ruin things by not only tying the game with homer in the eighth, but winning it with a walk off RBI single in the ninth. Now all I hearabout is “Ortiz for MVP” when I can think of at least two Yankees who deserve the award more.

The Yankees took care of business. Aaron Small improved to 10-0 and the Yankees had a 6-0 lead at one point. Jason Giambi got things started early with a three run shot in the top of the first. Hideki Matsui also homered, his 22th.

In case you missed it, the Yankees travel to the shit box for a HUGE three game series. We’re up by one, and this first game tomorrow is huge. Wang is going up against a big game pitcher in David Wells and the game is on ESPN, so I’ll get to catch the game.

Advantage Yankees

by @ 6:23 am. Filed under 2005 Season

Thank you Shawn Chacon. He and the usual relief duo of Gordon/Rivera held the Orioles to one run on five hits and Alex Rodriguez homered for the 47th time as the Yankees topped the Orioles. The Red Sox dropped their game to the Blue Birds, so the Yankees now have a one game lead in the AL East. Four games, and the magic number is now four.

At worst, the Yankees will head into the shit box tied with the Red Sox. At best, we’re two games up and playing to clinch the division tomorrow. Aaron Small is on the mound tonight.

September 28, 2005

Keeping Things Interesting

by @ 12:49 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

Man, the Yankees got pummelled yesterday. Thankfully the Jays bailed us out and took one of their games against the Red Sox. Tonight, Shawn Chacon takes the mound. Doesn’t look like the game is going to be on ESPN, which is a drag.

Time to win.

September 27, 2005

Yankees Take Lead Over Red Sox in Sprint to the Finish Line

by @ 8:57 am. Filed under 2005 Season

A nice easy win last night. Randy Johnson was solid, and the offense showed up. Boston’s game was rained out so now they have to play two today. Heck, even the White Sox lost last night to the Tigers. Should be interesting final six days.

September 25, 2005

Yankees and Red Sox Enter Final Week of Season Dead Even

by @ 4:40 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

This is going to be a great week of baseball. The Yankees took two of three against the Blue Jays and the Red Sox swept the Orioles. The net result is the two teams enter their final seven games dead even, with a three game series at the end of the week to settle things up between the two rivals.

Shawn Chacon got the job done again on Friday. Eight shutout innings and only three hits given up. I was able to see the game on ESPN, which is always a treat for this out of towner. Derek Jeter and the red hot Robinson Cano homered. Alex Rodriguez was one for two with two walks and two runs. The Yankees did most of their damage in the opening inning by scoring four runs, so I could breathe easy and enjoy those big looping curveballs Chacon was throwing.

Yesterday was the one downer moment. For the third time this year, Jaret Wright was nailed on a comebacker. Wright tried sticking it out, but by the end of the second inning, the score was 7-3. Errors by Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano didn’t help matters and the two errors ultimately led to four unearned runs. Alex Rodriguez accounted for most of the Yankees offense as he went two for three with a homerun, three RBIs and two walks. Aaron Small threw great in his 6 2/3 innings of relief (four hits, no runs), but the Yankees couldn’t mount the comeback.

Today was a fun game as well. Chien-Ming Wang threw four no hit innings before the Jays finally got to him with three runs in the fifth. That gave the Jays a 3-2 lead and the score would stay that way until the bottom of the seventh. That’s when the rookie, Robinson Cano, came up huge with a two run shot to give the Yankees the lead. New York would add four in the eighth to seal the deal, and Gary Sheffield had a monster day with four RBIs.

Yesterday, the Yankees became only the third franchise to draw four million fans to it’s ballpark. Only the Blue Jays (1992 and 1993) and the Rockies (1993) had done it in the past. Truly an epic achievement and one more reason why the Yankees are the greatest franchise in the history of sports.

On deck are the struggling Orioles. They’ve lost four straight and Raffy and Sammy are both done so I’m expecting nothing short of a sweep as acceptable. The Blue Jays, who have played the Red Sox tough this year, head to the shit box to play four games there. A nice one or two game lead would be nice going into the weekend series, that way we can wrap things up Friday or Saturday.

I just checked and the Royals came from behind to beat the Indians. That means the second place team in the AL East (i.e. Red Sox) might be able to back into the playoffs via the wild card since we’re now only a half game back of the Tribe.

September 22, 2005

A Scare, But Still a Win

by @ 10:14 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

I’m not sure what it is with the Yankees and their ability to close out blowouts. Yeah, they won. But those four runs in the eighth inning and the solo shot by Melvin Mora in the top of the ninth sure made things interesting.

I’ll still take it though. Jorge Posada went yard twice and Mike Mussina pitched six very solid innings (he did even better then I would have expected). With the win, the Yankees are now a full game ahead of the Red Sox. Magic Number is now 10.

Three games against Toronto this weekend. A sweep and a perfect week would be nice. Boston travels to Baltimore, so it’d be nice if the Birds took out their frustrations on the Red Sox after the drubbing the Yanks gave them.

For the first time in a while, we control our own destiny. We need to take advantage of it.

Yankees Pass Red Sox, Now Lead in American League East

by @ 6:42 am. Filed under 2005 Season

All is right with the world. At least today. The Yankees, behind a strong outing by Randy Johnson, beat the Orioles and won their third straight game. The Red Sox lost to the Devil Rays, and the Yankees now lead the Red Sox in the American League East by a 1/2 game.

Randy Johnson gave up three hits through eight innings, and he pitched the way we’re paying him too. Mariano Rivera closed out the game and notched his 41st save.

Trading deadline pickup Matt Lawton came up with the big hit. His two run homer in the second inning accounted for all of the Yankees runs.

The Red Sox are now on the outside looking in. We have one more game against the Orioles which will balance out the schedule. A win tonight will put us a full game ahead in the East. Hopefully Mike Mussina is ready to come back and help our playoff run.

September 21, 2005

Yankees Top Orioles, Pick Up Game on Indians

by @ 8:18 am. Filed under 2005 Season

At this point, all the Yankees can do is win their games. If they do that, the rest should fall out. The Red Sox won last night, so we’re still a half game back of them. The Indians lost though, so we picked up a game and that deficit is also a half game.

Last night’s game was without it’s problems. The Yankees jumped out to a 9-3 lead, and that slowly evaporated. They needed the run in the fifth, but not neccesarily the two runs in the eighth, but this game was a lot closer then it needed to be.

Gary Sheffield came up huge. With an injured leg, he drove in six runs as the DH. He doubled and hit his 29th homer of the season.

The problem was the pitching. Aaron Small got roughed up in his five innings of work. The bullpen didn’t fare much better as Scott Proctor, Tom Gordan and Alan Embree were all tagged for runs. Sadly, the game got so close that Torre had to use Mariano Rivera.

Today, it’s Randy Johnson vs. who cares (actually it’s Rodrigo Lopez). Johnson has been pitching well down the stretch, and we need another shutout tonight. Mike Mussina makes his return tomorrow and he’ll probably be on a pitch count, so resting the pen is imperative.

September 20, 2005

Virtual Tie

by @ 6:51 am. Filed under 2005 Season

Thank you, Tampa Bay. The Red Sox lost and we won, so we’re not tied in the loss column (where it counts). The Indians won game one against the White Sox, so you could see Chicago in the wild card mix here as they free fall. Should be a very interesting final two weeks of the season.

September 18, 2005

Yankees Win Series of One Run Games Against Blue Birds

by @ 8:29 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

Earlier in the season, the Yankees dug themselves a nice hole. Now, they’re paying for it because they almost have to be perfect down the stretch to make the playoffs. Fortunately, we’re talking about the greatest franchise in the history of sports, so it’s well within their capabilities. The problem is, they just have to do it.

Today’s game is case in point. The Yankees had a six game winning streak, but right now, that’s not enough. Fortunately the Red Sox lost as well, so we’re still only one and a half back. The Indians didn’t lose, so we’re also 1 1/2 back of them. What’s interesting is the Red Sox are now tied with the Indians, so you have three teams chasing two playoff spots. If we’re able to pass the Red Sox, they might not have the Wild Card to fall back on. Same goes for us if we can’t take the AL East.

Today’s game was a tough one, both on the score board and on the field. Jaret Wright and Jason Giambi both left the game. Giambi we can live without because we usually don’t have a problem on offense (not that he won’t be missed). Jaret Wright is the tougher nut because we all know the Yankees are short on arms. We might be seeing Al Leiter back in the rotation.

And we lost. We were down early 5-2, and while we scored a run in each of the last three innings, it was the Jays insurance run in the eighth that really burned us. Jaret Wright may have walked away (in more ways the one) with the loss, but Tanyon Sturtze definitely gets an assist.

The other two weekend games were scary as well. On Friday, we jumped out to an 11-3 lead and it didn’t seem to matter that much that Randy Johnson got tossed. A few innings later, it was 11-10 and we were fighting for our lives. The back end of the pen (Strutze and Rivera) did their job, and we walked away with a win.

Yesterday, Shawn Chacon pitched the game of his life. Man, this guy must be glad to get out of Denver, because he’s been lights out at times for us. Nice trading deadline move. Anyway, he pitched eight shutout innings and gave up four hits, resting the pen in the process. Oddly, he only struck out one batter, and he didn’t have that great of a ground ball/fly ball ratio (8/14). Bernie Williams singled home Jorge Posada, and that’s all we’d need.

Now we head home to play the Orioles in a four game series. Three of four is mandatory. Splits don’t cut it, because we have only two weeks left. Cleveland squares off against the struggling White Sox in Chicago for three. Boston goes to Tampa Bay. Maybe Tampa can help us out after all the damage they’ve caused us this year.

September 16, 2005

Bring Out the Brooms, Yankees Sweep Devil Rays

by @ 9:35 am. Filed under 2005 Season

Things are the way they’re supposed to be. The mighty Yankees, the greatest franchise in the history of any sport, beat up on one of the newest and least prolific franchises. All is right with the world (almost) as the Yankees got out the brooms and swept the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

I think Tuesday was a culimination of the frustrations that the Yankees have had with Tampa this year. They simply destroyed the Devil Rays. Five runs in each of the first two innings completely ripped this game open. To add insult to injury, the Yanks racked up seven more runs in the sixth inning. In all they ended the game with twenty hits. Jason Giambi hit his 30th homerun and drove in five runs while Hideki Matsui went four for four with four RBIs. Jorge Posada, who appears to be fine after the collision last weekend, drove in four runs as well.
Lost in the offensive onslaught was a very nice outing by Jaret Wright. He gave up five hits through seven innings of work. He did strike out four, but he walked four as well.

Wednesday was a little tighter. As I predicted on Sunday, Derek Jeter came through in a big way. With the score tied 4-4 through six innings, Derek Jeter came through with a clutch two run single to put the Yankees in front for good. Chien-Ming Wang walked away with the win despite getting roughed up in his second start since coming off the disabled list. Hideki Matsui had another nice game as he went two for four with two doubles and two runs.

Yesterday’s game had it’s suspense as well. The Devil Rays jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but the Yanks rallied for six runs in the top of the sixth. The big hit of the inning was Robinson Cano’s grand slam. He finished the game three for five with three runs and five RBIs. Aaron Small, despite a subpar outing, improved to 8-0 and Mariano Rivera notched his 39th save of the season.

The Yankees are now 1 1/2 back of the Red Sox (only one back in the loss column). Baseball Prospectus is now giving us (or their analysis is at least) a 31% chance of taking the division and nearly a 50% chane of making the playoffs. This is up substantially since before the sweep (and it’s even better since we took two of three from the Red Sox). We’re in a virtual tie with the Indians for the Wild Card (1 game back in the win column, tied in the loss column). The Blue Jays are on deck, and I’m expecting another sweep. This weekend’s hero will be Alex Rodriguez as he cements his chances for a second AL MVP.

September 11, 2005

Twins Lay Egg

by @ 9:54 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

Well, so much for the Twins helping us out.

One thing I missed is the A’s and Indians square off this week. While it means one of them will have to win, it also means the other will have to win. Should be interesting to see how it plays out. For now, I’m rooting for the A’s.

Of course if we take care of business against Tampa Bay, then it shouldn’t matter. I’m going to make a prediction and say that Derek Jeter is going to have a huge series.

Randy Johnson, The Man

by @ 5:27 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

He may have just turned 42 yesterday, but Randy Johnson proved he can still pitch. And his timing couldn’t have been better as he and the usual Gordon/Rivera combo combined to hold the Red Sox to three hits. The Unit went seven innings and gave up uno hit and he struck out eight in a good old pitching dual. Tim Wakefield had his whiffleball going as he also gave up only three hits. Unfortunately for him, one of those was a solo shot by Jason Giambi in the first inning.

I wonder if Giambi will get some votes for MVP?? Probably a few but not as many as he deserves because he’s overshadowed by A-Rod. He’s put together a solid season when nobody really expected much from him though. That .445 OPB is pretty impressive (unless you’re comparing it to some guy named Bonds).

Friday’s game was also nice. It started out as a back and forth affair, but the Red Sox crappy fielding caught up with them. Edgar Rentaria’s throw right into the ground in front of him was priceless. I liked David Wells, when he was a Yankee, and it’s nice to see he’s no longer lights out at Yankee Stadium anymore. A-Rod hit his 41st homer and Matsui and Jeter connected on a nice relay to gun down Jason Varitek at the plate. Unfortunately, Jorge Posada has been out since then because of it.

Yesterday was the downer and it was on Fox’s game of the week. Curt Schilling shut us down and the Red Sox jumped all over Shawn Chacon. Giambi homered (so today’s was his second straight day with one) and Bernie Williams had an RBI single.

The Indians play tonight and they’re riding a six game winning streak. Hopefully the Twins can cut them down tonight. I hate to say it, but the Indians are on ESPN tonight, and I’m actually interested. I think it’s a first. We’re three back of the Red Sox so the division title is still within reach. Oakland lost, so that gives us a little bit of breathing room seeing as how they tied us this weekend.

The next two weeks are huge, and we play some bad and/or mediocre teams. This week we have to get revenge against the D-Rays. Then we have six against the Blue Jays and eight against the Orioles (who have been about as bad as you can get in the second half). All that leads into a three game season ending series in the shit box against the Red Sox.

I like our chances.

September 9, 2005

Damn You Tampa Bay

by @ 10:36 am. Filed under 2005 Season

I’m so distraught right now, I don’t even want to write about this last series. A late inning comeback on Wednesday is all we got to avoid a friggin sweep against one of the worst teams. On top of that, we’re no longer in front for the Wild Card because they Tigers can’t score (losers).

They can make up for it with a sweep over Boston this weekend. Fortunately we’re not playing in the shitbox. Not that Yankees Stadium is a friendly confine seeing how Tampa came in here and walked all over us.

Check back this weekend. Hopefully I have something good to write about.

September 5, 2005

Breathing Room

by @ 9:19 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

Not a bad weekend series considering how things started off. While things are hardly locked up, anytime you can give yourself a little bit of a cushion when you’ve been playing so tight for so long, you have to feel good about it.

Friday was a disaster and it’s not worth mentioning. We lost, that’s all you need to know.

Saturday was a different story. Aaron Small got the start and made the best of things by pitching his first career complete game shutout. He improved to 6-0 and he gave up only four singles and a double. Jason Giambi had a three run homer and Alex Rodriguez went three for three with two RBIs.

Yesterday was just as good. Shawn Chacon pitched a good game, and the Yanks once again rung up seven runs. Derek Jeter and Mark Bellhorn (who we stole last week from the Red Sox when they designated him for assignment) went yard.

Tomorrow we start a three game series against the Devil Rays. This is probably the most important series we’ve ever had against them, and we’ve struggled against Tampa. A three game sweep would exorcise those demons, so I think that’s in order. Then it’s a huge three game series against the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.

Speaking of the Red Sox, they lost to the other Sox today so we’re three games back. We’re a game and a half (two games in the loss column) ahead of both the A’s and the Indians for the Wild Card spot. Needless to say, the Yankees have to keep on winning. I think they’re up for the task.

September 1, 2005

Splits Aren’t Good Enough

by @ 9:42 pm. Filed under 2005 Season

Sigh.

Seattle is one of the worst teams in the American League. We need to win. This was an ideal situation and instead, we walked away with a 2-2 split. Definitely a disappointment.

Monday was nice. Jason Giambi followed up a terrific Sunday with two more homeruns and four RBIs. Alex Rodriguez homered for the 39th time this season and newcomer Matt Lawton even got in on the action with his first homerun in pinstripes.

Mike Mussina was shelled and only pitched three innings, but Aaron Small saved the day and improved to 5-0 on the season. Gordon and Rivera did their typical eighth/ninth routine and the Yankees walked away with a win. No problem.

No problem, except they lost on Tuesday. Shawn Chacon was simply beat up. By the end of third, the Mariners had an 8-2 lead. Joe Torre did get six innings out of Chacon, so at least he didn’t tax the pen. Alex Rodriguez nailed his 40th homer, but it was all for naught.

Yesterday was “The Matchup.” 41 year old, five time Cy Young winner Randy Johnson went head to head with 19 year old phenom and potential future Cy Young Felix Hernandez. The Yankees only managed five hits, but one of those was a Robinson Cano solo homer, and the other was a Gary Sheffield solo shot. Randy Johnson rose to the occasion and only gave up three hits in seven innings.

What lost us the game this afternoon was the line drive that nailed Jaret Wright. He was throwing a fine game before the injury, but the pen was then knocked around. Relievers Tanyon Sturtze, Alan Embree and Ramiro Mendoza all gave up at least one run, and the Yankees first inning lead didn’t have a chance of standing.

The Red Sox appear to be ready to beat the Devil Rays, so we’ll be four games back of the Red Sox in the lost column. Not insurmountable, but certainly not desirable. If the Angels win, they’ll be tied with the Yankees for the Wild Card. The Angels and Oakland will be tied for the AL West.

Oakland is on deck and this series has some major playoff implications. Sunday’s game is on ESPN, so I’ll be glued to the TV.

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