Results tagged ‘ Phil Hughes ’
World Series Games 3 & 4: Haya Doin’?!
‘I can feel it comin’ in the air tonight, oh Lord;
& I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord… oh Lord’
Anyway, prior to game three, the series was tied at 1 apiece. After Games 3 and 4, however, our boys in blue have taken a commanding (but still not quite cemented) 3-1 lead. Game 5 is tonight, AJ Burnett on the mound against Cliff Lee. We do face a bit of a conundrum, however. Winning the game against Cliff Lee would be ever so sweet, but losing it would allow for the return to the motherland to win #27 in front of the home crowd. I’m not saying they should lose on purpose – that would be blasphemous – but I’m saying it won’t be too much of a big deal if they did lose tonight… especially since Cliff Lee is on the mound and he basically put us in our place his last time out.
Enough about tonight though, this entry is to go back over the dealings of the past two games. Halloween night, I’m at my friend’s house with a bunch of other friends. Luckily, he has a massive TV in his basement and we got to watch the glory.
Andy Pettitte went 6 innings, gave up 5 hits and 4 runs, but struck out 7. That may look like a bit of a crappy line, but we were fortunate enough to have the offense show up and contend in this game – including some from ol’ Southern Comfort himself! YOU GO ANDY! Cole Hamels was on the receiving end of most of that offense and was knocked out after only pitching 4-and-a-third. Johnny Damon is keeping himself awake in this World Series. He had himself 2 RBIs. Alex Rodriguez had 2 RBI as well, courtesy of a homer that had to be reviewed. That was definitely a huge, HUGE turning point in that game. That cut the Phillies’ lead to 3-2. The fifth inning was the biggie inning – 3 runs scored, putting us up 5-3. We never gave the lead back after that. Nick Swisher, who had a great night offense wise – had a solo shot in the 6th. Looks like that stance change was a pretty good idea. Pinch hitter Hideki Matsui got a shot as well despite playing at CBP, and hit a solo shot in the 8th. The Phillies managed another run in the 6th off Pettitte, but Joba Chamberlain and Damaso Marte stopped that from continuing. However, the Phillies did get another run in the bottom of the 9th [wtf, Phil Hughes?], but Mariano Rivera came in and shut ish down. 8-5 win, 2-1 lead.
CC Sabathia pitched last night, and was considerably better than he was in Game 1. He faced Joe Blanton, who apparently isn’t as terrible as we all thought he’d be. He pitched rather well considering his reputation. CC went 6-and-two-thirds and gave up three runs. Blanton went 6 and gave up four.
Again, the offense was in attendance and was the big contributing factor, as per the usual. We have the first five guys in the lineup to thank for that. Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon [making a complete and utter mockery of the Phillies' infield by stealing two bases in one artfully beautiful play], Mark Teixeira, and Alex Rodriguez [yeah, hit him again and see what happens, I #@$%IN' DARE YA!] each had an RBI apiece, and Jorge Posada came through with 3. Big doin’s at Citizens Bank Park last night. What a way to pump people up, let me tell you. I was shaking [partly because of how big it was, and partly because the friggin' umps were thisclose to giving me an ulcer or two, or twenty]. But no matter, all that matters is that we are ONE WIN AWAY FROM WINNING IT ALL. ONE. WIN. AWAY. FROM. #27. LET’S DO THISSSSS!!!!!
AJ is gonna be big tonight. He needs to pitch like he did the other day. NEEDS to. I will be honest though, I won’t be completely heartbroken if things don’t work out. I really like – no, love – the idea of winning a World Series [after 9 years of waiting] in New York… especially in the new Stadium. It would make the accomplishment that much sweeter. But, of course, I will take this however it wants to come. It will be completely euphoric no matter where it happens, and I cannot wait until then!
World Series Games 1 & 2: Freaky Wednesday/Thursday
let me see what spring is like on Jupiter & Mars’
The World freakin’ Series. Hard to believe we’ve already had two games. Also hard to believe that CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett had a Freaky Friday-but-really-Wednesday-Thursday moment (more on that soon). To sum it up, the series is tied 1-1, and our boys are now in Philly awaiting tonight’s Game 3 start at Citizens Bank Park. Andy Pettitte, our own version of Southern Comfort, will be on the mound to face Cole Hamels. Now, it is Halloween, and I will be out at a friend’s house, but luckily a TV will be available. No need to fear, folks. I will be watching this game, no. matter. what. =)
Now, back to the CC and AJ situ. CC pitched game 1, and he pitched pretty well. He wasn’t his usual stellar self, but it certainly would’ve been enough to get by if not for our lapsing offense. Clearly, they decided not to show up on Wednesday [sigh]. I was quite close to throwing something large and lamp-shaped into my TV, but I refrained. I remembered that we need to keep TPPT™ and GoodKarma™ on our side for this entire series. It was one game out of a possible seven. We had time. We were more than capable of coming back in the end. Okay, by “the end” I was hoping “the end of this game,” but we all know that didn’t happen. The fact that Phil Hughes did his best impression of a choke artist plus the fact that Brian Bruney is, well, Brian Bruney, left us in a 6-0 hole. The final was 6-1. Yuck.
I know I said our offense was slacking, which it was, but I must give credit where credit is due. Cliff Lee basically spanked us and put us in time-out like we were disobedient children (more on this momentarily). He’s good. Too good. I’m not gonna knock the guy for his talent. He was just better Wednesday night. Props to him. [facepalm]
Lucky for us, Thursday night was alright for fightin’. AJ freakin’ Burnett was in. the. building. Wheelin’ & dealin’ some filthy-nasty pitches. It was artful, a beautiful sight to behold [in more ways than one ]. Seven strong innings, four hits, one earned run, and nine K’s. He Hulkified and basically turned the tables on the Phillies. Throw in some Mariano Rivera for the two-out save and some Pedro Martinez for the LOSS, and we are good to go. It was like a spa day. So relaxing.
I was looking through pictures from this game, and I swear I’ve never seen so many of Derek Jeter completely pumped up. It seemed like every other click led to a fist pump and a mouthing of something along the lines of “YEAAAAAH!!!” Just an interesting tidbit I thought I’d share, but I digress.
The final of this game was only 3-1, but those 3 were a huuge 3, clearly. Some Texual Healin’ courtesy of Mark Teixeira and a Godzilla impression courtesy of Hideki Matsui confirmed the paternity test. The Yankees are, in fact, Pedro’s daddy. It was our turn to spank him and put him in time-out, fershure! Tack on another run courtesy of Brett “The Jett” Gardner [running for Jerry Hairston, Jr., who had a base knock] brought in by Jorge Posada, and we have Game 2 in the bag. Good stuff, good stuff.
To rewind for a second… In all honesty, I wasn’t that impressed with the Jay-Z/Alicia Keys performance. I actually listened to the song itself, and it’s kinda dumb, I can’t lie. The chorus doesn’t even rhyme. If Billy Joel was there playing “New York State of Mind,” it would’ve been better. Hands down. And what was Alicia wearing? Honestly? Whatever. It’s over. Hopefully it never happens again. Sorry to those who think H-to-the-Izzoh, V-to-the-Izzay is the Second Coming (but not really). =)
So, of course we’re expecting big things from our favorite Southpaw tonight. I have faith in him. He’s Andy Pettitte. If anyone can do this, it’s him. He’s got the bling to show for it. We have got this series, no matter what anybody says. We have GOT this. LET’S GO, YANKEES! *CLAP, CLAP, CLAPCLAPCLAP!*
ALCS Games 4 & 5: Myocardial Infarction, FTW.
‘Workin’ like a dog for the boss man, workin’ for the company;
I’m bettin’ on the dice I’m tossin’, I’m gonna have a fantasy.’
I don’t know how much more of this I can handle. First we get spoiled beyond the point of recovery in game 4, then Game 5 happens and basically AK-47′s our hopes for the night. Now that is clearly not cool.
This will be relatively short, because yesterday’s game nearly killed me and I think I’d have a traumatic experience if I have to relive it. However, I’m more than happy to talk about Game 4. =)
CC muh-flippin’ Sabathia. DOMINANT. There are not enough positive adjectives in the English language to desribe this beast of a man. He’s spectacular, stupendous, marvelous, et cetera, et cetera. Redundance is completely necessary. Let the broken records play. I’ll be singing this guy’s praises until I kick the bucket. He is epic. He is god-like. He is quite possibly the Second Coming.
Offense: <33333 Could you come into my life [well, all our lives] more often please?! You hardly call or give me [us] nice things anymore… I felt like we were drifting slowly apart, it was almost too painful to bear… Okay, dramatic monologue over. Seriously, though. Scott Kazmir may as well have been hit by a Mac truck. Same goes for Matt Palmer. Poor chumps, they had no idea it was coming. Just see for yourself…
Melky El Lechito Cabrera? Beastin’. Alexander The Great Rodriguez? Beastin’ even more. Johnny J-Dames Damon? ‘Bout time you woke your a$s up! A beautiful, beautiful 10-1 win over LAAAAAAAAAA? Priceless. There really are some things money can’t buy. Gratification, for the win. ;D
Sure, they basically butt-plugged the Angels in this game. That was all well and good. Last night, they’re on the verge of a monumental comeback and FAIL miserably. Oh Phil Hughes. Oh, Nick Swisher. Oh, everybody. Where were you last night? Maybe these off days are too much. At least it’s back to the homeland for Game 6, which will hopefully be the last for LAAAAAAAAAA. I’m sick of them. Having a holy object as a mascot is just cruel. Nepitism, I tell you! [shakes fist at sky] But that’s besides the point. Tomorrow, the Angels will be flying back to SoCal or Heaven, but preferably Hell… [or wherever the hell they habituate] and staying there until next season. MARK MY WORDS.
In other news, the Phillies beat the Dodgers in their series 4-1 and will be the opponent for the World Series. C’mon Yanks, GET WITH IT SO WE CAN SEND THESE GUYS PACKIN’ TOO! =) TPPT™ & GoodKarma™ be with us, y’all!
ALDS Game 3: Game, Set, SWEEP
‘Let ‘em see me, hi hater; pull off easy, bye hater
You don’t like me, why hater? Won’tcha tell ‘em how mad I make ya?’
Who would’ve thought that a matchup between Carl friggin’ Pavano and Andy Pettitte would be a pitchers’ duel for a good percentage of the time? Not me, that’s for sure. I was so sure Pavano would collapse under the pressure and be carted off the field on a stretcher with another fake injury. No, on the contrary, he went ahead and said ‘suck it, NY’ to everyone who ever doubted him. Well, he did for the first 6 innings of the game, at least. =)
Andy went toe-to-toe with Pavano, matching his every move through the first 5 frames. He did give up an RBI single to Joe Mauer in the 6th, but that was all to be had for the Twinkies. He pitched to Jason Kubel in the 7th and was relieved for Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, and Mariano Rivera, the latter two having gotten over whatever heebie-jeebies they were suffering from previously. The pitching certainly has been the story of this ALDS, all three Yankee starters only allowing 1 earned run in each of their respective starts this series. And the bullpen is, well, the bullpen. Not just any bullpen, though… THE bullpen.
When all of us out there in Yankees Universe thought Carl Pavano was actually gonna do something useful with his life, we were avenged. Alex friggin’ Rodriguez came to bat in the 7th inning and knocked a solo shot over the football seats in right field of the Metrodome [RIP]. Now you understand why the aforementioned song is his theme? Good. I’m glad we cleared that up. A couple of outs later, Jorge Posada, aka JoPo Fa-Sho-Sho, put us on top (ba dum, ch!) with another shot to left this time, barely making it over the wall and leaping try of Delmon Young. Just like that, we were up 2-1, and Pavano was in line for the loss. [celebratory dance]
Of course, all of us fans out there were looking for insurance, and we got it. Ninth inning, three straight walks from three different Twins pitchers. Joe Nathan to the mound, and… cue the fail. JoPo knocked a single and Robbie Cano followed suit, giving us another two runs. Cue Mo for the 4-out save, and FIN. Game ovah! ALDS ovah! ALCS here we [bleep]in’ come!
Speaking of Alex Rodriguez and his haters, I think they’re all fit to
be gagged after the series numbers he put up. 5-11 with 6 RBI. He
should have done as they do in Minnesota and sent the Metrodome out with some class. But hey, that’s just my opinion. Just kidding. That would’ve just been silly.
See where TPPT
™ & GoodKarma
™ get you? They get you a friggin’ Division Series Championship and some bottles to pop. Now we need them more than ever, especially with the Hellish Halos
™ coming to town on Friday. FRIDAY?! A YANKEE-LESS FOUR DAYS?! I DON’T KNOW IF I CAN TAKE THIS! But I must – WE must. I guess it’s good practice for when the season’s over… [slaps self] …sorry. We’ll not speak of such nonsense. We all know baseball season never ends! [nervous laugh] … I guess we’ll just have to live with National League doin’s until then. The Phillies are up 2-1 in their series against the Rockies – the only really competitive series. All three LCS contenders that have already been decided have become so via the sweep [cough CHOKE SOX cough]. How boring. (SIIIIIKE) Game 4 of that series is tonight at 6:00. I might just watch some of it to get my baseball fix. Until we meet again, bloggers!
ALDS Game 2: Bite My Lip & Close My Eyes
‘Johnny, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard,
’cause hell’s broke loose in Georgia and the devil deals the cards.’
No, really, like DAYUM.
I don’t know how much more my little 18-[but 19 in four days, wooooop!] year-old heart can take of this stress! I mean, it’s a good stress, but still. Last night’s game was thisclose to giving me a stroke. After going scoreless through 5, and then tied at one after the 6th, it seemed like the game was never gonna end. But little did I know that would be where the real stress began.
The 7th was eventless, no scoring done. Girardi enlisted Joba Chamberlain and Phil Coke to get it done, and they did. The 8th came around, and all of Yankees Universe felt even safer – Phil Hughes took the mound. But what we did not expect to see was what actually happened… he choked. He choked and we choked. Phil Hughes, after making minimal miscues during his superbly stellar season [I'm in an alliterative mood today], he gives up a run. Quickly, though Hughes did get two outs, Girardi called for the Sandman, Marino flippin’ Rivera, to stop the bleeding. But stop it he did not, at least not at first. He allowed another one of Hughes’ stranded runners to score. End frame – the score was now 3-1. Hope was nearly lost, for two of our knights in shining armor were all but thrown off their mighty steeds.
Of course, leave the dramatics to occur until the last possible second. Bottom 9, Joe Nathan, the Twins’ epic closer on the mound, Mark Teixeira on base with a single, Alex Rodriguez at the plate. After having a very good Game 1, many of us in Yankees Universe had to be thinking his playoff woes were over. He had gotten the 2-out RBI in the 6th inning to tie the game initially. Could he do it again? You’re damn right he could.
A two-run homer into the Yankees’ bullpen did the trick. Joe Nathan, not having much success against the Yankees in the first place, just hung his head in disgust. Many of us fans were undoubtedly shouting profanities – in a positive light, if that’s at all possible – and probably other things like “YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT, SUCK IT HATERS! A-ROD’S F@$#IN’ BACK!” But hey, the guy deserves the praise. Two games, 5 RBI, all of a clutch nature. How can you hate on that? By saying he’ll choke the rest of the way? Well, we still need to get past these pesky Twins, so hate all you want. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
Into extras we went. the 10th inning went by without any offensive action – mostly because of a quickly turned double play to end the inning. With Brett Gardner on 3rd after a Jorge Posada single and a couple of throwing errors by the Twins, Johnny Damon hit a soft liner over the glove of Jose Mijares – but into the glove of Orlando Cabrera. With Gardner off at the crack of the bat, he was easily doubled up at third. End frame.
Top 11, the Yankees, as well as the fans, catch a lucky break. Phil Cuzzi clearly missed a call on a Joe Mauer hit ball down the left field line off of Damaso Marte. What would have been a double was rendered a foul ball. Turning point? Maybe, but I consider it more of a sign from God that the Yankees were going to win this game.
Bottom 11, Jose Mijares back on the mound, Mark Teixeira leading off. After seeing three pitches, leaving him at a count of 2-1, Tex belts a shot down the left field line. Would it be fair? Would it have the height? YES, YES, YES. WALK-OFF SOLO SHOT FROM MARKY MARK. FEEL THE VIBRATIONS! [jams] Chills up and down the collective spine of fans everywhere. What a moment. And he finally got the pie.
Lost in the moment: AJ Burnett & David Robertson. AJ pitched really well in his first-ever playoff spot. He went 6 while only giving up 1 run, 3 hits, and striking out 6. The 5 walks were really the only loose screw. But hey, from a guy who’d been struggling a few starts previous to a pressure spot like this, kudos all the way. David Robertson got the win in last nights game of epic proportions, coming in and saving Damaso Marte’s a$s. Amazing stuff from the kid.
What is there not to love about Yankees baseball? Honestly, I don’t understand how people can hate this. Drama-filled games, adrenaline rushes, even the ridiculous amount of stress?! This is what baseball is all about! Even if you’re not a Yankees fan, you have to appreciate the fight these guys have. To have good feelings about a win even while you’re losing? It’s what so many fans hope for from their team. Lucky for us Yankee fans, this 2009 team has given us that and so much more. Absolutely incredible.
Game three, possibly a deciding game on our side, Andy Pettitte takes the hill against [gulp] Carl freakin’ Pavano. Sure, that name may live in infamy in the hearts of Yankee fans everywhere, but I have a good feeling that we’re gonna come out on top. After that guy’s “stint” in pinstripes, we sure as hell deserve it. I can’t wait to see the look in his face… [maniacal laugh] … but, we will just have to wait – ’til tomorrow – to see that.
ALDS Game 1: All Systems Are Go
‘Been away so long I hardly knew the place,
gee, it’s good to be back home.’
Aside from being excessively hyper and shaking to the point where I looked like I had a medical issue, I had a knot in the pit of my stomach. I could have attributed it to a number of things, like the fact that I still have some sort of bug, boy troubles, stress in general, but no. This was no ordinary knot. This was a playoff knot, through and through. How could I tell this? It was gone [for the most part] today – after the win settled in my head.
The first two innings were relatively event-less, save for a couple of jams that CC, the Boss Dawg, worked into and out of himself. Speaking of CC, he earned himself a good supply of chipotle cheesesteak sandwiches for last night’s performance. Okay, he did give up 2 runs [in the third inning, more on this soon] and 8 hits overall, but he struck out 9 and did not walk a single Twin. Sure, a good number of us wanted to string him up for letting the Twins draw first blood, but he was redeemed quite a few times over, thanks to the trusty offense.
Trusty. Would that be good enough of a word to describe these guys? Probably not, but since my brain is nearly scrambled from excitement, it’s the best I can do. =) Anyway, back to the third inning. Our boys in pinstripes drew some blood right back, with El Capitán actually pulling a pitch for a homer with the Melkster on base. It was one of those you-know-right-away homers. It was a thing of beauty, a work of art, if you will. Even Jeet knew it right off the bat (pun intended). You know all is going well when Captain Clutch is just as his namesake implies.
So, with that two-run shot by Jeet, the score was tied 2-2 after the third. Bottom four – NickySwish at bat with 2 dead… knocks a double to score Robbie from first to take – and keep – the lead. From that moment on, whatever came was just insurance. In the fifth inning, Mr. Roboto popped a 2-run shot to put our minds at ease. A-Rod had himself 2 RBIs as well. Yep, that’s right. A-ROD had TWO RBIs in a PLAYOFF game. Suck on that, haters.
Our bullpen of course deserves a moderate amount of credit as well, I mean, they kept the Twins scoreless in the entire 2-and-a-third that they were in the game. Hughesy, Cokie, Jobey, and Moey. Need I really go into details? I think the names basically scream for themselves. Our bullpen is ballin’, clearly. No two ways about it.
And now an off day for our boys. It’s not an off day for all, however. At the moment, we have the Rockies beating the Phillies 4-1 in the sixth. Later on, we’ll have the Cards and Dodgers and the [shudders] Red Sox and Angels. I’d like to see the Dodgers pull through that series, but I honestly have no idea how I feel about the Angels or Red Sox. I hate them both relatively equally. Damn them! [shakes fist at sky] But I think I’ll just relax and enjoy the view for now. Tomorrow will probably restart that lovely feeling of nausea, but I can deal with it! =)
The End? The Beginning? The Beginning of the End?
‘This is a love attack, I know it went out but it’s back.
It’s just like any fad retracts before impact.’
®. A much, much better result than the last three games – by a longshot.
It’s sad to say the 2009 regular season is over for our boys. They need only 11 wins throughout this postseason to accomplish Mission27
™ and raise a new banner in the “House That George Built.” But, on the plus side, they finished up with a record of 103-59 along with a guaranteed trip to the playoffs, the AL East title, and Home Field Advantage throughout the playoffs. Talk about a 180
°. I think it’s safe to say
2008 never even existed in Yankees history, at least, at this very moment in
time. =)
But anyway, back to the game itself. AJ got a little
redemption courtesy of his offense come the sixth inning. In the sixth inning,
which should be known as the “Middle Finger” inning, the Yankees
scored all ten of their runs, seven of which came off the bat of Alex
Rodriguez. Those 7 RBI made history today. It let Alex finish the season with a
couple of nice, round numbers – 30 HRs and 100 RBI on the season. His
second homer of the inning set a franchise-record 243 for the season. It made
him the 5th Yankee of the season to have over 25 pops, and second on the team
in RBI, following Tex. Now, I called this inning the “Middle Finger”
inning for a couple of reasons. First, the Rays basically IBBed Tex the second
time around the lineup because they didn’t want him to get ahead of Carlos Pena
for the league lead in home runs. D!ck move on their part. It was a dumb move
both for that reason and because in A-Rod’s previous at-bat of the inning, he
smoked a 3-run shot. Clearly a stupid move, even though they probably could
have cared less whether they won or lost.
The other reason I gave the sixth inning that nomer was because, well, A-Rod beasted it this season. He missed nearly a month’s worth of games [and then some with the days off] and came back to be top-10 in a few offensive categories. If you were told prior to the season that you wouldn’t be back ’til August, but still come back in May and have a season like this? I think anyone would take it. He basically showed everybody who doubted him that he can still work it, even if he’s not 100%. Now, I haven’t been a huge fan of the guy in the past, but this season, I think I’ve been converted. A good postseason may just lead to idolatry.
Sidebar: He sent his first pitch of the season over the fences, and he did just the same with his last. Now that is something.
Of course, A-Rod couldn’t have had all those RBIs without guys on base. Johnny Damon woke up a little from his recent slumber and had two doubles [both in the sixth inning]. Jeet had two hits, no surprise there. Roboto had a hit, Swish had a hit, Melkster had a hit, and even Panda had a hit (it’s about damn time). Even a good amount of the replacement guys got action: BG scored, Miranda scored, and Guzman scored. For a half inning, it sure was action-packed. And thanks to all this action, AJ, despite giving up two runs and seven hits, got himself his 13th win of the season.
Even though it was a beautiful blowout, some of the relievers had to get some work in. Girardi sent David Robertson to the mound: success. Joba? Success (more on this later). Cokie? Success. Philly “Pornstache” Phranchise? Success. Mo? Speaks for himself. No runs, no hits, no walks for all five of those relievers.
Back to Joba. On Twitter, V [over at Flair For the Dramatic] said this: “Joba is Jesus out of the bullpen.” I don’t think I could have said it better myself. The guy is golden in that spot. I really don’t get why they couldn’t just keep him there. But that’s a debate I’d rather not get into. He pitched a whole half-inning and got a K out of it. He was sssssmokin’. I like him in the bullpen for the postseason. Hopefully he gets a shot at some point.
So, with all of this said, the 2009 season has come to a close. I hate that line. At least there’s still some good baseball left to be seen. I’m hoping TPPT™ as well as GoodKarma™ (a newbie on the scene) will be present throughout these playoffs and will help get us that 27th World Series title. The wait will be long, but in the end? Absolutely worth it. Whatever the ALDS may bring, whether the team is Detroit or Minnesota, our boys will be ready with the momentum of this final win behind them. In closing, here’s a preliminary toast to all of you fellow fans out there, to a fan-freakin’-tastic ’09 regular season, and, of course, to our boys in pinstripes. And like an old friend of ours once said, “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” [clink]
Gaudin Is the Man & Swish Is Delish ;)
Naturally, we in Yankees Universe are no strangers to the walk-off win. Whenever a game is tied going into the bottom of the 9th or later, it’s only a matter of whose turn it is to get the infamous and always entertaining pie in the fach. Today, ladies and germs, it was my boy NickySwish!♥ Of course, as this was going on both myself and my Twitter/blog friend Jess aka ‘Furballz’ over at The Fuzz were flipping a sh_t because, well, let’s just say we wouldn’t be opposed to Swish playing inseminator. [insert laughter at painfully obvious joke here]
Aside from being the hero and becoming the victim of yet another cream pie, NickySwish had himself another homer in the second. That’s the third time this season he’s homered from both sides of the plate in a game. And it’s about damn time he hit some of those things at home. Cue the sighs of relief and rounds of applause.
A-Rod had an RBI single in the 6th to make it 2-0, but Tampa came back in the 7th and 8th to tie it. And, well, you know the rest.
And Derek… well… he’s gone cold. Stick that dude on a hot plate and warm his a$s up! We need him to hit, aside from this whole breaking-of-records deal. Now is definitely not the time to slow it down, Derek!!!
The other big story of today’s battle was the pitching. Gaudin was nearly untouchable through 6, only allowing one run. Who woulda thunk it?! I was under the impression he’d need a crapload of runs to get the job done. Figures he’d turn me into a liar, but hey, I’m sure other people would’ve agreed with me.
More pitching notes:
1. Phil Hughes gave up a run via the homer. No, I’m not kidding. Hercules was half human too, ya know. Oh well, ish happens. I’m sure that was a fluke.
2. David Robertson has a Dr. Andrews-caliber boo-boo. If that’s serious, I might just cry.
3. David Price actually pitched really well for Tampa. He kept the Rays in the game the entire time he was in it, only allowing two runs. Unfortunately for him, that wasn’t enough. I’m looking forward to seeing big things from that guy in the future.
So, the brooms are out (just in case) for tomorrow night’s game. We’ll just have to wait and see how Joba fairs… [bites nails in suspense] TPPT™, yo! ‘Til next time!
Deuces!
Double the Pleasure, Double the Fun!
As the illustrious Ernie Banks once said, “Let’s play two!”
Indeed, there were two games played on this lovely Labor Day Monday afternoon/night. Those two games were also won by the ever-persistent, fun-loving, and awesome Yankees.
Naturally following a two-game day, there would be an abundance of information to relay and opinions to establish (I’m in a vocabulous mood tonight), but for fear of going on an endless tangent, I’ll keep it as brief as possible.
So, starting off with the starters of our matinee and nightcap:
CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett. The Initial Kings in the land of Yankees Universe. CC in game 1 went 7, only giving up 1 earned run while fanning 10 – he got the ND. Say it with me now, dom-in-ance. AJ went 6, also only giving up 1 run and striking out 8. He got the win. Lucky for us Dr. Jekyll was in the house today. I mean hey, this was a sh!tload of a lot better than his last few starts, no? Yeah. I think so.
CC was relieved by Hughes and Rivera. Game. Set. Match. AJ was followed by Edwar Ramirez, Jonathan Albaladejo, and newbie Michael Dunn. A bit shakier a repertoire, but no damage was done. Gotta love when the kiddies are gettin’r done too.
Offense, hm, let’s just start with the fact that Deej went 0-8 today. How does that even happen? “Paging: Derek Jeter. Paging: Derek Jeter. Don’t give Jim Rice a reason to inflate his already robust ego. That is all.” That still keeps him at 3 away from tying Gehrig at 2,718. The first game was pretty dead until the 8th, where the Yanks extended their incredible tied-post-7th-inning winning streak to 15-0. That game ended at 4-1. Mark Teixeira and Jose Molina had themselves quite a nightcap, Tex hitting two homers and Panda going 3-3 with 2 BBs. The game was blown open in the third when they scored 8 runs. Final score: 11-1. Good stuff.
Okay. What else… hmmm… Brett Gardner has returned after a 6-week stint on the DL. Welcome back BG! We love you, man! Welcome back also to Shelley Duncan and a belated welcome back to our favorite September callups in Frankie Cervelli and Ramiro Pe
ña, of course! =D Good to have those guys back on the squad, fershure. On a sadder note, the Rays took a huge blow below the belt [metaphorically] when CC hit Carlos Pe
ña in the hand [literally] with a pitch, breaking two of his fingers. Talk about a letdown. I legitimately sympathize with the Rays fans out there. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody… except maybe the Red Sox. Just kidding.
Well, with those two wins, that puts our boys 9 games up in the AL East. Absolutely nuts. And now, courtesy of about 23,805,728,957 people on Twitter, the Magic Number is down to 16. The postseason is so close we can taste it, folks. This season has been quite a trip thus far, and it can only get better if one number is in the future – twenty-seven.
Siyonara kids!
…And That’s What We’re Used To
So I finally have some free time to post something. Oh, happy day! =D
School has been pretty hectic so far, hence the break, but I am back and ready for action!
Okay, today’s game… well, Andy didn’t exactly pick up where he left off in his last start. In fact, the first batter he faced drew a walk. But, despite the 4 earned runs and 5 walks, he grinded it out – a mantra of this team, no doubt – and he got the W added onto his record; his fourth in a row, as a matter of fact. Go Andy, go Andy, GO!
The offense was the thing today. Robbie hit his 23rd homer of the season, apersonal record, mind you, and Tex connected for his 33rd. Glad to see those Teix messages being sent with great emphasis. A-Rod had himself an RBI single. Melky began the Yanks’ offense with a 2-run single in the second. Melk delivered on time, no charge. Tips? If you insist…
The last point I want to make about today’s game can be summed up in two words: Phil Hughes. That is all.
So, all in all, things were put back into place after last night’s nearly-hitless loss to Doc
Halladay, a god among men. He is some kinda awesome when he’s on point. Sheesh.
Tomorrow, Ser-Ser-Sergio takes the mound for the first time since his jaw-dropping, face-slapping, hater-shutting-upping performance. We’ll just have to see if that comeback liner wasn’t anything worth worrying about. If he‘ll be able to continue where he left off, then we’re really in business. Here’s to lookin’ forward and not backward err’body! [clink] TPPT™, yo!
Siyonara kids!
Perennial Pinstriper
Recent Comments