Sunday, September 27, 2015

ESPN's Preseason Predictions Not Good to the Yankees


ESPN, like many news outlets and blogs including my own, made their predictions for the standings and playoffs teams in Major League Baseball before the season started and the predictions were not good to the Yankees. Only one man, Mr. Buster Olney, had the New York Yankees making the postseason as the second Wild Card in the American League. See below for the predictions and a big hat tip to Buster for showing confidence in the Yankees. Also a few had the Blue Jays winning the AL East Division and I don't think many saw that coming so kudos to you as well. Enjoy the rest of the evening and what is left of your weekend.



*photos courtesy of ESPN.com


Let Masahiro Tanaka Rest Until Wednesday


The New York Yankees have missed their ace starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka since a Sunday night game against the New York Mets that was showcased on ESPN. Tanaka was up to bat since the game was played inside a National League park and attempted a bunt that ultimately led to a hamstring injury that has kept him out of the rotation ever since. Tanaka said he is well enough to pitch, and pitched five innings against the Mets after the injury occurred, but the Yankees are remaining cautious since his injury is not 100% healed. If the Yankees want to be overly cautious, and when do they not, they should let Tanaka rest until Wednesday.

The New York Yankees can perfectly set up their rotation by letting Tanaka rest his elbow and his hamstring to rest until Wednesday when the New York Yankees face off with the Boston Red Sox in the Bronx. Letting Tanaka pitch on Wednesday gives him one tune up start before giving him five days of rest before a one-gamer playoff on October 6th inside Yankee Stadium. Inserting Tanaka into the rotation on Wednesday allows Ivan Nova to pitch Monday, Michael Pineda on Tuesday and CC Sabathia on Thursday with an extra day of rest.

The final series of the season would showcase Adam Warren, Luis Severino and Nova pitching in the final game of the season. This seems like the best case scenario for the New York Yankees and for Tanaka. A win-win that could lead to a win and a trip to the ALDS.

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox 9/27


The New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox are just about ready to finish off their four game set this weekend in the Bronx with one last head-to-head mathcup this afternoon. In the contest the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound to make the 10th start of his young Major League career while the White Sox pushed Jeff Samardzija back in favor of Erik Johnson. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

The Yankees trade in their Sox from White to Red after this contest as the team plays their final four regular season games inside Yankee Stadium this season. Click the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog to see any of these four remaining games or the Wild Card game in the Bronx. Also be sure to head over to Twitter and give @GreedyStripes a follow to interact with us during each and every Yankees game left this season.

Severino is ready and the Yankees offense is ready to break out for 15. Go Yankees!

My Fondest Derek Jeter Memory


Set the stage, a hot and muggy night in Atlanta, Georgia the date was June 14, 2012 and the New York Yankees were in the ATL to take on the Atlanta Braves in Interleague play. This was the night after Alex Rodriguez hit his 23rd grand slam of his career tying the great Lou Gehrig for first on the all-time list and it was about an hour before game time. I had been at the ball park since the gates opened at 5:00 pm and I watched the Yankees take batting practice, I watched the team stretch and joke and have fun and I saw what would become my greatest Derek Jeter moment of my life.


As you know I was born in the Bronx, New York and moved to Atlanta with my mother in 1999. I was in New York for the 1996, 1998, and 1999 World Series and the 1997 and 1995 playoffs so I got to see plenty of Jeter first hand. When I moved here to the south the thing I missed most was my Yankees and seeing them, Jeter specifically, play live. That’s weird that I didn’t miss my childhood friends that I had made in my 14 years as a New Yorker, my school, etc., all I missed was my Yankees. With this in mind when the Yankees come down to Atlanta I always purchase my tickets well in advance for the best seats in the house as close to the Yankees dugout as I can get.


On this day I had second row seats directly to the left of the Yankees dugout, you could see inside the dugout the entire game. The game was not my fondest memory though, it was when the Yankees came off the field shortly after 6:00 pm ET and Derek Jeter walked over to the stands to say hello and to sign autographs. Immediately my section was flooded with fans but I didn’t mind and neither did Jeter. I tried to get an autograph that day but obviously all the children went first and we were so swarmed I never got close enough to but that was okay too. I was more than content watching Jeter sit there and sign autographs and interact with fans, Yankees and Braves alike, until the 7:00 hour when the National Anthem was played in Atlanta. Derek sat there and signed autographs and took pictures and interacted with us for right at an hour.


These are the kinds of moments that most of the casual fans will never know about or hear about because MLB Network and ESPN aren’t talking about it. This is something that all true Yankees fans know, love, and appreciate about Jeter and this is just a sliver of what made him truly unique and special to not only the fans but to the game of baseball. Jeter played the game like a kid and acted like a fan and we love him for it. Thank you Derek and if you see AJ Burnett around, who snubbed thousands of fans more than once on that night, tell him I said hello.

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox 9/27


The New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox will play for the final time this weekend and the final time this season this afternoon when the two face off head-to-head. Theoretically the New York Yankees should have swept this series on their way to the postseason but as we all know that didn't happen. I'd settle for another victory today and some momentum heading into the final series against the Boston Red Sox but maybe that's just me. Anyway, the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound today to face off against the White Sox starter Erik Johnson. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.


  • Severino will make his 10th career MLB start this afternoon and is fresh off a no-decision against the always tough Toronto Blue Jays. Severino held Toronto to just two runs and three hits in six innings of work and has allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his nine starts this season, the one time coming against the Blue Jays as well. 




  • Johnson makes the start today instead of Jeff Samardzija after a late week decision by manager Robin Ventura. Both Johnson and Samardzija started last Monday during a double-header and the White Sox would rather the right-handed pitcher Johnson pitch over Samardzija, presumably after the Yankees bombed Samardzija in his only start against New York earlier in the season inside US Cellular Field. 


The game means nothing to the White Sox but it means everything to the Yankees so the pressure is all on New York. Everyone loves to be the spoiler, especially former Yankees in David Robertson and Melky Cabrera, so here's to New York not allowing that to happen and taking care of business today in the Bronx. Go Yankees.

Scoreboard Watching: September 27, 2015


The New York Yankees magic number is dropping by the day. Toronto is going to the playoffs and are probably going to clinch the AL East Division this week, and that's fine, so the Yankees need to clinch the Wild Card. It's a whole new season. Just get in.

Sunday, September 27


New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox


Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays


Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers


Texas Rangers @ Houston Astros


Minnesota Twins @ Detroit Tigers


Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Seattle Mariners


Cleveland Indians @ Kansas City Royals

This Day In New York Yankees History 9/27: 4 Million Fans



The New York Yankees continued to sell tickets and smash records in the 2000’s and on this day in 2006 the stadium in the Bronx saw its 4,000,000th fan enter the ballpark. This marked the second consecutive season that New York surpassed 4,000,000 fans in one season. The Yankees and the 1991-1993 Toronto Blue Jays are the only teams in major league history with 4,000,000 plus fans in more than one season.


Also on this day in 1998 the Yankees won their seventh straight game to end the 1998 season 114-48. The Yankees .704 winning percentage marked the first time a team finished a season with over a .700 winning percentage since the 1954 Indians who went 111-43.



Finally on this day in 1938 we finish on a somber note as Lou Gehrig would hit his 493rd and final home run of his career. Gehrig’s home run came off Dutch Leonard of the Washington Senators. It is also worth mentioning that one this day 15 years earlier Gehrig hit his first home run of his major league career off the Red Sox Bill Piercy.