Sunday, July 10, 2016

Press Release: 2016 Fan Cost Release for Minor League Baseball



Minor League Baseball Remains a Budget-Friendly Entertainment Option Family of four can attend a game for an average of less than $65

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — Minor League Baseball announced today that attending one of its games is, yet again, one of the most

economical forms of family entertainment available. The average cost for a family of four to enjoy a Minor League Baseball game this

season is only $64.97; a price that includes parking, two adult tickets, two child tickets, four hot dogs, two sodas and two beers.

The average cost for two adults to attend a game at one of the 160 ballparks in the 14 domestic-based leagues that charge admission

ranges from $33-$37, depending on the fans’ choice of beverages.

The ticket prices are based on the most economical fixed seat in a stadium, although a majority of the clubs have discounted, free or

special ticket prices for children under a certain age, senior citizens and/or military personnel. Berm seating, concessions specials and

other deals available through clubs’ social media platforms also save fans money and contribute to making the cost of attending a

Minor League Baseball game one of the best budget-friendly options among all professional sports leagues. “Minor League Baseball has long strived to be a budget-friendly source of family entertainment, providing fun promotions and a quality

product on the field,” said Minor League Baseball President and CEO Pat O’Conner. “We take great pride in knowing that over 42.5

million fans chose Minor League Baseball to help create lifelong memories with family and friends.” 


AVERAGE PRICES:

MiLB Triple-A Double-A Single-A Short Season-A/Rookie

Adult ticket $8.10 $9.50 $8.27 $7.97 $7.14

Child ticket $7.02 $7.93 $7.45 $6.80 $6.34

Hot Dog $3.50 $3.97 $3.36 $3.55 $3.19

Soda $3.36 $3.69 $3.34 $3.47 $3.08

Beer $5.51 $6.37 $5.64 $5.54 $4.72

Parking $2.99 $4.53 $3.60 $2.70 $1.80

###

About Minor League Baseball

Minor League Baseball, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, is the governing body for all professional baseball teams in the United

States, Canada and the Dominican Republic that are affiliated with Major League Baseball clubs through their farm systems. Fans are

coming out in unprecedented numbers to this one-of-a-kind experience that can only be found at Minor League Baseball ballparks. In

2015, Minor League Baseball attracted 42.5 million fans to its ballparks to see the future stars of the sport hone their skills. From the

electricity in the stands to the excitement on the field, Minor League Baseball has provided affordable family-friendly entertainment to

people of all ages since its founding in 1901. For more information, visit www.MiLB.com.

Yanks Win A Wild One Over Tribe, 11-7, Get Back to .500

On a picturesque afternoon in Cleveland, the Yankees and Indians played  a crazy fourth game of the four-game weekend set. Masahiro Tanaka(6-2, 3.12 ERA) took the mound for the Yankees today in hopes of getting the Yankees back to .500 before the All-Star break. Trying to earn a series split, the Indians sent Carlos Carrasco and his 2.47 ERA to the mound to oppose New York. Neither starter would make it to the sixth, however, in this Sunday slugfest that ended the first half of the season.

Both hurlers pitched a scoreless first, but it wasn't until the second inning that the Yanks hit the scoreboard against Carasco.  Starlin Castro led off the inning with a double down the left-field line and scored when Rob Refsnyder reached on a Carlos Santana catching error, unable to catch the throw from shortstop Francisco Lindor. Austin Romibe followed with an opposite field blast that resulted in a double, but, Refsnyder misread the play and was only able to advance to third. Fortunately, the baserunning error was soon forgotten as Jacoby Ellsbury smashed a 3-2 changeup into the seats in right-center field, giving the Yankees a 4-0 lead. Both Ellsbury and the Yanks were fortunate that he had the opportunity to go deep because he thought he was walked on the 3-1 pitch by Carrasco, only to find out that the rookie hone plate umpire called it a strike. After an uncharacteristic demonstrative disagreement from the centerfielder, he proceeded to blast the next pitch out of the ballpark and even looked like he high-fived the same umpire as he touched home plate.

The Indians got one of those runs back in the bottom of the second but it could've been a lot worse for Tanaka and the Yankees. Mike Napoli led off the inning with a walk, advancing to second on a Lonnie Chisenhall ground ball single to right. With one out, Rajai Davis lined a single to center that scored Napoli and pulled the Tribe to within three. Tanaka would load the bases with two outs as he walked Yan Gomes but was able to escape the inning without any further damage when he got Carlos Santana to ground out to Teixeira.

The Bombers pushed the lead back up to four in the fourth as they knocked Carasco out of the game. Chase Headley started the inning with a double and Rob Refsnyder reached base again on another Indian error, this time a misplay by third baseman Jose Ramirez. Austin Romine then reached on a fielder's choice that saw Headley advanced to third and Refsnyder out at second base. The fifth Yankee run of the day was scored when Brett Gardner beat out a throw that would have been an inning ending double-play but instead was an RBI fielder's choice, 5-1 New York. Carasco was lifted after they failed to turn two, replaced by Austin Adams who got out of the fourth without any further damage.

The Cleveland miscues continued in the top of the fifth as the Yankees broke the game wide open, sending 12 men to the dish in total in the fifth inning alone. Teixeira singled, advancing to third on a Gregorius double. Jeff Manship replaced Adams and immediately walked Castro. Francisco Lindor made the third Indian error when he took a Chase Headley ground ball and threw it into right field trying to make a tough play at second, scoring Didi and Tex, 7-1. Refsnyder lined a single to ledt that re-loaded the bases. Romine followed with a sac-fly that scored Castro that made it an 8-1 game. T.J. House replaced Manship and served up another sac-fly to Gardner that scored Headley, 9-1, and then gave up a single to Ellsbury that advanced Refsnyder to third. Beltran then smacked an RBI single to right, 10-1, which was followed up by another RBI single to centerfield by Mark Teixeira that made it an 11-1 ballgame. House then drilled Gregorius in the shoulder and was pulled for Joseph Colon, who got Castro to strike out and end a very long half-inning.

The Indians would also bat around as they put up a six spot, completing a lengthy 48 minute fifth inning. Tanaka led off the frame serving up a double to Carlos Santana, who scored and made it 11-2 on a one-out Francisco Lindor double. Mike Napoli hit a single that advanced Lindor to third, eventually scoring when Jose Ramirez smacked a single to left that made it a 11-3 game. After Chisenhall grounded out to advance both runners up a base, Gregorius joined the error parade as he fielded a Rajai Davis grounder and threw it over the head of Teixeira, scoring both runners and pulling the Tribe to within six. The Tribe pulled it to within "slam-reach" when Tyler Naquin unloaded a two-run homerun to right field that forced Tanaka from the game. Nathan Eovaldi replaced Tanaka and proceeded to get out of the inning by getting Yan Gomes to line out to short.

Eovaldi went on to close out the game for the Pinstripers, ending a 3hr and 35min ballgame. The victory puts the Yankees back up to .500(44-44) and poses some very interesting questions to mow over for the next few days. New York resumes play on Friday night as they welcome in their bitter-rival, the Boston Red Sox, for a three-game weekend set.



RiverDogs Again Join Yankees HOPE Week Initiative



Outings planned for July 12-16 throughout the Lowcountry



CHARLESTON, SC – The Charleston RiverDogs are once again proud to partner with their parent organization the New York Yankees for the HOPE Week Initiative. The creative outing runs from July 12-16, as RiverDogs players, coaches and the front office staff will make community service appearances throughout the Lowcountry during the five-day outreach.

This will be the eighth year in which the 27-time World Series Champions Yankees have held their HOPE Week. HOPE is the acronym for “Helping Others Persevere and Excel,” and it will be the fifth time that the RiverDogs bring the concept to the Lowcountry.

Contributing partners and facilitating institutions that are involved include MUSC Children’s Hospital, Wine & Canvas, Groucho’s Deli, and Bohemian Bull.

“We are excited about the opportunity to partner once again with the New York Yankees for such fantastic causes,” said RiverDogs Director of Community Relations Haley Kirchner. “It is a great way for us to continue to be active in our community and to recognize some truly amazing people and organizations.”

“This initiative in which we partner with the Yankees has been part of our external makeup for four years so far,” said President and General Manager Dave Echols. “Part of our overall marketing initiative stems from our being very active in our community, and this actively involves the players, who enjoy it as much as the recipients.”

The RiverDogs will participate in events every day from July 12-16 to garner awareness for the highlighted causes, individuals and organizations. Additionally, every day over the five-day period a different non-profit organization and/or family in need receives an once-in-a-lifetime experience of interaction with RiverDogs players and then an evening of fun at a RiverDogs home game at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park.

The RiverDogs and all of the Yankees' affiliates have received a citation from the President's Volunteer Service Award for past years of HOPE Week.

The 2016 HOPE Week schedule:



· Tuesday, July 12: YoArt!inc

o Yo Art Inc. develops a skill-based media arts technology program at Title One public schools in the Charleston and Dorchester county school districts. The programs are designed to incorporate classroom curriculum into the projects and to allow the students to form an increased interest in the subject matter and a deeper understanding of the curriculum;

o Artwork from students with the program will be displayed on the video board throughout that night’s game;

o RiverDogs players will join students at the summer camp program to partake in the day’s creative activities.



· Wednesday, July 13: Camp Rise Above

o Camp Rise Above is an organization that provides life-changing camp experiences to children with serious illnesses, disabilities and challenges. They create custom-made programs to help teach campers to overcome obstacles and to grow and develop their confidence and abilities.



· Thursday, July 14: Barbara Kelley-Duncan

o Barbara Kelley-Duncan recently retired having served as the CEO of the Carolina Youth Development Center since 2003.Under her leadership, CYDC has received multi-year major grant support from The Duke Endowment in Charlotte, the Andrus Family Fund in New York City and the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, also in New York City, for its programs. Kelley-Duncan brought the first nationally-acclaimed Freedom Schools program to Charleston during the summer of 2005, and in fall of that year, opened CYDC’s Ledford House, a residential program for older youth in foster care;

o The Carolina Youth Development Center will be recognized alongside Kelley-Duncan at the game;

o Players will be teaming up with the Carolina Youth Development Center in the morning and assisting with a trip to the Carolina Ice Palace to hang out with the kids and cheer for them as they skate.



· Friday, July 15: Hallie Hill Animal Sanctuary

o The Hallie Hill Animal Sanctuary provides a preserve for abandoned, abused or neglected animals with a home, food, medical care, shelter and love. Hallie Hill is dedicated to providing a high standard of care to all its animal residents, regardless of breed, age or disposition and follows a strict “no kill” policy. On site there are approximately 200 dogs and cats that have arrived at Hallie Hill for the care and love they deserve;

o Select dogs who are available for adoption will be at the game;

o Players will spend their morning at the sanctuary assisting with the feeding and therapy of the animals by playing catch in the fields of the farm



o Friday, July 16: Jocelyn and Rachel

o Jocelyn Cram-Smith is 9 years old and is a rising 4th grader at First Baptist School of Charleston. When her friend and classmate Rachel was diagnosed with leukemia 16 months ago, Jocelyn helped raise funds by hosting lemonade stands and also helped deliver meals to Rachel's family twice a week. Then, in June of 2015, Jocelyn's mom was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer at just 31 years old. Jocelyn told her mom that even though she had cancer, "We don't need to be afraid because we are a family and we love each other." From that, "LOVE, Not Fear" became the family mantra as well as the name of the Relay for Life Team Jocelyn leads to raise money for more research through the American Cancer Society;

o Rachel, a precious 8 year-old who was active in soccer, basketball and dance, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, positive Philadelphia trait, which means a very high risk. The family’s collective lives immediately evolved into a world of doctors, nurses, hospitalizations, lab work, chemotherapy and fear. Rachel has taken this journey and proved to be a strong hero. She never ceases to amaze her friends and family with her courage, strength and grace. She keeps a smile on her face and remains positive. That positive spirit even earned her the honor of being the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's 2016 Girl of the Year. She is eager to return to school with Jocelyn and her other friends at First Baptist and return to all of her favorite activities;

o Players will spend the morning with Jocelyn and paint at Wine and Canvas. The paintings will later be auctioned off at the game to help raise money for Jocelyn’s “LOVE, Not Fear” fundraiser. The group will then head over to the MUSC Children’s Hospital and spend time hanging out with Rachel.



The RiverDogs host the Rome Braves Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday prior to entertaining the Lakewood BlueClaws from Friday throughMonday.

For more information on the RiverDogs’ HOPE Week, please contact Kirchner at 843/723-7241.

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Cleveland Indians 7/10


The New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians are 27 outs away from ending their first half and 27 outs away from the All Star break. Let's get this game over with and let's get everyone out healthy and alive, shall we? In the contest the Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound to square off with Carlos Carrasco for the Indians. The game will be played at 1:10 pm ET inside Progressive Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

No snazzy sales pitches on Yankees Tickets of TGP T-shirts, just follow us on Twitter (@GreedyStripes) and let's get a victory. Go Yankees!

Press Release: Staten Island Yankees Present Special Olympics NYC Day

LAW ENFORCEMENT TORCH RUN FOR SPECIAL OLYMPICS TO CONCLUDE AT THE RICHMOND COUNTY BANK BALLPARK AT ST. GEORGE JULY 10
Staten Island Yankees hosting Special Olympics NYC Day, featuring special on-field jerseys 



STATEN ISLAND- On Sunday, July 10 at 4 p.m., the Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George will serve as the finish line for the Staten Island leg of the Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for Special Olympics New York. During the Staten Island Yankees game against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers following the Torch Run, the team will wear special jerseys designed by Rodney Hankins, who has competed in bowling with Special Olympics NYC for over 20 years. The game-worn jerseys will be auctioned off during the game with all proceeds going to Special Olympics NYC.



LETR for Special Olympics is the movement's largest grass-roots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle. At its most basic level, the Torch Run is an actual running event in which officers and athletes run the Flame of Hope to the Opening Ceremonies of local & statewide Special Olympics competitions. Annually, more than 85,000 dedicated, compassionate and volunteer law enforcement officers participate in the torch run throughout 35 nations, 12 Canadian provinces and 50 US States, raising more than $50 million for local Special Olympics programs in 2015 and over $500 million since its inception in 1981.



2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the Law Enforcement Torch Run in New York State. This year, over 200 officers and athletes ran in the Queens leg on June 4th, into the annual Metro Tournament at Queens College. On Sunday, July 10, local officers and local athletes will run in the second LETR leg in Staten Island, making this the first ceremonial run for the borough. These officers and athletes will carry the Flame of Hope into the Staten Island Yankees game to throw the ceremonial first pitch at 3:45 p.m. For more information, please visit www.nycletr.kintera.org.



Gates for Sunday’s baseball game open at 3 p.m. with first pitch occurring at 4 p.m. Prior to the game, mascots from across the New York Metro area will be in ballpark for a pre-game event as part of “Scooter’s Summer Olympics” sponsored by Fidelis, then will escort Special Olympics NYC athletes to the field for various in-game activities. Attending the event are mascots from organizations including the College of Staten Island, Seton Hall, Fidelis, Trenton Thunder and more. Also in attendance will be Chad Spencer and Chris Hall from Hulu’s “Behind the Mask”. For tickets to the Sunday’s game, fans can visit www.siyanks.com or call 718-720-9265.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Cleveland Indians 7/10


The New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians will finish off their first half schedules with one more contest this afternoon inside Progressive Field. The Yankees will use their ace in the finale with the possibility of using him again on Friday night in the Bronx against the Boston Red Sox. His name is Masahiro Tanaka. The Indians on the other hand will counter with a pretty good pitcher of their own in Carlos Carrasco.

Tanaka had a great start last time out on five days of rest against the Chicago White Sox but he'll be pitching on just four days of rest this afternoon. In the start Tanaka hurled eight shutout innings improving his record against the AL Central Division to 3-1 with a 4.28 ERA this season.


Carrasco also had a strong start against an AL Central opponent last time out winning his fifth game of the year against the Detroit Tigers. In the start Carrasco hurled six innings improving his ERA to 1.51 in his last five starts.

The game will be played at 1:10 pm ET inside Progressive Field and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. Not much left to say. Get the game over with and begin the All-Star break. The players could use it and so could the fans and bloggers. Except for us, we're 24/7 365 days a week. Either way, Go Yankees!

Weekly Prospects Check In: Domingo Acevedo


You know it's a shame, in my opinion of course, that Domingo Acevedo was not chosen to represent the Yankees in the XM Futures Game. It's especially a shame since Jorge Mateo will not represent the team this afternoon inside Petco Park but it's whatever. That doesn't mean Acevedo hasn't been the absolute stud that we all know he has it just means there are only so many spots and only so many talented players can fill them. Acevedo deserves to be there though, again in my opinion.

If it's bothering Acevedo it's not showing in his on-the-field product though. Check it out.

Year Age Lev W L ERA G GS CG SHO IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9
2016 22 A-A+ 4 3 2.40 13 13 1 1 71.1 60 24 19 3 13 76 1.023 7.6 0.4 1.6 9.6
2016 22 A 3 1 1.90 8 8 0 0 42.2 34 13 9 1 7 48 0.961 7.2 0.2 1.5 10.1
2016 22 A+ 1 2 3.14 5 5 1 1 28.2 26 11 10 2 6 28 1.116 8.2 0.6 1.9 8.8
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/9/2016.

This Day in New York Yankees History 7/10: Tanaka’s Torn Elbow Ligament


On this day in 2014 the New York Yankees learned that ace starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka had a partially torn ligament in his right throwing elbow. Tanaka’s UCL was less than 10% torn and five doctors including Tommy John surgery expert Dr. James Andrews suggested that a rest and rehab program could prolong him needing the surgery.


Also on this day in 2001 Derek Jeter became the first Yankee to hit a home run in an All Star Game in 42 years when he hit a sixth inning leadoff home run off Jon Lieber at Safeco Field in Seattle. Yogi Berra was the last member of the Yankees to hit an All Star Game homer when he hit one off Don Drysdale in 1959.


The New York Yankees, like most teams in baseball back in 1917, had pitchers that were known for throwing the spitball. No Yankee was more known for the now illegal pitch than Ray Caldwell and he had the spitter working on this day in 1917. Caldwell pitched 9.2 innings of relief and did not allow a single hit as the Yankees beat the St. Louis Browns 7-5 in 17 innings.

Caldwell would throw a no hitter against his former team, the Indians, in 1919 against Tris Speaker and the Tribe. Caldwell was also one of 17 pitchers that was allowed to continue throwing the spitball after the pitch was outlawed in 1920.