The New York Yankees first half of their 2016 campaign did
not exactly go as planned, that is an understatement, but there were a few
defining wins to focus on. The Yankees did take three-of-four from the first
place Cleveland Indians right before the break including a scrappy win in Game
One, an extra innings win in Game Three and a slugfest victory in the finale of
the first half but I wouldn’t call any of them the Yankees best or biggest win
of the first half. I couldn’t put my finger on just one game though so here are
three to choose from. Which one would you choose? And if it’s not one of these
three then which one is it? Leave it below in the comments section.
My obvious pick and initial pick went to that game with the
New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox on May 7th. No one will
remember that game by the date but all Yankees fans will know what you’re
talking about when you tell them it’s the game that David Ortiz threw a hissy
fit in and got ejected in the 9th inning after being struck out by
Andrew Miller. Ortiz was up with the bases loaded down 3-2 to New York when a
3-1 slider crossed up Brian McCann and was called for a strike. Ortiz screamed
“no” many times only to take another slider for strike three to end the at bat.
Ortiz was seen throwing equipment and barking at the umpire in the dugout after
the strikeout and was ultimately tossed. Ortiz then rushed the umpire to get
his two cents in but in the end the Yankees won after Hanley Ramirez grounded
out to end the contest. Farewell tour gift idea? A pacifier.
Almost a month later to the day the Yankees were facing off
against a tough pitcher in Matt Shoemaker from the Los Angeles Angels of
Anaheim. Shoemaker held the Yankees scoreless for six innings before Brian
McCann and Starlin Castro went back-to-back, belly-to-belly, with two outs in
the seventh inning to tie the game at two. In the eight All-Star Carlos Beltran
hit a two-out, three-run home run to give the Yankees a 5-2 lead and eventual
victory to send the fans home happy in the Bronx.
The final game I had in mind for the Yankees best win of the
first half was a game played on June 29th against the American
League’s best record holders, the Texas Rangers. The Yankees were down 7-4 in
the 9th inning and facing off with the Rangers closer Sam Dyson when
Brian McCann connected for a three-run game-tying home run in the bottom of the
ninth. Starlin Castro would follow McCann and would draw a walk before Didi
Gregorius slapped a fastball over the right field wall in right giving the
Yankees a walk off victory.
The Yankees probably wanted more than 44 wins at this point
in the season but at least some of them give you hope that the Yankees offense
is alive and could be formidable if everyone starts clicking at once. What was
your favorite moment from the first half?