Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Two More Days till Baseball Open Thread


The All Star Break is in full swing and we’re moving more towards the “break” aspect of it and less away from the fan experience. The Home Run Derby is in the books, congratulations to Giancarlo Stanton, and home field advantage has been decided for the World Series now that the All Star Game is in the books. Now we’re left anxiously waiting for baseball to resume back on Friday.

The New York Yankees will welcome the Boston Red Sox to the Bronx on Friday to kick off the unofficial second half of the season in what should be the beginning of a tough schedule for the Yankees. The team should definitely “define” or “declare” themselves after this stretch but we won’t know for at least two more days. Two more days!

Can you tell I’m already missing baseball? Enjoy the open thread tonight everyone. Two more days.


Yankees Off Day Yankee Stadium Music Recommendation



The New York Yankees are off today and there isn’t much going on so how about a music recommendation for your drive home, while you’re cooking dinner, while you’re just chilling at work or just because? Sounds good to me too so this evening we’ll check in with and listen to the music that Didi Gregorius hears every time he steps up to the plate inside Yankee Stadium.

The name of the song is “Notorious Big” by Notorious BIG. Enjoy.


Ranking the Best Baseball Movies of All Time


Because why not? It’s not like we have much else to do. Maybe catch up on some television, read a book, watch a movie, catch a Pokemon. Whatever. With this first official off day of the All-Star break I wanted to take the opportunity to rank the best baseball movies of all time, in my opinion. If your opinion differs leave it down below in the comments section of the site.

1. Pride of the Yankees

2. Bull Durham

3. Major League

4. The Sandlot

5. Field of Dreams

6. The Natural

7. Moneyball

8. Bad News Bears

9. 42

10. League of Their Own (Women hate me now all around the world)

An honorable mention goes to Eight Men Out which covered the Black Sox scandal and Shoeless Joe Jackson. If memory served it had Charlie Sheen playing Shoeless Joe (talk about some foreshadowing) so you can’t really go wrong with that now can you?


Yankees Stats Leaders Through 88 Games


Offense


Games Played:

Starlin Castro – 86

At Bats:


Starlin Castro – 332


Runs Scored:


Brett Gardner – 49


Hits:


Didi Gregorius and Carlos Beltran – 89 each


Doubles:


Carlos Beltran – 18


Home Runs:


Carlos Beltran – 19


RBI:


Carlos Beltran – 56


AVG:


Carlos Beltran - .299







Pitching


GS:


Masahiro Tanaka – 18


AP:


Dellin Betances – 43


Wins:


Nathan Eovaldi – 7


Losses:


Michael Pineda – 8


ERA:

Andrew Miller – 1.37 (bullpen)
Masahiro Tanaka – 3.23 (rotation)


K's:

Michael Pineda – 113 (rotation)
Dellin Betances - 78 (bullpen)


Yankees Best Win of the First Half


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?

Weekly Prospects Check In: Aaron Judge


The Judge has fallen, the Judge has fallen. No really, Aaron Judge is injured adding to a depressingly impressive list of Yankees prospects currently on the disabled list or injured this season. Judge is having knee problems and will miss the next three-to-four weeks with the injury (which in Yankees terms is two months to the rest of the season). Judge was slated to partake in the Triple-A Home Run Derby before the injury but now Yankees fans are left holding their collective breath.


Here’s to hoping the best for Judge and those big, bulky knees. 

YearAgeLevGPARH2BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
201624AAA83370528316165454286.261.357.469.825

This Day in New York Yankees History 7/13: Retired Numbers

*Kramer's moviefone voice* "well why don't you just tell me what number isn't retired"

Brandon McCarthy, a player that the team acquired before the July 31st trading deadline in 2014, made the joke that the Yankees should just issue him a number rather than him trying to pick one since so many numbers are retired. Well on this day in 1984 the Yankees retired two more numbers as Roger Maris's #9 jersey and Elston Howard's #32 were enshrined in Yankee history forever. Plaques were also put up in their honor to pay tribute to the two Yankees players.


Also on this day in 1960 Yankee Stadium held the second All Star Game in three days as the game marked the return of Willie Mays to New York. The San Francisco Giants superstar would go 3-4 with a home run and single off the Yankees Whitey Ford to lead the National League to a 6-0 victory.


Also on this day in 1973 Bobby Murcer hits three home runs off Gene Garber to account for all five of the Yankees runs in a 5-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals. This game was played on Friday the 13th at Yankee Stadium as it took only one hour and 51 minutes to play.

The other Yankee to hit three home runs on this day was Joe DiMaggio in 1940 in a double header against the St. Louis Browns. DiMaggio drove in nine runs as the Yankees sweep the Browns by the scores of 10-4 and 12-6.