Tuesday, October 10, 2017

I Love Stats: Yankees Trade Joe Gordon


I have done these posts a few times now because like the title states, I love stats. I love it when the stars align and things end the way they should. For instance, Derek Jeter finished his postseason career with an even 200 hits and Mariano Rivera finished with an even 42 saves, the number he wore on his back.


On this day in 1946 the New York Yankees traded second baseman Joe Gordon to the Cleveland Indians for right handed starting pitcher Allie Reynolds. The future Hall of Famer ended his Yankees career with exactly 1,000 games played and exactly 1,000 hits.

These Are Your New York Yankees


These New York Yankees have the potential to be something special and not for the reason many people may think. They have defied the odds throughout the entire regular season and after being down 2-0 against the almighty Indians, they might be doing it again.

Coming back from being down 2-0 in the ALDS has only happened nine times before in history, which makes these Yankees perfect for joining this club. They have been breaking records and making history all season long, with the postseason not being much different.

The past couple of nights have truly shown the nit and grit of this team and how they truly perform when their backs are up against the wall. This team is undefeated this postseason in games where if they lose they are eliminated, it seems like they just really don't want to go home.

Last night was a prime example of how these New York Yankees never say die. Despite going up against Trevor Bauer, who simply dominated them in Game One, they still came up to the plate with their heads held high and swung with confidence against the right-hander in a "do-or-die" atmosphere.

New York was able to rough up Bauer for four early runs and knock him out of the game before he could even finish the second inning. Once the Cleveland pen arrived, the Yankee lineup was able to knock them around a bit too. They tallied three more runs off a usually very effective Indians bullpen. This team is just something special, whenever they need to have a big game it seems like they do.

The Yankee pitching also came up big last night with a huge bounce-back start from Luis Severino, who gave the Yankees seven strong innings when they need him most. Tommy Kahnle then came out of the bullpen for an absolutely stellar two-inning save to force a Game Five in Cleveland on Wednesday night.

That is what we start looking at now, Game Five. The last hurdle the Yankees have to climb if they want to advance to face the Astros and truthfully, they have what it takes to beat Cleveland and move on. They just have to head into Cleveland with the mentality they have had the past two games and they will likely the outcome.


The Road to Cleveland...

Credit:  Adam Hunger-Getty Images

American League Division Series, Game 4
Yankees 7, Indians 3...

Riding the arm of Luis Severino, who atoned for his Wild Card Game disaster, the Yankees defeated the Cleveland Indians to send the series back to Cleveland, Ohio for the series finale and the right to advance to the American League Championship Series.  

This game featured the legendary Mariano Rivera on the mound. Mo tossed the  honorary first pitch, looking as great as ever. It was a sign of good things to come.

Credit:  MLB.com

Once the game started, it was three up and three down for Luis Severino, showing no signs of the jitters that brought about his collapse against the Minnesota Twins in his previous start.  

Credit:  John Munson-NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

When Jay Bruce led off the top of the 2nd inning with a line drive single to right over the outstretched glove of Starlin Castro, Twitter bemoaned the break-up of Sevy's "perfect game". But no fear, Sevy retired the next three hitters, including the last two by strikeout, to ensure that Bruce got nothing more than a conversation with Greg Bird at first base for his effort.  

The breaks started going the Yankees' way in the bottom of the 2nd. Trevor Bauer, pitching on short rest (he started Game 1 last Thursday), has been dominant against the Yankees this year. But on Monday, those famed dancers, Mystique and Aura, came out in full force. Greg Bird started things off by grounding out at second. That didn't start right, let's try this again. Starlin Castro hit a hard grounder to third that third baseman Giovanny Urshela knocked down but it rolled away and Castro was safe at first. Chase Headley struck out for the second out, and it looked like Castro might suffer the same fate as Jay Bruce had in the top of the inning. With Todd Frazier batting, a Bauer pitch popped out of the glove of catcher Roberto Perez for a passed ball, allowing Castro to move to second. Todd Frazier, who had expressed prior to the game how much he enjoys playing in the post-season with the Yankees, doubled to to the left field corner to score Castro with the game's first run. The Toddfather! Aaron Hicks kept it going with a single to the gap in center, scoring Frazier. 2-0, Yankees. Brett Gardner followed suit with a roller up the middle into center field, moving Hicks to third. A steal by Gardner put both runners in scoring position for Aaron Judge. Judge hit a fly to left that hit the warning track and bounced off the wall for a bases-clearing double. The Yankees had increased their lead to 4-0. 

Credit:  John Munson-NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

After an intentional walk of Didi Gregorius, Tribe manager Terry Francona decided to move to Plan B and pulled Bauer in favor of reliever Joe Smith. Smith got Gary Sanchez to pop out to first in foul territory for the final out, but it had been a very big inning for the Yankees with four unearned runs.

Severino easily breezed through the Indians lineup in the top of the 3rd to bring the Yankees to bat once again. Reliever Mike Clevinger took over for Joe Smith and walked Greg Bird to start the Yankees' half of the inning. Starlin Castro doubled to center off the wall to advance Bird to third. After Chase Headley struck out (not a great game for the Headster), Todd Frazier walked to load the bases. Aaron Hicks grounded into a force out to first baseman Carlos Santana who quickly threw home to retire Bird for the second out. Brett Gardner followed with a grounder to third, but the normally reliable Giovanny Urshela, after a slight hesitation, threw the ball high to first which pulled Santana off the bag for his second error of the game. Gardy safe at first. It allowed Starlin Castro to score on the play. Another call to the bullpen brought in Danny Salazar who struck out Aaron Judge to get the Indians out of the inning. The Yankees had a five-run lead and things were feeling very good in the Bronx.

The top of the 4th seemed to be going Severino's way when he recorded two quick outs but then he walked Jay Bruce. Carlos Santana made Sevy pay for it with a two-run homer to center into Monument Park to cut the lead to 5-2. A coaching visit to the mound by pitching coach Larry Rothschild, which often prove to be unsuccessful, worked this time as Sevy was able to retire Michael Brantley on a line out to center.

The Indians closed the gap to two runs in the top of the 5th when Roberto Perez hit a one-out home run into the right field seats, making it 5-3. Despite the home runs, Severino had seven strikeouts up to that point.

In the bottom of the 5th, the Yankees added an insurance run. Todd Frazier led off with a slow roller back toward the pitcher. Danny Salazar's throw to first hit the ground and sailed past the first baseman, allowing Frazier to race to second. A ground out to first by Aaron Hicks moved Frazier to third. Francona came out and signaled for his lefty, Tyler Olson, to replace  Salazar to face Brett Gardner. Gardy hit a fly to shallow center that didn't look like it would be deep enough, but Frazier challenged the arm of center fielder Jason Kipnis (normally the team's second baseman) and won, scoring on the sacrifice.

Credit:  Kathy Willens-AP

Another pitching change, this time bringing in Bryan Shaw, saw another strikeout of Aaron Judge to end the inning.

Gary Sanchez padded the lead with his one-out home run to right, barely missing the second deck, in the bottom of the 6th. The Sanchino! The four-run lead gave the team much needed breathing room.  

Credit:  Getty Images
  
With Sevy still going strong, the Yankees had an opportunity for more runs in the bottom of the 7th. The Indians inserted their closer Cody Allen a little early (the benefit of having the very versatile Andrew Miller on the roster). Things didn't go Allen's way when Aaron Hicks reached second base, thanks to a one-out fielding error by first baseman Carlos Santana (hard grounder bounced off his glove into right field). Brett Gardner singled to right, moving Hicksie to third. Gardy took second on the high throw in from the outfield. But they would not advance any further when Aaron Judge struck out and Didi Gregorius popped out to short to leave the runners stranded.

Dellin Betances took over for Severino in the top of the 8th and unfortunately things did not go well for the tall right-hander. He walked Yan Gomes (after nearly taking his head off with one errant pitch), bringing pitching coach Larry Rothschild to the mound. Like it usually happens when Rothschild visits, it didn't work. The inconsistent Betances walked Francisco Lindor on four straight pitches which ended his latest appearance. It was very disappointing to see Betances continue his struggles with control, which makes him very unreliable moving forward. 

Credit:  John Munson-NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Tommy Kahnle came into the game, and did the job Betances was once so good at...he retired the three batters he faced, two by strikeout.

Josh Tomlin took over for Cody Allen in the bottom of the 8th and easily discharged the Yankees to push the game to the 9th. Tommy Kahnle returned to the mound to face Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley, and Lonnie Chisenhall. Kahnle rose to the challenge and struck out the side with Chisenhall missing on his swing for the final out. The Yankees win!  

Credit:  John Munson-NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Nice job by Luis Severino who finished with nine strikeouts in seven innings of work. Four hits, three runs (on the two homers), and one walk. It wasn't perfect but he held the Indians down while the Yankees took advantage of the three Cleveland errors to score six of their seven runs. Granted, Cleveland's lineup is not the same without Edwin Encarnacion but they are more than capable of erasing leads quickly. Sevy did not allow it to happen. Dellin Betances tried but Tommy Kahnle saved him from himself.  

Chase Headley's performance (0-for-4 with three strikeouts) has me wondering if it might not be time for Matt Holliday's name to be penciled in at DH. Aaron Judge's first hit of the series was a big one with the two RBI's in the second inning, while Gary Sanchez's homer seemed to help suck the life out of the Tribe.  

The series now moves to the decisive Game 5 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. Prior to yesterday's game, Joe Girardi announced that CC Sabathia (14-5, 3.69 ERA) would be the starter, not Sonny Gray. Sabathia returns to the site where it all began for him so many years ago. Corey Kluber (18-4, 2.25 ERA) will be seeking redemption in front of his home fans after giving up six runs in his last start. The Yankees have a huge challenge before them, but the pay off is a road trip to Houston, Texas for the ALCS. Win or lose, this has been a great year for the Yankees. The team has heart and they do not quit.  

Credit:  Amanda Rabinowitz-WKSU

The Houston Astros overcame the Boston Red Sox, 5-4, to win their ALDS, three games to one. There was some satisfaction when former Yankee Carlos Beltran provided what would prove to be the winning run when he delivered an RBI double in the top of the 9th. Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers had an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the 9th but it was not enough as the Astros overcame both Chris Sale (in relief) and Craig Kimbrel for the win.  

Odds & Ends...

I figured there would be defections from the Yankees organization to join Derek Jeter in Miami but I didn't think they would happen so quickly. George A King III of the New York Post reported yesterday, via Twitter, that it was Gary Denbo's last day with the Yankees. The former VP of Player Development will become the director of player development and scouting for the Marlins. A self-avowed non-fan of Derek Jeter, I am starting to actually dislike the guy. This was certainly one of the risks when Jeter's group won the bid for the Marlins and Denbo's defection may not be the last. If for whatever reason the Yankees do not ink GM Brian Cashman and/or Manager Joe Girardi to new deals, the Yankees front office could have have substantially different look in 2018. I thought it was very poor taste for Denbo to leave prior to the conclusion of the post-season but then again, if he didn't want to be here, good riddance.   

Former Yankee pitching prospect Rookie Davis underwent hip surgery on his right hip to repair the labrum and remove a bone spur. It is a significant procedure and Davis will not be ready by the time training camp opens next spring. Davis was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, along with Eric Jagielo, Caleb Cotham and Tony Renda, in the 2015 trade that brought Aroldis Chapman to the Yankees. Only Davis and Jagielo remain in the Reds organization. Cotham retired in March and Renda was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks in July. We send best wishes for a full and speedy recovery to Davis.

Have a great Tuesday! We have a day to enjoy and get ready for Game 5!  Thumbs down! Let's do this. Go Yankees!

So it Seems… The George Steinbrenner Quote that Hal Steinbrenner Has Finally Lived Up To




Good morning everyone, I hope everyone is doing well this morning. Boy, how important is that Game Two debacle by Joe Girardi right now? Anyway, another conversation for another blog post I guess. I still haven’t been able to muster up the words to describe my feelings and thoughts on that game, I am that disgusted by it all but anyway I digress.

Hal Steinbrenner has caught a lot of flak within the organization and by the fans for the way he has run the New York Yankees but I will say one thing, there is one quote that Hal has lived up to. That quote came from his late father, George Steinbrenner, and former owner of the Yankees. George knew that this was a game but it was always a business and in business you have to spend money to make money. George spent a lot of it and George made a lot of it all while being loved by his fans and hated (the ultimate sign of respect) by his colleagues. It is this one quote that has always stood out to me though, and it makes me happy that Hal and Brian Cashman have finally figured it out.

Baseball is not just a sport anymore; we are a business. We are show business. To compete for the entertainment dollar, particularly in New York, you have to have more than nine guys playing baseball; you have to have an attraction. And I have tried to do the best job I possibly can to give my fans an attraction.”
George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees

Well done, Hal. Well done, Cashman. Well done, indeed.


Speaking of well done, I did damn well when I found you and I have done damn well, in my humble opinion, every day since because I loves you. HEY YOU. Good morning. Have a great day everyone. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 10/10: Yankees/Mariners Set ALCS Record




The New York Yankees have set many records along the way in their storied franchise history but on this day in 2000 the Yankees and the Seattle Mariners set an ALCS record for all the wrong reasons. In the Game One matchup where Seattle won the game 2-0 the Mariners struck out nine times while the Yankees struck out 13 times combining for 22 strikeouts in a single ALCS Game for the record.


Also on this day in 1964 the New York Yankees beat the St. Louis Cardinals to take a two games to one advantage in the World Series. The walk off hit came in the form of a home run off Mickey Mantle’s bat, his 16th of his World Series career breaking the major league record held previously by Babe Ruth. Mantle also became just the fifth player to ever walk off in a Fall Classic game.



Finally on this day in Yankees history New York claimed a pair of World Series championships for the franchise. The first was on this day in 1951 when the Yankees beat the Giants in six games for their 14th World Series championship. New York was on the winning side again in 1956 when they beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games to capture the team’s 17th World Series title.