Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers 4/2



The time has come, it is game time here in the Bronx between the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. Game Five of the young 2019 season for the New York Yankees, let’s get to it. The Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound to face off with Jordan Zimmermann for the Tigers. The game will be played at 6:35 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV and on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Enjoy the game and, as always, go Yankees!!

Remembering the Last Time the Yankees Had a Pitcher Play in the Field

The last time the Yankees saw a pitcher man a position in the field before Bryan Mitchell did it in 2017 was on July 24, 1983 inside Yankee Stadium against the Kansas City Royals.


If the date didn’t immediately jump out at you then let me explain. This game will forever be known as the great Pine Tar Incident in Major League Baseball. The controversy came in the ninth inning with two outs when George Brett hit a two-run home run to put the Royals ahead of the Yankees, well until Yankees manager Billy Martin came out and argued the call. Martin noticed a large amount of pine tar on Brett’s bat and asked the umpires to rule on the matter. The rule is the amount of pine tar on the bat cannot exceed the width of home plate, Brett’s bat did and he was called out at home thus ending the game and the rally. Brett stormed out of the dugout furiously after the umpires and after pleading his case to no avail. The game was over, the Yankees win.


Now long story short the game was protested and the Royals eventually won the protest. The game was restarted and Brett’s home run was allowed and the Royals hung on to their 5-4 lead for the victory but that’s not the point of this post. The point of the post is who was playing in center field that game. Maybe you have heard of him, Ron Guidry?


Martin was furious about the game being protested and then continued so in an act of protest the Yankees manager moved Guidry to center field. Guidry replaced then center fielder Jerry Mumphrey who has since been traded to the Houston Astros while Martin also moved left-handed throwing Don Mattingly to second base after then second baseman Bert Campaneris was injured. Martin, like Joe Girardi over the weekend, did not want to potentially lose a pinch hitter, runner or pitcher which accounted for the decisions.





And now you know.

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Detroit Tigers 4/2



The New York Yankees have been through the rotation once, technically, and will turn the rotation over for the first time tonight here in the Bronx. In the middle game of their three-game set with the Detroit Tigers, the Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound for his second start of the young season. Opposing Tanaka will be Jordan Zimmermann who was almost unhittable in his first start of the season. It should be an interesting matchup to say the least, so let’s get to it here in the Bronx.


Tanaka ripped the Opening Day monkey off his back here in 2019, limiting the Baltimore Orioles to just two runs, one of them earned, over six hits in 5.2 innings pitched. The Yankees won the game while Tanaka became the first Yankees starter to record at least five strikeouts without a walk on Opening Day snice Catfish Hunter.


Zimmermann was equally as strong on Opening Day in Toronto against the Blue Jays, pitching 6.2 perfect innings before giving up a hit. Zimmermann has pitched well inside of Yankee Stadium lately including a streak of 12 innings without giving up a run over the last two seasons.


The game will be played at 6:35 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV and on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman. Enjoy the game and, as always, go Yankees!!


TGP Trivia and Fact of the Day for April 2nd, 2019


Good morning Yankees family.

Seven players from the New York Yankees have led the American League in stolen bases in a season. These players include Fritz Maisel in 1914, Ben Chapman from 1931-1933, Frank Crosetti in 1938, Snuffy Stirnweiss in 1944 and 1945, Ricky Henderson in 1985, 1986, and 1988, Alfonso Soriano in 2002, and Brett Gardner in 2011.

And a special good morning to my wife, Kari. I love you very much!

This Day in New York Yankees History 5/2: Iron Man Streak Ends at 2,130


On this day in 2001 Paul O'Neill joined the 2,000 hit club as the 215th member when he hit a single in the ninth inning off of Twins relief pitcher LaTroy Hawkins.


Also on this day in 1984 Don Mattingly had the only Yankee hit breaking up a perfect game bid for LaMarr Hoyt. Hoyt faced the minimum of 27 batters in a Chicago White Sox victory 3-0 over the Yankees.


Also on this day in 1958 the New York Yankees threatened to broadcast their games nationwide if the National League went ahead with its plans to broadcast Los Angeles Dodger and San Francisco Giant games in New York City. This was obviously just the beginning.



Finally on this day in 1939 Lou Gehrig told the Yankees manager Joe McCarthy that he was benching himself "for the good of the team" ending his iron man streak. The streak began in 1925 and ended at 2,130 consecutive games.