Quick Hit: The History Behind the Word “Yankee”

Have you ever wondered where the word “Yankee” actually came from? I have so I did the research and here is what I came up with just in case you were wondering.

The word Yankee is generally considered to be a word that refers to people from the United States if you aren’t living in the US and specifically refers to people from the North if you are currently living in the South. This obviously came from the American Civil War, specifically those who lived and fought in the New England area. The speech dialect in New England is actually called “Yankee” or “Yankee dialect” believe it or not.


The earliest recorded use of the word Yankee was from British General James Wolfe in 1758 when he referred to the people who lived in what was is now the United States. The word caught fire and began being used all across Britain as a derogatory word for the New Englanders and Yankee Soldiers. The word has evolved ever since as Mark Twain wrote a book “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” which was more aimed at New England residents and less towards a United States Citizen. More or less these days the term Yankee, when not being referred to in baseball terms, is used from Americans living in the southern part of the United States referring to the people living in or originally from the northern part of the United States.


The word also has some ties to the Dutch as they inhabited what is now known as New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. The Dutch given names of Jan (John) and Kees (Cornelius) were the most common Dutch names and sometimes combined to make a single name, for example Jan Kees de Jager. The pronunciation from the Dutch sounds much like the word Yankee and some believe that Dutch Americans were given the name from the native Dutch. There is also the theory that the Dutch word for pet, Janke, was where the term came from as when you pronounce the “J” in English it comes out with a “Y” sound. The final Dutch theory for the word was the slur “John Cheese” as the Dutch were heavy into dairy cultivation and even introduced the black and white dairy cow from Friesland and North Holland to America in the mid-1600s. When the Dutch would say John Cheese it would sound roughly like “Yankees” and the term stuck over time.

In New York though Yankees just means winning. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox 9/18

EDIT: GAME MOVED TO 7:05 pm ET

And just like that it is game time here in the Bronx between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. In the first of their three-game set this week the Yankees will send JA Happ to the mound looking to right the ship while the Red Sox will counter with Nathan Eovaldi. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET, not a typo, inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 in New York, NESN in Boston, MLB Network nationally and on Facebook Watch anywhere in the world. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Follow us on Twitter, @GreedyStripes, and “Like” us on Facebook, The Greedy Pinstripes, to keep up with us and the Yankees all season long. Enjoy the game, beat the Red Sox, and go Yankees!!

Yankees Statistical Leaders Through 149 Games

The Yankees Offense

At Bats:

Giancarlo Stanton – 573

Games:

Giancarlo Stanton – 147

Hits:

Miguel Andujar – 156

Doubles:

Miguel Andujar - 40

Home Runs:

Giancarlo Stanton - 34

RBI:

Giancarlo Stanton - 89

Batting Average:

Miguel Andujar - .298

Aaron Judge - .285

The Yankees Pitching

Wins:

Luis Severino – 17

Losses:

Sonny Gray – 9 

ERA:

Starters:  JA Happ – 2.70 ERA

Bullpen:  Aroldis Chapman – 2.11 ERA

Strikeouts:

Starters: Luis Severino – 207 K’s

Bullpen: Dellin Betances – 108 K’s

Saves:

Aroldis Chapman – 31

Shutouts:

Luis Severino – 1

Masahiro Tanaka - 1

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox 9/18

Rivalry renewed, just this time on a Tuesday afternoon in the Bronx. Despite the weird start time for the game the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will continue their rivalry this week as the 2018 season begins to wind down. In the opener of the three-game set this week the Yankees will send JA Happ out to the mound to face off with Nathan Eovaldi for the Red Sox. Rivalry renewed, so let’s get to it here in the Bronx.

Happ has possibly been the Yankees most reliable starters of the second half and since his acquisition in late July. Happ has made eight starts as a Yankee and has posted a 6-0 record with a 2.70 ERA with the Yankees winning seven of those eight games.

Eovaldi has a great record inside Yankee Stadium throughout his career posting a 10-5 record with a 3.85 ERA. Eovaldi also dominated the Yankees in his last start inside Fenway Park as well allowing no runs on three hits in eight innings of work back on August 4.

The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET, not a typo, inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 in New York, NESN in Boston, MLB Network nationally and on Facebook Watch anywhere in the world. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Enjoy the game, there’s no excuse not to follow along today in some capacity, and go Yankees!!

Hello… Wild Card Game Home Field Advantage Rant

Good morning Yankees family and welcome back to the blog. The New York Yankees are going to the postseason as one of the Wild Card winners in the American League. Whether it is as the home team or the away team we don’t now yet, but really who cares? I mean, obviously a lot of people do judging by posts on Facebook and Twitter, but they shouldn’t. Yankee Stadium, Oakland Coliseum, who cares? What’s the difference? This team has been here before, they haven’t. Not that this even matters anyway. October is the second season, and a new season. I could give plenty of examples of teams that limped into the postseason, cough 1998 Yankees cough, and did well, just as you could give me plenty of examples of the opposite, 2015 Yankees.

I said all that to say this, who cares? He Yankees are going to the postseason. Be happy about that, and root for the best… don’t just sit here poisoning every time line I have on every social media platform I take part in because you expect the worst. Nothing before October 3^rd matters. Nothing.

Hey baby. I love you, and I hope you have the very best day.

This Day in New York Yankees History 9/18: Yankees Sabathia Wins 20 Games

CC Sabathia before coming to the New York Yankees never had a 20 win season, although he did win 19 games in two separate occasions, but finally reached the milestone on this day in 2010. The New York Yankees would beat the Baltimore Orioles 11-3 on this day. The southpaw would lead the league in victories and is the fourth Yankee to win 20 games since 2000 joining Roger Clemens (2001), Andy Pettitte (2003) and Mike Mussina (2008).


Speaking of clutch Yankee pitching and beating the Baltimore Orioles Mike Mussina became the first American League pitcher to win 10+ games in 16 consecutive seasons. The Yankees would thump the Orioles on this day 12-0. Moose would join Steve Carlton (18), Warren Spahn (17), Nolan Ryan (16), Don Sutton (17), Cy Young (19) and Greg Maddux (20) as one of only seven pitchers to ever achieve the feat. Mussina would get his 17thconsecutive season with at least 10 wins in 2008 in his final season.

Sweet Home Yankee Stadium...

Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports, via Reuters (Adam Hunger)

Yanks kick off final regular season home stand with an easy win…

For all of the struggles by the Yankees this month, last night was fun.  The Yankees were in charge from the start and never looked back en route to the 11-0 thrashing of the Toronto Blue Jays behind the stellar pitching of restored staff ace Masahiro Tanaka.  

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Jim McIsaac)

After a disappointing nine-game road trip that saw the Yankees drop series in Oakland and Minneapolis to finish 4-5, allowing the A’s to close the gap in the AL Wild Card standings, the Yankees needed a strong game with contributions across the roster.  I suppose it was a good sign when it was announced Aaron Judge had been activated off the disabled list prior to the game, even if his bat wasn’t activated with him.  Judge will serve as a pinch runner and defensive specialist until it is time to take a few swings in simulated games in Tampa before he gets an opportunity to seek his 27th home run for the Bombers.  Given that Judge is the obvious heart and soul of this team (and its future Captain if the Yankees do what’s right), I am glad to see him on the active roster even with his limitations. 

I am resigned to the fact that this has been a special season for the Boston Red Sox.  I hope they fail in the post-season (like the 2001 Seattle Mariners) but there’s been no doubt they’ve owned the regular season.  Unlike the Yankees, they’ve been able to limit the slumps and no opposing lead seems safe against J.D. Martinez and Company.  I remain hopeful that they’ll fail in the post-season with their questionable bullpen but at the moment they are the best Red Sox team of my lifetime (well, anybody’s lifetime for that matter).  I hate the Houston Astros but if the AL Championship comes down to the Astros and the Red Sox, I’d have to pull for a repeat World Series appearance for the defending champs.  

There’s been so much talk about which pitcher should get the call in the inevitable Wild Card game against the Oakland A’s.  Right now, it would seem that Tanaka is the man of the hour.  Many have mentioned J.A. Happ as a possibility but as good as he has been as a Yankee, I really think the choice should be limited to Tanaka or Luis Severino.  I guess I can still remember the times when the Yankees had their way with Happ when he was wearing a Blue Jays uniform.  In his last game against the Yankees in July, he was pounded for six runs in 2 2/3 innings in Toronto’s 10-5 loss to the Yanks.  Although Severino has been struggling for awhile, he pitched much better in Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins when the Yankees didn’t get their first hit until the eighth inning.  He held the Twins to only one run on four hits in 5 2/3 innings and didn’t walk anybody in the tough luck loss.  He struck out five.  It’s a start, both literally and figuratively.

As the Yankees begin their final home stand, it is a little sad that it could be the last regular season games at Yankee Stadium for a few of the guys.  Brett Gardner, CC Sabathia, and David Robertson are the names that stick out the most to me.  Several guys, like Sonny Gray and maybe even Greg Bird, may have played themselves off the roster after the season.  It’s doubtful the Yankees will re-sign Andrew McCutchen or Zach Britton so their brief Pinstriped careers could soon be coming to an end and there is no certainty the Yankees will re-sign J.A. Happ. MLB Trade Rumors speculated this morning that Happ could earn more than a guaranteed $40 million for three years on his next deal when he becomes a free agent after the season.  That’s a lot of money for a guy who turns 36 next month. Hopefully the Yankees hang on to their Wild Card lead so that there is at least one more game at Yankee Stadium  for the impending departees after the current home stand ends.  

I am not sure how I feel about the Yankees’ chances for October.  If they play like the team we’ve seen in recent weeks, it will be ‘one and done’ in the Wild Card game.  If they can capitalize on the momentum of last night’s game and propel themselves into the playoffs on a roll, anything can happen.  We know this team is capable of beating anybody including the Red Sox.  But we also know that the bats can go into silent mode with runners in scoring position at times (more often than I would like).  I guess I could say that while I am hopeful for the best, I am braced for the worst.  I do know the Yankees need a healthy Aaron Judge and Aroldis Chapman before we play the final regular season series in Boston at the end of the month.  We need both guys firing on all cylinders for the team’s hopes to advance deep into October.  

Like many Yankee fans, I am very pleased with the production and energy that we’ve seen from first baseman Luke Voit.  I certainly never dreamed that GM Brian Cashman would be able to flip relievers Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos for a guy who has become such a big part of the Yankees offense.  I don’t know what the future holds for Voit but I am enjoying the current ride.  I think the Yankees will look to upgrade the position in the off-season but Voit has certainly earned the right to battle Greg Bird for the starting position next Spring.  

Photo Credit: Getty Images (Jim McIsaac)

I’ve seen so many people call for the head of Aaron Boone.  Sure, he’s made his share of rookie mistakes in his first year as Yankees manager but I think he’ll be stronger for it in 2019.  There’s not anybody out there I would prefer to see as the team’s manager at this point and I am certainly not pining for the return of Joe Girardi.  When Boone was announced as the Yankees manager last off-season, I had been hopeful that he’d select a veteran manager as his bench coach.  So I was a little disappointed when he went with Josh Bard who has not managed at any level.  Bard may be smart and confident, but I really preferred a battle tested veteran manager in the role as lead consultant for Boone.  Boone does have managerial experience on his staff with Larry Rothschild who was the original manager for the Tampa Bay Rays (then Devil Rays) when they entered the American League.  Third base coach Phil Nevin has minor league managerial experience. But that’s not the same as your right hand guy. The best case scenario would have been for the Yankees to have retained former bench coach Rob Thomson who now serves in the same role for the Philadelphia Phillies and their infant manager, Gabe Kapler.  Another veteran manager who left the organization last off-season will most likely be coaching first base for the Yankees’ Wild Card opponent.  Al Pedrique, the former manager of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, is presently first base coach for the Oakland A’s.  In my opinion, Thomson or Pedrique would have been much better options to sit (or rather stand) beside Boone in the Yankees dugout than Bard.  

Speaking of Joe Girardi, I am not sure where he’ll get his next opportunity.  I had thought St Louis was an obvious destination but the Cardinals have committed to their interim manager, Mike Shildt, by dropping the interim tag. Shildt has made the Cardinals relevant again after their disappointing performance under former manager Mike Matheny. I thought Washington might be another possibility but it sounds like first-year manager Dave Martinez will get another shot in 2019 even if the team will be Bryce Harper-less.  The Toronto Blue Jays have been mentioned as a possibility given the speculation that their manager, John Gibbons, is managing his final games in a Blue Jays uniform.  It would be weird to see Girardi in the AL East with another team. But when you look at teams with great young prospects on the horizon, the Blue Jays would be near the top of the list with the highly rated sons of former Major Leaguers Vladimir Guerrero, Dante Bichette, and Craig Biggio among others. All things considered, I am hopeful Girardi likes his job with MLB Network well enough to wait for a Chicago job to open at some point in the future.

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders beat the heavily favored Durham Bulls last night to send the International League’s Governors’ Cup Finals to the winner-take-all Game Five to be played in Moosic, PA later today.  Domingo German will start for the RailRiders against Durham’s Kyle Bird (part of the Bulls planned bullpen day). The Bulls are the defending IL champs, while the RailRiders were the Wild Card entrant and last year’s championship series loser.  Win or lose, this has been a great season for the Yankees’ top farm team.  The Bulls have been at a disadvantage for the series since all of the games have been played at PNC Field in Moosic due to the weather conditions in the Carolinas.  

Entering play today, the magic number for the Boston Red Sox to win the AL East championship is six games.  The Yankees (91-56) currently trail the Red Sox by 9 1/2 games so at this point it is only a matter of time until the Red Sox are sipping champagne.  My hope is that they do not do it next week on Yankee Stadium soil.  The Yankees lead the AL Wild Card by a game and a half over the Oakland A’s but hold the tie-breaker.  The Seattle Mariners trail the A’s by 8 1/2 games so barring any miracle comebacks, the AL Wild Card will be Yankees-A’s with location being the only question.  

For today’s game, the Yankees send CC Sabathia (7-6, 3.54 ERA) to the mound.  He’ll be opposed by Toronto’s Sean Reid-Foley (1-3, 6.86 ERA).  Sabathia has not looked good in his recent outings and he really needs to step his game soon.  Hopefully today is the start.  We want a win, we need a win, let’s get a win.  Go Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Minnesota Twins 9/12

And just like that it is game time here inside Target Field as the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins finish up their three-game set. In the finale of the series tonight the Yankees will send Luis Severino out to the mound to face off with Jake Odorizzi for the Twins. The game will be played at 8:10 pm ET inside Target Field in Minnesota and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app, and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Follow us on Twitter, @GreedyStripes, and “Like” us on Facebook, The Greedy Pinstripes, to keep up with us and the team all season long. Enjoy the game, head into the off day with a victory, and go Yankees!!

Second Guessing My Hypothetical Wild Card Game Starter

The thing about predictions, hypotheticals, and fandom in general is that everything is subject to change. Remember when Giancarlo Stanton “sucked” and everyone (most “fans” anyway) wanted him traded after just a month? Where were those fans in August? Silent. Also, remember when everyone wanted Austin Romine to start every day over Gary Sanchez? Where were those fans on Monday night when he launched an 800 ft (exaggeration) home run against the Minnesota Twins in a victory? Also, silent. My point is that fans and opinions can change, and I have changed my mind concerning the Yankees potential and hypothetical Wild Card Playoff Game starter. 

In my initial post I listed JA Happ as my Wild Card Game starter followed by Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, and CC Sabathia in that order, but on second thought I think I changed my mind just a bit. Looking ahead a bit, which I understand can be dangerous, I think if I were making the calls I would have Masahiro Tanaka start the AL Wild Card Game and not Happ. My reasoning? Well, that’s where it gets tricky. 

Masahiro Tanaka has playoff experience, specifically AL Wild Card Game experience, and has proven that he can pitch under the bright lights in the Bronx in October. Tanaka started the AL Wild Card Game for the Yankees in 2015 against the Houston Astros and Dallas Keuchel slinging five innings of work while allowing two runs, both solo home runs, with three strikeouts. Happ has playoff experience with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008 in the NLCS, again in 2009 when the Phillies matched the New York Yankees in the World Series, and during the 2016 ALDS and ALCS with the Toronto Blue Jays, pitching to varying degrees of success. While Happ has pitched in the postseason and the World Series with Philadelphia he has done so as a relief pitcher with the exception of one start (that lasted just three innings) in the 2009 NLDS against the Colorado Rockies. Happ’s two starts for the Blue Jays both lasted five innings each and resulted in a combined 1.50 WHIP and over 11 hits per nine innings. In the immortal words of former Yankees manager Joe Girardi, that’s not what you want. 

The past is the past though and we cannot focus solely on the past when making this decision. Let’s look at the present. Who would you want starting two games and a decisive Game Five for the Yankees, assuming they make it that far? You have to think, especially against the Boston Red Sox,
that that’s Happ. I mean, sure, we would love to see Tanaka make two starts as well, but the team has to get their first and right now Severino just isn’t an arm that can be relied on in a one-game playoff scenario. Having Tanaka start the Wild Card Game, Happ starting Game One of the presumed ALDS, followed by Severino, Sabathia and Tanaka gives the Yankees at least a fighting chance. If the series goes five games I don’t think I’d want anyone else on the mound AS WE STAND TODAY in that decisive Game Five than JA Happ.


Happ has been the most consistent Yankees starter and has great numbers career against the Red Sox. It just makes logistical sense to me, even if it is looking ahead and subject to second guessing a bit. Having Tanaka start the AL Wild Card Game is not exactly throwing in the towel by any means, but if the Yankees can win that game with Masahiro on the mound the team would be ideally set up to take down the big, bad “best team to walk the planet” Boston Red Sox, in my opinion.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Minnesota Twins 9/12

The New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins will finish off their three-game set and their season set tonight inside Target Field with the finale of the series. In the finale the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound on an extra day of rest to face off with Jake Odorizzi for the Twins. Must win for the Yankees with the A’s nipping at their feet, so let’s get to it here inside Target Field.

Severino heads into the start tonight fresh off his shortest outing of the season last time out against the Oakland Athletics. In the start Severino lasted just 2.2 innings while allowing six runs in the Yankees 8-2 loss out in Oakland. Since July 7^th Severino has posted a 4-5 record with a 6.83 ERA in 11 starts and the Yankees hope an extra day of rest can help the right-hander turn things around.

Odorizzi also struggled in his last start against the Houston Astros where the right-hander gave up five runs in 4.2 innings pitched in a loss. Odorizzi was strong early, but it all came apart in the fifth innings, which has been an issue for him all season long.

The game will be played at 8:10 pm ET inside Target Field in Minnesota and can be seen on the YES Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app, and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast on WFAN with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.

Enjoy the game, gain some breathing room in the Wild Card chase, and go Yankees!!