Sunday, September 29, 2013

85-77; Yankees rally in extras for season-ending sweep of Astros

Brett Marshall, Dellin Betances, Preston Claiborne, David Phelps, Matt Daly, and David Robertson combined to shut out the Astros for nine consecutive innings this afternoon as the Yankees won today's season finale in fourteen innings, 5-1. Now this one, one of course, didn't matter, but it was still really fun to watch. Today was a pitcher's duel, and one that I found very entertaining.

The Yankees final four runs this season all came in that last inning, when Mark Reynolds cleared the wall for a solo homer, Eduardo Nunez doubled home two runs, and J.R. Murphy singled home an additional, insurance run. Readers, this season was fun. I enjoyed being this site's post game writer and can't wait for the Yankees to come back in late February/early March 2014. But until then, we gotta focus on offseason stuff. So let's turn the page of the TGP book and get going on some trade rumors. 

Andy Pettitte Finishes His Yankees Career On Top


Andy Pettitte's baseball and New York Yankees career is officially over after last nights start so now seems like a better time than any to look back at Andy's 18 year career. The great thing about Andy after coming out of retirement for the 2012 season is he went out his way and went out on top. Not on top the way he probably wanted, which would result in a World Series championship, but he went out still pitching at the top of his game. This is it for Andy at age 41 as he is  not coming out of retirement this time so let me be the first to say thank you for everything you have done both on and off the field, in a Yankees uniform or not, because you are a class act and will always be a New York Yankee.

Here is the official stat line for Andy Pettitte's career:


  • 256-153 record in his career
  • 19-11 record in the post season which those 19 wins are the most of all time in playoff history
  • 3.85 ERA career
  • 521 starts
  • 3316 career IP
  • 2448 career K's
  • Career 1.351 WHIP
  • 1.305 WHIP in the playoffs
  • Three All Star appearances
  • 2001 ALCS MVP
  • Only pitcher to ever clinch all three series in the post season when he was on the mound when the Yankees defeated the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the ALCS, and the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2009 World Series.
  • Got MVP votes in 1996 and 2005
  • Got Cy Young votes five times in his career
  • Never had a losing record for his entire career



Andy will retire with the most wins, innings pitched, strike outs, earned runs allowed, batters faced, errors committed as a pitcher, hits allowed, and games started among active pitchers. Andy will also retire as the oldest pitcher in the major leagues and a borderline Hall of Fame candidate.

Andy finished his career where it all started in a New York Yankees uniform. He may finish as the greatest Yankees starting pitcher of all time as a part of eight World Series teams, seven with the Yankees and one with Houston, including five World Series rings. Andy went out the way Andy wanted to go out and that is all that you can ask for. Goodbye Andy!

Game Thread: Yankees @ Astros 9/29


The marathon is over, the sprint is over, and after this afternoon the season is over for both the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. It all comes down to this as the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros play in game 162 of the 2013 season with neither team headed to October baseball. This also marks the end of both Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera's storied careers. The pitching match up is David Huff for the Yankees and Erik Bedard for the Astros and the game can be seen at 2:10 pm ET on the YES Network and MLB TV.

Here is the final Yankees lineup of the season:

Eduardo Nunez 3B
J.R. Murphy C
Curtis Granderson CF
Vernon Wells LF
Mark Reynolds 1B
Travis Hafner DH
David Adams 2B
Brendan Ryan SS
Zoilo Almonte RF


Follow us on twitter by following @GreedyStripes.

Houston Astros Suck Meme


Win A Gazebo On A Pole From The Greedy Pinstripes



I know that this is not New York Yankees related but this is an off day so we tend to be a little more relaxed on the site during off days and today is no exception. I was contacted by a fan of TGP and us on twitter, @GreedyStripes, giving us a very unique opportunity. They are giving away a gazebo on a pole for free which is retailed at $1,295.00 and all you have to do is go to THIS SITE and upload a picture of you and/or your family at a gazebo. Gazebos can be found at parks, schools, etc so it is easier then you would think to find one. Also they give you the opportunity to enter for a free $50 gift card for amishfoods.com by sharing the giveaway on Facebook which is pretty cool. Go check out the link,SEEN HERE, and upload those pictures before the winner is drawn on September 30th, TOMORROW. Good luck!

New York Yankees @ Houston Astros 9/29


This is it Game 162 the marathon of the 2013 major league baseball season comes to an end this afternoon as the New York Yankees face off with the Houston Astros in Minute Maid Park. This will be the final game for everyone in 2013 playing on the field today and the final games of Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera's careers. The Astros will send out Erik Bedard to the mound to face off with David Huff for the Yankees. The game will be televised at 2:10 pm ET on the YES Network and MLB TV. One last time, Go Yankees!

Cashman: Yankees Want To Bring Back Rothschild


Brian Cashman confirmed this morning that the New York Yankees hope to bring back the Yankees pitching coach Larry Rothschild who is a free agent after this season. The 59 year old Rothschild signed a three year deal back in 2010 to replace Dave Eiland and has seen the Yankees pitch to a 3.97 ERA with a 3.92 FIP in his three seasons as pitching coach which ranks about in the middle of the pack as far as across the league goes. You would think it would be a lot better having the likes of Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte, and CC Sabathia on the team but you have to remember they also had AJ Burnett in 2010 so that probably did not help much.

Speculation is that Rothschild is a Girardi loyalists so if manager Joe Girardi comes back then so will Larry and Brian Cashman has said that he wants both of them back. We will finish this with a quote from Cashman during this interview.

"I think he is an excellent pitching coach," meaning Rothschild obviously, "I would like to have him back, I would like to have Joe back. I wouldn't think that Larry would want to work with just any manager, so first and foremost we have to deal with that."

Watch Andy Pettitte's Final Start In 4 Minutes

Jose Dariel Abreu and Masahiro Tanaka: Yay or nay?


Being posted as a part of Syndicated Sunday from Bronx Baseball Daily. Check out Greg Corcoran's work HERE. 

The Yankees have really shied away from big-time international free agents in recent years, and almost certainly have regretted it. They have seen the likes of Yoenis Cespedes, Yasiel Puig, Yu Darvish, Aroldis Chapman, and more sign with other clubs and have immediate success.
The Yankees have not made a big move on the international free agent market since the great Kei Igawa. It’s time they take a risk and make a marquee signing. Obviously they should wait for the right player, and they shouldn’t overspend. The questions then become whether or not Jose Dariel Abreu and Masahiro Tanaka are those players, and whether or not they will have to overspend to get them.
Let’s delve into Abreu first. At 6-foot-3, 250-pounds, Abreu has been called anything from “the best Cuban hitter including Yoenis Cespedes and Yasiel Puig” to “he’ll be lucky if he reaches his ceiling, which is Kendrys Morales.” He is a right handed hitter who has significant power, and uses all fields. He has a double toe-tap and has average bat speed. He has a knack for barreling the ball. The biggest knock on him is that he won’t be able to hit the inside fastball. Scouts say he struggles with the 90-92 mph fastball inside. Others laud his ability to make adjustments, so it’s possible he could improve upon that if needed. Remember, they have always said the same thing about Jeter.
His defense is considered a liability. He is slow on the base paths, and while he can play a decent first base, he is not quick and may struggle defensively in the majors. Yoenis Cespedes was quoted saying “If he had just a tad more speed, he would be a complete player” in reference to Abreu.
This past season, Abreu hit .344/.479/.604/1.083 in the Cuban league “serie nacional” with 17 doubles and 19 homeruns in 83 games. This was actually his worst season in three years. In 2011/2012 He hit .394/.543/.835/1.378 with 37 home runs, 103 RBI, a 43/80 K/BB ratio in 92 games. He lead he league in batting average, OBP, slugging, and OPS.
It’s important to realize that these stats came in an inferior league to the MLB, and there is no way this type of success would translate to similar success here. If you extrapolate his homerun total from 2011, he would hit 63 homeruns over a 160 game schedule. Something tells me that’s not going to happen. That said, the worst comparison I’ve heard about Abreu is that he is similar to Kendrys Morales. At the right price, a Kendrys Morales type would be great for the Yankees, as they showed this year they could use the offense.
Changing gears, Masahiro Tanaka is the prized pitcher on the international free agent market. He is 6-foot-2, and 205-pounds. He will be 24 to start next season. Scouts project him as a number two starter who should step immediately into a rotation. He throws a low-90′s fastball which can reach the mid-90′s. His fastball is straight, however, which means it could be very hittable in the major leagues. To keep hitters honest he also throws a splitter, which might be able to keep batters off his straight four-seamer. His splitter is nasty with late action. He also has a slider, which is his favorite secondary pitch, and is deadly. He can throw a curve ball, but there’s not much information out there on that pitch.
Statistically, Tanaka is the best pitcher in Japan. He threw 181 innings last year and struck out 155. He had just 27 walks and his WHIP was just 0.934. He has thrown more than 150 innings every year since the age of 18, so durability is not an issue, although arm mileage is. Last but not least, he is the owner of a 25 games winning streak. Wins are a terrible stat to evaluate performance, but it’s still impressive. The level of dominance one must show to reach 25 straight wins is astounding, and his 1.24 ERA during that time shows he earned it, and this wasn’t just a statistical, lucky fluke.
Bringing this all back into focus, the Yankees have a lot of holes to fill this offseason. Whether or not they need to pursue these two players depends on who else they bring in from free agency and any trades Cashman might have up his sleeve. Both are solid options. For the Yankees in particular, Abreu would seem to be less useful than Tanaka. Abreu plays first base, something the Yankees already have in Teixeira. He’s also not particularly good at first base, so Teixeira will play the majority of the innings there even if Abreu were signed. His value is going to be higher to a team who needs a first baseman, and thus they will probably be willing to pay more for him than the Yankees. In order to get him, the Yankees will have to overpay, which is not something I would recommend doing.
Tanaka, on the other hand, does fill a glaring need for the Yankees. As it stands today, Ivan Nova is the number two pitcher for he 2014 season, and the number 3-5 spots are up for grabs. The Yankees straight up need pitching. They unquestionably need a reliable second starter. It sounds like Tanaka will be able to step in and be that guy immediately. In a thin pitching market, there’s really no reason for the Yankees not to pursue this guy. His posting fee also will not count against the luxury task (if the changes in the new posting system don’t turn all of this upside down), which may allow the Yankees hover below the $189 million threshold. The downside is that we have no idea how his skills will translate to the MLB, as is the case with any international free agent. It’s going to end up being a lot of money for an unproven commodity.
At some point the Yankees must get back into the premium international free agent game. It is getting harder and harder to acquire young talent, and there are less and less players making it to free agency. They cannot acquire talent as easily as other teams in the draft because they are always drafting near the end of the pack. They are now handicapped in acquiring international talent with the spending restrictions on young IFA’s which are worse for the better teams in the league. The only thing that’s left is older IFA’s in their mid 20′s. This is the only place where the Yankees can flex their financial muscle effectively as long as their scouting is good. It’s time they take some action.

Pettitte brilliant in career finale win over Astros

Tonight, Andy Pettitte ended his career the best possible way he could've: with a complete game for the Yankees against the only other team he's ever played for, the Houston Astros. In his nine innings of work, the future hall of Famer gave up just 5 hits and a run while striking out 5, leading the Bombers to a 2-1 victory. The win improved the final seasonal record he'll ever have to the .500 mark of 11-11, helping him avoid what would've been the first losing season of his career. This game was simply incredible to watch. One day, me and everybody else who watched this will definitely tell their grand kids about the great way Andy Petitte ended his career. I am very glad I got to see him play baseball.

In the year 2008, when the Yankees were in my hometown of Kansas City, I saw Andy throw a complete game exactly like this one: a full nine innings and one run. So far, that has been my second best memory of Yankees baseball to seeing A-Rod's 600th homer in 2010. But it was still one I'll treasure. Thank you so much Andy for making each of our lives' a little bit better, for giving us good nights to bad days, and for giving us a thrill of joy when you announced your unretirement last spring training. In my life, you have been my favorite Yankees pitcher. From everybody here at TGP, I say good luck to you in the rest of your life and make sure your son Josh one day makes it to the field in the Bronx. That would definitely be something.  

This Day In New York Yankees History 9/29


On this day in 1934 Babe Ruth hit his 659th and final home run in a New York Yankees uniform. The Bambino had 49 home runs for the Red Sox before being sold off to the Yankees. Ruth will add six home runs for the Braves before calling it a career.


On this day in 1961 Whitey Ford got the win to improve his record to 25-4 on the season. Whitey also threw 283 innings this season and did not allow a single stolen base off of him.


On this day in 1987 the Yankees captain Don Mattingly set a new major league record for hitting his sixth grand slam of the season. Somehow these six grand slams would be the only six he would hit in his entire 14 year career.