Thursday, April 9, 2015

Nick's Picks: Jays VS Yankees 4/9/15

Well, first picks of the year didn't go too poorly, other than getting mostly everything wrong. The Yankees won the game, the first win of the season and of course Pineda pitched pretty well; just wish we knew how to hit. If it was not for that crazy 8th inning I believe I would have had a giant goose egg with picks but thankfully the game ended 4-3 with a shutdown 9th inning by new closer Andrew Miller. Yeah, I appointed him.

So here we are into game three of the opening series with a crazy lineup. Sabathia is on the hill and Arod is hitting second. If this was 2005 I might be actually excited about this game but sadly, it is not. I want to go with my gut and say that this game will be a definite win but the numbers make me want to say LOSS. Hopefully Girardi knows what he is doing, otherwise look out Yankee Universe, it is going to be a long night of baseball. Time for the picks.

Top pitching performance: I love CC Sabathia. I love him even more when he is not on the mound though. Tonight will be a huge test, one that I do not think he passes so I am going with Esmil Rogers as my top pitching performance. I am saying that when and I do mean when CC gets in trouble I feel Esmil will be first out of the pen. My guess is three innings of two hit ball striking out 4. Let's hope I get this one wrong.



Breakthrough Hitter: It is early in the season, and the Blue Jays are throwing a young lefty against this old Yankees team. My best bet here is that, yes I am going to say it, Mr. You Know Who himself, Chris Young will be the breakthrough hitter. Thought I was going to say Arod huh? Not in this day or any other day this year. I like to stay clear until the steroid smoke clears and then I might go to the big man. Tonight though, Chris Young will go 2-4 and provide some big hits for the Yankees. I have him hitting both for extra bases. A homer he might hit? Let the force be with us tonight on offense.

Clutch performer: Why not give this to the newly acquired Gregorio Petit. I think that he will flash some leather on the field and maybe get on base a few times. Who could be worse than Brendan Ryan? Let's hope not Gregorio Petit. It is hard to match guys up against this young lefty for Toronto, but why not bring out the dark horses.



So, in tonight's match-up of CC Sabathia and Toronto's rookie Daniel Norris watch a lot of offense take place. Most notably for Toronto. I think that if the Yankees can figure out this rookie, which is not their MO, I think that we can make this game interesting. I predict that Yankees win a close one again, 6-5. Let's go Yankees, take home this open series! Remember, you cannot predict sports, but you sure as heck can try.


Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 4/9


Tonight the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays finish off their three game set at Yankee Stadium with a CC Sabathia vs. Daniel Norris matchup in the Bronx. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

Be sure to grab your Yankees tickets for the upcoming series with the Boston Red Sox this weekend inside Yankee Stadium right here on the blog. If you can’t make it out to the stadium then we invite you to come chat it up with us in the comments section of the site or on twitter where we attempt to live tweet almost every single game. Follow @GreedyStripes, jump on the blog and comment with us, and enjoy the game as the Yankees hopefully secure a win before the Boston series kicks off.


Go Yankees!!!

Yankees Ticket Prices Stay High, Average Ticket Prices Up 3.3% League Wide


Major League Baseball is setting all kinds of records this season after drawing over 4 million fans in Spring Training and with that the price of a ticket to see a game is going up along with it, unless you’re in New York. The average ticket price for a major league game is up 3.3% from the 2014 season across the league but the tickets for the New York Yankees remained the same this season. The average price for a ticket across the league is $28.94 which accounts for the steepest increase in six seasons.


The Boston Red Sox had the highest average at $52.34 per ticket without an increase in 2015 while the Yankees sit at $51.55 per ticket. The Cubs raised their tickets for the first time since 2010 to $44.81 per ticket while the average ticket for the Los Angeles Dodgers is still just $28.61 despite a record $270 million payroll. The Royals had the largest increase in 2015 after getting to the World Series in 2014 when the team bumped tickets up 20.3% to $29.76 per ticket. The World Series champion San Francisco Giants tickets raised as well to $33.78 which is just about a 6.8% jump from a season ago. 

Yankee Stadium Tour: The Eats


Can you tell that the wife, like 85% of women, had a New Year’s resolution to lose weight? Can you tell that I’m freaking hungry over here? Anyway I have been going over some of the more unique and artery blocking foods at the ballpark this season and I realized that I hadn’t gone over what you can eat inside our very own home ballpark, Yankee Stadium. A wrong will be righted today as I skip over the traditional peanuts and Cracker Jack and go straight to the meat and potatoes, or the chicken and the spaghetti sauce.

There is a place inside the stadium called simply “Parm” where you can get eggplant and mozzarella sandwiches to go along with your traditional chicken Parmesan sandwiches and meatball Parmesan sandwiches. You can always skip the traditional hot dogs and go with a fried pickle from Brother Jimmy’s BBQ and nothing goes better with an $8 Budweiser than a hand-carved steak sandwich from Lobel’s.

These sandiwches are not cheap, mind you, as the sandiwches at Parm run around $14 each while the steak sandwiches at Lobel’s run around $15 to go with your $5 Pepsi or bottle of water but the taste is absolutely amazing. These are places to go if you want to grab something quick and get back to your seat. If you’re looking for a more sit down type environment there is always NYY Steak which is located right above the Hard Rock CafĂ© at Gate 6.

You can also visit Johnny Rockets, Carl’s Steaks and NYY Steak Express if you’re looking for some meat but if you’re looking for just a snack then my go to treat has to be Garlic Fries. I may not be getting kissed at the end of the night but at least my stomach is happy. You can also check out Wholly Guacamole for the build your own nachos bar or you can stop by the Noodle Bowl and Sushi Stand besides Tommy Bahama’s Marlin Bar.


There are tons of good eats at Yankee Stadium, I didn’t even mention Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, Hebrew National dogs, Premio sausages, Papa John’s Pizza and Beers of the World. You can blow some serious jack inside the stadium but the taste of the food is close to being unmattched anywhere around the league. Come hungry Yankees fans, that’s the best advice that I can give you if you’re coming to Yankee Stadium in 2015. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 4/9


The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays will play in the finale of their three game set today in the Bronx. The Yankees may or may not be looking ahead to their weekend series in the Bronx as the team plays host to the Boston Red Sox for the first time in 2015. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves as the team still has to get through tonight, hopefully with a win, as the Yankees send CC Sabathia to the mound to face off with the Blue Jays starter Daniel Norris. The game will be played at 7:05 pm ET and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV.

Sabathia is making his first start of the season after starting the last six Opening Day’s for the Yankees since coming over via free agency. Sabathia was limited to just eight starts in 2014 after going down to a right knee surgery that ended his season. Since his major league debut in 2001 Sabathia leads all active major league pitchers in wins with 203 and strikeouts with 2,437.

Norris is the Toronto Blue Jays top prospect and will look to build on a strong spring training that was aided by the Tommy John surgery for Marcus Stroman. Norris got his feet wet last September with his first cup of coffee in the show after being a September call up and will look to make his case to remain in the Blue Jays rotation all season long.


Let’s get a win out of this series and head into the Boston series with some momentum, shall we? Go Yankees!

Brian Cashman And The Right Things

Brian Cashman may be saying all the right things, but is he doing the right things?

No.


.
.
.
.
.
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.
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Okay, I'll expand on my answer...

First of all, we should define what those "right things" are.

Saying "we’re trying to take care of both on both ends", meaning winning while building a future for the team, is absolutely the right thing to say. The Yankees have created an atmosphere that demands a winner. Yankees fans these days are not accustomed to down years or re-building.

You have to keep in mind that the Yankees haven't had a losing season since 1992. That's 22 years of winning. Furthermore, during those 22 years, the Yanks have made the playoffs 19 times, won the division 14 times, won the American League seven times, and won the World Series five times. There are people alive today, that can legally drink, who have literally never seen the Yankees with a losing record.

There's a really good chance that there are Yankees fans out there that don't know Don Mattingly was a Yankee, and a great one at that.

"Why is the Dodgers' manager wearing a Yankees uniform?"

What I'm trying to say is that the days of having Yankees fans that are okay with mediocrity, let alone losing, are long gone. However, winning is not the only thing that fans these days are demanding.

Fans want the Yankees to build a bright future, or more specifically another dynasty. They saw home-grown players like Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Bernie Williams lead the team through that dynasty, and they want the team to do it again.

Therefore, the Yankees have to win a World Series, while also building a team that will keep winning year in and year out. Sorry to break it to you, but that's not as easy as some make it out to be.

----------------------------------------------

So... Cashman is definitely saying the right things. But is he doing the right things?

There was debate during the last offseason about who to sign... Jon Lester or Max Scherzer? What's funny about that debate is not that it was happening, but that it was almost a foregone conclusion that one of those two would be in pinstripes. I'm not going to lie, as I thought the same thing. Not "if", but "who".

And I was wrong.

The Yankees didn't have to spend that much money. While the health of Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda were in question, those two are more than capable of leading the starting rotation. After those two the Yanks don't need a Cy Young candidate like Scherzer or Lester. Along with Ivan Nova, who while injured could be a force in the middle of the rotation, and a possible ace in Luis Severino, the Yankees already had guys in the organization that they could build around.

So what did Cashman do? Trade for Nathan Eovaldi. A guy that has the raw tools to be a star, but wouldn't cost any arm, leg, or any other body part to acquire. Brian Cashman saw he had a very good second base prospect in Rob Refsnyder, along with a very good outfield prospect in Aaron Judge, and had just signed a third baseman, so they could afford to trade away Martin Prado.

"Our stadium has a retractable roof, but we were in a rain delay for 16 minutes. WTF?"

And while Cashman could have gone after Hanley Ramirez to replace Derek Jeter at shortstop, he didn't do that. Brian saw that Hanley's defense was so bad at shortstop that chances were pretty good the team would still have a hole there soon. Nor did Cashman trade away the farm to acquire Troy Tulowitski, who... while a great player... just turned 30 and his coming off of hip surgery. He instead paid a much smaller price to deal for a guy that plays above average defense at short, is only 25 years old, and was very successful in AAA between 2013 and 2014.

What about signing Andrew Miller over David Robertson? Honestly, as much of a fan I was of Robertson, Cash made the right choice. Not only did he save $10 million (Miller was signed for $36 million over four years, while Robertson signed for $46 million over four years), but Miller has been more successful too. Over the 2013 and 2014 seasons, Miller's ERA+ was 179, while Robertson's was 155. Heck, Miller's FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) was 2.02, compared to D-Rob's mark of 2.65. The only thing Robertson did better was close more games, which is kind of unfair to say here as Miller was not a closer then.

One move that Brian Cashman made this offseason that I wasn't completely on board with was signing Chase Headley. And, honestly, it's not a "bad" move at all. Chase is only 30 years old, so his four year deal isn't going to take him to the end of his career. And the guy has been an above-average hitter, or better, every season since 2010. Not to mention the fact that Headley is a very good third baseman. If it wasn't for the fact that the Yankees had Prado already on the team to play third base, the move would have probably been a no-brainer.

I know what you're all expecting me to talk about, at least for the "wrong move" section... Stephen Drew. Well, I don't have a real problem with this move. Let me tell you why...

I don't think Cashman was looking for somebody to be anything like a long-term solution at second base, due to a kid named Rob Refsnyder. Perhaps if there was somebody that really stood out among free agents, but there wasn't.

So you're looking at a one year deal, which leaves you with Alberto Callaspo, Rickie Weeks, Emilio Bonafacio, Asdrubal Cabrera, Rey Navarro, and Mike Aviles. The only guy that I would have been cool with out of those six is Cabrera. Callaspo can't hit or field, Weeks is horrible in the field and has lost a lot of power, Bonafacio can't hit, Navarro is unproven, and Aviles is no good with the bat.

While Stephen Drew is far from ideal, when it comes to one-year deals he may have been the lesser of many evils. And at $5 million, it's not like the Yankees can't afford to dump him should he hit poorly again, and/or Refsnyder is ready to jump to the Majors. 

So Brian Cashman has done all the right things, right?

"Well?"

No.

"Damn."

While he clearly did the right things for the future of the team, he didn't do the right things for the 2015 team, which is one of the things Yankees fans demand from him. It's not what I demand of him, it's what a lot of other Yankees fans demand of him. Is that fair? I don't think so. But that's the way it is.

See, unless a whole lot goes right for the Yankees this season, then there's a very good chance they miss the postseason for the third straight year. I won't go as far as Joel Sherman, and say the Yankees may finish below .500, but there's no doubt that this year's team is not a legit World Series contender. 

So while Brian Cashman has said the right things, and he's done the right things in order to build a great future for the team, he hasn't done the right things for this year's squad. And frankly, that's what needed to be done.

How Many Wins Do the Yankees Get in 2015?


As many of you know I love to interact with our readers and our followers on Twitter as much as I can on as many avenues as I can. I like to go on twitter and ask a question and record the responses in an article to get everyone involved and I did so again this week when I asked how many wins everyone thought the Yankees would get. Other than the 36 win prediction from our BYB Hub friends and Twitter followers Section 36 (who run a very well done Boston Red Sox blog) we received some numbers that coincide with my own predictions. 










TGP Daily Poll: CC Sabathia Goes No More Than 5 IP


The New York Yankees finish off their three game set this afternoon with the Toronto Blue Jays with CC Sabathia on the mound. CC will go no more than five innings inside Yankee Stadium tonight in the Bronx.


Vote in our prediction poll on Knoda.com

RiverDogs Announce 2015 Opening Day Roster



Roster highlighted by highly-touted shortstop Mateo; USC’s Jordan Montgomery

CHARLESTON, SC-- With Opening Day this week, the New York Yankees have revealed the players who will don Charleston RiverDogs uniforms to open the 2015 season on April 9 at The Joe against the Lexington Legends.

Luis Dorante returns at the helm of the RiverDogs for the second-consecutive season and fields a team that has 10 players with prior experience in Charleston. Featured returners include the talented double-play combo of second baseman Gosuke Katoh and shortstop Abiatal Avelino and outfielder Dustin Fowler who tallied nine homers in a RiverDogs uniform during the 2014 campaign. Former University of South Carolina Gamecocks pitcher Jordan Montgomery will also be a RiverDog.

Highly touted shortstop Jorge Mateo breaks camp and heads to Charleston after spending the 2014 season with the Gulf Coast Yankees. Mateo (Yankees No. 3 prospect, Baseball America and MLB.com) signed with the Yankees in 2012, but made his U.S. debut last season playing in 15 games with the Gulf Coast League Yankees where he hit .276 with six extra-base hits and 11 stolen bases. His speed on the bases and range in the field highlight the great potential for his inaugural season in the South Atlantic League.

Avelino (Yankees No. 15 prospect, Baseball America, No. 21 MLB.com) returns to the RiverDogs’ roster after logging 53 games in Charleston during the 2014 season. He hit .232 with 15 extra-base hits and 11 stolen bases. His arm is well above average and defense solid as he committed just seven errors from one of the most-important spots on the diamond.

Katoh (Yankees No. 28 prospect, MLB.com) logged 121 games with the RiverDogs in 2014, third most on the team, and hit .222 with 28 extra-base hits, 37 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 30 attempts. He ranked second in the SAL with 71 walks.

Surrounding Katoh, Avelino, and Mateo on the corners of the diamond will be third baseman Allen Valerio and first baseman Connor Spencer. Valerio played the hot corner in 42 of his 43 Gulf Coast League games and committed just nine errors in the field. His offense was solid as he hit .292 with 19 extra-base hits, 24 RBI and an OBP of .404. Spencer, an 8th round pick by the Yankees in the 2014 draft, made his pro debut with Staten Island and paced the Yankees by hitting .364 with 14 doubles, a triple, and 11 RBI in 51 games in the New York-Penn League.

Jose Javier rounds out the infielding core for the RiverDogs. He spent 2014 with the Staten Island Yankees in the New York-Penn League where he hit .241 with 2 homers and 16 RBI.

Fowler, Austin Aune, Chris Breen, and Brandon Thomas will patrol the outfield at The Joe to begin the 2015 season. The duo of Fowler and Thomas, which combined for 14 home runs, 80 RBI, and 25 stolen bases, returns to Charleston for this season and will again split time in center. Aune and Breen both advance from Staten Island and will spend most of their time in the corner outfield spots for the RiverDogs. Aune, a second-round pick of the Yankees in 2012 hit .218 with 4 homers, and 23 RBI for the SI Yankees. Breen, a 12th rounder from the 2012 draft, crushed a team-high 8 homers and hit .281 with 16 doubles, 5 triples and 28 RBI in 63 games.

A pair of backstops break camp and head to the Lowcountry. Eduardo de Oleo returns to the South Atlantic League after playing in 78 games with the ‘Dogs in 2014. The 22-year old catcher clubbed a team-high 12 home runs and threw out a team-high 21 base stealers in his first year of A-ball. Alvaro Noriega makes up the other half of the catching duo and advances from the Gulf Coast League where he hit .252 and threw out 17 opposing base stealers.

The RiverDogs’ pitching staff is highlighted by native South Carolinian and former South Carolina Gamecock Jordan Montgomery who returns to his home state with the RiverDogs. The left-handed pitcher hails from Sumter and was selected by the Yankees in the fourth round of last year’s draft. He went 1-1 with a 3.79 ERA across 19.0 innings in 10 games (seven starts) between Staten Island and the Gulf Coast Yankees 2. Montgomery’s three-year college career saw him go 20-7 with a 2.87 ERA over 253.2 innings with the Gamecocks. The southpaw attended Sumter High School and earned 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year honors in South Carolina and was named to the 2011 All-USA baseball squad by USA Today. He tallied a perfect 11-0 record with a minuscule 0.38 ERA and struck out 114 batters over 74.1 innings during his senior season.

Other members of the pitching staff include 2014 draftees Jordan Foley, Sean Carley, Justin Kamplain, Joe Harvey, and Andre Del Bosque.

The righty Foley was selected in the fifth round and is the second-highest draftee from the class of 2014 on the RiverDogs roster. He began his professional career last season with the Gulf Coast Yankees 2 and Staten Island Yankees and went 0-2 with a 4.10 ERA in 13 games across the two levels. Foley was initially drafted by the Yankees out of high school in the 26th round of the 2011 draft, but opted to attend and play baseball at Central Michigan University. Carley was selected in the 14th round out of West Virginia University, in his hometown of Morgantown, WV. The righty compiled a 1-4 record with a 5.19 ERA in 12 games, 6 starts, across two levels below the South Atlantic League.

Kamplain and Harvey were taken back-to-back in the 18th and 19th rounds respectively. Both pitched together in Staten Island before the lefty Kamplain progressed to Charleston to finish the season out. He started six games for the RiverDogs and went 0-0 with a 2.78 ERA in 22.2 innings in the South Atlantic League. Harvey had a stellar pro debut out of the bullpen and finished his first season 0-2 with two saves and a 1.74 ERA in 15 games between the Gulf Coast Yankees and Staten Island. Del Bosque was selected in the 38th round of the draft and pitched in four GCL games during his first pro season.

Right-handed pitcher Domingo Acevedo (Yankees No. 30 prospect, MLB.com) rounds out the four players on the roster recognized as top 30 prospects by either Baseball America or MLB.com. Acevedo is regarded as the hardest thrower in the Yankees system working 95-97 MPH and hitting 100 MPH on occasion. He started five games for the Gulf Coast Yankees 2 and went 0-1 with a 4.11 ERA across 15.1 innings striking out 21 hitters and walking just six. He will begin the season on the disabled list.

Rony Bautista, Cale Coshow, and Chaz Hebert is a trio of returners that make their way back to the Lowcountry following their 2014 stints with the RiverDogs. Bautista made his debut with Charleston on May 12th and made 10 appearances out of the ‘pen for Dorante’s club before he finished the season in relief for Staten Island. Coshow’s season took him to three stops across the Yankees’ minor league system, the second of which was Charleston. The burly righty pitched in six games out of the bullpen and went 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA. Of the returners on staff, Hebert made the most appearances last season with 15. The southpaw went 3-3 with a 2.49 ERA in 65.0 innings with the RiverDogs.

Righty David Palladino spent the last two seasons with Staten Island, but makes his way to Charleston’s staff to open up the 2015 campaign. The Yankees’ fifth-round pick of the 2013 draft and Emerson, New Jersey native earned a career-high six wins in 14 games last season, which marks the highest total of wins on the RiverDogs’ opening day staff.

Caleb Frare, Joey Maher, and Yoel Espinal round out the RiverDogs’ 13-man active pitching staff that will be under the tutelage of former RiverDog and current pitching coach Tim Norton (2005). Neither pitcher made has pitched in a game since 2012. Frare was drafted by the Yankees in the 11th round of the 2012 draft and went 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA in 10 GCL appearances during his first pro season, but missed both 2013 and 2014 seasons due to Tommy John surgery. Espinal was signed as a Minor League Free Agent in 2014 following his release from the Detroit Tigers. He looks to rebound from injury and get the 2015 campaign off on the right foot. Maher, a native of Bedford, NH, pitched for the Gulf Coast Yankees 2 team and went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 3.1 innings pitched.

Pitchers Ty Hensley, Dallas Martinez, and Jose Pena along with infielder Ty McFarland are on the 60-day disabled list, but have been placed on the RiverDogs roster. Former Citadel standout and Greenville, South Carolina native, infielder Bo Thompson is on the RiverDogs roster as well, but remains on the suspended list.

Taste of South Tampa at George M. Steinbrenner Field


The Daily Dozen: April 8th, 2015 Edition

THE DAILY DOZEN - APRIL 8, 2015

Twelve Takeaways from Tonight's Game

1. Game 2 is in the books...and the Yankees FINALLY won a game!  Oh we fans that are so used to winning seasons and the Yankees not having to struggle for runs.  At least fans that didn't have to wait through the entire decade of the 1980s to get something for their fandom...

2. Michael Pineda is...well...Michael Pineda.  The guy is going to give you 6 strong innings each night out with an ERA under 3.00 and still struggle to get above .500.  His run support is abysmal.  What is that old adage?  With great starters you only need one or two runs to win...well, the Yankees definitely played that way for the first 6 innings.  For the record Pineda gave up 2 runs in 6 innings tonight.  Here's an interesting stat provided by Bryan Hoch via Twitter, #runsupport is right!


3. There were only 31,020 fans at the game.  You think maybe the Steinbrenners wished they had a retractable roof right about now?  44 degrees, cloudy, rainy, and a 17 mph wind in early April does not make a great game to watch in-house.  It was likely miserable for the players as well.  For the record, the 31,020 was 63.1% capacity.  I bet they still made a killing on those $10 beers though...

$10 for a beer...it better have gold flakes in it!
4. 2015 Prediction:  As goes Ellsbury, will go the Yankees.  Ellsbury was 2 for 2 tonight and on base all four times to the plate.  He also had his first steal of the season.  Not surprisingly the Yankees won.  Ells and Gardner will be the backbone of this team as they scrape and scrap for runs while defensively mitigating runs by the other teams with their stellar defense.

5. Small Sample Size...but Sucky Stats.  I know it's early in the season and there is plenty of time for the "Bronx Bombers" to show up, but here are the current lines (batting average / on-base % / slugging %) of some of the big bashers within the lineup:

 --- Carlos Beltran  .000 / .125 / .000
 --- Mark Teixeira  .167 / .375 / .333
 --- Brian McCann .143 / .250 / .143
 --- Alex Rodriguez .167 / .286 / .167

6. Which brings me to Chase Headley.  Where would the team have been without Chase last season?  And of course he drives in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 8th to steal the Blue Jays' thunder.  He went 2 for 4 tonight to bump his stat line to a neat .250 / .250 / .250...arrgh.  But hey, he seems to be clutch when it matters.
The Almighty Chase Headley Everybody
(say this in a Harey Carey voice and it's even better!)
7. R.A. Dickey.  Seriously...this guy was lights out tonight giving up only 1 run in 6 and 1/3 innings with 4 strikeouts.  His ERA sits at 1.42.  And he didn't win...Michael Pineda says hi!  Okay so he wasn't the R.A. Dickey that won the Cy Young Award in 2012 for the Mets, what with giving up 4 hits and 3 walks in those same 6 1/3, but I bet Yankees fans would take him into the fold in a heartbeat.  Interestingly, when Dickey won the CY, the person that won the AL award was David Price...and they were both from within 1/2 hour of each other in Middle Tennessee where I lived...true story!

8. Scrape, claw, crawl, bite if you have to.  The 2015 version of the New York Yankees will have to do just that to win games and they will have plenty of close games that will be decided by a stolen base, a great defensive play, or the lights-out bullpen.  Case in point.  The three runs scored in the 8th came off of a bloop double, a single by none other than Jacoby Ellsbury, a HBP of Brett Gardner, and intentional walk of Teixeira (that feared bat that he is, especially with a shift), a HBP of Brian McCann, and a single by Headley. The first run of the night came from Ellsbury's single, a stolen base, a groundout by Gardner, and a sac fly by McCann.  Yep! These aren't your father's Yankees!

9. Seriously...don't you be hurting Brett Gardner.  I pity the fool that ends Brett "The Hitman" Gardner's season by plunking him in the elbow.  I will hunt you down Loup!  Well, he did get the loss, so I guess that is good enough.
Gardner Gripping his Elbow in the 8th Inning
10. Dellin Betances.  I don't think I really have to say anything besides that...but I will...1 inning, 1 hit, 1 run, TWO WALKS??? NO STRIKEOUTS???  It took 32 pitches to get out of the inning; but he did and the Yankees bullpen held once again.

11.  Did anyone notice that Jose Bautista is 0-fer in 2015?  Bautista's line would fit right in with the Bronx Bombers with his .000 / .167 / .000.  If it wasn't for Encarnacion right behind him the Blue Jays would likely be 0-2 right now.

12.  Andrew Miller records his first save as a Yankee.  Congratulations Mr. Miller, only 652 more to become the Yankees All-Time Saves Leader!  I will make another prediction here...Miller will end up with 50 saves this season...just a hunch.

This Day in New York Yankees History 4/9: Joe Torre Re-Signs w/ Yankees


On this day in 2004 the New York Yankees and manager Joe Torre agreed on a new three year deal, a three year pact that would be his last in Yankees pinstripes. The deal also included an additional six year deal in which the 62 year old manager would become a team adviser through the 2013 season.

Also on this day in 1965 the Houston Astros opened the first domed stadium when they hosted the New York Yankees at the Astrodome. During the opening ceremonies 24 astronauts threw 24 ceremonial first pitches in the "Eight Wonder of the World" as the Colt .45's became the Astros.


Finally on this day in 1963 Yogi Berra made an appearance on the television soap opera General Hospital as Dr. Lawrence Berra, a brain surgeon. Yogi did this as a favor to former Indians infielder Johnny Berardino, now known as Johnny Beradino who played Dr. Steve Hardy on the soap.