Monday, June 15, 2015

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Miami Marlins 6/15


For the first time in each of the next four games the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins are set to face off head-to-head. With the first two games, including tonight's game, coming down in Miami we will watch the Yankees pitchers take their at bats while the Marlins will have the use of the DH position at their disposal for the final two games of the series inside Yankee Stadium. Tonight that Yankees pitcher that will take his at bats is Masahiro Tanaka as he faces off with the Marlins starter Tom Koehler. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 and MLB TV.

The Yankees have just one more game down in Miami before returning home to Yankee Stadium to play host to Martin Prado and Giancarlo Stanton. Grab your Yankees tickets off the blog by clicking the Yankees Tickets link at the top of the blog to get your tickets without paying an arm and a leg in shipping costs and all those annoying fees. If you can't make it live then simply join us on Twitter (@GreedyStripes) or on the comments section of the blog to interact us with during each and every Yankees game this season.

Stop reading this right now and tune into WPIX Channel 11 because it's Tanaka Day. Go Yankees!

Ivan Nova Gets One More Rehab Start

Candy Cummings & Inventions of the Curveball and Glove


William Arthur "Candy" Cummings was born on October 18,1848 in Ware Massachusetts and went on to be a professional baseball player that was eventually one of the first members to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. What Cummings added to the game of baseball was the addition of a curveball to a pitcher's repetroire and the addition of a glove for the catcher to catch the ball with.

When Cummings pitched the pitcher threw underhand and was essentially there to throw the ball where the "striker," or more commonly known as the batter today, wanted the ball to be thrown. The story goes that one day as a teenager Cummings was throwing clam shells into the ocean when he learned to added a bit of a curve to the shell when he threw. Cummings tried this with a baseball as a member of the National Association of Base Ball Players team the Brooklyn Excelsior's. Cummings pitched with Brooklyn in 1866 and 1867 before pitching for the Stars of Brooklyn from 1868 to 1871.

The problem with the curveball at that time was the fact that the catcher stood twenty feet behind the batter to catch the ball without a glove. When the curveball hit the ground it would skip away allowing runners to move up or score which led Cummings catcher, Nat Hicks, to stand behind the batter and catch the ball on the fly. Hicks and Cummings came up with the idea of the catcher having leather bound gloves with the fingers cut out of them to help with catching the ball and saving the catcher's hands.

The sport of baseball was in its infancy at the time but within a few years the way the pitcher played the game was changed, the pitcher's repertoire was changed, the catcher position was changed and how the catcher did his job was changed. All because of a 17 year old kid throwing sea shells by the sea shore that just loved playing this great game of baseball.

Cummings was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1939.

Now the Yankees know why they have those gloves on their hands and now it's time to start using them. Thanks.


Yankees starter Warren wants to stay in rotation

His move to the bullpen is likely inevitable, but Yankees right-hander Adam Warren would prefer to stay where he is.

Warren said as much after Sunday's win over the Orioles, telling NJ.com's Brendan Kuty he wants to remain in the rotation.

"Yeah, I do," Warren said. "Like I've said, I've always enjoyed it better as a starter."

Warren -- 4-4 with a 3.78 ERA this season -- is expected to join the pen following the return of Ivan Nova, who is nearing the end of his rehab assignment.

Warren thrived as a reliever last year, compiling a 2.97 ERA in 69 appearances. He often worked either seventh or eighth innings, and with Andrew Milller sidelined with a forearm strain, the group could certainly use his help. 

Still, Warren may not have to go anywhere if the Yankees decide to temporarily wield six starters -- something of which Joe Girardi recently stressed the importance.

"We know that we're going to need to insert a starter somewhere," Girardi said, via The LoHud Yankees Blog. "We know that."

The idea of a six-man unit will probably come to fruition sometime during the Yanks' current 20-game stretch, when the team has no off-days. Girardi has not yet revealed who the added arm will be, though it's a safe bet Warren's a strong candidate.

And from the sound of things, that's good news for him.

"I just think it's, especially (with) me, when I have four pitches, I can use all those pitches when you see guys two or three times,"  Warren said, explaining why he enjoys being a starter. "You get to explore the art of pitching whereas in relief it's, 'Here's my best stuff.'"

Most Popular Article of the Week: Ivan Nova's New Weapon


By: Jack Niemuth

Injured Yankees right-hander Ivan Nova might have found a new weapon during his recent rehab start in Tampa.

"I was throwing changeups like I'm a changeup person," Nova told The LoHud Yankees Blog. "I threw like 15, and I don't remember the last time I threw 15 changeups in 72 pitches or something like that."

Nova's arsenal has primarily consisted of a fastball, a curveball and a sinker since joining the Yankees -- though adding the change to it could bring some benefits.

Fellow Yankee Michael Pineda, for example, only went off-speed six percent of the time in 2011 before raising that number to 14 percent this season -- an adjustment that has resulted in a weak opposing batting average of .272. That's 100 points lower than Nova's was last year, when his changeup usage was just four percent.

Indeed, history has shown that increased reliance on the pitch can lead to better statistics -- even if Nova doesn't want to throw it often.

"When I have (good) stretches, my fastball was working fine, working down in the zone. Sometimes in those moments, (though), I have to go two sinkers or two curveballs because I don't have the confidence to throw the changeup even in the good moments," Nova said. "You can put it two different ways: What would happen if I have that changeup every game? Do you think it would (make for) better moments, or you think it would be a bad moment?"

For the Yankees, the answer to that question is important. Nova has struggled to stay consistent in his career, but if he's not sure he can be effective with the changeup, it probably wouldn't be smart to risk failure.

Then again, Nova still has a start for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre scheduled for Saturday -- so the team should get a good look at its progress soon.

"(If) you know that changeup's going to be good against, say, a left-handed batter (who's) not too good against a changeup," Nova said. "If you know that, and you're feeling good, and you're feeling that pitch, why not (use it)?"

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Miami Marlins 6/15


Tonight in Marlins Park the New York Yankees and the Miami Marlins start a four game series with the first two games coming in Miami and the last two games coming in the Bronx and inside Yankee Stadium. Tonight the Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound to face off with the Marlins starter TBA. The game will be played at 7:10 pm ET and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11 and MLB TV.


  • Tanaka has made two starts since coming off the disabled list and has looked great in both starts against the Seattle Mariners and the Washington Nationals. In both contests Tanaka allowed just one run in seven innings including 15 strikeouts and zero walks combined in both starts. 




  • TBA


Am I the only one that is a tad bit concerned with Tanaka having to take at bats tonight in the National League park? Eovaldi starts tomorrow and has experience as a former member of the Marlins but anytime a big time Yankees starter has to hit in Interleague Play I immediately think to Chien-Ming Wang. Maybe I'm just a worrier by nature. Go Yankees!

ICYMI: June 20, 2015 Old Timer's Day Player's List


Here's a list of every one:


  • Jesse Barfield
  • Yogi Berra
  • Ron Blomberg
  • Brian Boehringer
  • Wade Boggs
  • Scott Bradley
  • Scott Brosius
  • Dr. Bobby Brown
  • Homer Bush
  • Chris Chambliss
  • Jim Coates
  • David Cone
  • Johnny Damon
  • Bucky Dent
  • Al Downing
  • Brian Doyle
  • Cecil Fielder
  • John Flaherty
  • Whitey Ford
  • Oscar Gamble
  • Joe Girardi
  • Rich "Goose" Gossage
  • Ken Griffey Sr.
  • Ron Guidry
  • Charlie Hayes
  • Rickey Henderson
  • Arlene Howard (Widow)
  • Helen Hunter (Widow)
  • Reggie Jackson
  • Scott Kamieniecki
  • Pat Kelly
  • Don Larsen
  • Jim Leyritz
  • Graeme Lloyd
  • Hector Lopez
  • Jill Martin (Widow)
  • Lee Mazzilli
  • Stump Merrill
  • Gene "Stick" Michael
  • Gene Monahan (Trainer)
  • Diana Munson (Widow)
  • Kay Murcer (Widow)
  • Jeff Nelson
  • Paul O'Neill
  • Dan Pasqua
  • Joe Pepitone
  • Andy Phillips
  • Lou Piniella
  • Willie Randolph
  • Bobby Richardson
  • Mickey Rivers
  • Mel Stottlemyre
  • Tanyon Sturtze
  • Joe Torre
  • Roy White
  • Bernie Williams


TGP Daily Poll: Severino Up Before September


The New York Yankees bullpen is such a mess right now that it may cause the team to call up their top starting pitching prospect, Luis Severino, and plug him into the bullpen. This will happen before September call ups...

Vote in our prediction poll on Knoda.com

Weekly Check In: Jacob Lindgren


Unfortunately Jacob Lindgren has been sent back down to Triple-A with the Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and while every bone inside me tells me that he will be back before the season is over I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. Presumably Lindgren feels the same but he is saying the right things in the media and on his Twitter account and I have to take his word for it at this point since I have no direct line to #LingoLightning.

Since Lindgren is back in Triple-A he is back to his Monday morning weekly check in here on the blog. Lindgren has only been in the minors for a game so these numbers look much like they did when the Yankees called him up but just for fun let's take a look anyway:

Minor League numbers:

YearLevWLERAGGFSVIPHRERHRBBSOWHIPH9HR9BB9SO9
2015AAA111.23153322.01673010291.1826.50.04.111.9
Major League numbers:

Year W L ERA G GF H R ER HR BB SO ERA+ FIP WHIP H9 HR9 BB9 SO9
2015 0 0 5.14 7 2 5 4 4 3 4 8 80 8.10 1.286 6.4 3.9 5.1 10.3
You'll be back Jacob, keep that head up.

This Day In New York Yankees History 6/15: Yankee Stadium III



On this day in 2005 George Steinbrenner, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor George Pataki, and team officials announce plans for the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The Yankees will finance the $800 million stadium which will be built north of the current stadium in Macombs Dam Park. The new stadium is announced to mirror the old stadium and will seat 51,800 fans.


Also on this day in 1976 the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles completed a ten player trade in which both teams swapped four pitchers and a catcher each. The Yankees acquire pitchers Ken Holtzman, Doyle Alexander, Jimmy Freeman, Grant Jackson, and catcher Elrod Hendricks. The Orioles acquire pitchers Tippy Martinez, Rudy May, Scott McGregor, Dave Pagan, and catcher Rick Dempsey.


Finally on this day in 1958 the Kansas City Athletics send Woodie Held and Vic Power to the Cleveland Indians for Dick Tomanek, Preston Ward, and Roger Maris. This is significant because Kansas City and owner Arnold Johnson was warned by American League president Will Harridge that they could not send any players, especially Maris, to the Yankees for at least 18 months. The Indians would later trade Maris to the Yankees which made everyone think the deal was a prelude to the deal.