Saturday, September 24, 2016

Yanks Offensive Futility Continues, Shut Out For Third Straight

For the third straight game, the New York Yankees were shut out by the Toronto Blue Jays in what turned out to be quite the pitcher's duel at the Rogers Center. This tightly-contested affair featured a battle of two guys who never seem to get any run support from their offense, C.C. Sabathia for New York and right-hander Marcus Stroman for Toronto. I feel like I've been writing this sentence a lot over the last few weeks, but once again, neither starter would factor into the final decision because the first and only runs of the game were scored after both men were out of the contest.

Both stlSabathia and Stroman kept the game scoreless through the first seven frames, but achieved it in completely different styles. Stroman allowed two walks and just one hit, an Aaron Hicks single that was erased with a double play through the first seven frames. In fact, the Duke alumn did not allow a runner in scoring position until the top of the fourt, as he extended New York's dubious scoreless-innings streak to 25 straight. Sabathia, on the other hand, had runners on base through four of the first seven frames. But, the big lefty was the beneficiary of two crucial double-play balls that kept his line clean through seven solid innings of work.

Although Marcus Stroman allowed just the one hit through seven, he was pulled in favor of Jason Grilli to start the eighth. The revamped reliever came on and allowed the Yankees' second hit of the game, a two-out triple that was roped into right-center by Ronald Torreyes. But Grilli would escape the scoring threat by getting pinch-hitter Billy Butler out on strikes, extending the Yankees' scoreless streak to 26 consecutive innings.

Just like Stroman, Sabathia was pulled for Tyler Clippard to begin the eighth despite pitching seven innings of shut out baseball. With two outs, Clippard allowed a single to Josh Donaldson and a walk to Yankee-killer Edwin Encarnacion. The next batter Jose Bautista obliterated a center-cut Clipperd fastball to deep left for a go-ahead three run homerun. And with the Yankees inability to score runs, a 3-0 score seemed like an 8-0 deficit.

And that deficit proved to be too much for the Yankees to handle, as they were shut out once again by final score of 3-0. I believe it's time for the Yankees to start setting up October tee-times because the 2016 season is over.

The Yankees will try to get back in the win column tomorrow as they face Toronto in game three of the four game set, with first pitch scheduled for 1:07 PM/EST.

ICYMI: Yankees Rookies Wore Onesie Pajamas on Plane


It’s an unwritten rule in baseball every month of September. If you have rookies on the MLB roster you have to haze them and/or initiate them into the team and into the family. This usually results in dressing up in costumes or wearing pink backpacks from the dugout to the bullpen but the Yankees took it one step further this season and dressed up their rookies in onesie pajamas for their flight to Toronto before this four-game set with the Blue Jays.

If a picture is worth a thousand words I have a lot of work to do because that picture above is awesome. The “Baby Bombers” included are Gary Sanchez, Mason Williams, Luis Cessa, Tyler Austin, Richard Bleier and others. Ronald Torreyes was also seen wearing a baby bonnet.


How awesome. Good job, Yankees!

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 9/24


Here we go ladies and gentleman as the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays continue their four-game set north of the border over the weekend. In the start the Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound looking to snap a winless streak while the Blue Jays will send Marcus Stroman to the mound looking to snap a similar winless streak for the month of September. The game will be played at 4:05 pm ET inside the Rogers Centre and can be seen on WPIX Channel 11, MLB Network and MLB TV.

Don’t give up Yankees fans. The team won’t give up and neither should we. Not until the mathematicians say we have to give up. I refuse to! If you want to root along with me for the rest of the season head over to Facebook and like our page or give our Twitter account @GreedyStripes a follow. Let’s do this, together! Go Yankees!


Happy Birthday to My Heart & Soul


There’s no ifs ands or buts about it. The Greedy Pinstripes would not be with it is today without the woman that I chose to marry nine years ago. Now I’m not saying this site is all me because it’s way beyond just me. There’s a group of talented writers here and a group of even more talented and passionate commenters and followers of the blog that make this blog, I just spam the site with content because I like to ramble on and write a lot. The woman that allows me to do that is my wife, Crystal, and today is her birthday.

I wanted to start the day off by wishing my beautiful wife a very happy birthday, 29 again and still holding. We’ve had our ups and downs and we have our quarrels and disagreements but at the end of the day we always find ourselves back to know what’s important in life and focusing on that. Thank you for everything that you do and thank you for everything that you are. I love you, I embrace your flaws and I fill in the gaps where you lack and you do the same for me.


I love you and enjoy your day. 

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Toronto Blue Jays 9/24


The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays continue their four-game set tonight with the second game of the series inside the Rogers Centre. The Yankees pulse is light and with Masahiro Tanaka missing his start on Monday with a strain in his forearm you have to think some heads are hanging a little low this morning but you can’t stop believing. The Yankees made their run this season after their best hitter and two best pitchers were traded, not before, and they can do it again with Tanaka just missing one start. They just have to believe that they can. Tonight the Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound to square off with Marcus Stroman for the Jays.

Sabathia has not won a start in his last five starts including a start against the Toronto Blue Jays in New York on August 17th. Sabathia struck out 12 batters in the start but also gave up seven runs on nine hits in just six innings including a three-run home run to Melvin Upton Jr.

Stroman has not been good in the month of September if you look at his win/loss record but the Toronto Blue Jays offense has let him down more times than not in his starts. Stroman has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of those starts but has not taken a victory in any of them.

The game will be played at 4:07 pm ET inside Rogers Centre, eh, and can be seen live on WPIX Channel 11, MLB Network and MLB TV. This has got to be one of the weirder four-game series I think I’ve seen in recent years. Normally you start a four-game series on a Thursday and run it through the weekend but this time around the Yankees and Jays started last night and will run through Monday before New York makes the trip back home to play host to the Boston Red Sox. I don’t care if they play one game a week for the next month just as long as they win at least three of those games and still have a pulse in the playoff hunt went the games are over.

Checking pulse, yeah the Yankees still have one. Go Yankees!

Weekly Prospects Check In: Nick Solak


The penultimate weekly prospects check in for the 2016 regular season. That’s a lot of pressure on me to pick the final two prospects to be showcased, no? So who did I go with? A player that ended his season in Triple-A with a championship? A player at Double-A or down in Tampa who saw their season end prematurely in the postseason? Nope, I went with something a little different today and decided to showcase one of the Yankees who finished the season down in Staten Island after being the Yankees second round pick in the draft this year. Nick Solak.


Here is the stat line that Mr. Solak finished with this season. Looks like he should be a fast mover if all goes well in 2017 for him and the Yankees. 

YearAgeTmGPARH2BHRRBISBBBSOBAOBPSLGOPS
201621Staten Island6427948771332583039.321.412.421.833

This Day In New York Yankees History 9/24: “The Yankees Were My Daddy”


Only five players in the history of the New York Yankees have ever hit 40 home runs in consecutive seasons. On this day in 2012 Curtis Granderson, the fifth player in franchise history, joined Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Mickey Mantle in a 6-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.


Also on this day in 2011, speaking of home runs, the Yankees honored and celebrated the 50th anniversary of Roger Maris hitting his record breaking 61st home run on the season. Derek Jeter carried the actual bat that Maris used to hit the home run out to the plate in a pre-game ceremony while the fan who caught the ball, Sal Durante, brought the actual ball to home plate as well.



Finally on this day in 2004 the New York Yankees beat Red Sox pitcher so bad in Fenway Park that Martinez called the Yankees his daddy, literally. The Yankees fans did not let Pedro live that one down as chants of “Who’s your daddy?” rained in the Bronx during every Martinez start after that.