Saturday, October 15, 2016

Yankees Postseason History Recap: Mickey…. Mantle


Now here’s one I didn’t see live and in person, the game was Game 7 of the 1952 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Vin Scully was working for the Dodgers then and Mickey Mantle was hitting for the Yankees and that’s exactly what he did in this deciding game.

In the Top of the 6th inning with the score tied at 2-2 the Yankees center fielder stepped up to the plate to face the Dodgers Joe Black. Mantle proceeded to hit an eventual game-winning home run to right-center field against Black and later added insult to injury with an RBI single in the seventh inning to give the Yankees their fourth straight World Series ring.

This was also the second consecutive World Series victory over the Dodgers which never hurt since they were both native New York teams.


Article Revisit: Bring me Tyler Clippard

Hey, sometimes I get them right. It just takes a bit longer than I expected. This was written one-year ago today and in the article I asked for Tyler Clippard, the same pitcher that Brian Cashman acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks this summer in a trade. Enjoy the article and tell me who else you want me to write an article about so when Cashman eventually gets around to reading the blog he can make my words come true and leave them below in the comments section. Thank you.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE SEEN HERE

The New York Yankees may or may not be in on a right-handed relief pitcher this coming offseason as the team continues their goal towards building a super bullpen. As of right now I am banking on Adam Warren somehow working his way into the 2016 starting rotation leaving a large gaping hole in the Yankees bullpen, especially from the right side of the pitching rubber. Darren O'Day would be nice, albeit expensive, but would a familiar face for the Yankees be even better? Remember the Yankees once traded away their former top pitching prospect for a relief pitcher named Jonathan Albaladejo in 2007, that man's name was Tyler Clippard.

Clippard has had success both in the American League and the National League as the 7th inning guy, the 8th inning guy and most notably in the closer position. Clippard has pitched with the New York Yankees, the Washington Nationals, the Oakland Athletics and the New York Mets thus proving he is suited just as well in either league and seemingly suited for a big market like New York during a pennant chase and a playoff series. Clippard is legit and would not be attached to any sort of draft pick compensation after being traded before the July 31st trade deadline.

I'm not quite sure what Clippard would want in terms of a contract but if he was willing to come to New York for three years and an average annual value of $10 million I sign him every day of the week. If Clippard wants to sign a two-year deal to be off the books after 2017 just in time for the luxury tax plan to come to fruition for a higher AAV then I am okay with that too. Clippard allows the team to move Adam Warren to the starting rotation and completely locks down the back end of the bullpen from the 5th or 6th inning on. He's that good and he makes the bullpen that good.

Bring me T-Clip so I can go back to 2005 when I was quite possibly Clippard's biggest fan.

My Predictions for the 2016 NLDS


Ladies and gentleman the National League Division series have been decided and only two teams stand in the way of one another fighting for one final position. The World Series. Who will take it home? Will it be the Chicago Cubs who will finally reverse the Curse of the Billy Goat and win their first World Series in over 100 years or will it be the Los Angeles Dodgers who took the Washington Nationals to the brink before finally sending them home for the long winter ahead. Will it be the Cubs who won the National League Central Division race and sent the San Francisco Giants home in the NLDS or will it be the Los Angeles Dodgers who won a decisive Game 5 on the road just two nights ago? Let’s find out.

Earlier today we looked at how the Cubs offense has done against the Dodgers Game One starter Kenta Maeda and we also checked out how the Dodgers offense has done this season against the Cubs starter Jon Lester who starts tonight for Chicago and we’ve also seen what these two teams have done against each other head-to-head this season. So who wins and how many games will it take? Boy this one is harder to call if you ask me.

I want to go with the Cubs because they are clearly the better team in almost every aspect of the game. The Cubs have a better offense, a better defense, better pitching and they are young and hungry. Can the team get the whole curse out of their minds before they become their own worst enemies though? Ultimately I think that they can but I don’t think it will be as easy as it should be for the Cubbies.

I’m taking the Cubs in the NLCS but I can see it taking six games before they do it. The Cubs have to choke away a game or two just to make it interesting, don’t they?



Get ready for your Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians World Series in 2016 ladies and gentleman. 

The NLCS Pitching vs. Offense Breakdown


You know what they say about the playoffs, pitching and defense wins championships. Now thanks to great sites like Baseball Reference and Fangraphs we could all nerd out and compare these two defenses against one another but what is the fun in that? Especially on a Saturday, so instead we’ll focus on the pitching. What has the pitching for both the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers done against each other’s offense throughout their careers? Once again, thanks to great sites like Baseball Reference Fangraphs and this time ESPN we can easily find out. Enjoy as we get ready for the beginning of the NLCS here in a few short hours. Until then, enjoy your Saturday or Game Two of the ALCS that will also start here in a couple hours.








Jon Lester vs. Los Angeles




Kyle Hendricks vs. Los Angeles




Jake Arrieta vs. Los Angeles




John Lackey vs. Los Angeles









Kenta Maeda vs. Chicago


Kenta has never faced a single Chicago Cubs player

TBA vs. Chicago

TBA vs. Chicago

TBA vs. Chicago

Come on Dodgers, name some pitchers already! Will update when they do but right now it's speculated that Clayton Kershaw will start Game Two despite pitching in relief in Game 5 against the Nationals.


NLCS: Recapping the Head-to-Head Matchups from 2016


Yesterday morning we took a look at the six matchups between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cleveland Indians before the ALCS officially kicked off between the two clubs and today we will do the same for the two remaining teams in the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs pretty much steamrolled any and all teams they had put in front of them this season en route to the best record in Major League Baseball but the Dodgers were no slouch either winning the National League West Division. Who had the upper hand during the regular season between these two historic clubs? Let’s find out.


All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference. 

MLB Postseason Scoreboard Watching for 10/15/16


Last night the American League Championship series took center stage for all MLB fans to see and tonight the National League Championship series kicks off between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs inside historic Wrigley Field. The Blue Jays and Indians also play the second game inside Progressive Field this series as well so it should be a full day of playoff baseball for us all to enjoy.



Toronto Blue Jays @ Cleveland Indians (Game 2) – 4:08 pm ET on TBS

Los Angeles Dodgers @ Chicago Cubs (Game 1) – 8:08 pm ET on Fox Sports One





Good luck all and Happy Friday to everyone reading. 

This Day in New York Yankees History 10/15: 2001 Yankees Move On


Just days after Derek Jeter saved the Yankees season in the ALDS against the Oakland Athletics with “the flip” the Yankees clinched the ALDS victory and a trip to the 2001 ALCS with a 5-3 victory over the A’s. The Yankees became the first team ever to win a best of five series after losing the first two games at home.


Also on this day in 1981 the Yankees clinched their 33rd American League pennant in the franchise’s history with a 4-0 victory and sweep of the Oakland Athletics. Dave Righetti, Ron Davis, and Goose Gossage combined for the victory sending the Yankees to play the Dodgers for the third time in the past five Fall Classics.


Finally on this day in 1923 the New York Yankees captured their first World Series championship when they beat the New York Giants in six games. The Yankees, still playing in the Polo Grounds at that time, would win the game by the score of 6-4.