Saturday, June 17, 2017

Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Oakland Athletics 6/17


The New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics are set to continue their four-game set with an afternoon game out in Oakland. You have to love those day games after night games and you have to remember that it’s only 1:00 pm out there on the West Coast. Anyway, in the matchup this afternoon the New York Yankees will send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound to face off with Jesse Hahn for the A’s. The game will be played at 4:05 pm ET inside the Oakland Coliseum and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along on the radio and in your cars by tuning into the WFAN broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman.


Follow us on Twitter by giving @GreedyStripes a follow and enjoy the game. Go Yankees!

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.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Oakland Athletics 6/17


With the injuries simply piling up for the New York Yankees the team needs their ace to be their ace and their stopper to be their stopper. Enter Masahiro Tanaka. Happy Tanaka Day Yankees fans! This afternoon out on the west coast the Yankees will send their bonafide ace Masahiro Tanaka to the mound looking for a second straight good outing while the Athletics will look to remain pesky by sending Jesse Hahn to the mound. This should be a fun one.




Tanaka had been horrible for the Yankees before his last start against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Let’s not mince words, he was horrible. In his last start though on an extra day of rest Tanaka lasted 6.2 innings allowing just four hits and one run with eight strikeouts in a victory. More of that please.




Hahn broke a little losing streak of his own in his last time out against the Toronto Blue Jays. Hahn had a three-game losing streak heading into the start before throwing six innings without allowing an earned run. I don’t particularly care for this version of Hahn, I like the one that loses better. More of that please.




The game will be played at 4:05 pm ET inside the Oakland Coliseum and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on the radio and in your cars by tuning into WFAN. Enjoy the game Yankees family. Go Yankees!


How do you spell "R-E-L-I-E-F"? No clue...

Credit:  Ben Margot-Associated Press
A’s 7, Yankees 6…

I am not gonna lie.  This has been a tough week with games that don’t start until after 10 pm EDT and a series of losses that could have been wins if not for bullpen breakdowns.  Aroldis Chapman is within our sights yet he seems so far away as the bullpen provides loss after loss. Sunday cannot get here quick enough.

This was another game that saw the Yankees fight back after falling behind early.  The A’s jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning but the Yankees answered with a three-run homer by Aaron Judge in the top of the 3rd, his 23rd HR of the year.  

Credit:  John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
They picked up single runs in the 5th through 7th innings, including a solo shot by Chris Carter in the 6th, to take a 6-4 lead.  

In the bottom of the 7th, with Chasen Shreve on the mound, the A’s picked up a run on a sac fly by Chad Pinder.  Jonathan Holder replaced Shreve for the 8th, but a walk, double and intentional walk, which loaded the bases, set the stage for A’s rookie third baseman Matt Chapman to deliver the game-winning hit with a two-run single.

A’s closer Santiago Casilla struck out three of the four batters he faced to seal the 7-6 victory for Oakland.  

Aside from the disastrous second inning, Luis Severino pitched well. He went six innings, allowing four hits, runs, and walks.  He struck out six.  He banged his knee against a locker prior to the game but didn’t attribute it as a cause for his early struggles.  Jonathan Holder (1-1) took the loss with a pitch that was supposed to be in the dirt but was left where Chapman could emerge as the victor with the winning hit. 

With a starting lineup that included Rob Refsnyder, Mason Williams, Austin Romine, and Ronald Torreyes, I was concerned about this game from the start.  Nothing against those guys, but the players who sat (Brett Gardner, Aaron Hicks, Gary Sanchez, and Didi Gregorius) are heavy artillery.  Hopefully everyone is feeling a little healthier and/or rested today.  

The 8th inning has been a major problem area with Dellin Betances as the designated ninth inning guy.  It will be nice to have Betances back to provide the late setup coverage when Chapman returns.  For all the bullpen failures, Betances has stood alone as the bright spot.  Note to Yankees Prez Randy Levine, Betances is worth more than $3 million.  Pay him, you blithering idiot.

While the Yankees (38-27) were losing to the American League’s worst team, the Boston Red Sox were beating its best (2-1 victory over the Houston Astros).  So, the Red Sox have pulled to within one game of the Yankees in the AL East standings.  All the other AL East teams lost.  The Yankees have now lost four in a row, a new season high, after snapping their six-game winning streak in Anaheim.  

Odds & Ends…

Prior to Friday’s game, the Yankees made a few roster moves.  The injuries to Gary Sanchez and Aaron Hicks forced their hand.  With both players day to day, a trip to the DL doesn’t make sense for either guy.  So, roster help had to come from other areas.  Adam Warren, dealing with a sore trapezius muscle, was moved to the DL and Giovanny Gallegos was returned to AAA-Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  Kyle Higashioka was recalled to back up Austin Romine while Sanchez is dealing with his tight groin muscle, and Mason Williams was elevated to provide the Yankees an additional outfielder to help offset the temporary loss of Hicks.  Necessary moves, but ones that weakened an already strained bullpen. 

Speaking of Aroldis Chapman, the results of his final rehab tune-out at AA-Trenton were less than ideal.  Chapman started the Thunder’s game on Friday against the Erie SeaWolves.  He threw 20 pitches (his pitch limit).  While he struck out two in pitching 2/3rd’s of an inning, he walked two and threw two wild pitches which allowed the SeaWolves to score a run.  The Thunder eventually won the game, 4-2.  After the game, Chapman, through an interpreter, said, “I felt good out there.  I know my command wasn’t 100%, but I felt really good.  The good thing is I know I am going to come back strong.”  I hope so as the Yankees need a strong and healthy Chapman now more than ever.

Credit:  Greg Slaboda-The Trentonian
It does not sound good for first baseman Greg Bird.  He met with the Yankees team physician and had a CT scan and MRI for his knee and ankle on Friday.  He'll meet with Dr Bob Anderson in North Carolina for a second opinion.  It's starting to look as though this will be another lost year for Bird.  

Yesterday saw a nice Triple A debut for starting pitcher Domingo Acevedo.  He pitched 7 innings of three-hit ball in the RailRiders’ 8-1 win over the Buffalo Bisons.  He gave up only one run, and struck out four.  Walks were high (five) but it was a great start for Acevedo.  Gleyber Torres was 3-for-4 in the game with a run scored.  

Have a great Saturday!  Please let today be the start of a new winning streak.  Go Yankees!

FYI: The Yankees 2017 Draft Recap


All twenty rounds of the 2017 MLB First Year Players Draft are in the books. The players are picked, the slot recommendations are made, the tears of joy and disdain have been shed and the rest, as they say, is history. Here is a quick recap for your information of the Yankees draft from 2017, who they took, what round they were drafted, etc. etc. etc. Bookmark me!

1
16
Schmidt, Clarke
South Carolina
R/R
JR
6'1" 200lbs DOB: 02/20/96
--
2
54
Sauer, Matt
Ernest Righetti HS


HS
6'4" 195lbs DOB: 01/21/99
--
3
92
Stephan, Trevor
Arkansas
R/R
JR
6'5" 225lbs DOB: 11/25/95
--
4
122
Smith, Canaan
Rockwall-Heath HS
L/R
HS
--
6'0" 215lbs DOB: 04/30/99
--
5
152
Otto, Glenn
Rice
R/R
JR
6'5" 240lbs DOB: 03/11/96
--
6
182
Lehnen, Dalton
Augustana College
L/L
JR
--
6'2" 195lbs DOB: 05/16/96
--
7
212
Higgins, Dalton
Dallas Baptist
R/R
JR
--
6'2" 200lbs DOB: 08/08/95
--
8
242
Zurak, Kyle
Radford U
R/R
SR
--
6'0" 205lbs DOB: 11/28/94
--
9
272
Gardner, Austin
U Texas Arlington
R/R
SR
--
6'2" 215lbs DOB: 12/02/94
--
10
302
Whitmer, Chad
Southern Illinois U Carbondale
R/R
SR
--
6'3" 195lbs DOB: 05/11/95
--
11
332
Semple, Shawn
University of New Orleans
R/R
JR
--
6'1" 195lbs DOB: 10/09/95
--
12
362
Sensley, Steven
University of Louisiana - Lafayette
L/L
SR
--
6'2" 220lbs DOB: 09/06/95
--
13
392
Wagaman, Eric
Orange Coast College
R/R
J2
--
6'4" 210lbs DOB: 08/14/97
--
14
422
Cortijo, Harold
Riverdale Baptist School
R/R
HS
--
6'2" 180lbs DOB: 04/27/98
--
15
452
McGarity, Aaron
Virginia Tech
R/R
SR
--
6'3" 185lbs DOB: 01/31/95
--
16
482
Surum, Ricky
U Mt Olive
R/R
SR
--
5'10" 170lbs DOB: 12/07/94
--
17
512
Hess, Chris
U Rhode Island
R/R
SR
--
6'2" 195lbs DOB: 12/03/94
--
18
542
Whitlock, Garrett
Alabama - Birmingham
R/R
JR
--
6'5" 190lbs DOB: 06/11/96
--
19
572
Marinaccio, Ron
U Delaware
R/R
SR
--
6'2" 205lbs DOB: 07/01/95
--
20
602
Lidge, Ryan
Notre Dame



--
6'2" 205lbs DOB: 10/27/94



This Day in New York Yankees History 6/17: Stand & Clap w/ Two Strikes!




On this day in 1978 Louisiana Lightning and Yankees pitcher Ron Guidry started a new tradition at Yankee Stadium. Guidry would strike out 15 Angels in six innings and finish the game with 18 K's to establish a new American League record for southpaws in the game. The Yankee Stadium crows would begin to clap each time Guidry got two strikes on a batter. This is also where Guidry got his nickname Louisiana Lightning from when called that by television announcer Phil Rizzuto.


Also on this day in 1962 Gene Woodling becomes the first major league player to play for both of New York's teams, the Yankees and the Mets. The 38 year old outfielder would go 2-4 scoring two runs for New York's National League expansion team in an 8-7 loss to the Chicago Cubs at the Polo Grounds.

Speaking of the Yankees and this day in history in 1962 the Yankees would lose their third and fourth games of the series in a double header with the Cleveland Indians to get swept by the Tribe. In the second inning of Game 1 the Indians Jerry Kindall, Bubba Phillips, and Jim Mahoney hit three consecutive home runs to give Dick Donovan his 10th win of the season. The Cleveland crowd, the largest Indians crows in eight seasons, would enjoy watching the Indians sweep the Bronx Bombers.



Finally on this day in 1941 Joe DiMaggio extends his hitting streak to 30 consecutive games with a little help from a bad hop off Luke Appling's shoulder. DiMaggio would break the team's record for hits in consecutive games with the bit of luck passing Roger Peckinpaugh in 1919 and Earle Combs in 1931. The Yankees would lose the game 8-7 to the Chicago White Sox.