The Daily Dozen - August 25th, 2014 - The Pine Tar Squared Edition
(Twelve Takeaways from Tonight's Makeup Game vs. the Royals)
1. First off...We Don't Want to be Royals...Thanks Lorde.
 |
| Tigers on a Gold Leash?? Sounds kind of cool... |
The last time the Royals made the playoffs was in 1985...oh...and they won it.
2. Before the game, the Kansas City organization was all class. They handed Derek Jeter a check for $10,000 to his Turn 2 Foundation. I bet this was one of his favorite retirement gifts!
 |
| (Photo Credit: Associated Press, Colin E. Braley) |
3. Derek Jeter then got the Yankees on the board first. So it was a ground out, which Big Game James is used to inducing. But it was an RBI ground out!
4. Moustakas responds with a solo HR off of Pineda in the bottom of the 3rd. Why doesn't he just change his name to Moustache already...it would just be easier on everyone. The Yankees have been hounded by .200 hitters this year, especially in the solo HR department. Mike Moustakas' line for the year sits at .208 average, 15 home runs, and 49 RBI...remind you of any Yankees hitters?
5. ESPN is obligated to show the George Brett Pine Tar incident anytime the Yankees play the Royals. And now that Michael Pineda got caught with pine tar on his neck against the Red Sox it must be shown EVERY game he pitches. Thanks ESPN for the nostalgia!
 |
| (Photo Credit: BleacherReport.com) |
 |
| (Photo Credit: SBNation.com) |
6. James Shields aka Big Game James. He was 3-0 this August and 28-12 in his career in my birth month. But not tonight, however, as he gave up 6 runs and 4 of those in the 7th after he stopped getting groundball outs.
7. Stephen Drew mashes a 3-2 pitch from Shields in the 4th. The count started out at 0-2 and he fought back resisting swinging at 3 inside pitches. This was the turning point in the game.
8. Ichiro and Sisler. The announcers (which include Aaron Boone) mentioned how when Ichiro was in St. Louis for the 2009 All-Star Game, he visited George Sisler's gravesite to pay the former hits leader in a single season respect. In 2004, Ichiro Suzuki broke the all-time single season hits record of 257 hits while a member of the Seattle Mariners. Pretty cool stuff. Ichiro will likely join Sisler in the Hall of Fame one day.
9. The Yankees finally start to score runs in the 7th. Prado hit yet another big home run, Jeter got his 2nd RBI of the game, and Ellsbury was SAFE at home on a close play at the plate.
10. New York is 19 for 24 in challenges this season. Gotta love replay...at least as a Yankees fan, right? It really doesn't take that long and most of the time the managers are getting it right. Technology...
 |
| (Photo Credit: Ed Zurga, Getty Images) |
11. Salvador Perez. He's pretty damn good...not gonna lie. He's the reigning Gold Glove winner at the catcher position in the AL and he's sports a decent bat with a .262 average, 15 home runs, and 55 RBI. Basically McCann in his prime.
12. With the 8-1 win, the Yankees are now 3 games out of the 2nd Wild Card spot currently held by the Seattle Canos. They have the ability to leapfrog the Tigers in the next series as they are 2 games ahead of the Yanks. It obviously can be done as the Yankees continue to win (and I continue to predict them losing...thank me later). Five wins in a row and counting!
