Game Thread: New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6/13

The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are set to kick off the middle game of their three-game set here in Anaheim with another stellar pitching matchup. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound who has been stellar in his last month or so worth of starts while the Angels will counter with JC Ramirez. The game will be played at 10:07 pm ET inside Angel Stadium of Anaheim 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.

Follow us on twitter by giving @GreedyStripes and enjoy the game. Go Yankees!

The NBA season is officially over!

Before I get into this little rant I want to point out that I don't hate basketball. In fact, I've been a certified referee here in Ohio for 9 years, the last five at the varsity level. I was also lucky enough to play the game from age 7 until my senior year in high school. My varsity team my junior year actually made it to the state championship game (we lost to a private school from Syracuse... bastards).

Furthermore, March is by far my favorite month of the year. Not only is the baseball season underway, but the NCAA Tournament arrives. You could say that I'm a big fan of basketball at the high school and collegiate level.

That brings us to the National Basketball Association. My feelings on the pro game go from "meh" to utter disdain. I find the games to just be boring.

Maybe it's because I'm old. See, I still look back fondly on those Lakers teams with Magic and Kareem, or those Pistons teams with Isiah and Rodman. And thanks to my hatred for everything about Boston sports, I remember cheering on any team that was facing the Celtics. I guess I remember that version of the NBA being filled with teams.

Yes... teams.

Although it's gotten better since the early 2000s, I still see the majority of NBA teams being about one guy. So many offenses aren't filled with plays, but are simply about passing the ball to their resident "star" and getting out of the way. Sure, there may be other good to great players on a team, but they play a clear second fiddle to one guy.

It's either that or you get teams like Golden State that are considered "super teams", that make the rest of the teams in the NBA look like JV squads.

Hell, I heard on the local sports radio network yesterday that some idiot paid $90,000 for tickets to see Game 5. Are you freakin' kidding me!?!? I don't know what's worse... the guy that paid that much to see the game, or the simple fact that the tickets were that expensive in the first place.

So it should go without saying that I'm psyched that the NBA season is finally over with. I had to keep telling myself that today as I was driving around town, as my car radio is always tuned to that local sports radio station I mentioned earlier. And the Warriors winning the title was all they could talk about. Not just in the morning, but also this afternoon.

Now, I'm sure it was worse here than in other places (besides Oakland, and the surrounding area), as I'm not far from Cleveland so there are plenty of Cavs fans to appease. And I'm sure I'll hear some more about what the Cavs have to do in the offseason to try and compete with other super teams, namely the Warriors. But eventually the majority of talk is going to be about baseball... the greatest game on Earth. And that makes me smile.

Game Preview: New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6/13

So I know I asked a similar question when the New York Yankees last made the trip to Tropicana Field to square off with the Tampa Bay Rays but I will ask the same question again this afternoon. If the Yankees play on the West Coast in the middle of the damn night and no one on the East Coast is there to see it, did it really happen? I mean, really. I know I go on this whole “I hate West Coast games” rant every single season but I can’t help it. I hate West Coast games. Anyway, tonight the Yankees will face off with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the second of their three-game set this week in Anaheim. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound looking for his sixth straight victory while the Angels will counter with JC Ramirez.

Sabathia heads into this start looking for his sixth straight victory of the season and comes in fresh off eight shutout innings against the Boston Red Sox in his last start. In those five starts Sabathia is posting a 1.11 ERA while holding opponents to a .212 batting average.

Ramirez was not sharp in his last start against the Detroit Tigers like Sabathia was against the Red Sox. In that start Ramirez yielded four runs on 10 hits in just five innings of work. Ramirez will have to do better than that if he wants to beat the Yankees powerful offense tonight though in Anaheim.

The game will be played at 10:07 pm ET inside Angel Stadium of Anaheim and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along in your cars and on the radio by listening to WFAN. Me personally? 5:00 am comes far too early for me to stay up for these West Coast games so I’ll likely be snoozing by the time this is an official game. Either way, enjoy and Go Yankees!

Telling It To The Judge...

Credit:  Sean M Haffey-Getty Images

Yankees 5, Angels 3…

One of the greatest highlights of this game were the chants of “MVP!” for Aaron Judge from the Anaheim crowd.  It was incredible to get that type of response from the park that Mike Trout calls home.  Judge is certainly deserving of the accolades but it is not something that you’d expect on enemy turf.    

When Kole Calhoun, the second batter in the bottom of the first inning, homered with no one on, I had fears that Masahiro Tanaka was going to get rocked once again.  But fortunately, the old Tanaka re-emerged and kept the Angels off the board until the 7th inning.  

Credit:  Randy Miller-NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The Yankees built up a 3-1 lead through the top of the 7th.  Following a couple of two-out walks of Matt Holliday and Starlin Castro in the third inning, Didi Gregorius singled to left, scoring Holliday and tying the game at 1.  The Yankees took the lead in the 5th, thanks again to another two-out hit from Gregorius.  After Aaron Judge walked and Starlin Castro singled, Gregorius singled to center which scored Judge.  In the 7th, Judge singled and moved to second on a groundout by Matt Holliday.  Castro followed with a ground out to the pitcher, bringing Gregorius up again with two outs.  The Los Angeles Angels took no chances and intentionally walked Didi to put the bat in the hands of Chase Headley (ugh!).  Despite my lack of excitement about Headley, he delivered with a single, scoring Judge.  The Yankees subsequently loaded the bases, but Austin Romine hit a grounder for the final out of the inning.  

Tanaka pitched well enough to win but it was not to be.  In the bottom of the 7th, after Andrelton Simmons had flied out, Eric Young, Jr reached base as a result of a fielding error by Chase Headley (his 11th of the season, one more than he had last year in 140 games at third).  The next batter, Martin Maldonado, struck out but Young advanced to second on a steal.  Former Washington National Danny Espinosa lined a single to right, scoring Young.  Aaron Judge mistakenly threw the ball home on an overthrow which allowed Espinosa to take second.  Manager Joe Girardi pulled Tanaka (hand clap for #19) and brought in Tyler Clippard.  Clippard promptly gave up a double to Cameron Maybin, scoring Espinosa for a run charged to Tanaka and the game was tied at 3.  He struck out Kole Calhoun for the final out, and the game moved to the 8th inning.

After Brett Gardner flied out, Aaron Hicks doubled to left.  The Angels made a pitching change to bring in their interim closer, Bud Norris.  On a 2-0 count, Judge showed the Anaheim crowd the magic that we’ve been experiencing in the Bronx with a home run to right center, giving the Yankees a 5-3 lead and the eventual margin of victory. 

Credit:  Randy Miller-NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

With two outs and a runner at first thanks to a walk in the bottom of the 8th, Girardi took no chances and brought in Dellin Betances to get the final out of the inning.  It was a much cleaner than the last time Betances entered an inning with two outs (when he loaded the bases and threw 17 pitches to record the necessary out).  This time, it was three pitches and a fly out.

In the 9th, Betances was on his game as he struck out the side.  Yankees win, 5-3.

This was a great game for the California Central Valley native Judge.  He finished 2-for-4 with a walk, 3 runs scored and 2 RBI’s, while increasing his batting average to .347, in front of family, friends and James Kaprielian.  Yankees fans are everywhere and they certainly made themselves known on this night with the "MVP!" chants.

Gregorius was 4-for-4 with the 2 RBI’s.  

It may be a down year for the Angels, but they’ve always played well against the Yankees so this was a satisfying victory.  It would have been nice for Tanaka to pick up the win, but still, it had to be a confidence-booster for him.  His final line was 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER,  2 BB, 8 SO.  I hope to see more of this and less of the Tanaka starts we saw over the past month.  Clippard, responsible for costing Tanaka the victory, took the win, thanks to Judge’s timely homer.  

The Yankees (38-23) maintained their four-game lead over the Boston Red Sox.  The Sox beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5, in extra innings.  The Tampa Bay Rays (who had the night off) remained in third, but dropped to 6 1/2 games back.  The Baltimore Orioles lost again (10-7 to the Chicago White Sox), sliding to 7 1/2 games behind the leaders.  The O’s are now just a half game from falling into the AL East Cellar.  

Odds & Ends…

I hate to say that I am disappointed with the MLB Draft because Yankees scouts know a heck of lot more than I do, but I was not enthused with the first round selection (16th pick) of right-handed pitcher Clarke Schmidt.  Schmidt had Tommy John surgery earlier this Spring and will be unavailable to pitch until sometime in late 2018.  I couldn’t help but get flashbacks to the pick of Andrew Brackman a number of years ago.  Taking a chance on an injured but high ceiling pitcher who never rose to the level of his potential and is subsequently out of baseball.  I hope this is not the same situation with Schmidt.  I thought first baseman Evan White or lefty pitcher D.L. Hall (the choice of TGP's Daniel Burch) would have been great picks at that spot, or even lefty David Peterson (who was later picked by the Mets).   

Damon Oppenheimer,  Yankees VP of Domestic Amateur Scouting, had these words for Schmidt (who is from the University of South Carolina like Jordan Montgomery):  “Schmidt’s got four pitches that at times are all plus.  He has command, he has makeup.  We really like his delivery.  He’s got a chance to be a top end of the rotation type of guy who combines pitchability with power stuff.  And you always like it when they’re the Friday night guy, pitching and having success in that conference.”  A few of the pitchers taken in the first round sound better suited for relief work so I suppose if you have a chance for a top of the rotation guy, you take it.  I hope this one works out.

In the second round (with the 54th pick), the Yankees chose a high school pitcher (Matt Sauer).  I like this pick, perhaps more so than Schmidt.  Sauer is right-handed and just 18 years old, he is already 6’4”.  He a product of an appropriately named Righetti High School (CA) even if the school is named for a guy named Ernest Righetti and not former Yankees closer Dave “Rags” Righetti.  Oppenheimer offered these words about Sauer:  “Sauer is a projectable high school right-hander who is athletic, with a ‘now’ fastball and a plus slider.  He really has a good way about his aggressiveness and makeup on the mound.  We see a chance there for a starter with power stuff.”

Credit:  The Tribune (San Luis Obispo)

Welcome to the Yankees Family, Clarke and Matt!

Have a great Tuesday!  It should be a fun day as the Yankees try to keep this winning streak alive and MLB Draft continues with rounds 3 through 10.  

Yankees: Can You Hear Me Now?...

Credit:  Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees 14, Orioles 3…

Wow…the Yankees figured out the best way to beat the Baltimore Orioles is to just blast them in the bottom of the first inning.  A day after they crushed the O’s 16-3, the Yankee bats were in high gear once again.  I carried a fear that they’d struggle a day after the blow-out but these Yankees do not play to anyone’s predictions.  The forecasted 82-win team keeps rolling along as they pummeled the O’s 14-3 on Sunday to complete the three-game sweep.

This was a tough 13-game stretch against AL East opponents.  When the Yankees returned home to face the Boston Red Sox and the Orioles, they were 3-4 in road games against the O’s and the Toronto Blue Jays.  Boston had a chance to overtake the Yankees in the AL East standings with a sweep, but instead the Yankees took 2 of 3 from the Sox.  Then, they absolutely crushed the Orioles by a cumulative score of 38-8 in sweeping the three-game series.  So, the Yankees finish 8-5 for the 13 AL East games and are beginning to make believers that this team may be for real.  

After losing the opening game of the Red Sox series, the Baby Bombers won the next five games against the Red Sox and the O's by a combined score of 55-9.  It was the first five game stretch of at least 8 runs or more for the Yankees since July 1956. 

Replicating Saturday’s fast start, the Yankees jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning.  Two of the first three batters (Brett Gardner and Aaron Judge) singled to put runners at the corners.  Judge moved to second on a wild pitch, but it didn’t matter as Matt Holliday walked to load the bases.  Starlin Castro hit the second pitch of the at-bat up the middle off O’s starter Kevin Gausman, scoring Gardner and Judge.  Holliday moved to second.  That brought up Gary Sanchez who parked one in left center to score three more runs.

Credit:  Kathy Willens-Associated Press

The Yankees could have blown the game open in the second inning when they had the bases loaded with only one out, but Starlin Castro hit into a double-play to strand the runners.   

Staked to the big lead, Chad Green, making his first Major League start of the season, couldn’t survive the third inning.  The only blemish of the first two innings was a walk of Trey Mancini in the second inning, but JJ Hardy opened the third with a double off Green.  The next hitter, former Yankee (or should I say RailRider) Ruben Tejada doubled off his former Scranton/Wilkes-Barre teammate to score Hardy.  Green's day was ended after 52 pitches.  But the “doubles parade” continued against Chasen Shreve.  Seth Smith lined a double to score Tejada, followed by Jonathan Schoop’s double to score Smith.  Suddenly, the game was much tighter at 5-3.  Or as Michael Kay put it, “a laugher has become a nail-biter”.  Fortunately, Shreve rebounded to get Adam Jones on a ground-out, holding the runner at second.  This was followed by swinging strikeouts of O’s sluggers Mark Trumbo and Chris Davis to end the inning.

In the bottom of the 4th inning, after Jonathan Holder held the O’s scoreless in the top of the frame, the Yankees added a couple of insurance runs when Aaron Hicks walked and moved to third on a double by Aaron Judge.  Matt Holliday rapped a single to center to score both of the Aarons, increasing the Yankees’ lead to 7-3.

Moving to the sixth, Aaron Judge smashed another monster home run.  They should probably re-name Statcast as “Judge-cast” because he owns the leaderboards.  A day after the hardest hit ball this year, Judge captured the lead for home run distance with 495 feet.  Jake Lamb of the Arizona Diamondbacks had held the previous longest homer (481 feet) since April 29th.  I’ve been convinced that we’ll see a 500 ft home run from Judge this season and he came within 5 feet of making my dream a reality.  8-3, Yankees.

Credit:  MLB.com

Not finished in the sixth, Matt Holliday reached first base on a fielding error by second baseman Jonathan Scoop.  Starlin Castro followed with a homer to left-center, making up for his second inning-ending double play.  The once close score was now 10-3 Yankees.  

You’d think that the Yankees bats were done for the day but not the Aarons.  In the 7th, both Ronald Torreyes and Brett Gardner walked with one out.  Aaron Hicks subsequently lined a double to center, scoring both runners.  12-3, Yankees.  That set the stage for the man of the hour, Aaron Judge.  In the daily game of who is going to hit two home runs next, Judge answered the call with his second homer of the game, a two-run shot to cap the Yankees scoring for the day and give the Yankees a 14-3 lead.

It’s nice to have games where it is difficult to pick the player of the game.  Certainly, two home runs (including one that traveled nearly 500 ft) and a 4-for-4 day with 3 RBI’s gives Judge the leg up, but Starlin Castro’s 4 RBI’s warrant consideration.  Gary Sanchez and his three-run homer.  Or Matt Holliday, who has a knack for always being in the thick of the action.  1-for-3, Holliday walked twice, scored two runs, and had 2 RBI’s.  I am not ready to say that this is a World Series contender quite yet, but this is the most exciting Yankees team that I’ve seen since the late 90’s.  Please do not let the bubble burst.

In a game of relievers, the Yankees used 5 members of the bullpen to complete the game.  The longest stint was provided by Domingo German who was making his Major League debut.  German finished the final 2 2/3 innings of the game.  Although he did allow two hits and a walk, he held the O’s scoreless and struck out a batter (Jonathan Schoop, to end the top of the 7th inning).  Adam Warren (2-1), who preceded German, picked up the win.

The Yankees (37-23) moved up 3 1/2 games in the AL East, pending the outcome of Boston’s game on Sunday night.  The Tampa Bay Rays won (5-4 over the Oakland A’s) to move into third place, 6 games behind the Yankees.  The Orioles slipped to fourth with the loss, 6 1/2 games back.

This was an impressive home stand by the Yankees.  But all good things must end.  The Yankees take the show on the road for seven games in Southern and Northern California before returning to Yankee Stadium on June 20th to face the Los Angeles Angels.  With the West Coast games, I guess there are going to be a few bleary-eyed fans this week suffering from lack of sleep.

Odds & Ends…

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders lost to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Sunday, 6-4.  The RailRiders led the majority of the game, but the IronPigs scored 5 runs late to capture the win.  Chance Adams was the starter, and pitched very well until the fateful 7th inning (when the IronPigs pushed 4 runs across the plate).  He finished with a pitching line of 6 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1 HR, while increasing his season ERA to 2.52.  He didn’t figure in the decision.  Tyler Webb, who I had hoped would eventually find his way to the Bronx, was an absolute train wreck.  He gave up 7 hits and 3 runs (plus a run charged to Adams) before recording the final out of the 7th inning.  Adams deserved better but this was a learning experience.

Greg Bird had a quiet day at the plate.  He was 0-for-2, with 2 walks and a run scored.  

Domingo German's stay in the Major Leagues was short-lived.  Following yesterday's game, he was optioned to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  Right-handed reliever Ben Heller was recalled to take his place.  Either Heller or Gallegos will be heading back to SWB when Aroldis Chapman is activated (hopefully this weekend in Oakland).  

Here are the scheduled pitching match-ups in Anaheim for the series with the Los Angeles Angels:

MONDAY

Yankees:  Masahiro Tanaka (5-6, 6.55 ERA)

Angels:  Alex Meyer (2-3, 4.08 ERA)

TUESDAY

Yankees:  CC Sabathia (7-2, 3.66 ERA)

Angels:  JC Ramirez ( 6-4, 4.33 ERA)

WEDNESDAY

Yankees:  Michael Pineda (7-3, 3.39 ERA)

Angels:  Matt Shoemaker (6-3, 4.22 ERA)

Have a great Monday!  Let’s keep this winning streak alive!  Go Yankees!

Sevvy + 5 Home Runs = Easy Win…

Credit:  Frank Franklin II-Associated Press

Yankees 16, Orioles 3…

Like Michael Pineda the day before, Luis Severino’s even better start was lost among the sea of Yankees hits and homers.  

Last year, Severino was a failed 5th starter (0-8 when he started games with an 8.50 ERA).  This year, he’s playing like the ace (which is more pronounced since the so-called “ace” is now performing like a failed 5th starter).  Credit Severino for keeping his focus this game.  It would have been so easy to let up on the accelerator in a game that was 9-0 before many people had even found their seats.  He had a one-hitter going until Chris Davis tagged him for a homer in the 7th.  Sevvy (5-2) finished seven innings strong with two hits, one run, two walks, and eight strikeouts.  He lowered his team-leading ERA (for starting pitchers) to 2.75.  Severino continues to come up big for the Yankees and he is as responsible as anyone for the team’s placement atop the AL East.  

Now let’s set the pitching aside.  This was a monster game by the Yankee bats.  Aaron Judge owns the Statcast Leaderboard, and his first inning home run off Baltimore Orioles’ starter Chris Tillman topped his previous efforts in exit velocity at 121.1 mph.  The hit also ranked as a Statcast-era record.  The homer was Judge’s league-leading 19th of the season.  I sure hope that Judge didn’t have any plans for the All-Star Game break because travel plans are already underway for his trip to Miami.

Credit:  Frank Franklin II-Associated Press

Tillman had retired the first two Yankees to start the game, but after Judge’s homer, Matt Holliday doubled.  Starlin Castro followed with a double, Holliday to third.  Gary Sanchez then singled both Holliday and Castro home.  Didi Gregorius stepped up and hit the second home run of the night to put the Yankees up 5-0.  They weren’t quite finished yet.  The useless Chase Headley walked.  A wild pitch by Tillman moved Headley into scoring position, and Chris Carter promptly singled to score Headley.  6-0, Yankees.  In an interesting note, Brett Gardner represented the first and third outs of the first inning.

I was fearful that the long inning would adversely impact Severino but those fears were unfounded.  Three up, three down, and it was time for the Yankees fireworks again.  After Aaron Hicks grounded out, both Aaron Judge and Matt Holliday walked.  Starlin Castro didn’t waste the opportunity, as he blasted a three-run homer to left center to increase the lead to 9-0, finishing  loser Chris Tillman’s night.  If you have Chris Tillman on your fantasy team, please accept my condolences.  

Credit:  Jim McIsaac-Getty Images

In the 4th inning, Aaron Hicks walked and Aaron Judge singled to put runners at the corners.  That brought Bald Brother Matt Holliday to the plate.  Trailing fellow Bald Brother Brett Gardner by one home run, Holliday tied the count at 13 homers with a shot to left-center.  12-0, Yankees.

Aaron Judge picked up two more RBI’s in the fifth with a double to left.  14-0, Yankees.

The Orioles scored their first run in the 7th with Chris Davis’ homer off Sevvy, and then added another in the 8th with a solo home run by Joey Rickard off reliever Giovanny Gallegos.  Leading 14-2, Ronald Torreyes was hit by a pitch from O’s reliever Mike Wright to open the bottom of the 8th.  Gary Sanchez then connected with the fifth home run of the night to cap the Yankees’ scoring at 16.  

The O’s added a final meaningless run in the 9th before Trey Mancini grounded out to end the game.  By a score of 16-3, the Yankees captured the series with the O’s as they’ve won two heading into the third and final game of the series today.  I always have concerns when the Yankees score more than 15 runs.  I do not have the stats to back up this statement, but it always feels like the Yankees struggle scoring runs the day after a huge blow-out.  Hopefully that’s not the case today as the Yankees prepare to embark on a California road trip following the conclusion of the game.

The Yankees (36-23) maintained their three game lead over the Boston Red Sox.  The Sox had an offensive show of their own, with an 11-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers.  Of course, it didn’t help that they had Chris Sale on the mound.  The O’s slipped to 5 1/2 games back.  If the Tampa Bay Rays would have won (they didn’t), the O’s could have fallen into fourth place in the division.  This was probably not one of Buck Showalter’s better experiences at Yankee Stadium.

Odds & Ends…

As expected, Chad Green will start today against the Orioles.  Green will be the first time the Yankees have gone outside the original 5-man rotation that started the year.  However, in a more surprising move, the Yankees designated former LOOGY Tommy Layne for assignment and called up promising rookie Domingo German.  German, a starter for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, will provide long relief for Green should he encounter any bumps in the road.  

Credit:  Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

I knew Layne’s days were numbered as he always seemed to be giving up runs with any appearances.  He has not been the same pitcher for the Yankees as he was last year following his release by the Boston Red Sox.  I have no problem with Chasen Shreve as the key lefty, but I’d be surprised if the Yankees weren’t looking for another lefty.

Greg Bird was 2-for-5 yesterday in the RailRiders’ 11-4 victory over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.  He had two doubles and a RBI.  Nice to see that he’s getting that extra base stroke back again.  There is still no timetable for when Bird will rejoin the Yankees.  

The current plan for Aroldis Chapman is to pitch on Tuesday for High-A Tampa and on Friday for AA-Trenton.  If all goes well, we’ll see Chapman next Saturday in Oakland.  Rajai Davis, look out, Chapman’s got your number.

Have a great Sunday!  I am hoping for a sweep to wisk the Yankees away to Southern California…

This Day in New York Yankees History 6/11: Andy Pettitte Wins #200

On this day in 2010 Andy Pettitte joined Yankees Whitey Ford and Red Ruffing as the only Yankees pitchers to win 200 games while in pinstripes. Andy was 37 years old and also reached the 3,000 career innings pitched mark in the first inning of the game. The Yankees would beat the Houston Astros, his former team, 4-3 in Yankee Stadium.


Also on this day in 2003 the Houston Astros no-hit the New York Yankees for the first time since 1958. In 1958 the Orioles knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm beat the Yankees 1-0 in Baltimore. On this day a record setting six pitchers combine to no-hit the Yankees and end the streak of 6,980 games with at least one hit for the Bronx Bombers. The six pitchers who made history on that day were Roy Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner.


Also on this day in 1988 the Yankees were short on right handed hitters against the Orioles left hander Jeff Ballard and former manager Billy Martin decided to use starting pitcher Rick Rhoden at the DH spot. Rhoden became the first ever pitcher to ever start at the designated hitter position in the short history of the position. Rhoden got just one at bat and hit a sacrifice fly before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the fifth inning. The Yankees would beat the Orioles 8-6 on this day.


Finally on this day in 1915 the Yankees pitcher Ray Caldwell becomes the first major leaguer to hit a home run in consecutive pinch hitting appearances. The Yankees would beat the Chicago White Sox on this day and the 19 game winner Caldwell would hit his second home run against the Chi Sox. Caldwell also hit a home run as a pinch hitter yesterday as well against Chicago.

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles 6/10

Saturday night baseball in the Bronx, let’s get to it as the New York Yankees remain home to play host to Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles. In this second game of their three-game weekend set the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound to face off with Chris Tillman for the O’s. The game will be played at 7:15 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on FOX. You can also follow along on the radio with WFAN.

Follow us on Twitter by following @GreedyStripes. Give Buck a coronary, get another win. Go Yankees!

Quick Hit: Yankees Announce 71st Old Timer’s Day Invitees

The New York Yankees will hold their 71^st annual Old Timer’s Day at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, June 25 when the Yankees play host to the Texas Rangers in the Bronx. This will mark the ninth time the new stadium has held the annual game and gates will open for fans at 10:00 am ET. Old Timer’s Day festivities will begin promptly at 11:30 am ET. Here is the list of players and Yankees legends that are expected to attend including the first Jorge Posada sighting at Yankee Stadium in a long, long time.

Jesse Barfield, Scott Bradley, Dr. Bobby Brown, Homer Bush, Rick Cerone, David Cone, Bucky Dent, Al Downing, Brian Doyle, Mariano Duncan, John Flaherty, Whitey Ford, Joe Girardi, Rich “Goose” Gossage, Ron Guidry, Charlie Hayes, Ricky Henderson, Arlene Howard(widow), Helen Hunter(widow), Reggie Jackson, Scott Kamieniecki, Pat Kelly, Don Larsen, Graeme Lloyd, Hector Lopez, Sparky Lyle, Kevin Maas, Jill Martin(widow), Tino Martinez, Leo Mazzilli, Ramiro Mendoza, Stump Merrill, Gene Michael, Gene Monahan, Diana Munson(widow), Kay Mercer(widow), Jeff Nelson, Paul O’Neill, Jorge Posada, Willie Randolph, Tim Raines, Mickey Rivers, Tanyon Sturtze, Ralph Terry, Marcus Thames, Joe Torre, Mike Torrez, Roy White and Bernie Williams.

Before the game the Yankees will also honor Hall of Fame inductee and former Yankees player Tim Raines which should be fun. Check it out! Also if you’re going to the game be sure to show Roy White our article about how there should be a Roy White Day at Yankee Stadium. Sure it’s a selfless plug but I think that he would enjoy it. LOL. 

If the Royals Begin a Fire Sale…

If I had to choose one single word to describe the Kansas City Royals this season it would be the word “terrible.” Now I’m not trying to talk trash or be malicious in anyway but their record supports my word of choice and so does their play on the field. Generally, especially with a team who has a fast closing window to compete, a team that is struggling right around the July 31^st trading deadline has what we like to call in the business a “fire sale.” If the Kansas City Royals do indeed have a fire sale then I can think of at least one member of their team I’d like the Yankees to take a look at. Maybe two. Maybe more, because I’m greedy.

First base has been a thorn in the side of the Yankees all season long and the Royals have a pretty nice first baseman in Eric Hosmer, could these two teams match up for a trade this July? Hosmer isn’t hitting for much power this season, just five home runs at the time of this writing, but the Yankees first baseman haven’t been hitting at all this season. Period. Hosmer is hitting over .300 with an adequate on-base percentage of .360. The Royals are in last place in the American League Central Division and Hosmer is a free agent at the end of the season making him likely available and likely “cheap” in terms of prospects.

Hosmer is just now entering his age 27 season and if the Yankees were to acquire him and then retain him past the 2017 season he could be a huge part of the Yankees team for easily the next 5-10 seasons. There’s an argument that could be made because Greg Bird is being donned as the first baseman of the future here in the Bronx but at the same time Hosmer comes with no guarantees attached to him beyond this season. The Yankees already have Chris Carter who is splitting time at first base, and he would have to likely be traded or designated for assignment to facilitate a Hosmer trade, so it is not out of the realm of possibilities of having a platoon type situation at first base with Hosmer and Bird.

I am of the mindset that the players that make the team the best that they can be should be here. It is not on me to figure out how to make the pieces work once they get here, that’s Joe Girardi’s job. I just want a player of the caliber of Hosmer here, especially if it fills a huge hole and void on the team this season. If the Royals are selling I am definitely listening and if the price is right, which is what it always comes down to, I’m buying as well. Where do I sign?