So it Seems the Yankees Suck on their “Days”

Boy, the New York Yankees have made it a habit of losing on all these special events and days that they hold at the stadium don’t they? It’s becoming a trend more than a coincidence at this point and it’s a scary precedent that I don’t like being set. Let’s look at recent “days” at Yankee Stadium and their success rates. What does this mean in the long run? Absolutely nothing but it is still fun to take a look at regardless.

Derek Jeter Day – 5/14/17

10-7 loss to the Houston Astros

Jorge Posada Day – 8/22/15

6-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians

Bernie Williams Day – 5/24/15

5-2 loss to the Texas Rangers

Joe Torre Day – 8/23/14

5-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox

Paul O’Neill Day – 8/9/14

3-0 loss to the Cleveland Indians

Andy Pettitte Day – 9/23/13

4-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians

Tino Martinez Day – 6/21/14

6-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles

This Day in New York Yankees History 5/16: Yankees Come Back from 9-0 to Win

On this day in 2006 the New York Yankees overcame a nine run deficit for the fourth time in their history defeating the Rangers 14-13. The Yankees were down 9-0 after an inning and a half before Jorge Posada hit a two out, two run walk off home run to win the game.


Also on this day in 1932 Lefty Gomez throws a five hit shutout giving the Yankees their fourth consecutive shutout. Gomez joins Johnny Allen, George Pipgras, and Red Ruffing in the streak. The Yankees would beat Cleveland 8-0 on this night.

Despite Jeter, Yankees Unable To Turn 2...

Credit:  John Munson/NJ Advance Media

It was a majestic day as the Yankees honored Derek Jeter and officially hung No. 2 among the Legends in Monument Park.  Sadly, the Yankees were unable “Turn 2” as they lost the second game of the doubleheader following the Jeter ceremony.

In the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader, the pink Yankees rallied, after falling behind, to win the game.  The Yankees opened the scoring in the first inning on a run-scoring groundout by Matt Holliday.  Sadly, Luis Severino did not have it for Mother’s Day and he fell apart in the third inning.  He opened the inning by hitting George Springer with a pitch, and then gave up a single to Josh Reddick.  After Jose Altuve hit into a fielder’s choice that forced Reddick out at second, the Astros put together a string of four singles to score three runs, ending Severino’s day.  Chad Green, called up earlier in the day from AAA, got Alex Bregman to hit into an inning-ending double play.  

As bad as Severino was, Green was terrific.  He went 3 2/3 innings, holding the Astros to only one hit and no runs.  He walked one and struck out three.  In the 4th inning, the Yankee tied the game with a two-run homer by Starlin Castro and then took a 4-3 lead in the next at-bat when Aaron Judge finally went deep again with his 14th home run of the season.

Credit:  Seth Wenig/Associated Press

The game stayed 4-3 until the top of the 7th inning with Adam Warren pitching.  A couple of singles, a walk, a fielding error by Starlin Castro and a sac fly allowed the Astros to re-take the lead, 6-4.  Heading into the bottom of the 7th after Austin Romine grounded out, Brett Gardner singled and Jacoby Ellsbury doubled, moving Gardner to third.  Matt Holliday, in a gutsy at-bat after falling behind 0-2, fought off a few pitches and singled in a failed diving attempt by Astros shortstop Carlos Correa which scored Gardner.  At that point, the Astros brought in Chris Devenski who has been virtually unhittable this year.  Apparently, Starlin Castro hasn’t been listening to how dominant Devenski is and he doubled to score Ellsbury.  After an intentional walk to Aaron Judge and a strikeout of Didi Gregorius, Chase Headley came to bat with the bases loaded.  On the TV telecast, Michael Kay was making comments about how Headley is due.  Then, as if Headley heard Kay, he laced a triple to right to clear the bases, putting the Yankees up 9-6.  Chris Carter doubled to score Headley, and the Yankees held a 10-6 lead after pushing six runs across the plate in the inning.

Brett Gardner added an insurance run in the 8th with a solo shot to center.  In probably his worst outing of the season, Adam Warren (1-0) picked up the victory.  Jonathan Holder pitched a scoreless 9th inning to close out the game in a non-save situation.  Yankees win, 11-6.

The second game started very badly for starter Masahiro Tanaka.  From the beginning, Tanaka was struggling with each batter, and by the time Alex Bregman hit a grand slam, the Astros were up 6-0 before the Yankees had even taken an at-bat. When Tanaka was pulled after 1 2/3 innings, he had given up two home runs to George Springer and was trailing 8-0. Tanaka has given up 16 runs in his last 15 innings. Still, this was Derek Jeter’s day so I felt no lead was too much.  The Yankees almost proved me right.  In the 5th, trailing 9-0, the Yanks scored four runs on an RBI single by Brett Gardner and a three-run homer by Matt Holliday.  

In the 9th inning, after a passed ball had allowed Marwin Gonzalez to score to put the Astros up 10-4, the Yankees tried valiantly to erase the deficit.  A two-run single by Starlin Castro and a run-scoring single by Aaron Judge brought the Yankees within three runs at 10-7.  With two outs and runners at the corners, the Yankees brought the tying run to the plate with Aaron Hicks.  It could have been a signature moment for Hicksey but unfortunately he grounded out to end the game.  

It was a good job by the bullpen to limit the damage after the Tanaka disaster.  The two runs charged to the bullpen were both unearned.  They gave the team a chance to win despite the overwhelming early Astros lead.  

The doubleheader split left the Yankees with a 22-13 record (losing three of four to Houston).  However, thanks to Tuesday’s opponent (the Kansas City Royals), the Baltimore Orioles lost their fourth in a row in a 9-8 loss.  The loss allowed the Yankees to re-take sole possession of first place in the AL East by a half-game.  The Boston Red Sox also lost, 11-2 to the Tampa Bay Rays. The hottest team in the division at the moment is the cellar-dwelling Toronto Blue Jays, winners of their fifth consecutive game.  

The Yankees were competitive with the Astros but unfortunately Houston proved the age-old adage, “good pitching beats good hitting”.  Things do not get any easier as the Yankees hit the road to Kansas City.  The Royals swept the O’s over the weekend with three one-run victories.  The Yankees will need better starting pitching than they received in the Astros series if they are to have any hope.  

Sunday morning started with disturbing news.  The Yankees announced they had placed closer Aroldis Chapman on the 10-Day Disabled List.  Clearly, something was not right with Chapman who failed to get out of the inning in his last two appearances.  A MRI showed no structural damage (whew!) so Chapman only needs rest.  He’ll avoid any baseball-related activities for two weeks and then he’ll resume throwing.  He’ll most likely need a rehab stint before he is activated so the current projection is that he’ll be out for a month.  In the interim, Dellin Betances will slide into the closer’s role with Warren, Holder and Tyler Clippard providing set-up.  There’s no doubt that Holder has been a Godsend this year and his presence helps ease the sting of losing Chapman.  Hopefully, the Betances that struggled last September was simply one that was tired after a long season.  Now, Betances has a chance for redemption.  If he proves successful, the Yankees need to take care of Betances financially this coming off-season and avoid penny-pinching him like they did during last year’s arbitration hearing.  

Recently, when top closers Zach Britton and Mark Melancon had been placed on the DL, I had expressed hope that the DL-epidemic would not impact the remaining elite closers, Chapman and Kenley Jansen.  Now, Jansen is the last man standing.  It definitely shows the value of having an elite set-up artist capable of filling in for a closing role.  

Chad Green was called up to replace Chapman.  Green is getting used to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to the Bronx commute.  If he keeps pitching like he did in yesterday’s first game, he’s making an argument for why he shouldn’t go back to Pennsylvania.  

Here’s hoping that Chapman is able to fully recover with rest and is able to return on schedule next month.  

Despite the mixed results from the doubleheader and the loss of our closer, it was a special day.  The Jeter ceremony was one of the greatest I’ve ever seen and it will be a long-time before we see such a memorable event again.  Congratulations to Derek as he awaits the arrival of his first child, a child who almost certainly felt the magic of the day in his mother’s womb.  It was a good day, a very good day…

Credit:  Andrew Savulich/New York Daily News

Have a great Monday!  Yesterday was Jeter’s Day, today is your day.  

A Memorable Day and Night at Yankee Stadium...

Happy Mother’s Day!  With no offense to Derek Jeter, that’s still the primary special occasion today.  So I hope it’s a wonderful Mother’s Day for all mothers in the Yankees Universe.  This is your day!  None of us would be here getting ready to celebrate Derek Jeter Night if not for you.

Congrats to Derek Jeter as he gets ready to leave a permanent reminder of his notable Yankee achievements in Monument Park.  Unless someone eventually takes number “0”, it’s the final single-digit number to be retired.  TGP’s Daniel Burch wrote a great tribute to Jeter with his latest Meet A Prospect feature yesterday so I am not going to try and reinvent the wheel.

As the number 2 begins to make its way to the Monument Park Wall, it’s hard not to remember when it was worn by the late Bobby Murcer.  Murcer wore the number when he was reacquired from the Chicago Cubs in 1979 until his release in 1983.  Bobby was a great Yankee.  I don’t really remember much of his first tour with the Yankees, but growing up in the Midwest, Murcer was constantly on TV with the Cubs.  I knew his history with the Yankees and he was a welcome addition to the 1979 Yankees which would soon be marred by one of the team’s greatest tragedies (the death of catcher Thurman Munson).  As a close friend of Munson, Murcer’s actions and words in the days following the tragic plane crash in Akron, Ohio were huge.  It was easy to see how much Murcer loved Munson and the Yankees.  We were later privileged to have Murcer as a Yankees broadcaster until his passing.

Of course, #2 recognition also has to be given to Mark Koenig who was the first Yankee to wear the number in 1929 courtesy of his spot in the lineup.  Koenig, the team’s shortstop, was part of the famed 1927 Murderer’s Row, when he batted second in front of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri.

Yankees third baseman Red Rolfe wore the number from 1931 until his retirement after the 1942 season.  

The only person to wear #2 for more years than Jeter was Frankie Crosetti.  Also a shortstop, Crosetti spent his entire 17-year playing career as a member of the Yankees.  He started wearing #2 in the final years of his playing career in 1945 and continued throughout his 20-year coaching career with the team which ended in 1968.

While Number 2 is being retired for Jeter, the number will forever carry the significant contributions of those who wore the number before the kid from Kalamazoo.  

The first game of today’s double-header begins at 2:05 pm Eastern.  The Derek Jeter Night pre-game ceremony scheduled between games will start no earlier than 6:30 pm ET.  The second game of the doubleheader will begin following the pregame ceremony but no earlier than 7:30 pm ET.  Many former teammates will be in attendance including David Cone, Tino Martinez, Hideki Matsui, Paul O’Neill, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, Gerald Williams, and Bernie Williams.  Former Yankee greats Reggie Jackson and Willie Randolph will also be there, along with Dick Groch, an area scout who signed Jeter, former Yankees head athletic trainer Gene Monahan, and Jean “Soot” Zimmer, widow of former Yankees coach Don Zimmer.  

Derek Jeter, this is your day…your night.  Enjoy!

The New York Post’s Steve Serby had a Q&A with Aaron Hicks this morning.  When asked what is the biggest criticism he’s heard that bothers him the most, he responded:  “I don’t want to be considered…I want to be a starter.  I don’t want to be a fourth outfielder.  That’s kind of something that I don’t like.  I’m better than a fourth outfielder.”  I agree 100%.  Sadly it is time for GM Brian Cashman to create the room in the outfield for Hicks to start.  Without question, I would love for the Yankees to move Jacoby Ellsbury, but that’s not happening.  So, it is back to Brett Gardner as the most marketable outfield asset for a trade.  Gardner’s recent homer binge hopefully raised his perceived value.  

Bryce Harper and the Washington Nationals agreed to a one-year $21.65 million contract for the 2018 season.  It includes a $1 million incentive if he win’s the MVP Award. The contract buys out Harper’s final year of arbitration eligibility and he maintains eligibility to become a free agent following the 2018 season.  He’s making $13.625 million this year.  To celebrate his new contract, he hit a walk-off two-run homer to beat the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.  I am anxious to see what he does when he signs that 10-year $400 million deal with the Yankees in a couple of years.  Hal, it’s just money…

It’s not really Yankees news but Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Chris Iannetta took a fastball to the face in Friday’s action.  The pitch fractured some teeth and Iannetta’s nose, but the catcher is doing okay and hoping to avoid a DL stint.  The pitch was thrown by former Yankees prospect Johnny Barbato, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this year.  All the best to Iannetta with his recovery.  It could have been much worse and I am thankful it was not.  

Credit:  Mark J Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

Have a great Mother’s Day and Derek Jeter Night!  Let’s take two! 

This Day in New York Yankees History 5/14: Dwight Gooden No-Hitter

On this day in 2015 the New York Yankees received some unfortunate news. The team learned they would lose Chase Whitley for the remainder of the year after leaving a start against the Tampa Bay Rays with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Whitley underwent Tommy John surgery before being claimed off waivers in the winter before 2016.



Also on this day in 1996 Dwight Gooden threw 135 pitches and threw a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners. The Yankees would win the game 2-0 and the 31 year old Gooden would become the eight Yankee pitcher to throw a no hitter in their history. Gooden hadn't won a game in nearly two years prior to the no hitter and was almost released a month prior after a slow start to his season.


Also on this day in 1967 Mickey Mantle kept his promise to his wife Merlyn and hit his 500th career home run on Mother's Day. The "Commerce Comet" was the sixth player to ever reach the 500 home run club when he hit a ball into the right field corner off Orioles pitcher Stu Miller.


Finally on this day in 1920 the New York Giants informed the New York Yankees that their lease to play in the Polo Grounds would not be renewed at the end of the season. The Yankees have played at the Polo Grounds since 1913 and will continue to play there until Yankee Stadium was completed in 1923. Speculation was that the Giants were not pleased with the acquisition of Babe Ruth for the Yankees and that was the reason they wanted them out of their stadium.

On the Eve of Derek Jeter Day…

Derek Jeter Day is tomorrow and now that we’ve met the man, the myth and the legend that will be honored tomorrow with his #2 uniform number retired let’s take a look at the moments that made Derek Sanderson Jeter into the larger-than-life player and ambassador that he is today.

Remember the Jeffrey Maier home run against the Baltimore Orioles in the 1996 ALCS? Jeter, with the Yankees trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning, hit a ball to the wall that Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco tracked before a 12-year old Yankees fan named Jeffrey Maier reached out and took the ball from the field of play. Umpires called the ball a home run, the Yankees won the game and the series en route to the World Series championship.  

Speaking of World Series championships the Yankees were back in the World Series in 2000 looking for their fourth title in five years. The team standing in their way? Their crosstown-rivals the New York Mets. Jeter started the series off in “Jeterian Fashion” hitting a home run off Bobby Jones en route to a World Series MVP Award and another ring for the collection.

Great things happen to the Yankees Captain in October and “the flip” is just another one in the long line of great things. On October 13, 2001 Jeter and the Yankees found themselves down 0-2 to the Oakland Athletics in a best-of-five series but the team had the lead on the road in Game 3. Shane Spencer overthrew the cut-off man after Terrence Long lined a shot off Mike Mussina down the right field line and Jeter seemingly came out of nowhere to cut the ball off and shovel it to catcher Jorge Posada before Jeremy Giambi could cross the plate safely. The lead was safe and the Yankees went on to win the game and the series before falling to the Arizona Diamondbacks in seven games in the World Series.

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Speaking of that 2011 World Series with the Arizona Diamondbacks the Yankees shortstop garnered a new nickname that postseason, Mr. November. For the first time ever a World Series game was played in November and as the clock struck midnight on November, 1^st the Captain came to the plate and hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10^th inning. The series was tied after four games.

Three years later it would be the Boston Red Sox celebrating in the World Series and not the Yankees but before October came to the sport we had to endure a game between the Yankees and Red Sox on July 1^st. In the game Jeter made a catch in the 12^th inning that resulted in him diving into the stands and leaving the game bruised and bloodied. The Yankees won the game in the 13^th inning but without the catch by Jeter who knows what could have come of the inning and that Trot Nixon at-bat.

2009 was a big season for the New York Yankees. The Yankees won their first World Series since the 2000 season, Jeter’s fifth ring in Yankees pinstripes, and Jeter also passed Yankees great Lou Gehrig on the Yankees all-time hit list. On September 11, 2009 the Yankees and Orioles were squaring off head-to-head when Jeter smacked a single off Orioles starter Chris Tillman for his 2,722 hit of his Yankees career. Lou Gehrig held the record for 72 seasons before Jeter broke it en route to yet another World Series victory.

Jeter wasn’t done hitting though as it took him a season and a half to collect another 278 hits for his 3,000^th hit of his career. In classic Derek Jeter fashion he did it in style smacking a home run off Tampa Bay Rays’ starter David Price for one of his five hits on the day.

How else would Jeter close out his career then with something dramatic? In his final game inside Yankee Stadium Jeter smacked a walk-off single to give the Yankees a victory over the Baltimore Orioles. That in itself was impressive but when you consider the fact that the Yankees had a huge lead entering the Top of the 9^th only to see oft-reliable David Robertson blow it goes to show you that at least some of the ghosts from the old Yankee Stadium made the trip across the street to the new stadium, at least for a night anyway.

And there you have it… just a few of the many, many things that made Derek Jeter a special player and a special kind of person. Well that and the alleged gift baskets he would give to his woman after he spent the night with them. That one we will never know for sure though, not for a while anyway. Enjoy Derek Jeter Day everyone!

Pinstripes Prospects Updated Top 50 Prospect List

Photo courtesy of Pinstriped Prospects

The New York Yankees, depending on who you read and who you trust, either has the best farm system or the second best farm system in all of Major League Baseball. Whether they are first or second in the league is a matter of opinion but either way I think we can all agree that New York has a pretty damn good farm system. When I start researching the Yankees and their prospects my first stop I make is at our friends over at Pinstriped Prospects. When I checked this week I read their updated Top 50 Yankees Prospect list. You can see the complete list here:

https://pinstripedprospects.com/updated-2017-new-york-yankees-top-50-prospect-list-21767

Just for reference here are the Top 10 Yankees prospects from the list:

Gleyber Torres

Blake Rutherford

Clint Frazier

Chance Adams

James Kaprielian

Justus Sheffield

Tyler Wade

Estevan Florial

Domingo Acevedo

Wilkerman Garcia

Check out the remainder of the list and all their write-ups and reasoning by clicking the link above. 

Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Houston Astros 5/13

Here we go again ladies and gentleman, game time in the Bronx between the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. If it feels like these two teams just got done playing a game it is probably because they did just a few hours ago last night. Now we are back at it again this afternoon so let’s get to it. This afternoon the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the mound to square off with Mike Fiers for the Astros. The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES Network, MLB Network and MLB TV. You can also follow along with the game on the radio and in your cars by tuning into WFAN and their broadcast.

Follow us on Twitter and interact with us all season long by giving @GreedyStripes a follow. Go Yankees!

Meet a Prospect: Derek Jeter

What else can be said about Derek Jeter that he has not said by himself, only with his bat? The owner of the Yankees Captain spot, 5 World Series rings, and basically anything else he wants, Derek Jeter has been the poster boy for all of baseball and especially the New York Yankees since the 1996 season. Jeter has done so much throughout his career and he continues to succeed in every aspect off the field as well since his retirement becoming a true inspiration to us all. So tomorrow as the New York Yankees allow the Captain to stand beside fellow Hall of Fame players and legends of the sport like Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth we will all, once again and one last time, stand by and merely watch in amazement at all that he has done.

This is a Derek Jeter Day special edition of Meet a Prospect…. The Derek Sanderson Jeter Edition.

Derek Sanderson Jeter was born on June 26th, 1974, in Pequannock, New Jersey to parents Dr. Sanderson Charles Jeter and Dorothy Jeter. Derek's parents, a substance abuse counselor (Sanderson) and an accountant (Dorothy), met while serving in the United States Army in Germany. Derek's parents, at a very early age, were very strict and hard on him but very consistent. As a child his mother instilled Derek's positive attitude in him, insisting that he could not use the word "can't". Derek even had to sign a contract every year that set acceptable and unacceptable forms of behavior. Derek lived in North Arlington, New Jersey, until he was four years old when he moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Derek and his sister, Sharlee, attended New York Yankees games while spending the summers with their grandparents in New Jersey and became very passionate about the Yankees. Derek later said that as a child Yankees stand out Dave Winfield inspired him to pursue baseball. 

Derek spent his high school days at Kalamazoo Central High School where he played baseball and basketball. In his sophomore year he batted .557 and followed it up with a .508 average in his junior year. In his senior year he hit .508 with 23 RBIs, 21 walks, 4 home runs, and a .831 slugging percentage with a .637 on base percentage, 12 stolen bases in 12 attempts, and just a single strike out. After a stellar season like that Jeter received an All State honorable mention, the Kalamazoo Area B'nai B'rith Award for Scholar Athlete, the American Baseball Coaches Association 1992 High School Player of the Year Award, 1992 Gatorade High School Player Of The Year Award, and USA Today's High School Player of the Year. This kind of acknowledgement got him a scholarship offer to play baseball from the University of Michigan that he obviously declined. Much later in his career Kalamazoo Central High School inducted Jeter into their Athletic Hall of Fame, in 2003, and renamed its baseball field in Jeter's honor in 2011. 

Derek was drafted straight out of High School by the New York Yankees in the first round of the MLB First Year Players Draft 6th overall. Hal Newhouser, a scout for the Houston Astros team that had the first pick overall that season, lobbied for his team management to select Jeter although the Astros feared that Jeter would require a salary bound of at least $1 million to skip college and go pro. The Astros, instead, drafted Phil Nevin and signed him for $700,000. Newhouser felt so strongly about Jeter and the waste of a pick that he quit his job with the Astros in protest. The Yankees gave Jeter a $800,000 signing bonus to skip being a Wolverine and instead become a Yankee. Yankees scout Dick Groch said he would not go anywhere but "Cooperstown". 

Derek played four seasons in the Yankees minor league system, beginning with a struggle in the Gulf Coast League. His manager even had to bench him at the end of the season in 1992 so his average did not drop below the Mendoza Line, .200 Batting Average. In 1993 though he came out of the offseason determined and was voted the Most Outstanding Major League Prospect  by the South Atlantic League managers after hitting .295 with 5 home runs, 71 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. He was also named to the All Star team even though he committed a South Atlanta League record 56 errors. Somehow, though, he was named the SAL's Best Defensive Shortstop, Most Exciting Player, and Best Infield Arm by Baseball America. In 1994 he was named the Minor League Player of the Year Award by Baseball America, The Sporting News, USA Today, and Topps while winning the MVP of the Florida State League. The 1994 MLB strike and mild inflammation in his right shoulder while in the Arizona Fall League kept Jeter from the majors, officially, in 1995 but he would be called up for the post season run to sit on the bench and take in the experience of playing for New York. 

Derek was named the Yankees starting short stop starting for the 1996 season after Joe Torre stood up against George Steinbrenner, who as we all know was never happy about the growing pains young players have to go through. Steinbrenner even approved a trade that would have sent pitcher Mariano Rivera to Seattle for short stop Felix Fermin because Gene Michael and Brian Cashman convinced Steinbrenner to give Jeter an opportunity. Aren't we glad that he did? 

Jeter was the first rookie short stop to start the season as a starter for the Yankees since Tom Tresh in 1962 and he did not waste any time getting acclimated, hitting his first MLB home run that day. He won the Rookie of the Year award after hitting .314 with 10 home runs, scoring 104 runs, and driving in 78 RBIs. His first post season home run came in the ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles, the Jeffrey Maier home run.  Jeter won his first World Series ring in that rookie season when the Yankees defeated the Atlanta Braves in 6 games, the first Yankee World Series since 1978. Jeter batted .361 in that post season. 1998 was Jeter's first All Star Game appearance while the Yankees won 114 games during the regular season while on, in my very biased opinion, the greatest team of all time. Jeter would finish third that season in MVP voting but most importantly Derek had his second ring as the Yankees beat the Padres in 4 games. Another All Star appearance in 1999 and another World Series ring with the Yankees beating the Braves again for Jeter's third ring. After the 1999 season Derek agreed to a 7 year $118.5 million dollar contract but George Steinbrenner did not want to set a salary record and pay Jeter more than Juan Gonzalez, who was working on an 8 year $143 million dollar extension, so the Yankees agreed to a 1 year deal worth $10 million. That ended up being a "mistake" because Jeter had another All Star appearance, including the game winning hit and All Star Game MVP, and had yet another World Series ring when the Yankees beat the Mets in 5 games.  Jeter, while winning his fourth World Series ring, won the World Series MVP and became the only player to ever win the World Series and All Star Game MVP in the same season. Jeter then signed a 10 year $189 million dollar deal, making him the second highest paid player in baseball behind Alex Rodriguez, which was much more than the original extension proposal

Derek would make his fourth All Star game appearance in 2001and also made the "flip play" in the ALDS against the Oakland A's that will forever be remembered. Jeter would also earn the title "Mr. November" when he hit a game winning home run as the clock struck Midnight on November 1st, the first World Series to ever be played in November. The Yankees would lose the 2001 World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks in, again in my biased opinion, the greatest World Series of all time.  Jeter would dislocate his left shoulder on Opening Day of the 2003 season when he collided with Blue Jays catcher Ken Huckaby at third base, missing 36 games. That season Derek Jeter was recognized as the 11th captain in Yankees history eight seasons after Don Mattingly, the last Yankees captain, retired. After typical Jeter seasons from 2003-2007 Jeter tied Lou Gehrig's record for hits at Yankee Stadium with his 1,269th hit with a home run off of Ray's pitcher David Price in 2008. He broke the record two days later when he got a hit off of White Sox pitcher Gavin Floyd. 

2009, after the Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons, reloaded with many free agents signings and trades that brought CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Mark Teixeira, and Nick Swisher to name the big ones. This would also be the season that Derek would return to the lead off role when Girardi flipped him and Johnny Damon in the batting order. Jeter recorded his 2,675th hit as a short stop, passing Luis Aparicio's previous record for short stops, in August of the 2009 season. Jeter followed that up by passing Lou Gehrig as the Yankees all-time hits lead when he singles off of Orioles pitcher Chris Tillman on September 11th, 2009. Jeter would win his 5th World Series championship in 2009 when the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in 6 games to win their teams 27th World Series Championship of their storied history. Jeter also won his 5th gold glove that season and finished third in the MVP voting behind eventual winner Joe Mauer and teammate Mark Teixeira. In July of 2011, off of pitcher David Price of the Rays, Derek collected his 3000th hit on a home run to left field at Yankee Stadium. He is now assaulting Pete Rose's all-time hit record. 

Derek Jeter created the Turn 2 Foundation in 1996, a charitable organization, to help children and teenagers avoid drug and alcohol addiction. It also rewards those who show high academic achievements. Derek also serves as an ambassador for We Play, a website designed to get children involved in sports.  Jeter, when not being a good charitable person, is probably hanging out with a beautiful woman. Derek's little black book includes girls like Scarlett Johannsson, Minka Kelly, Mariah Carey, Miss Universe Lara Dutta, Gabrielle Union, Joy Enriquez, Jordana Brewster, Vanessa Minillo, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba,  and the list goes on and on... until it presumably stops with his wife Hannah Davis Jeter. I hate you Derek Jeter J

Entering the 2012 season Jeter put to bed the concerns and discussions about his age and whether he could continue to man the shortstop position for the New York Yankees. Jeter started the season batting .411 and received praise from Alex Rodriguez and manager Joe Girardi who both claimed Jeter looked like he was 25-years old again. Jeter once again made the All-Star Game in 2012 and with a single in the contest he passed Mickey Mantle for the most hits by a Yankee in the All-Star Game ever in the franchise’s history. Jeter finished the season leading the league in hits with 216 and even got into the Top 10 of all-time with his 3,284^th hit of his career passing Willie Mays. Jeter exploded in the ALDS before his ankle gave out in the ALCS against the Detroit Tigers. Jeter had a fractured ankle and his season was over just four wins before the World Series.

Jeter had surgery on the ankle on October 20^th and was expected to be back with the team before Opening Day 2013. While rehabbing the ankle Jeter suffered a small crack in the area of the fracture and he began the season on the disabled list. Jeter returned, finally, on July 11^th of 2013 but after just one game Jeter was back on the disabled list with a quad strain. Two weeks later Jeter returned off the DL to hit a home run but eight days later it was right back on the disabled list for the Yankees captain. This time a Grade 1 calf strain kept Jeter off the field until September when Jeter came back once again for New York. Jeter was not long for the field in 2013 once again though after the calf strain as the Yankees had to place Jeter on the disabled list for the third time this season on September 11^th due to complications with his surgically repaired ankle. After just 17 games played and a .190 batting average many thought that Jeter’s playing days were done. Jeter, on the other hand, did not think so.

Jeter had one more season in him and that final season would be in 2014. The Yankees signed Jeter to a new one-year deal worth $12 million for his final season and Jeter set out to give the Yankees every pennies worth back on the field, and that he did. Jeter started at shortstop in the 2014 MLB All-Star Game and batted leadoff for the American League. Jeter went two-for-two in the contest and finished his All-Star Game career batting .481. The Yankees held Derek Jeter Day at the stadium on September 7^th of 2014 and the team wore #2 on their hats and jersey’s to honor their shortstop for the remainder of the season. In Jeter’s final game at Yankee Stadium against the Baltimore Orioles the Yankee Stadium Gods were at work again as the Yankees went into the 9^th inning with a big lead. David Robertson blew the lead giving Jeter one last shot at the stadium and in classic Derek Jeter fashion he came through in the clutch. In Jeter’s final Yankee Stadium at-bat he laced a single the other way in a walk-off victory for the Yankees.

Jeter played as a DH only in his final series of his career inside Fenway Park and in his final at-bat he hit an infield RBI single off Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz before walking off the field to a standing ovation. Jeter’s career as a player was done.

The Captain…. Derek Jeter ladies and gentleman….. Numbah two. 

Not Ready for Prime Time…

The latest Yahoo Sports MLB Power Rankings that pushed the New York Yankees to #1 were a bit premature.  These Yankees are not quite up to par with the high flying Houston Astros (who were ranked #3).  Two games does not a season make, but the Yankees haven’t exactly shown they can hang with the Astros so far in this series.  

The Astros seem to have every answer and it appears that both Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran have found themselves on the right side of the equation.

Credit:  Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Right now, the two best teams in Baseball are the Astros and the Washington Nationals (even with their bullpen problems).  

The Yankees have two games to right the ship.  They can prove that they can play with the Astros, just not with pitchers named Keuchel or McCullers.  Today’s game has been postponed due to inclement weather so the Yankees will play a double-header tomorrow for the joint Derek Jeter’s and Mother’s Day.  It’s single-admission entry so only Sunday’s ticketholders have seats for the Derek Jeter ceremonies.  Saturday’s ticketholders will be able to exchange their tickets for future games. The Bronx weather forecast calls for a 60% chance for rain tomorrow which falls to 20% by evening.  The first game is expected to start at 2:05 pm.  Hopefully we’ll be listening to Frank Sinatra singing New York, New York by the end of the day.  

Yesterday’s game was not pretty.  Brian McCann set the tone early with his three run homer off Jordan Montgomery in the fourth inning.  The ball traveled just inside right-field foul pole into an area that McCann has frequently deposited pitches.  As a guy we once cheered for, McCann is becoming a thorn.  He caught the pitch that nailed Jacoby Ellsbury at the plate to end Thursday’s game, then he launched the deciding blast yesterday. Lance McCullers, Jr showed why he is one of the great young talents in the game.  It was eery when the TV telecast showed a comparison of his dad pitching for the Yankees and then the younger McCullers.  They are very similar with their pitching motions and release.  Young Lance went six innings, holding the Yanks to four hits and no runs.  He showed excellent control with no walks, and struck out seven Bombers (although Gary Sanchez was the most frequent contributor to those K’s).  

The Yankees scored a run in the ninth inning on a two-out RBI single by Didi Gregorius, but it was too little, too late.  Ronald Torreyes struck out to end the game.

I felt bad for Jordan Montgomery.  Remove the McCann homer, and he didn’t pitch that badly.  He did register 7 strikeouts, but the final line in six innings was not pretty.  8 hits and 4 runs saw the elevation of Montgomery’s season ERA from 3.81 to 4.19.  As for the bullpen, Jonathan Holder and Tyler Clippard continue to show that the arms in front of Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman are very strong.  Aroldis Chapman, on the other hand, is cause for concern.  Chapman only lasted two-thirds of an inning in the ninth when he allowed three hits, including a two-out RBI single to Josh Reddick.  With shades of his poor performance in Cincinnati earlier in the week, Chapman couldn’t finish the inning after he gave up a single to Jose Altuve.  Giovanny Gallegos, making his Major League debut, had to be called on to retire the Astros (he induced Yankee killer Carlos Correa into a fly out to center).  Hopefully this is just a temporary funk for Chapman and he is not seriously injured.  

Credit:  Elsa/Getty Images

Despite the loss (their third in a row), the Yankees (21-12) remain a half-game behind the Baltimore Orioles in the AL East as the O’s fell to the Kansas City, 3-2.  The Boston Red Sox tried unsuccessfully to rally against the Tampa Bay Rays and lost 5-4, so there was no movement at the top of the division standings.

Chance Adams is getting closer to New York.  You can feel the rumble.  On Friday, the Yankees promoted the 22-year old right-hander from AA-Trenton to AAA-Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  In six games for the Thunder, Adams was 4-0 with a 1.03 ERA.  In 35 innings, he has only given up 23 hits, 6 runs (4 earned), 2 HR’s, and 15 walks.  He has also sent 32 batters muttering to themselves as they walked back to the dugout after strikeouts.  There’s no doubt we’ll soon be taking a chance on Adams in the Big Apple in the not-so-distant future if he keeps pitching like this.  Given that he’s dominated every level, there’s little doubt that AAA is his next victim.

Credit:  MiLB.com

The word is that Tyler Austin will begin playing rehab games soon.  So, when he is ready, the Yankees have decisions to make.  They can send Austin to AAA or they can bring him to the Bronx.  If he arrives at 161st and River and starts making solid contributions, Chris Carter is going to become obsolete.  I do not see a need for Carter once both Austin and Greg Bird are healthy.  If Carter was at least demonstrating some of the power that led to 41 home runs last year, it would be one thing but he’s not.  He’s a one-dimensional player that isn’t exactly tearing it up in his one dimension.  I think Carter needs regular at-bats to get into a groove but the Yankees are not going to afford him that opportunity (nor should they).  The team would be best served by flipping Carter to another team for some spare parts.

Have a great Saturday!  Stay dry and keep your fun and excitement at an all-time high!