Also On this day in 1931 Babe Ruth becomes the first player in Major League history to hit 600 career home runs.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
This Day In New York Yankees History 8/21: Another Boston Massacre
Also On this day in 1931 Babe Ruth becomes the first player in Major League history to hit 600 career home runs.
Monday, August 20, 2018
Vote Now!
Hello there Fans. In folllow up to my post a few days ago, titled Paulie Paulie, I have decided to poll the Yankees Fans. So the question is should the Yankees retire the number 21?
Click here to place your Vote Now!
James C Palma 
Fan Time 8-20-2108
While today’s guest is only 14 years old, I think it is very refreshing to hear from our youth. Baseball news, and chatter is almost always reported by adults, so getting the viewpoint from a younger fan should be fun. Without further ado lest get started.
Jay: Hello there my young sir. Kindly let everyone know your name.
I am Jonah Halper.
Jay: Great to Have you Jonah.
How long have you been a Yankee Fan ?
Jonah: Ive been a Yankee fan since birth, my dad is from the Bronx.
Jay: Very cool. Glad to see even with living in Maryland you are still a Yankee Fan!
1st Yankee memory you remember ??
Jonah: Just watching games with my dad at home and the occasional trip to Orioles park to see the Yankees.
Jay: That must be a nice experience. I myself want to see the Yankees play there. How is Orioles Park? Anything that stands out?
Jonah: A beautiful park with a terrible team. The people are nice and the park is well kept. Cheap to go to as well. I would love to go back when I can.
Jay: Sounds like it would be a pleasant trip, can’t wait to check it out for myself.
Biggest Yankee memory you have?
Jonah: Going to Severinos first win at yankee stadium. It was my first trip to Yankee Stadium. 
Jonah: The stadium was very pretty and well kept. Crowded but worth it. It’s very expensive but the ticket were given to us. 
Favorite all time Yankee and Why?
Jonah: My favorite all time Yankee that played in my life would be Rivera, Jeter or Rodriguez. I have fond memories of all three.
Would the Yanks be better if Joe was still the manager or was Boone the better choice?
Jonah: Joe was a fine manager and I loved his style and I do believe we would be better with Joe as the skipper.
Jay: Very fair point. I was happy that he was replaced however. It was time for a change.
In your opinion what’s the Best trade deadline move the Yankees made ?
Jonah: I think the obvious answer would be the acquisition of Happ or Lynn. Both have pitched well for the bombers.
Jay: I am leaning more toward Happ myself. I just feel he brings a little more IT factor with him. However very happy we brought them both in.
With Judge and Sanchez both on DL what would your lineup look like now ?
Jonah: I would like to see Hicks Leadoff Torres 2nd Andujar 3rd Stanton 4th Gregarious 5th Romine 6th Bird 7th Walker 8th just figure out 9th depending on who deserves it.
Jay: Hmm very interesting. Only thing I’d have to consider swapping is Stanton back to 2. Having him 4th might mean 1 less at bat. At the moment he is our best hitter and should be giving any extra at bat possible.
Who from next years free agent class do you sign?
Jonah: I would like to see one big free agent like Machado this year or Trout after the 2020 season.
A pitcher would be great as well.
Jay: I would love to see Mike in pinstripes, however I don’t see him leaving the Angels. 😰
What is your all time Yankee team using only players you have seen play ? (Tv or live) lineup and all. Full 25 man roster.....players can’t play out of position.
Jonah: 1b-Tex 2b-Cano (not convicted) ss-Jeter 3b-A-rod cf-Gardner RF Judge LF Ichiro c-Posada DH-Swisher
P1-Sabathia P2-Tanaka P3-Pettitte P4-Hughes P5 Sevy
R1-Chapman R2-Rivera R3-Warren R4-Betances R5-Chamberlain
B1-Toe B2-Romine B3-Mccan B4- Elsbury B5 Higashioka B6 Eduardo Nunez
Jay: Some very interesting choices. The next set of questions is the True or False part of the interview.
Sonny Gray deserves another start?
Jonah: False
Jay: Stanton Hits 50 HRs ?
Jonah: False
Jay: The Yanks should be giving Justus Sheffield a start now?
Jonah: False
Jay: The yanks break the record for team Home Runs?
Jonah: True
Jay: Yankees have 4 players with more then 30 Home Runs?
Jonah: True
Jay: Yankees Win the World Series?
Jonah: True
Jay: Greg Bird should be benched?
Jonah: Truish
I feel that bird has potential but his performance not showing that of a 3-4-5 hitter. He needs to be lower in the lineup.
Jay: Brett Gardner is a Yankee next Year?
Jonah: True
Jay: Miguel Andujar is the AL ROY?
Jonah: True
Jay: Any Final thoughts on the Yankees this year or next?
Jonah: I think Boone will improve this season and next season, and I believe the Yankees will get very hot while Boston cools down, thus leading to the Yankees winning the World Series.
Jay: Thank you for your time Jonah, it’s been a pleasure.
Jonah: Thanks for selecting me. It’s been fun.
Thanks to all that follow The Greedy Pinstripes & took the time to read. If you want be my next interview I can be reached at JamesCPalma@Yahoo.Com or on Twitter @JamesCPalma. 
Saturday, August 18, 2018
Paulie Paulie!!!
There is one only thing that would be upset that his number was retired..........
On a game to game basis,Paul poured his heart and soul into each at-bat, hell every pitch for that matter. His passion led late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to give him the nick name “The Warrior" and suggested that the he was the heart, fire and soul of the team. A dynasty team at that. The man already has a monument, in Monument Park. 
Let’s G⚾️ Yankees!! James C Palma 
Game Thread: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 8/18/18
And just like that it is game time here in the Bronx between
the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. In the middle game of this
three-game weekend set the Yankees will hope for better days with their ace,
Luis Severino, on the mound. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays will counter with Sean
Reid-Foley who will be making his second MLB start of his career. The game will
be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium and can be seen on the YES
Network and MLB Network. You can also follow along with the game on MLB TV,
with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees radio broadcast with
John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.
Follow us on Twitter, @GreedyStripes, and “Like” us on
Facebook, The Greedy Pinstripes, to keep up with us and the Yankees all season
long. Enjoy the game, win the game, and go Yankees!!
Using Bats and Rain to Beat the Blue Jays...
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| Photo Credit: NY Post (Paul J Bereswill) |
Yanks overcome pesky Jays in rain-shortened game…
As nice as it would be, I don’t want the Yankees to coast to victory every game. I like to see resiliency in the face of adversity and that’s what we were treated to Friday night in the rain-shortened 7-5 victory over the, pardon the pun, “Happ-less” Toronto Blue Jays.
Sure, I was worried along with everyone else when the Blue Jays opened the game with four runs against starter Lance Lynn. There were some fluke hits and I have no doubt that had Aaron Judge been playing right field, the inning would have been over before the Jays had pushed four across the plate. Nevertheless, it is what it was. A four-run deficit is not a monstrous gap, well, so long as your opponent is not the Tampa Bay Rays (or Baltimore Orioles) when it comes to the Yankees.
Nice jobs by Didi Gregorius and Miguel Andujar to cut the deficit to two runs in the bottom of the first inning. After Aaron Hicks took a two-out walk against Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman, Gregorius laced a triple to left center past defensive whiz Kevin Pillar to score Hicks with the Yankees’ first run. Miguel Andujar followed with a double to deep right over Curtis Granderson’s head to score Sir Didi.
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| Photo Credit: Getty Images (Elsa) |
Much easier moving into the later innings trailing by only two. Andujar has taken some heat for his defensive play at third, but his bat has been a source of consistency. He leads the team with doubles, ensuring his name will rank high among Yankee rookies in the history of the franchise. The first inning hit was his 35th of the year, six more than Giancarlo Stanton. Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio holds the Yankees rookie record with 44 doubles in 1936. Don Mattingly holds the team record for doubles with 53 in 1986.
Despite giving up those four runs in the first inning, I thought Lance Lynn bounced back nicely. He retired three batters in order in the top of the second inning and although he gave up an infield hit in the third, a double play allowed him to face the minimum number of batters for the second consecutive inning. After an easy three-up, three down top of the fourth for Lynn, the Yankees struck hard in the bottom of the frame. Gleyber Torres doubled to left, banging a hanging slider to the wall, with one out, and Greg Bird followed with a walk. It brought Neil Walker to the plate, and his three-run blast to right, high over the head of Curtis Granderson, gave the Yankees their first lead of the game, 5-4. Glad to see runners in scoring position was not an issue for this game.
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| Photo Credit: AP (Frank Franklin II) |
Unfortunately, the fifth inning was not so kind for Lynn. Curtis Granderson, a player who has been the target of much trade speculation for the Yankees, opened the inning with a double to left center off Lynn. Devon Travis singled to right, scoring the Grandy Man and the game was tied. Lynn’s day was over but I liked the way he battled despite not having his best stuff. The three walks were a bugaboo and so were 99 pitches without an ability to record an out in the fifth inning, but for guys like Double-L, my request is always to just give the team a chance and he did. The dude could have melted down after the ugly first inning and he didn’t. Sure, he allowed the hit that tied the game, but he didn’t yield any home runs and for the most part, he did his job after the first inning had gotten away from him.
The Yankees quickly retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Aaron Hicks opened with a walk off Jays reliever Joe Biagini. After Didi Gregorius flied out, Miguel Andujar singled to right to place runners at the corners. Gleyber Torres grounded into a fielder’s choice at shortstop, with the Jays recording the out at second on Andujar but Hicks scored on the play. Nice hustle by Torres to beat the throw to first. If it had been Gary Sanchez, he would have been thrown out by a mile.
The Yanks took the 6-5 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning. With Blue Jays reliever Luis Santos on the mound, Giancarlo Stanton gave the Yankees a two-run lead with his 31st home run of the season, a shot that traveled 431 feet. It's funny how easily the balls come off Stanton's bat (seemingly looking like fly outs that just keep on going and going and going...). After Aaron Hicks struck out, the threat of heavy rain forced the grounds crew to roll out the tarp. From there, the team waited until the game was eventually called. Yankees win, 7-5. Chad Green picked up the win in relief of Lance Lynn.
Despite the win, the Yankees (76-46) remain 10 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox. The Sox, unlike the Yankees, had no trouble with the Tampa Bay Rays, winning 7-3 at Fenway Park. The Yankees maintained their three-game lead over the Oakland A’s, but, man, look out for the high flying Athletics. With their 4-3 victory over the Houston Astros in ten innings, they trail the World Champions by only a game in the AL West. It’s certainly within the realm of possibility the Astros are the team fighting for a Wild Card berth. The other Wild Card contender, the Seattle Mariners, lost, 11-1 to the LA Dodgers, so they trail the A’s by 3 1/2 games.
With word pain still lingers in Aaron Judge’s right wrist, I remain hopeful the Yankees do something about upgrading right field in his absence. I like Neil Walker’s bat in the lineup but let’s face it, he is an infielder and not an outfielder. We need a better option in right than Walker or Shane Robinson. I don’t know who that is and I know the Yankees have to be cautious with the luxury tax threshold but hopefully GM Brian Cashman can reinforce the outfield for the stretch run.
Although he didn’t make it into the game, congratulations to former Yankees outfielder Billy McKinney for his promotion to the Blue Jays roster. No doubt we’ll see McKinney sometime this weekend. Who knows, maybe he gets a chance to hit against the man he was traded for, J.A. Happ. Speaking of Happ, I was listening to a pre-game interview on MLB Network Radio yesterday and they ended the interview calling him “J-A” Happ. C’mon guys, it’s “Jay” Happ.
I figured the Yankees would lose reliever George Kontos when he was designated for assignment. It was not the case as Kontos cleared waivers and was sent outright to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Kontos could elect free agency but I’d stay with the Yankees if I were him. He may get another chance in September when rosters expand.
Nice to see that Jonathan Loaisiga has been activated off the disabled list. He made the start yesterday for the Double-A Trenton Thunder with pitches hitting the mid-90's. He only threw an inning and a third, giving up a run but it was a start, literally and figuratively. Hopefully he can shake off the rust and help the Yankees in September.
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| Photo Credit: The Trentonian (Kyle Franko) |
The Yankees apparently will be playing the Los Angeles Dodgers next year at Dodger Stadium. I was excited to hear the news and hope to be at Chavez Ravine for the series. If I don’t make it to Los Angeles, I’ll try to catch up with the Yankees in San Francisco if they play there. I look forward to seeing the actual 2019 schedule to determine the whens and wheres with the NL West teams against the Pinstripers. I would love to see the damage Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge could do at Coors Field. Of course the Yankees will also travel to London, England to face the “home team” Boston Red Sox but I doubt I make that trip (as much as I would like to go).
Luis Severino (15-6, 3.27 ERA) will face Toronto’s Sean Reid-Foley (0-1, 5.40 ERA) in today’s game. I honestly do not know what we’ll get with Sevy. Also, I don’t have the stats to back it but it seems like we never fare well against pitchers with hyphenated names or rookie pitchers for that matter. This is a very good day for Sevy to get back on track. We need him in prime form as the calendar page gets ready to flip to September. According to my knowledgeable cell phone, there’s rain forecasted for this afternoon. Hopefully they get a full nine innings in today before the rain makes its appearance at Yankee Stadium.
Go Yankees!
Curtis Granderson, No, But Daniel Murphy, Yes
Earlier in the week as my hiatus from the blog was coming to
a close I made the time to type out a simple post entitled “The New York
Yankees Don’t Need Curtis Granderson.” That post went over about as well as
Greg Bird swinging at the first pitch in the bottom of the 9th inning
down by two runs to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon, as you could
imagine. While I outlined, albeit in an unpopular fashion, how Curtis
Granderson just didn’t make sense for the Yankees I would be remiss to point
out that Daniel Murphy of the Washington Nationals makes a whole lot of sense
for the Yankees this season, and for more reasons than you may think.
First, let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, calling
for one outfielder shortly after dismissing another can be seen as playing both
sides of whatever, but keep in mind that this post dismissing the need for
Granderson was written before the news broke that Aaron Judge received a
cortisone shot and would need longer than three weeks of rest before he started
swinging a bat. Also, Murphy would be more than just an outfield option for the
Yankees as he can play first base as well. Please keep this in mind before
sending your hate mail, comments and tweets directed my way, assuming that you
read the article and didn’t just respond to the headline like a lot of people
do. Anyway, back on topic.
As we enter play last night the Nationals found themselves
eight games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East and 6.5 games
behind the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies (Phillies led by a mere
.001 percentage point for the first Wild Card) in the National League Wild Card
race. As the calendar and the MLB season becomes shorter and shorter it is
becoming more and more clear that the Nationals should move a few veteran
pieces before the August 31st trading deadline, at least in my
opinion. The first piece they should move, because again in my opinion they will
not and should not trade Bryce Harper, is first baseman and outfielder Daniel
Murphy.
Murphy checks a lot of boxes for the New York Yankees here
in 2018 including the fact that Murphy is a free agent after the 2018 campaign,
Murphy is left-handed which works well inside Yankee Stadium while it also
helps to even out a heavy right-handed batting lineup in the Bronx, Murphy can
handle the pressure of New York as he has spent much of his career across town
with the New York Mets, the prospect cost would be minor for basically just a
month of his services plus a potential postseason trip, he is hitting at an
impressive .310/.354/.446 clip with limited playing time and in a smaller sample
size of 53 games, and most importantly his salary could be worked into the
roster without forcing the team to exceed the luxury tax threshold. Murphy is
set to make $17.5 million this season which would roughly equate to $3 million in
remaining and pro-rated salary for the remainder of the season.
Murphy would not solve all of the Yankees problems that the
team is facing right now, but he would go a long way in keeping the likes of
Shane Robinson on the bench, or in the Minor Leagues, and keeping Greg Bird
fresh, since you know… he is fatigued and all. Murphy makes a lot of sense for
the Yankees, which usually means we will not be seeing him in pinstripes this
fall… but one can hope, right?
Game Preview: New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays 8/18/18
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| Pitch like Pedro |
The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays will continue
their three-game weekend set tonight with the middle game of the series in the
Bronx. In the start this afternoon the Yankees will send Luis Severino to the
mound hoping that whatever has ailed him in his last few starts has been fixed
and/or figured out, while the Blue Jays will counter with Sean Reid-Foley. Who?
Exactly, but nonetheless, let’s get to it here in the Bronx.
Severino has struggled for much of the second half of the
season including his last start on Monday against the New York Mets and Jacob
deGrom. Severino lasted just four innings allowing four runs on seven hits
including two home runs in a loss to the Mets.
 |
| That 'stache though |
Reid-Foley made his MLB debut on Monday against the Kansas
City Royals lasting just five innings in a 3-1 loss for the Blue Jays.
Reid-Foley pitched in and out of trouble for much of the afternoon but did a
great job at limiting damage.
The game will be played at 1:05 pm ET inside Yankee Stadium
and can be seen on the YES Network and MLB Network. You can also follow along
with the game on MLB TV, with the MLB At-Bat app and by tuning into the Yankees
radio broadcast with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman on WFAN.
 |
| This man wakes up today, book it. |
Enjoy the game, how about scoring some damn runs for once…,
and go Yankees!!
Hello… and Welcome Back
Good morning everyone and not only welcome back to the blog,
but welcome back to the weekend as well. This is a true welcome back to the
blog as well as my training at work is COMPLETE, finally. A lot of good has
come out of this training and I truly believe that a lot of good will come out
of it as well, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t happy to be back to my
normal.
It also means that we should be back to your regularly
scheduled programming here on the blog, so be on the lookout for that. It also
means that I will be able to go back to screaming to the world how much I love
Kari Ann Burch, the most beautiful woman in the entire world. I can’t wait to
marry you, and I love you.
Oh, and by the way… one year ago today was the day that Kari
and I decided to finally move in together. It has been a year full of ups and
downs just like any budding relationship, but I absolutely would not change a
thing… and I definitely would not change us, at all. I love you, and here is to
another year standing right by your side as your protector, as your friend, and
as your man.
This Day In New York Yankees History 8/18: Longest Nine Inning Game In MLB History
Also on this day in 1989 Bucky Dent replaced Dallas Green as the Yankees manager. This would mark the 17th time the Yankees had changed managers during George Steinbrenner's 17 year tenure as the Yankees owner. The Yankees were in 5th place at the time with a 56-65 record.
Finally on this day in 1940 Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig and roommate Bill Dickey filed a suit against the New York Daily News. Jimmy Powers, the sports editor for the Sunday New York Daily News, suggested the Yankees poor play this season was to blame for a mass polio epidemic that the team contracted from Gehrig. In the end the newspaper retracted its statement and apologized to the Iron Horse.
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