Yankees postgame notes from Boston

Here are the Yankees postgame notes from Thursday night in Boston.  The Yankees finally won two in a row and won a series.  It has been a while since they did either. Jeter tied Mays on the all-time hits list and kept the Yankees tied for first.  The Lohud Yankees blog has all the information and I add in some thoughts. 

There are absolutely times when Derek Jeter’s intangibles are blown out of proportion. In fact, there are times when that storyline does a disservice the tangible player he’s been. But there are other times when Jeter’s quiet brand of leadership deserves a turn in the spotlight. It’s cliche to write a Captain Jeter story, and it feels silly to suggest he’s able to will this team to win simply by being himself.
But Jeter has that reputation for a reason.

In no way was Jeter the Yankees best player tonight — this game belonged to Phil Hughes in ever which way — but wouldn’t you know it, the Yankees had just one hit with runners in scoring position tonight, and it was Jeter who floated that RBI single into center field. And wouldn’t you know it, that hit just happened to be No. 3,283 for his career, tying Willie Mays — Willie Mays! — for 10th place — 10th place! — on baseball’s all-time hits list.

“It’s pretty special if you think about it,” Jeter said. “But it’s kind of hard to think about it now because we’re trying to win games.”  This is so Jeter, if they had a bigger lead he may talk about it more but would still say the goal is to get to the postseason then win a series. 

Of course he said that. Of course Jeter said the most perfect thing anyone could say in a situation like this. Did you expect anything different?  The answer is no of course not, does he ever say the wrong thing. 

“He was playing on probably about one ankle tonight, maybe one-and-a-quarter,” Joe Girardi said. “That’s who he is. He’s a fighter, and he finds a way. He gets the big hit tonight, and it’s impressive. … There’s no doubt that he’s a leader and he leads by example. He’s done that his whole career.”

Did the Yankees win this one for Jeter? No, I don’t think so. That RBI single was his only hit in a 1-for-5 night, and it was technically Andruw Jones’ sacrifice fly that brought home the winning run, but nights like this have helped build Jeter’s legacy. You could see him limping when he ran, but there was no doubt that he’d downplay the injury in the clubhouse and shift the focus to things much bigger than his left ankle. And he did exactly that. He did exactly what the Yankees have come to expect him to do.

“You cannot change anything that’s happened,” he said. “We’re in first place for a reason. We’ve played pretty well for the majority of the season. You’re going to go through up and downs, and obviously we would’ve loved to have won all the series leading up to this point but it wasn’t the case. All we can control is how we’re playing now, and we played well here.”  He is right about that and then you move on and try to get a lead in the division. 

This was only Hughes’ second career quality start at Fenway Park, and his first scoreless start in this stadium. He held the Red Sox hitless until two outs in the fourth, the deepest he’d carried a no-hitter since September 15, 2010 when he took one into the fifth inning. His seven strikeouts matched his highest total against Boston.  I know it is a depleted team but this should be a confidence booster, it should make him feel good.  Hughes has pitched well lately which the Yankees have needed. 

Hughes’ giving a blunt assessement of the crowd here in Boston: “To be honest, the atmosphere was a little dull in here for the first time in a long time because of the way the Red Sox season has gone this year. If anything, it just felt like a normal game. We just had to go out and win. We got two out of three here, we have to go home and have a tough series against the Rays. We have to get it done.”

Hughes really leaned on his fastball tonight, and he was aggressive with it. He said he tried to use his new slider early in the game, but the Red Sox weren’t really offering at it, so he decided to stick with the fastball. “I think I had nine or 10 pitches through three or four outs,” he said. “To get off on a good start like that really helps your pitch count later on in the game. That was the case tonight. I was pounding the strike zone early and forcing them to either get into bad counts or swing early and hit themselves into outs, so it’s a big day.”

This was career start No. 100 for Hughes. It was also his 29th of the season, matching his career-high set in 2010. He threw 95 pitches, his fewest ever in an outing of at least seven innings.  This is the thing people forget, he has been durable this year, taking the ball every fifth day and he has won 15 games. 

 Rafael Soriano got his 38th save of the season. It’s the first time he’s saved games on consecutive nights since July 16-17.  That seems crazy with this team but it is true, he has been great for them though. 

Girardi said he would have liked to have stayed away from Boone Logan and Dave Robertson, but he knew he could use them for a handful of pitches if necessary. In a two-run game, it was necessary. “In your mind, you say if you can stay away from them, you stay away from them,” Girardi said. “Boone didn’t throw a lot of pitches the last two days, even today we didn’t ask him to throw a lot. Robby, I was a little more concerned about, but I knew I wasn’t going to ask him to throw a full inning. I figured I’d have him for one hitter. Again, he came to me and said he was great.”  This time of the year that all kind of goes out the window. 

Alex Rodriguez scored his 1,888th career run in the fourth inning tying him with Lou Gehrig for ninth on baseball’s all-time scoring list. He went 2-for-5 tonight and has a hit in 15 of his past 16 games.

It was a good night for Eduardo Nunez who had two hits and no errors. In his first game back at shortstop since rejoining the team, the Red Sox first ball in play was hit to him. Of course it was.  That is the way baseball is. 

This was the Yankees ninth shutout of the season, and their first since August 14 against Texas. Last time they pitched a shutout at Fenway was July 25, 2008.

According to Elias, the last player to be in the Top 10 career hits list while an active member of the Yankees was Paul Waner in 1945. There’s your totally random fact of the night.  That is a cool stat though. 

The Yankees have won back-to-back games for the first time since August 15.

Final word goes to Jeter: “Now we’re on a winning streak, so were good again, right? It was great to win this series, it really was, but we start all over tomorrow when we get home. Tampa always plays us tough. They’re a handful, so we have to be ready to play, because the teams we’re playing want to beat us.”

Derek Jeter named SI Sportsman of the Year

Derek Jeter has been named SI Sportsman of the Year. I think this is better then winning MVP. Derek Jeter leads a charmed life that is for sure, he won the World Series is dating Minka Kelly and now is Sportsman of the Year. He unlike others has stayed out of trouble on and off the field. I think Derek Jeter is truly a guy you can look up to as in this time there really isn't many that kids can look up to and aspire to be like. I am sure we will have quotes from Jeter later on. Derek Jeter is the first Yankee to win the award and 56th winner overall. He had a spectacular year batting 334 and batting 344 in the postseason and 409 in the World Series living up to his clutch reputation. He also broke Lou Gehrigs team record for most hits during the season and is on his way to becoming the first Yankee to ever record 3000 hits for his career. He also won the Hank Aaron Award and Roberto Clemente award during the postseason. Terry Mcdonell SI's group editor had this to say about Jeter, " Derek Jeter has always presented himself with class, he does numerous good work for the community with his Turn 2 Foundation. The foundation is one of the most effective and efficient foundations of its kind. Derek Jeter is extremely generous not just with him money but his time, which in many cases is more valuable. He also had another signature year on the field." Derek Jeter is the first baseball player to solely win the award since Cal Ripken in 1995.

Derek Jeter is the alltme Yankees hit king

The New York Yankees took on the Baltimore Orioles tonight and in fact after a second rain delay are still doing so. The game isn't too important though, Derek Jeter is now the alltime Yankees hits leader. He struck out his first time up at bat but then he hit a single to right field in the third inning setting off a wild celebration. The crowd was amazing, i was a part of the history making night. The place just wouldn't let him breathe and he had to acknowledge the crowd several times, he also pointed up to his parents a couple of times. Andy Pettitte got the start and battled through 5 innings, I think it was only fitting that he started and Jorge Posada caught the game that Jeter set the record as these guys go all the way back to 1992 when they played together in A Greensboro. It is amzing to think that they are all still together and playing at a high level and trying to win their 5th championship. Derek Jeter will get many more hits and it will be a really big deal when he gets to 3,000 but this should be celebrated because in the storied history of the Yankees no player has ever had more hits then Derek Jeter. I am sure he will be happy to move on but it should be interesting to see what he has to say. There is not much for the Yankees to worry about now as they pretty much have everything sealed up. The Yankees won't play another meaningful game until game 1 of the playoffs.

Orioles at Yanks(A night to remember?)

It is September 11th and we should remember all of those who were affected by this terrible tragedy 8 years ago today. There will be a special pregame ceremony tonight before the game. The game doesn't mean much but of course the story is Derek Jeter who needs 1 hit to be the alltime Yankees hits leader with 2,722. I am sure they will do everything in their power to get the game in but it is pretty nasty out. I am heading out to the stadium soon and will try and do some Jeter updates live from there. There will be no notes today but here is the lineup via Peter Abraham. Jeter(SS) Swisher(RF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Matsui(DH) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Cabrera(LF) Gardner(CF)

Where does Jeter rank

It was interesting today to hear and see all the people trying to rank Jeter among the all time great Yankees. I guess it is a fun time to do this and he should be up there. Mike Francessa isn't one to get caught up in this and he thinks 3,000 hits is much bigger but it is a fact that with his next hit Derek Jeter will be the all time hits leader for the New York Yankees and because it is the Yankees it is a big deal. I want to play a little game and see where everyone would rank the greatest Yankees and my list would look like this. 1. Lou Gehrig 2. Babe Ruth 3. Joe D 4. Mickey Mantle 5. Yogi Berra 6.Mariano Rivera 7. Derek Jeter 8. Whitey Ford 9. Bill Dickey Here are my top 9, 10 is really hard it could be a few guys. The reason I put Lou Gehrig ahead of the Babe is because he was a Yankee his whole career. Mo is the greatest there ever was so arguably he could be even higher but he is a pitcher. I would love to hear what everyone thinks about this and there own list, please put this in the comment thread.

Rays at Yankees(Yanks go for the sweep)

The Yankees will be trying for a four-game series sweep tonight. They have won 12 of 15 overall and have the best record in baseball. Here are the pregame notes and lineup via Peter Abraham. Tampa Bay has lost a season-high seven straight games. They have fallen to 17.5 games out of first and 8.5 games out in the wild card. Joba Chamberlain has a 7.96 ERA in his last six games with opponents hitting .330 against him. In 26 innings he has allowed 37 hits and walked 17. Derek Jeter is in a 0-12 slump but if it wasn't for the record and the Yankees huge lead no one would even really notice. They are going overboard for this record but I guess there really isn't any other drama, this isn't even drama though, he will get it eventually. The Yankees will be looking to go 41 games over .500 for the first time since Sept. 30, 2004 when they were 100-59. Alex Rodriguez 11 of his last 24 with nine RBI. The Yankees have allowed four runs on 17 hits and struck out 30 over 27 innings in this series. The Sandman has allowed one run in his last 31 innings. The Yankees are 61-1 when leading after six innings. The Yankees are 48-20 at home, winning 22 of the last 26. The Yankees are 39-13 since the All-Star break. That’s their best record since the 1938 team was 40-12. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Matsui(DH) Swisher(RF) Cano(2B) Gardner(CF) Molina(C) Peter Abraham wrote earlier on his blog that when he got to the park Francisco Cervelli was out there early, this was at 2:30 this afternoon working on things with Tony Pena. This is great to see, hopefully he will succeed, I think the Yankees are teaching these young guys the right way and it is great to see the new players being passed the torch by the older players.

Rays at Yankees

The New York Yankees will take on the Tampa Bay Rays in game 3 of the 4 game series. The Yanks took a doubleheader yesterday by the scores of 4-1 and 11-1. Chad Gaudin takes the mound today against David Price. The Yankees start today 9 games ahead of Boston for first in the AL EAst and 6 1/2 ahead of Anaheim for homefield advantage. It appears they pretty much have everything clinched so the only real drama left is when will Derek Jeter break Lou Gehrig's all time hits record, it could be tonight. He needs 3 to tie and 4 to break it. Here are the pregame notes and lineup via Peter Abraham. The Yankees are at their high water mark for the season at 39 games over 500. They haven't been at 40 over since they ended the 2004 season at 101-61. Tampa has just fallen out of really quickly losing 6 straight and 7 out of 8 and also losing Carlos Pena for the year yesterday. Alex Rodriguez is 10 of his last 20 with 8 rbi's in his last 8 games. He is now batting a season best 282. Melky Cabrera has heated up again batting 413 in his last 13 games with 5 xbh and 10 rbi's. He is now batting 281 with a 340 on base percentage. Phil Hughes has not allowed a run in his last 12 1/3 innings. Is it possible he could stay in this role and they go out and get another pitcher. I doubt it as they have said all along he is a starter also. Mo has converted 39 of 40 and 35 in a row. The Yankees pitching held Tampa Bay to 2 runs on 19 hits in 2 games yesterday and they struck out 23. The Yankees are 21-4 in their last 25 home games. They are 47-20 at home, 41-13 with A-rod. It is amazing that 2 of those losses were to the lowly Nationals. The Yankees are 10-1 in games CC Sabathia has started since the all star break. If you were looking for a true ace you got one. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(DH) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Swisher(RF) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Cabrera(CF) Hairston(SS)

Yanks and Rays play 2

The New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are playing a day night doubleheader today in the Bronx. It is Labor Day and what is better then a baseball doubleheader, well the fact that Derek Jeter could also break the all time franchise record for hits currently held by Lou Gehrig. Derek Jeter needs 3 more to tie and 4 to break it, so there is a pretty good chance he could do it today. CC Sabathia pitches the daygame with A.J. Burnett pitching the nightcap. A.J. needs to get a win as he has gone 6 starts without a victory and hasn't been pitching well at all. Here are the pregame notes and linup via Peter Abraham for Game 1. The Yankees start today with a 7 1/2 game lead on Boston for first place in the AL East and a 5 game lead on Anaheim for best record and homefield advantage. The Red Sox will finish their series with the White Sox today and Anaheim with K.C. It is Suzyn Waldmans birthday, happy birthday to her and continued success. CC Sabathia is 6-0 with a 2.45 era in his last 7 starts. Mo is cleared to pitch after missing 5 games with a sore groin. They may only use him in one game and Hughes may be the closer in the other, which doesn't seem to be a problem as he has done so well in that role. Shelly Duncan and Brett Gardner were recalled from Scranton, Gardner has been out with a broken thumb and they missed his speed, it will also help Melky who has been hot lately but seemed to be worn down before this recent hot streak. Shelly Duncan is a fan favorite so good for him. On a personal note him and Francisco Cervelli who is also up took pictures with my daughter a couple of weeks ago in Scranton so it is great to see them with the Yankees. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Swisher(RF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Cano(2B) Posada(C) Hinske(DH) Cabrera(LF) Gardner(CF)

Yanks lose a ugly one

The New York Yankees probably played their sloppiest game of the season today in Toronto. They lost 14-8 to the Blue Jays finishing a roadtrip at 5-2 which overall is very good. They now head home for the start of a 10 game homestand with tomorrows doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays. CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett will be pitching the two games tomorrow. The Yankees comitted 4 errors today but there were a few more miscues, they just looked terrible out there. Sergio Mitre got the start and in 4 1/3 innings gave up 11 hits, 11 runs, 9 earned with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. He wasn't as bad as the numbers indicate though as the defense really failed him with the errors and then several miscues that cost him runs also. It was just an overall bad day for the Yankees that thanks to their large lead they can just forget about and move on to the doubleheader tomorrow at the stadium and the huge crowds that will await them as they move closer to clinching and also Derek Jeter breaking Lou Gehrig's hits record. Mark Melancon pitched 1/3 of an inning giving up 1 hit and 1 run with 2 walks and a strikeout. Josh Towers finished out the game with 3 1/3 innings giving up 1 earned run on 3 hits and 1 strikeout. The offense wasn't bad with Derek Jeter getting 3 hits, Johnny Damon had 2 hits, Hideki Matsui and Nick Swisher also had 2 hits. Nick Swisher had another homerun on the road. Hinske, Hairston and Cabrera all had one hit each. It can't be any better then a Labor Day doubleheader with Jeter playing both games and having a chance to break the alltime Yankee hits record.

Yanks at Jays

The New York Yankees will take on the Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon inToronto. This is the final game of the 4 game series that the Yankees have taken 2 out of the first 3. This is also the final game of the 7 game roadtrip that they have won 5 out of 6. Sergio Mitre takes the mound for the first time since getting hit in the arm about a week and a half ago. He is trying to build off of that brilliant outing. Here are the pregame notes and linup via Peter Abraham. Jorge Posada is hitting 326 in his last 22 games with 15 xbh, 14 runs scored, 24 rbi's and 10 walks. Yankee relievers are 11-0 with 9 saves since Aug 5th. They have a 3.27 era in that stretch. The Yankees are 31-14 against left handers this season including winning 10 of their last 11. This seems to bold well for today as Brian Tallett is a lefty. Melky Cabrera is heating up again batting 406 in his last 8 games with 5 rbi's. He is now batting 277. The Yankees have hit homeruns in 106 of their 136 games this season. They are on pace for a team record of 253 after hitting 180 last season. Yes Yankee Stadium helps them but they also have a major league leading 95 homers on the road. Mo could be back today if needed, he has converted 38 of 39 save chances this season and 34 in a row. He has allowed one run in his last 29 innings. Phil Hughes in 3 save oppurtunities this season has pitched 4 2/3 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and 6 strikeouts. Could he be the future closer, he could do it but they view him as a starter and I could see the same debate next yr as we had this yr with Joba. The Yankees are an incredible 36-12 since the all star break. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Tex(1B) Matsui(DH) Swisher(RF) Cano(2B) Hairston(3B) Cabrera(CF) Molina(C)

Yankees bounce back

The New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays today by the score of 6-4. Andy Pettitte made the start and wasn't great but did enough to win, he pitched 6 innings giving up 4 runs with 5 walks. David Robertson pitched a scoreless seventh, Brian Bruney got the first two outs of the eighth before allowing a walk and then Phil Hughes got his third save of the year by getting the last 4 outs and striking out three. The Yankees offense was much better today then yesterday. A-rod had a couple of hits and a rbi, Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira each hit solo homeruns. Melky Cabrera had a rbi hit and Hideki Matsui had a pinch hit single. Derek Jeter had a couple of hits and a walk, he now is 7 hits away from breaking Lou Gehrigs record for most ever hits by a Yankee. Nick Swisher had a hit and a walk. Jorge Posada had a hit, walk and rbi. Eric Hinske had a hit. The Yankees will try to win the series tomorrow with Sergio Mitre on the mound, making his first start since that brilliant start he made over a week ago before leaving the game when he got hit by a ball up the middle. It will be interesting to see how he does on the longer rest and coming off of that outing. The Yankees will also try to end the roadtrip at 6-1 and head home for a holiday double header with CC and AJ pitching against the Rays. The Yankees are now 8 1/2 ahead of the Boston Red Sox and basically cruising to the division title.

Yankees at Jays

The Yankees will try and bounce back from yesterday's loss and start a new win streak. Andy Pettitte will be on the mound this afternoon at 1:00PM on the YES network. Here are a couple of notes and the lineup via the Lohud Yankees Blog, everyone enjoy their long Labor Day weekend. The Yankees remain 7 1/2 ahead of Boston for first place in the AL East but are now 6 games ahead of the Angels for homefield as the Angels gained a game yesterday. Derek Jeter is back today and is in a 3 for 17 slump, he needs 9 more hits to break Lou Gehrig's record so it looks like he will do that at home unless he goes crazy the next 2 days. Andy Pettitte is 4-1 with a 2.56 era since the break, in 59 2/3 innings he has allowed 45 hits and struck out 62. Mo threw 16 pitches in the pen and looked good according to Peter Abraham, we will find out more later. Josh Towers was called up and will serve as a long man I am sure with the bullpen taxed from the last two days and Mitre pitching tomorrow and then a DH on Monday. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Swisher(1B) Tex(DH) A-rod(3B) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Hairston(LF) Cabrera(CF) Hinske(RF)

Yankees at Jays

The New York Yankees go for their 8th straight win tonight against the Toronto Blue Jays. They will play at 7:00PM on the YES network. Joba Chamberlain makes the start and we will play how many innings will Joba go, my guess is 4. I would like to hear from everyone else so lets discuss it with the comments for this post. The Jays are sending their best pitcher Roy Halladay out to the mound who hasn't been the same since the trade deadline ended. Here are the pregame notes and lineup via Peter Abraham. The Yankees are 10-3 against Toronto this season. The Yankees with 7 players having 20+ homeruns are the most of any team since the 2005 Rangers. The Yankees also have 7 players with 70+ rbi's. Derek Jeter has 17 homeruns and 61 rbi's, I think he could join the party. Yankee relievers have allowed 3 earned runs and struck out 24 in their last 23 2/3 innings. Damaso Marte has pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings and not allowed a hit since coming off of the DL. Derek Jeter is 3 of his last 17 as he is nine hits away from breaking Lou Gehrig's record. The Triple A Scranton Yankees clinched a tie for first place in their division and will be in the playoffs again. MO will throw a bullpen tomorrow and be ready to go Sunday if everything is ok. Yankees Lineup: Damon(LF) Hinske(RF) Tex(1B) A-rod(3B) Matsui(DH) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Cabrera(CF) Pena(SS)

Yankees at Jays

The New York Yankees take on the Toronto Blue Jays in game 1 of 4 tonight at 7:00PM on the YES network. The Yankees enter the game having won 6 in a row and 23 of their last 29 overall. They are 7 1/2 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox in first place in the AL East and 6 1/2 ahead of the Anaheim Angels for homefield advantage. They are creeping ever closer to clinching the 1 seed in the postseason. Here are the pregame notes and lineup via Peter Abraham and his Lohud Yankees Blog. The Blue Jays were 27-14 on May 18 and in first place by 3 1/2 games. They have gone 32-59 since that point. They have lost 3 straight, 6 of 7 and 14 of their last 18. The Yankees have a run differential of +141 which is the best in the majors but according to the formula they should have 79 wins. Derek Jeter is 9 hits away from breaking Lou Gehrig's hits record. The Yankees have 208 homeruns, at this pace they would hit 253 which would break the franchise record which is 242 by the 2004 team. The major league record is 264 by the 1997 Seattle Mariners. Johnny Damon has a 7 game hitting streak and is now hitting 293. A-rod has hit safely in 11 straight batting 419 during the stretch. He has 11 rbi's and his batting avg has climbed from 254 to 274. Phil Hughes who is the closer for now until Mo comes back has a 1.14 era in 31 relief appearances. In his last 10 outings he has pitched 10 innings giving up 0 runs, 3 walks and 14 strikeouts. I think he could be a dominant reliever but he needs to be a starter next yr and the only thing will be the innings, will it be like Joba this year. The Yankees have outscored their opponents 47-14 in the 6 game winning streak. Derek Jeter is only 3 of his last 13 and Hideki Matsui is 4 of his last 24 with 2 rbi's. Melky Cabrera has broken out of his slump going 10 fo his last 24 and now batting 274. Jon Albaladejo was called up today. Yankees Lineup: Jeter(SS) Damon(LF) Teixeira(1B) Rodriguez(3B) Matsui(DH) Posada(C) Cano(2B) Swisher(RF) Cabrera(CF)

Game 80: Blue Jays at Yankees

Here are the game note and lineup via Peter Abraham and the Lohud Yankees Blog. I am enjoying the sun and pool today that is why I am not going to write everything out. I do want to say Happy Birthday to George Steinbrenner who turns 79 today, Brian Cashman turned 42 yesterday. Today marks independence day so go out and enjoy the day with family and friends and have a safe and Happy holiday. It also marks 70 years ago today that Lou Gehrig made what is considered to be the greatest sports speech ever. The Yankees will honor him today with a video tribute before the game. They will have #4 which was Lou's number on first base and will wear a patch 4ALS on all their uniforms. The Yes Network will also have a story about a ALS victim and Lou Gehrig. As you are enjoying your bbq and family and friends stop and take a moment and think of Lou Gehrig, a lot of people don't realize how great he was but I suggest you look up his stats or read Luckiest Man which is about him. I am not sure if I will be back later to write the postgame stuff because I am headed out to PA at some point and I will be at the AAA Scranton game tomorrow with the Lohud Yankees blog. I plan on putting some pictures up and writing something about that on Monday. Game 80: Blue Jays at Yankees Posted using ShareThis