'Random' Articles
Yankees 2007 — Games 70-142
Tuesday June 19, 2007 - Saturday September 8, 2007
(Record: 35-32 / 80-62)
Most of the League
[New York. September 9, 2007.] Seventy-three games later and the Yankees finally turned their season around. After a season low 37-41 record (about two weeks after I dropped this column), the Yankees heated up in July — did not look back — and are now eighteen games over five-hundred (do you now understand why I dropped the column?)…
Season low — July 1st (37-41)
Season best - September 8th (80-62)
Between July 1st and September 8th — 43-21 (.672)
Three Stars
#3. Andy Pettitte - Basically saved the pitching staff in the second half. You can’t take anything away from Wang — but Andy really was the heart of this turnaround.
#2. Jorge Posada - Even at his age, he never cooled off.
#1. Alex Rodriguez - At last check, 51 home runs and also league highs in runs and RBIs. He even has 20+ stolen bases. Can you say MVP?
September 9th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 69
Sunday June 17, 2007 at 8:05 p.m.
(Record: 35-32)
New York Mets
[New York. June 19, 2007.] The Yankees offense (and Wang) carried the Yanks to a victory in the rubber game of this series against the Mets. Wang pitched great and the Yankees continued to tee-off against their opposing pitchers – this time it was their old friend El Duque.
Mets 000 000 101 [2 6 0]
Yankees 221 010 02X [8 11 0]
WP: C. Wang (7-4)
LP: O. Hernandez (3-3)
Home Runs: Alex Rodriguez (27); Johnny Damon (4); Jorge Posada (9)
Three Stars
#3. Johnny Damon - I feel like it has been a while since I called on Johnny for a star. He deserves this one with his two hits — including two RBIs and a home run.
#2. Chien-Ming Wang - Another excellent start for the Yankees ground-ball specialist.
#1. Alex Rodriguez - After Alex’s early home run, it just looked like a win for the Yanks.
June 19th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 68
Saturday June 16, 2007 at 1:05 p.m.
(Record: 34-32)
New York Mets
[New York. June 19, 2007.] It did not take long for the Yankees to start hiting again. They pounded Glavine and the other Mets pitchers — scoring 11 runs on 15 hits.
Mets 111 200 012 [8 14 1]
Yankees 022 222 01X [11 15 0]
WP: L. Vizcaino (3-1)
LP: T. Glavine (5-5)
Home Runs: Ruben Gotay (3); Alex Rodriguez (26); Ramon Castro (4); Derek Jeter (5)
Three Stars
#3. Robinson Cano- Robby appears to be hitting the ball well again. Two hits tonight and his average is hovering around .275. He needs to get that back over .300.
#2. Alex Rodriguez - Truly, Alex does not have a problem hitting well in a big game. Two more hits, another home run and even a stolen base.
#1. Derek Jeter - Four hits, a home run and two key RBIs. Jeter carried the Yankees offense in this win over the Mets.
June 19th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 67
Friday June 15, 2007 at 7:05 p.m.
(Record: 33-32)
New York Mets
[New York. June 19, 2007.] What happened to the Bats? Roger pitched a great game — allowing only two runs, but the Yankees were shut down by a wild Perez and lost for the first time in a while — 2-0.
Mets 001 010 000 [2 7 0]
Yankees 000 000 000 [0 5 0]
WP: O. Perez (7-5)
LP: R. Clemens (1-1)
S: B. Wagner (15)
Home Runs: Jose Reyes (3)
Three Stars
#3. Miguel Cairo - Cairo was one of only two Yankees not to strike out in this game. Yes, he is the third star.
#2. Detek Jeter - Derek was the only Yankee with two hits — and, other than Cairo, was the only Yankee not to strike out. In a game like this, that’s a second star!
#1. Roger Clemens - Another Yankees pitcher with the number one star. Too bad this one was in a losing game. Roger pitched unexpectingly well — striking out 8 in 6 1/3 innings — as he worked through some jams and only allowed two runs to the Mets. Unfortunately he was out-pitched.
June 19th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 66
Thursday June 14, 2007 at 1:05 p.m.
(Record: 33-31)
Arizona Diamondbacks
[New York. June 19, 2007.] Pettitte follows Mussina and Wang’s performances with a brilliant outing of his own. The Yanks beat the Diamondbacks 7-1 this time and have now won nine in a row. Some may say the Diamondbacks are a weak team — but compared to the other teams in that conference, they were considered the elite.
Arizona 010 000 000 [1 5 3]
Yankees 202 000 30X [7 12 1]
WP: A. Pettitte (4-4)
LP: D. Davis (4-8)
Home Runs: None
Three Stars
#3. Hideki Matsui - Hideki continues to hit and help the Yankees win. He connected for three hits and three RBIs as the Yankees blew past the Diamondbacks.
#2. Alex Rodriguez - Another monster game for Alex — this time without the long ball. He had three hits, two runs scored and two RBIs.
#1. Andy Pettitte - Andy brought his ERA down to 2.93 after pitching eight innings and surrendering only 4 hits and 1 run. He is finally at .500 — with his unfair 4-4 record.
June 19th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 65
Wednesday June 13, 2007 at 7:05 p.m.
(Record: 32-31)
Arizona Diamondbacks
[New York. June 19, 2007.] Mussina follows Chien-Ming’s excellent outing with one of his own. The Yanks beat the Diamondbacks 7-2 and win their eighth straight game.
Arizona 010 001 000 [2 7 0]
Yankees 012 400 00X [7 10 0]
WP: M. Mussina (3-3)
LP: L. Hernandez (5-4)
Home Runs: Jorge Posada (8); Alex Rodriguez (25) Hideki Matsui (7); Conor Jackson (5)
Three Stars
#3. Hideki Matsui - Hideki had two hits, three RBIs and a home run.
#2. Alex Rodriguez - Alex also had two hits, three RBIs and a home run (his 25th).
#1. Mike Mussina - Mike pitched 7 2/3 innings and only allowed six hits (no walks) and two runs. Hopefully he is hitting his stride.
June 19th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 64
Tuesday June 12, 2007 at 7:05 p.m.
(Record: 31-31)
Arizona Diamondbacks
[New York. June 19, 2007.] Chien-Ming Wang gave the Yankees another stellar performance and Bobby Abreu gave Wang all the offense he would need in hitting a first-inning three-run homne run. The Yankees won this one 4-1 and hit the .500 mark.
Arizona 000 100 000 [1 7 2]
Yankees 300 000 10X [4 5 0]
WP: C. Wang (6-4)
LP: B. Webb (6-4)
S: M. Rivera (8)
Home Runs: Bobby Abreu (4); Chad Tracy (2)
Three Stars
#3. Mariano Rivera - A perfect ninth to notch the save. There will hopefully be more of these to pad Mariano’s awful stats.
#2. Chien-Ming Wang - Wang is starting to looking like the Yankee ace.
#1. Bobby Abreu - A huge first inning home run off one of the best pitchers in the National League guided the Yankees to the victory.
June 19th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 63
Sunday June 10, 2007 at 1:05 p.m.
(Record: 30-31)
Pittsburgh Pirates
[New York. June 11, 2007.] Clippard was hit hard, but the Yankees offense, especially Bobby and Alex, made his rough start forgettable. It was good to see Chacon again. He run with the Yanks was a good memory. They the Yanks went out and knocked him around.
Pittsburgh 020 400 000 [6 9 0]
Yankees 302 302 30X [13 14 0]
WP: S. Henn (2-0)
LP: S. Chacon (2-1)
Home Runs: Alex Rodriguez 2 (24)
Three Stars
#3. Sean Henn - Henn relieved Clippard and stopped the bleeding. He allowed the Yankees’ offense to take over and earned a win with his effort.
#2. Alex Rodriguez - Alex hit another two home runs (he now has 24) and carried the Yankees to another victory.
#1. Bobby Abreu - Bobby rolled out four hits in four at-bats (and also walked once) and drove in three runs. He looks to be in the third spot indefinitely.
June 11th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 62
Saturday June 9, 2007 at 1:05 p.m.
(Record: 29-31)
Pittsburgh Pirates
[New York. June 11, 2007.] The Rocket is back. Roger pushed the Yankees to their fifth straight win. Yankee fans can only hope they have this Roger ever five days. A critic would say that there is no real hope until Roger faces a real offense — but this is his fourth tune-up start and he looked good.
Pittsburgh 100 200 000 [3 6 2]
Yankees 300 012 21X [9 11 0]
WP: R. Clemens (1-0)
LP: P. Maholm (2-9)
Home Runs: None
Three Stars
#3. Bobby Abreu - Bobby was two for four, stole a base, walked, had an RBI and a run scored — all without striking out. That sounds like the Abreu of late last year.
#2. Robinson Cano - Cano continues to earn starts but then fall back to mediocrity. This could be a sign.
#1. Roger Clemens - Of course. A quality start. That’s all the Yankees ask of Roger and he delivered for the first time (in his first start) this season.
June 11th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 61
Friday June 8, 2007 at 7:05 p.m.
(Record: 28-31)
Pittsburgh Pirates
[New York. June 10, 2007.] After Melky misplayed the ball in center, giving Duffy an inside-the-park home run and the Pirates a 4-2 lead, the game looked to be lost. What the Yankees finally showed then was a little fight. In the end, the Yankees won 5-4 with a walk-off infield single and pulled within 3 games of .500.
Pittsburgh 010 010 200 0 [4 11 0]
Yankees 000 002 200 1 [5 12 0]
WP: M. Rivera (2-3)
LP: M. Capps (3-3)
Home Runs: Xavier Nagy (10); Hideki Matsui (6); Chris Duffy (3)
Three Stars
#3. Hideki Matsui - Matsui’s two-run home run in the sixth was big in that it showed that the Yankees could actually hit on this night. The 2-2 tie he brought the Yankees back to would not last, but the home run ignited the Yankees bats which pulled out this 5-4 game.
#2. Derek Jeter - Who else would you expect to hit a bases-loaded, one-out, bottom-of-the-tenth walk-off single?
#1. Mariano Rivera - The good old days — Mariano pitched more than an inning (two actually) to earn the win in this Yankees walk-off victory.
June 10th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 60
Thursday June 7, 2007 at 8:05 p.m.
(Record: 27-31)
at Chicago White Sox
[New York. June 10, 2007.] Can A-Rod really be this good in the ninth? All he did in this game was hit a grand slam in a one-run game. With the Yankees’ pen struggling, any runs in the top of the ninth in a close game are a bonus.
Yankees 000 100 036 [10 9 1]
White Sox 000 000 120 [3 8 3]
WP: S. Proctor (1-3)
LP: J. Contreras (4-6)
S: M. Rivera (7)
Home Runs: Alex Rodriguez (22)
Three Stars
#3. Bobby Abreu - Two hits, three runs and two RBI’s. These are the kind of games we expect after the 5-game massacre at Fenway last season.
#2. Alex Rodriguez - This was a game in the ninth when Alex unloaded another ninth inning grand slam. Then, the game was over. Not a walk-off, but just as important as it helped the Yankees win.
#1. Mike Mussina - Mussina looked good pitching six quality innings (one run on four hits). When Roger returns, he may end up the Yankees fourth starter — but he will still be needed.
June 10th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 59
Wednesday June 6, 2007 at 8:05 p.m.
(Record: 26-31)
at Chicago White Sox
[New York. June 10, 2007.] A rare complete game for a Yankees pitcher. In a season where the bullpen has been overworked and ineffective, a game like Wang gave the Yanks can e crucial.
Yankees 004 000 010 [5 11 0]
White Sox 001 000 000 [1 5 0]
WP: C. Wang (5-4)
LP: J. Vazquez (3-4)
Home Runs: Bobby Abreu (3)
Three Stars
#3. Alex Rodriguez - Alex’s long single in the third gave Wang all he needed. I dropped Alex to third star because he tried to stretch — or maybe it was because he did not hit it over the wall, as expected this season.
#2. Bobby Abreu - Did I see Abreu hit one out the other way? I hope I see that again.
#1. Chien-Ming Wang - A complete game for Wang. When he is on, he is really on! He only allowed five hits and one run in this game to earn his fifth win.
June 10th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 58
Tuesday June 5, 2007 at 8:05 p.m.
(Record: 25-31)
at Chicago White Sox
[New York. June 10, 2007.] A much needed victory for the Yanks and a much needed save for Mariano Rivera.
Yankees 000 014 101 [7 17 0]
White Sox 000 100 011 [3 10 1]
WP: T. Clippard (3-1)
LP: M. Buehrle (2-3)
S: M. Rivera (6)
Home Runs: Alex Rodrriguez (21)
Three Stars
#3. Johnny Damon - Damon had three hits. His struggles this year continue, but at least he can say he had a Damon-like game in this one. The future will tell what kind of offense (and defense) Damon can provide the Yankees in this un-Damon-like season.
#2. Tyler Clippard - Clippard pitched well enough to earn himself another win (his third) and get the Yankees back into this four-game series against the White Sox.
#1. Alex Rodriguez - Alex, another home run, number 21 in this monumental season for the Yankees third-basement (also known as the Mariners and Rangers’ former shortstop). Oh yeah, he also had two other hits. He ended with three (I did that math myself) and each of them carried an RBI.
June 10th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 57
Monday June 4, 2007 at 7:05 p.m.
(Record: 24-31)
at Chicago White Sox
[New York. June 7, 2007.] I guess we should not be shocked. This season has been one let down after another. If this team coould just come together — maybe they could start on an actual “winning streak.” But everytime they look to be heading north in the standings, they lay down again and lose.
Yankees 100 000 003 [4 9 1]
White Sox 030 200 10X [6 10 2]
WP: J. Garland (4-3)
LP: M. DeSalvo (1-3)
S: B. Jenks (16)
Home Runs: Jim Thome (8); Paul Konerko (8)
Three Stars
#3. Hideki Matsui - Matsui had two hits and a run scored. That’s all you need to get a third star when the team plays like this!
#2. Bobby Abreu- Could Abreu be finding his game. Two walks and a hit — that sounds like an Abreu game.
#1. Robinson Cano - Cano was on base all four times he batted — with two hits and two walks.
June 7th, 2007
Yankees 2007 — Game 56
Sunday June 3, 2007 at 8:05 p.m.
(Record: 24-30)
at Boston Red Sox
[New York. June 4, 2007.] After 54 games (one-third the season), the Yanks are a dreadful 24-30, but that could be a lot worse if it was not for this series against the Red Sox. The Yanks won the rubber game of the series in dramatic fashion — dramatic if you consider a 0-2, two-out, solo home run by A-Rod against Jonathan Papelbon in the top of the ninth inning.
Yankees 010 030 011 [6 12 1]
Boston 000 050 000 [5 11 1]
WP: B. Bruney (2-1)
LP: J. Papelbon (0-1)
S: M. Rivera (5)
Home Runs: Alex Rodriguez (20)
Three Stars
#3. Robinson Cano - Bobby only had one hit, but it was a big one. Down by one in the eighth, Robinson smacked a shot to center – scoring Hideki — and ended up on third with none-out. Too bad the Yankees failed to bring him home.
#2. Mariano Rivera - Mo looked a lot more like Mo compared to his meltdown in Fenway earlier in the season. Mariano helped keep Ortiz in the park, struck out Manny with some ease and completed tied up Lowell to end the game.
#1. Alex Rodriguez - Alex did it again. His home run gave the Yankees another victory. And someone used to say he could not perform in the clutch. Yes, I was one of them. And this home run — another ninth inning game-changing home run — proves me wrong.
June 4th, 2007
Previous Posts