Tag: New York Yankees (Page 9 of 52)

      Yankees should overpay to retain Derek Jeter

      November 9, 2010 /
      New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter throws during practice for their American League Championship Series baseball playoff against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas, October 14, 2010. REUTERS/Mike Stone (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      I gasped when I read ESPN.com’s Wallace Matthews’ report about how much the Yankees were going to spend on Derek Jeter this winter.

      Forty-five-to-sixty million? Absurd.

      But the shock only lasted about a minute before I realized that the Yankees should spend that much to retain their starting shortstop.

      There’s no question that Jeter’s game has deteriorated. After posting career numbers in 2009, he finished with a career-low in batting average (.270), slugging percentage (.370) and on-base percentage (.340) last season. His range at shortstop is also limited and he certainly doesn’t make the plays we’ve been accustomed to seeing him make over the years.

      But the Yankees make, have and spend more money than any baseball team in the league. And when you have a player that has meant as much to your organization as Jeter has to New York, you show him your appreciation as he knocks on the door of retirement.

      In any other market, paying a fading player $60 million would be suicide. It would set that club back for years, but the Yankees have the luxury of handing out money like fliers on the Vegas Strip. Paying Jeter $60 million (or $45 million, or whatever) is a drop in the bucket for them. It’s more important that they take care of the player that has helped them win five World Series championships over the past two decades.

      Maybe Matthews is off with his numbers. Maybe Jeter and the Yankees will settle on a respectable final contract that will work for both sides. Maybe will take less money to stay in the Big Apple.

      Or maybe the Yankees will overpay a player that is now akin to the legends that came before him. Either way, the Bombers will take care of their captain.

      External Sports, MLB

      Colby Lewis, MVP Josh Hamilton lift Rangers to first ever World Series

      October 23, 2010 /
      Texas Rangers players celebrate after defeating the New York Yankees to win their Major League Baseball's ALCS playoff series in Arlington, Texas October 22, 2010. REUTERS/Hans Deryk (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASEBALL)

      With a dominating effort over the Yankees in the ACLS, the Texas Rangers have punched their first ticket to the World Series in club history.

      Colby Lewis allowed just one run over eight innings in the Rangers’ 6-1 win in Game 6 Friday night. The only run he allowed shouldn’t even have counted, as A-Rod scored on what was deemed a wild pitch, but replays showed that the ball actually hit Nick Swisher’s leg.

      No matter. Lewis yielded just three hits and struck out seven while frustrating Yankee hitters with his outstanding command of the strike zone. He won both of his ALCS starts, posting a 1.98 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP with 13 Ks over 13 2/3 innings.

      Josh Hamilton was named series MVP, as he reached base in all four plate appearances on Friday and batted .350 with four long balls in six games. Considering his long personal battle with drugs, alcohol and immense ups and downs, it’s amazing how far he’s come. He’s an easy guy to root for if you know his background and he’s a true comeback tale.

      As for the Yankees, they can only blame themselves. They hit just .201 to the Rangers’ .304, while driving in 19 runs to Texas’ 38 RBI. They were also bested in home runs (9 to 6) and ERA (6.58 to 3.06).

      This is yet another example of how baseball is won on the field – not in the offseason. The Bombers could have spent triple what they did this year to field a team and they still would have had to execute on the field. But they didn’t and now they’ll be at home come November.

      Comment Starter: The Rangers now await the winner of the NCLS between the Phillies and Giants, as San Fran currently holds a 3-2 lead. What matchup would you most like to see? The two underdogs or a powerhouse Phillies-Rangers matchup?

      External Sports, MLB

      Sabathia tagged for 11 hits but Yankees survive in Game 5

      October 21, 2010 /
      CC Sabathia of the New York Yankee pitches to the Texas Rangers in the first inning during game five of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium on October 20, 2010 in New York. UPI/Monika Graff Photo via Newscom

      It wasn’t a picture perfect outing for CC Sabathia but the Yankees don’t mind.

      The Yankees’ ace allowed 11 hits over six innings on Wednesday, but the Bombers managed to beat the Rangers 7-2 to stave off elimination in the ALCS. The series now shifts to Texas for two games, as the Rangers currently own a 3-2 lead.

      Sabathia worked himself in and out of jams the entire game, as the Rangers stranded a total of eight batters on the night. He struck out seven and somehow managed to not issue a walk while throwing 112 pitches to pick up his first win of the ALCS (he got a no-decision in the Yankees’ come-from-behind victory in Game 1 of the series).

      Offensively, Curtis Granderson finished with three hits and drove in two runs, while Nick Swisher scored twice and drove in a run as well. The Yankees built a 5-0 lead before catcher Matt Treanor hit a solo shot in the fifth off Sabathia to give the Rangers’ their first run of the game. They would add tack on another run in the sixth but that’s all they could muster as Kerry Wood and Mariano Rivera pitched a perfect 8th and 9th, respectively.

      Game 6 will start at 8:07PM ET and will feature Phil Hughes vs. Colby Lewis. The Rangers are just 1-3 at home this postseason.

      External Sports, MLB

      Why didn’t the umpires review Robinson Cano’s home run?

      October 20, 2010 /
      Texas Rangers Nelson Cruz tries to grab the homer hit by Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees as fans reach out in the second inning during game four of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium on October 19, 2010 in New York. UPI/Monika Graff Photo via Newscom

      Given how the Rangers went on to win 10-3, what happened in the second inning of Game 4 of the ALCS on Tuesday night takes on a lesser meaning today.

      But it still begs the question: Why didn’t the umpires review Robinson Cano’s home run when it was clear that a fan interfered with Nelson Cruz’s attempt to catch the ball?

      Right-field umpire Jim Reynolds called Cano’s hit a home run and despite a brief argument by Texas manager Ron Washington, the umpires never reviewed video replay of the play to see if the fan (20-year-old Jared Macchirole) reached out and interfered. Had they done so, they probably would have reversed the call because it did appear that Macchirole stuck his hands over the wall and impeded Cruz’s attempt at hauling in the catch.

      You just know that someone in this country is standing around the water cooler telling his coworkers that because Major League Baseball wants the Yankees in the World Series because of the revenue they bring in, that that’s why they the umps didn’t review the play. You may even be talking to that guy right now.

      Personally, I don’t get into conspiracy theories but believe what you want. Either way, it was strange that the umpires never reviewed the play and of course, the scene was eerily similar to when Jeffrey Maier reached over the wall and carried Derek Jeter’s home run into the stands during Game 1 of the ALCS.

      Damn Yankee fans…always cheating.

      External Sports, MLB

      Are the Yankees finished?

      October 20, 2010 /
      Mark Teixeira (L), Robinson Cano, second left, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter (R) of the New York Yankees stand around as a new relief pitcher is brought in in the ninth inning during game three of the ALCS at Yankee Stadium on October 18, 2010 in New York. UPI/Monika Graff Photo via Newscom

      Things don’t look good in the Bronx.

      A.J. Burnett retired the fist six batters he faced Tuesday night, but then remembered he was A.J. Burnett pitching in 2010 and the wheels started to fall off. The end result was disastrous, which is what most pundits figured when Joe Girardi appointed him his Game 4 starter.

      Burnett allowed five runs on six hits in six innings of work as the Rangers crushed the Yankees 10-3 in Game 4 of the ALCS. Texas’ catcher Bengie Molina (a great midseason pickup from the Giants) went 3-for-4 with a go-ahead three run homer in the sixth off Burnett, while the eventual ALCS MVP Josh Hamilton also hit a pair of dingers and Nelson Cruz added a two-run shot in the ninth.

      Compounding issues for the Yankees is that Mark Teixeira is now done for the season with a strain in his right hamstring. Twenty-three-year-old Eduardo Nunez hit .280 this year in 50 at bats with one home run, but he’s not going to keep pitchers awake at night like Teixeira will.

      The Bombers face elimination this afternoon at 4:00PM ET. The good news is that they have their ace on the hill; the bad news is that CC Sabathia has a 7.20 ERA in this year’s postseason. C.J. Wilson will start for the Rangers and his ERA is a tad better (2.03), plus he flustered New York hitters for most of Game 1 before they got to him in the 7th inning. And even if the Rangers lose today, they’ll be at home for the final two games of the series and Cliff Lee (who’s pretty good in the postseason) would start Game 7 if necessary.

      The Red Sox have proved this decade that being down 3-1 doesn’t mean a club can’t pull off a comeback. But the Yankees look old, tired and dare I say completely overmatched in this series. They look finished.

      External Sports, MLB

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