Before last night's game, Aaron Judge told his teammates that they have to wake up and play the game right. Turns out, he's not much of a motivator, not much of a team captain, official or otherwise.
If the New York Yankees can't wake up and play the game the right way and win against the New York Mets, then what hope is there for a Playoff run -- or even a Playoff berth, which is no longer a given?
Jordan Montgomery started last night. Once again, he didn't get the run support he needed. This time, it didn't really matter, as he didn't pitch well, getting tagged for 7 runs ("only" 5 of them earned) on 7 hits and 3 walks in 3 1/3rd innings. Joely Rodriguez and Michael King also pitched poorly.
The new guys, Joey Gallo (in the 2nd) and Anthony Rizzo (in the 9th) hit home runs. But they did little good.
The play that sums up the season happened in the bottom of the 1st inning. With 2 out, and the Yankees leading 1-0, Javier Baez singled to left. Jonathan Villar tried to score. Gallo, who has a great arm, got the ball to Gary Sanchez on the fly. Villar was out by a mile. It was the easiest play a good catcher could ever hope to make.
Except Sanchez didn't get the tag down in time, and Villar slid in. (Or "slud" in, if you're Dizzy Dean.) Initially, home plate umpire Ted Barrett called him out. End of inning, Yankees still lead. But the Mets appealed (which they had the right to do), and it became clear that Villar's foot touched the plate before Sanchez got the tag down. Run counts. Game tied.
Sanchez screwed up another play at the plate in the 3rd. Put it all together: Sanchez can't catch, Gleyber Torres can't play shortstop, Rougned Odor can't play 3rd base, and too many players swing at bad pitches and hit into the defensive shift.
Mets 10, Yankees 3. WP: Tylor Megill (3-4). No save. LP: Montgomery (5-6). In their last sets of 13 games, the Yankees are 13-0... and 2-11.
I'm old enough to remember the World Championship season of 1977, though not the Pennant season of 1976. But I'm also old enough to remember the awful seasons of 1982 and 1990. I have seen less-talented and worse-performing Yankee teams than this one. But I have never seen one so dumb, so fundamentally unsound, and so lackadaisical.
They need Skip Riggins, the manager from Bull Durham, to give them the Lollygaggers Speech:
Skip (played by Trey Wilson): You guys! You lollygag the ball around the infield! You lollygag your way in and out of the dugout! You lollygag your way down to first! You know what that makes you? Larry?
Larry Hockett (the pitching coach, played by Robert Wuhl): Lollygaggers!
Skip: Lollygaggers! What's our record, Larry?
Larry: Uh, 8-16.
Skip: Eight and sixteen. How'd we ever win eight?
Larry: It's a miracle.
Skip: It's a miracle!
The series continues tonight, at Citi Field. It will be broadcast on Fox. There will be a pregame ceremony, as the two New York City teams honor the 20th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. First pitch is scheduled for 7:45 PM. The scheduled starting pitchers are Corey Kluber and Tajuan Walker.
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