No, it wasn't the late, great boxer Smokin' Joe Frazier. Or the greatest of all New York-based basketball players, Walt "Clyde" Frazier. Or even Todd Frazier.
Last night, against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards, the Yankees' hero was one of the most-hyped of Brian Cashman's "prospects," who hadn't delivered much on that hype, but finally did: Clint Frazier.
J.A. Happ started for the Yankees, and Dylan Bundy did so for the Birds. Neither finished the 5th inning, and neither factored in the decision. Aaron Judge cranked a solo home run in the 1st, and a 2-run homer in the 3rd, 412 and 418 feet, respectively, giving the Yanks a 3-1 lead.
But Happ faltered in the 5th, bracketing a popup with a single and a walk. Aaron Boone saw that Happ had thrown 88 pitches, and decided he wasn't going to get any better, and brought in Jonathan Holder. Holder allowed an RBI single, but let the O's get no closer than 3-2.
But, to start the bottom of the 7th, Holder hit a batter, then allowed a single that got the runner to 3rd. Boone replaced him with Adam Ottavino, he of the Number 0 -- like 1970s All-Star Al Oliver, the zero standing for an O. He induced a grounder for a fielder's choice that got the tying run home. After another popup, a sacrifice fly made it 4-3 Orioles.
With 2 out in the top of the 8th, Gleyber Torres drew a walk. Cliche Alert: Walks can kill you. DJ LeMahieu singled. Frazier came up, and hit a frozen rope to left center, a 3-run homer that gave the Yankees back the lead.
Ottavino walked the leadoff man in the 8th. Aware of the cliche, Boone replaced him with Chad Green, who hit a batter, but worked out of the jam. Aroldis Chapman allowed a single in the 9th, but that was it.
Yankees 6, Orioles 4. WP: Ottavino (1-0, his 1st win as a Yankee, despite also having his 1st blown save as a Yankee). SV: Chapman (2). LP: Miguel Castro (0-1).
This win brought the Yankees back to .500 at 4-4, and clinched their 1st series win of the season. They go for the sweep this afternoon, with Domingo German on the mound. Come on you Bombers!
*
Days until Arsenal play again: 4, on Thursday, at 3:00 PM New York time, home to Napoli of Naples, Italy in the 1st leg of the Quarterfinal of the UEFA Europa League. They just played an absolute stinker away to Liverpool-based Everton, losing 1-0, and putting their hopes of finishing in the top 4, and ahead of arch-rival Tottenham, in heavy jeopardy.
Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 7, next Sunday night at 7:00, away to Sporting Kansas City. Metro clowned their way to a 1-0 loss at home to Minnesota United last night.
Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 9, a week from this coming Tuesday, at Yankee Stadium II.
Days until the Red Bulls next play a "derby": 13, on Saturday night, April 20, against the New England Revolution, at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The next game against the Philadelphia Union will be on Saturday night, June 8, at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania. The next game against New York City FC will be on Sunday night, July 14, at Red Bull Arena. The next game against D.C. United will be on Wednesday night, August 21, at Audi Field in Washington.
Days until the next Women's World Cup kicks off: 61, on June 7, in France. Exactly 2 months. The U.S. team is 3-time and defending Champions, and hosts Belgium tonight, at Banc of California Stadium, home of Los Angeles FC.
Days until the U.S. national soccer team plays again: 72, on Tuesday, June 18, at the brand-new Allianz Field in St. Paul, home of Minnesota United, in the opener of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Days until the Yankees and Red Sox play each other in London: 83, on June 29. Under 12 weeks.
Days until Arsenal play in America: 99. A little over 3 months. Yes, the Gunners are coming to America for the 3rd time in the last 6 years. On July 15, they will visit the Denver suburbs to play the Colorado Rapids. On July 17, they will visit the Los Angeles suburbs to play Bayern Munich. On July 20, they will visit Charlotte to play AS Roma. And on July 23, they will visit the Redskins' stadium in the Washington suburbs to play Real Madrid. This almost certainly means no Emirates Cup this Summer.
Days until the next North London Derby: Unknown, as both Premier League matches, and a League Cup match, have been played this season. The next season starts on August 10, which is 125 days from now, but the PL never puts a Derby on the opening weekend. The Gunners and Spurs usually play each other in N5 in October or November, and then in N17 in February or March.
Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 146, on August 31, home to the University of Massachusetts. Under 5 months.
Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: Unknown, because the 2019 schedule hasn't been released yet. Usually, the next season begins on the 1st Friday in September, which would be September 6, which would be 152 days. It has been announced that East Brunswick and its arch-rivals, Old Bridge, will no longer play each other on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, many of the local Thanksgiving rivalries have been moved back to the opening night, September 6. Whenever the Big Green play the Purple Bastards, it will be under a new head coach, because Bob Molarz, in charge for the last 6 seasons, has resigned.
Days until the New Jersey Devils next play a local rival: Unknown, as the regular season has come to an end, and they didn't make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Traditionally, a new NHL season begins on the 1st Thursday in October, which would be October 3, which is 179 days from now. But they Devils never open against either the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum; the New York Islanders; or the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth. The new schedule is usually released around June 20 or so. We shall see.
Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State game: 237, on Saturday, November 30, at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. Under 8 months.
Days until my 50th Birthday, at which point I can join AARP and get discounts for travel and game tickets: 255, on December 18, 2019. A little over 8 months.
Days until the Baseball Hall of Fame vote is announced, electing Derek Jeter: 289, on January 21, 2020. Under 10 months.
Days until the next Summer Olympics begins in Tokyo, Japan: 474, on July 24, 2020. Under a year and a half, or under 16 months.
Days until the next Presidential election, when we can dump the Trump-Pence regime and elect a real Administration: 576, on November 3, 2020. A little over a year and a half, or a little under 19 months.
Days until a fully-Democratic-controlled Congress can convene, and the Republicans can do nothing about it: 637, on January 3, 2021. Under 2 years, or a little under 21 months.
Days until Liberation Day: 654, at noon on January 20, 2021. Under 2 years, or under 22 months. Note that this is liberation from the Republican Party, not just from Donald Trump. Having Mike Pence as President wouldn't be better, just differently bad, mixing theocracy with plutocracy, rather than mixing kleptocracy with plutocracy.
Days until the next Winter Olympics begins in Beijing, China: 1,034, on February 4, 2022. Under 3 years, or under 34 months.
Days until the next World Cup is scheduled to kick off: 1,324, on November 21, 2022, in Qatar. Under 4 years, or under 44 months. The charges of corruption against Qatar may yet mean that they will lose the tournament, in which case it will be moved to a nation where it would not be too hot to play it in June and July.
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