Yankees: Infinity War

I often chide today's young people by saying, "Don't call anything 'iconic' until it's at least 40 years past."

It's like the girl who posted a picture of Kendall and Kylie Jenner, the 2 youngest Kardashian sisters, and said, "Name a more iconic duo. I'll wait." And she got schooled with everything from John Lennon and Paul McCartney to Barack and Michelle Obama.

Sports-wise, there could have been Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, and many others.

By having a 40-year cutoff point, I can include the late 1970s Yankees, such as Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Catfish Hunter, Ron Guidry and Goose Gossage as "iconic."

I do make exceptions. One that truly sticks out is the death scene for Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland) in Avengers: Infinity War.

That movie led to, among other things, a parody of Colin Kaepernick's Nike ad, showing Thanos (Josh Brolin):

Last night, the Yankees did 2 things they've done a lot of already this season. They won a game, and lost a player due to injury.

It was the opener of a 3-game home weekend series against the Minnesota Twins, currently leading the American League Central Division. James Paxton, the only starting pitcher acquired by general manager Brian Cashman in the offseason, started, but only lasted 3 innings before leaving the game with a sore knee.

He's going to have an MRI today, But, as they say in medical dramas, I'm not going to lie to you, it doesn't look good.

Jonathan Holder pitched the 4th and 5th innings, Adam Ottavino the 6th, Tommy Kahnle the 7th, Zack Britton the 8th, and Aroldis Chapman the 9th. Britton allowed 2 runs. The rest, none.

It shouldn't take 6 pitchers to win 1 baseball game. The Yankees should have had what used to be known as a "long man," who could have pitched the 4th through 9th innings. On that late 1970s Yankee team, it was Dick Tidrow. On the late 1990s dynasty, it was Ramiro Mendoza.

After all, that's just 6 innings. A man who is normally a starting pitcher, or, at least, has been a starting pitcher, should be able to pitch 6 innings on a moment's notice, unless he pitched the day before.

Of course, no matter how good your pitching is, you have to score. Fortunately, Gary Sanchez has been on a tear since coming off the Injured List. Last night, he hit a pair of solo home runs, a 429-foot blast in the 5th, and a 412-foot shot in the 7th.

Nelson Cruz of the Twins actually hit one longer, a 436-foot drive off Britton for 2 runs in the 8th, putting the outcome of the game back in doubt. But Chapman shut the Twins down in the 9th.

Yankees 6, Twins 3. WP: Holder (2-0). SV: Chapman (6). LP: Kyle Gibson (2-1).

The series continues this afternoon. J.A. Happ starts against Jake Odorizzi.

And there is actually more good news than bad news on the injury front. For today's game, Miguel Andujar is going to be activated. It is also possible that DJ LeMahieu, who's been day-to-day after getting hit with a pitch, will also be able to play. Clint Frazier is expected to be activated on Monday, and, on that day, Aaron Hicks could begin a minor league rehab assignment.

Still, the thought of losing a starting pitcher doesn't sound encouraging. Paxton tried to downplay any worries, saying after last night's game, "It's just something that's nagging at me enough that I couldn't execute pitches. I'm not real worried it's going to be something long-term. I'm hoping it's something that's just a quick fix."

A quick fix. As an Arsenal fan, having watched them through several injury crises, I am reminded of all the times that manager Arsène Wenger would say something like, "He has picked up a small knock. He will be back in 3 weeks." That usually turned into 3 months, or, perhaps, the rest of the season.

Now, Paxton says he's hoping his knee injury is "something that's just a quick fix."

Mr. Steinbrenner, I don't feel so good.

And I don't know what Brian Cashman's Endgame is.