Matt Harvey Passes the Audition, Shuts Yankees Down

In 2015, the Yankees struggled just to make the Playoffs, and lost the American League Wild Card Game, because they only got 3 hits and didn't score.

Meanwhile, across town, Matt Harvey was the ace of the Mets, and helped them win the Pennant, and was the toast of the town. He was 26, and although he had been part of the reason the team lost the World Series, he seemed to have a limitless future.

Harvey has battled injury ever since. He has pitched for 5 different teams in the last 4 seasons. And his control has been atrocious. As Yogi Berra might have said, Even when he can pitch, he can't pitch.

So his start, in the opener of a 4-game series between the Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, perhaps the best hitter's park in the AL, should have been just the kind of occasion to let the Yankees have a very nice evening.

It wasn't. Aaron Judge, on his birthday -- the former "next great Yankee" is only 29 -- grounded into a double play to end a threat in the 1st inning. And Deivi Garcia, on only his 2nd pitch of the game, gave up a home run to Cedric Mullins. It was only one-nil to the Baltimore, and yet the game already felt lost, because of the Yankees' troubles with hitting.

Cruz didn't pitch badly after that, giving up only 1 more run, in the 3rd. But he was limited to 4 innings -- just 65 pitches -- and was sent down to the Yankees' "alternate site" after the game. Way to mess with a kid's confidence, especially after you've been bigging him up as one of the team's great "prospects." God, Brian Cashman ruins everything he touches.

The Yankees wasted 1st and 2nd with 1 out in the 2nd, and then Harvey didn't allow another baserunner until Clint Frazier walked to lead off the top of the 6th. This time, a leadoff walk didn't kill anybody, because DJ LeMahieu grounded into a double play. Then came back-to-back doubles by Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge. If LeMahieu had simply struck out, the doubles would have made the score 2-2. Instead, it was 2-1 Orioles, and that was as close as the Yankees got.

Knowing Cashman, and his love of once-great, injury-riddled players, this was Harvey passing an audition to be a Yankee. And he knows the Yankees need better starting pitching. He'll probably trade a good player to get Harvey.

What good player? With our luck, Judge. Certainly, it won't be Stanton, or his golden boy, Gleyber Torres.

Lucas Luetge pitched the 5th without allowing a run, so the smart thing to do would have been to leave him in for the 6th. The smart thing was not done: Darren O'Day was brought in. Hit by pitch, single getting runner to 3rd, strikeout, balk. 3-1 Baltimore. Justin Wilson was brought in for the 7th. As with Cruz, the 1st batter he faced was Mullins. As with Cruz, he let Mullins hit a home run. 4-1 Baltimore.

Then came the top of the 8th. Frazier and LeMahieu started it with walks. The next 2 batters were Stanton and Judge. If they were the 2017 versions of Stanton and Judge, you would like your chances. Of course, the Yankees didn't have Stanton in 2017. Stanton flew out. But Judge drew a walk to load the bases. But Rougned Odor struck out.

The batter was Gio Urshela. He hit a line drive single to left. Frazier scored. LeMahieu made 3rd easily, and thought he could score. So did Oriole left fielder Austin Hays. But Hays did think he had a chance to throw Judge out at 3rd to end the inning. It was close, but Judge was out.

The real question was, did Frazier touch home plate before Judge was tagged out. If so, then that's another run that should count, making the score 4-3 instead of 4-2. The umpires ruled that the tag came first.

Aaron Boone was enraged, and demanded an instant replay to check to see if Frazier scored before the tag. Umpire Greg Gibson was told he'd taken too long to ask, and wouldn't get it.

In his book Planet of the Umps, former umpire Ken Kaiset said that there is one word you must never use to an umpire. Despite what the film Bull Durham suggested, that word is not "cocksucker." It's "you."

You can tell an umpire, "That was a bad call!' and stay in the game. But if you say, "You blew that call!" you get thrown out of the game. You can say, "That was a dumb call!" You can't say, "You're an idiot!"

Boone was told he didn't ask for a replay fast enough. He yelled, "You didn't give me a chance!" He used the Y-word (not the one used by fans of London soccer team Tottenham Hotspur), and he was tossed.

The replay shown on YES showed that Frazier did touch home plate before Judge was tagged out, so the run should have counted.

This afternoon, on his ESPN radio show, simulcast on YES, Michael Kay dropped the objectivity he had to show on the previous night's TV broadcast, and ripped everybody. He ripped Gibson for not granting the replay. He ripped Boone for taking too long. He ripped Judge (who did this on his birthday, mind you) for trying to take 3rd base, going against one of those classic "unwritten rules of baseball": Never make the last out of an inning at 3rd base. And he ripped the Yankees for not hitting.

And that last point should be the story of the game, more than the argument. Did the Yankees get robbed? You bet your sweet bippy. Did that make the difference in the game? We'll never know. Given the way this team has hit this season, it might not have. The Yankees went down quietly in the 9th, so if they didn't follow a successful replay challenge with hits, they still would have lost.

No, the fault for losing this game belongs to the hitters for not hitting enough, and Cashman for his horrible pitching strategy.

Orioles 4, Yankees 2. WP: Harvey (2-1). SV: Cesar Valdez (5). LP: Cruz (0-1).

The series continues tonight. Corey Kluber starts against Bruce Zimmermann.

Yanks Stun Sox Before Losing Finale

The Yankees extended their winning streak to 10 games by taking the 1st 2 games of a weekend series against the arch-rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, before losing the finale.

The Friday game sure looked like it would be a loss. It was scoreless until the bottom of the 4th inning, when the Sox began to hit Yankee starter Jordan Montgomery. He gave up 3 runs, and set up the run that Luis Cessa allowed when he relieved Montgomery in the 5th, to make it 4-0 Boston.

Gary Sanchez continued his slump breakout with a 2-run ground-rule double in the 7th, and the returned-from-injury Giancarlo Stanton had an RBI double in the 8th to make it 4-3. With the Yankees down to their last out in the 9th, Sanchez came through again, with a game-tying homer. As they would say in English soccer, "Four-nil, and you fucked it up!"

But they couldn't find that 5th run, and the game went to extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, Aroldis Chapman forgot the Cliche: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. With the "start the inning with a man on 2nd rule," the Sox went for the double steal with 1 out. So there was a man on 3rd (and another on 2nd) with less than 2 outs, so the Yankees were really in trouble. But Chapman dug in, and got 2 strikeouts to end the threat.

Each team got an RBI single, but no more, in its half of the 11th. DJ LeMahieu singled a run home in the top of the 12th, and Jonathan Loaisiga -- in effect, playing the emergency starter role, to save the rest of the bullpen -- did what he couldn't do in the bottom of the 11th, and sent the Red Sox down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 12th. Yankees 6, Red Sox 5.

Time of the game: 4 hours and 55 minutes. Welcome to Fenway Park, Rob Manfred: You should know by now that rules make no difference with the Boston Red Sox, not even to make games shorter.

*

The Saturday game was a breeze. It may have been the Yankees' best game of the season. J.A. Happ pitched 8 scoreless innings, allowing just 4 hits, no walks, 9 strikeouts. Clint Frazier went 3-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBIs, while LeMahieu, Brett Gardner and Luke Voit each got 2 hits. Yankees 8, Red Sox 0.

The Sunday game was a total letdown. Deivi Cruz had nothing, and only went 3 innings. Voit hit his 21st home run of the short season, but the Yankees got only 2 other hits: A double by Tyler Wade and a single by Gardner.

Jonathan Holder allowed 3 runs, so Aaron Boone let 40-year-old 3rd-string catcher Erik Kratz pitch the 8th inning. This wasn't unprecedented: It was actually his 6th career pitching appearance. He got Rafael Devers to line out to center, but gave up a home run to the terribly slumping J.D. Martinez, and hit Bobby Dalbec with a pitch, before getting Jackie Bradley Jr. and Michael Chavis to ground out.

Still: Red Sox 10, Yankees 2.

*

The Yankees finished the game 3 1/2 games, 3 in the all-important loss column, behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division.

If the current standings hold, the AL Playoffs will be as follows (keeping in mind, the Division winners get the top 3 seeds, the 2nd-place teams get the next 3, and then the 2 with the next-best records):

1. Tampa Bay Rays vs. 8. Toronto Blue Jays.

2. Chicago White Sox vs. 7. Cleveland Indians.

3. Oakland Athletics vs. 6. Houston Astros. 

4. Minnesota Twins vs. 5. New York Yankees.

This is despite the Astros actually having the 8th-best record in the AL. In other words, if we were doing it straight, the Astros would get the 8th and last seed, while the Red Sox are 14th out of 15. It's a lot harder when you can't cheat, isn't it, boys?

The National League Playoffs would be:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers vs. 8. Cincinnati Reds.

2. Chicago Cubs vs. 7. Philadelphia Phillies.

3. Atlanta Braves vs. 6. St. Louis Cardinals.

4. San Diego Padres vs. 5. Miami Marlins.

The Mets are 2 1/2 games behind the Reds, 2 in the loss column, for the last Playoff spot. The defending World Champion Washington Nationals are 13th out of 15, their injuries meaning they're actually having a harder time of it than the team they beat in last year's World Series, the Astros.

The Yankees have 7 games left in this shortened regular season: 4 in Buffalo against the Toronto Blue Jays, and 3 at home against the Miami Marlins. If they win at least 4 out of 7, they're in. But they'll have to do better than that to get home-field advantage in the Wild Card Series.

Here's the way the postseason is going to work. To limit COVID-19 exposure, there's going to be "bubbles," the way the NBA and the NHL have done it. The Wild Card Series will be best-2-out-of-3, but it will have all games at the home field of the higher seed. In other words, if the current standings hold, the Yankees will play 2 or 3 games at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Then the usual rounds will have their usual number of games: The Division Series will be best-3-out-of-5, and the League Championship Series and the World Series will be best-4-out-of-7. But they will be at neutral sites.

The ALDS will be NL parks in Southern California: Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles and Petco Park in San Diego. The ALCS will be at Dodger Stadium. The NLDS will be in Texas, with both of those teams being in the AL: Minute Maid Park in Houston, and the new Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The World Series will be at Globe Life Field, so that stadium will host a World Series in its inaugural season. Its neutrality is assured, because the Texas Rangers currently have the worst record in the AL. Only the Pittsburgh Pirates have a worse record in all of MLB.

(The Rangers' franchise began as the "new" Washington Senators in 1961, at Griffith Stadium. In 10 seasons at District of Columbia Stadium, which became Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in 1969, they never got close to a postseason berth. From 1972 to 1993, they played at Arlington Stadium, about halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth, and never made the Playoffs. From 1994 to 2019, they played at Arlington Stadium, making the Playoffs 8 times and winning 2 Pennants, but never winning the World Series.)

*

Days until the next U.S. national soccer team game: Unknown. Currently, neither the men's nor the women's team has any matches scheduled.

Days until Arsenal play again: 2, on Wednesday, at 2:45 PM New York time, home to Midlands team Leicester City, in the League Cup. Arsenal have won their 1st 2 Premier League games this season.

Days until the New York Red Bulls play again: 2, on Wednesday night at 8:00, away to Inter Miami, at Inter Miami Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, on the site of the old Lockhart Stadium, once home to MLS' Miami Fusion and the old North American Soccer League's Fort Lauderdale Strikers. This will be Metro's 1st competitive match against the South Florida expansion team owned by retired English soccer star David Beckham.

Days until the Red Bulls play another "derby" game: Unknown. MLS is taking a wait-and-see approach to games from October 1 onward. So we don't yet know when Metro will again play either New York City FC, the Philadelphia Union, the New England Revolution, or D.C. United.

Days until the 1st Presidential Debate: 8, a week from tomorrow night, September 29, in Cleveland. Joe Biden and Donald Trump will also debate on Thursday night, October 15, in Miami; and on Thursday night, October 22, in Nashville. If, that is, the cowardly Trump shows up. The Vice Presidential Debate between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence will be on Wednesday night, October 7, at Salt Lake City.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 11, a week from next Friday, October 2, home to Edison school J.P. Stevens. This will be the season opener.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge football game: 18, the following Friday, October 9, at Lombardi Field in Old Bridge, a.k.a. the Purple Shit Pit. The Big Green's season opener was supposed to be against the Purple Bastards.

Days until Rutgers University plays football again: 33, on Saturday, October 24, away to Michigan State University in East Lansing. The Big Ten Conference decided to play football in the Fall after all. I hope they know what they're doing, or else this could be the viral equivalent of a bloodbath.

Days until the 2020 Presidential election: 43, on Tuesday, November 3. A little over 6 weeks. As the old saying goes, and it really is true this time, "This time, vote like your life depended on it."

Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: Unknown, as the NHL hasn't yet made out its 2020-21 season schedule. That's understandable, given all the uncertainty with trying to wrap up the 2019-20 season. The League was talking about starting next season on or around December 1. If that is the date, then it's 71 days, or a little over 10 weeks. However, Commissioner Gary Bettman is now talking about January, which could mean the cancellation of the NHL Winter Classic, usually held on New Year's Day.

Days until the Devils play another local rival: Unknown, although it's unlikely that their 1st game of the season, or even their 1st home game, will be against a traditional rival.

Days until the next North London Derby: 87, on Saturday, December 5, at 10:00 AM New York time, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London. Under 3 months. This game will likely be moved, either to another time that day, or to the next day, or maybe to the Monday night, for TV and ratings purposes.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 75, on Saturday, December 5, just a week later than was planned, at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Days until a new Congress convenes, hopefully fully Democratic: 105, on Monday, January 4, 2021. Under 4 months. Ordinarily, it would be January 3, but that's a Sunday next year.

Days until the next Presidential Inauguration: 121, on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. Under 4 months until Liberation Day.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series begins: 256, on Friday night, June 4, 2021, at Yankee Stadium II. Yes, the 2021 schedule has been released. Of course, any schedule is subject to further COVID-19 restrictions. Hopefully, by then, we will either have a vaccine, or have the virus reduced to the point where live attendance at sporting events will no longer be seen as unintentional suicide.

Days until the COVID-delayed Euro 2020 opens in Paris: 263, on June 11, 2021. Under 9 months.

Days until the COVID-delayed 2020 Olympics open in Tokyo, Japan: 305, on July 23, 2021. A little over 10 months.

Days until Alex Rodriguez and David Ortiz become eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame: 477, on January 11, 2022. Under 16 months until we find out whether lying about having been caught taking steroids, as Big Papi did, is better than telling the truth about it, as A-Rod did.

Days until the next Winter Olympics open in Beijing, China: 501, on February 4, 2022. Under 17 months.

Days until the next World Cup opens in Qatar: 791, on November 21, 2022. Under 26 months.

Days until the next Women's World Cup opens, a joint hosting by Australia and New Zealand: 1,022, on July 10, 2023. Under 34 months.