Yankees Blow Citi Series; Happy 80th, Reggie

The Yankees should have swept this Citi Series at Citi Field. At the very least, taken 2 out of 3. After all, the Mets are the worst team in baseball.

That's right: "Citi Series." It's not a "Subway Series" unless it's a World Series. If you had been around in 1957, and had called a regular-season series between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers a "Subway Series," they would have agreed on 3 things: New York is the greatest city in the world, they hate the Yankees, and you're nuts.

The Yankees got off to the right start on Friday night, as Cam Schlittler allowed just 1 run on 2 hits and 2 walks through 6 2/3rds innings, striking out 9. He was backed by a home run from Ben Rice. Rice and Jazz Chisholm each got 3 hits, and Chisholm had 2 RBIs.

There was kind of a worrying moment in the 9th, when the Yankees' alleged closer, David Bednar, allowed a run. But it was still Yankees 5, Mets 2, about what we expected.

But the Saturday night game did not go well. Carlos Rodón was clearly taken off the Injured List too soon, as he didn't get out of the 4th inning. And each of the next 3 Yankee pitchers -- Jake Bird, Brent Headrick and Tim Hill -- allowed a run.

Getting hits wasn't the problem: The Yankees got 9 of them, plus 3 walks. The problem was getting hits with runners on base. Trent Grisham singled Chisholm home in the 2nd inning, and Anthony Volpe walked to put 2 men on. But Austin Wells, who is really struggling, struck out to end the inning. Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt singled in the 3rd, but were stranded when Chisholm struck out.

Goldschmidt singled Rice home in the 5th, moving Cody Bellinger to 2nd base, but, again, Chisholm struck out to end it. Amed Rosario led off the 6th with a double, and Volpe walked again to put a 2nd man on with 1 out, but they couldn't be brought around.

Judge led off the 7th with a double, and Bellinger brought him home with a long fly that Met right fielder Carson Benge botched. Goldschmidt was hit with a pitch, and Chisholm bunted his way on, loading the bases with nobody out. This should have been a humiliating inning for the Mets.

Instead, it was a humiliating inning for the Yankees. Met manager Carlos Mendoza brought in Luke Weaver, a reliever who had washed out with the Yankees. He struck Rosario out. He struck Grisham out. He got Volpe to ground into a force play. Bases loaded, nobody out, and the Yankee were held scoreless -- by Luke Weaver.

Wells led off the 8th with a single, but Rice grounded into a double play. And another reliever not good enough for the Yankees, Devin Williams, sent them down 1-2-3 in the 9th. Mets 6, Yankees 3. A disgraceful last 3 innings.

Yesterday afternoon was looking pretty good for a while. Rice hit another homer. Elmer Rodriguez had allowed just 1 run over the 1st 4 innings. But he started the bottom of the 5th by hitting Benge with a pitch. He then got Bo Bichette out. He had only thrown 64 pitches. So the right thing to do would have been to let him keep pitching.

Aaron Boone did not do the right thing. He brought in Ryan Yarbrough, who finished the inning with no runs. The Yankees scored 4 runs in the top of the 6th, with the Mets helping them with 2 walks, a hit-by-pitch and an error. But Yarbrough gave 2 runs back in the bottom of the 6th. Volpe walked with the bases loaded in the 7th, making it 6-3 Yankees.

Bednar took the mound for the bottom of the 9th. All he had to do was get 3 outs while allowing 2 or fewer runs. But he gave up singles to Benge and Bichette. When Juan Soto and his $800 million (or whatever the amount turns out to be) grounded into a fielder's choice, and Mark Vientos struck out, it looked like we were worrying for nothing.

But Bednar served one up to Tyrone Taylor. It screamed down the left field line, just fair, a game-tying home run. For the rest of their lives, Met fans will talk about The Tyrone Taylor Game, a rare highlight in a miserable season. It will be on SNY's Mets Classics before long.

Even with the "ghost runner," the Yankees couldn't score in the top of the 10th, with Wells grounding into a double play. And then Boone brought Tim Hill in. Hill allowed a bunt single to A.J. Ewing, and hit Luis Torrens with a pitch. The bases were loaded with nobody out. Boone brought the infield in, to get the play at the plate. Benge grounded deep to short. Volpe was able to get to it, but he was now too far back to make the play anywhere. Ghost runner Marcus Semien scored the winning run.

Don't tell me Derek Jeter would have gotten the job done: He would have gotten to the ball, and he might have gotten a throw off, but, at best, he would have gotten the force at 2nd, and the winning run still would have scored.

Mets 7, Yankees 6. The Other Team took the series. Sure, they were at home, and the Yankees have injury issues, so the Mets should have taken the series. On the other hand, the Mets also have injury issues, and they're the Mets, and we're the Yankees, so the Yankees should have taken the series.

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The Yankees lost 7 of 9 on the roadtrip. Save your Star Trek jokes. They are now 28-19, a pace for 96-66. They are 3 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Eastern Division, 4 in (Cliché Alert) the All-Important Loss Column.

Rodón is not ready. Luis Gil is not ready, and is back in the minor leagues. Max Fried is now on the Injured List. Gerrit Cole is still not back. Giancarlo Stanton is on the Injured List, and we don't know when he's coming back.

Ryan McMahon has an on-base percentage of .258; Wells, .292; Grisham, .293; Rosario, .310; Chisholm, .312. Remember, those are on-base percentages, not batting averages.

Bullpen WHIPs: Paul Blackburn 1.554, Bednar 1.550, Fernando Cruz 1.368, Bird 1.364, Headrick 1.286, Yarbrough 1.140, Doval 1.038, Hill 0.857. Those last 3 look pretty good, but I don't trust any of them.

Tonight, the Yankees begin a home series with those pesky Toronto Blue Jays. They had better do some winning.

If not for me, then for Reggie Jackson. It is the Yankee Legend's 80th Birthday.

A recent photo of Reggie, with Giants quarterback

Russell Wilson and his wife, singer Ciara

I want him to see one more Yankee World Series win. Hell, I want every Yankee Fan to see one more. This isn't about me: I've seen 7, but there's a whole generation of Yankee Fans who aren't old enough to remember one.

It Is, But Hadn't Ought to Be

For the 16th consecutive season, and the 24th of the last 25, a team other than the New York Yankees will win the World Series.

Last night, at Yankee Stadium II, the Yankees lost Game 4 of the American League Division Series to the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1, giving the Jays the series. They will play the survivor of the series between the Detroit Tigers and the Seattle Mariners for the AL Pennant.

There are still 4 teams remaining on the National League side: The defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs.

The Blue Jays did not have a reliable starting pitchers ready, and went with a "bullpen game." The Yankees had rookie sensation Cam Schlittler ready to go.

And what happened?

* 1st inning: Aaron Judge singled with 1 out. He got stranded.

* 2nd inning: Paul Goldschmidt was hit by a pitch with 1 out. He got stranded.

* 3rd inning: Ryan McMahon led off with a home run. Then we went down 1-2-3.

* 4th inning: Giancarlo Stanton led off with a walk. This leadoff walk triggered no Cliché Alert, because Jazz Chisholm Jr., one of last night's heroes, grounded into a double play.

* 5th inning: The Yankees went down 1-2-3.

* 6th inning: Judge was intentionally walked with 1 out. Stanton drew a walk with 2 outs. This was the 1st time, aside from McMahon home run, that a Yankee had reached 2nd base. Chisholm grounded to 2nd.

* 7th inning: Goldschmidt led off with a walk. Then, 2 puts. Then, Amed Rosario singled him to 2nd. Then, Trent Grisham popped up.

* 8th inning: 2 outs, then Stanton singled. Chisholm and Ben Rice walked to load the bases. Then Austin Wells hit one deep to center field. But this would be no game-tyong grand slam. It was caught. It would have been a home run in many ballparks. But not at Yankee Stadium. "Little league park," my ass.

* 9th inning: Jasson Domínguez, making his 1st appearance in the series, led off with a double. Rosario flew to left. Grisham grounded to 1st, moving Domínguez to 3rd. Judge singled him home -- the 1st time all night the Yankees got a hit with a runner in scoring position. And then Cody Bellinger struck out, to end the game and the season.

The Yankees did this little, against 8 Toronto pitchers, none of whom lasted 2 full innings. That is what Brian Cashman's lineup, designed to bomb opposing teams out of the yard, did in a win-or-go-home game. At home, in their alleged little league park.

You'll notice that I haven't yet said how well Schlittler did. Well, the kid deserved a better fate: He threw 88 pitches, 69 of them strikes, in 6 1/3rd innings, having allowed 2 runs on 7 hits and no walks.

When Aaron Boone took him out of the game, he had just allowed a grounded that a Chisholm error turned into men on 1st and 3rd with 1 out. He was in a little bit of trouble, and it was only half his fault. But Boone saw the pitch total, and panicked.

And, of course, he brought in Devin Williams, more than any single player responsible for the Yankees' failure to win the AL Eastern Division this season, and this get home-field advantage for this series. And, of course, he allowed both runners to score.

That was the game, right there. Would Schlittler have gotten out of it? Maybe, maybe not. But he had earned the right to try. Except Boone and Cashman don't believe in pitchers' rights.

Camilo Doval allowed an additional run in the 8th. Final score: Those pesky Blue Jays 5, those hopeless Yankees 1. Season over.

The Good: We won 94 games despite all the injuries. We made the Playoffs. The Mets didn't, a tremendous embarrassment for them. We not only won a Playoff round, but, in so doing, we knocked our most hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox, out of the Playoffs.

For most teams, that would be considered a successful season. But the New York Yankees are not most teams.

The Bad: When we most needed big hits, both in the regular season and in 3 of the 4 games of the ALDS, this lineup, statistically as good as any lineup ever assembled, failed. Cashman continues to acquire players who fail, or get hurt, when we need them most. And Boone -- whether you believe he's following Cashman's orders, or making dumb decisions on his own -- continues to make bad decisions with the players available to him.

The Ugly: No World Series wins in 16 years. Just 2 Pennants in 22 years. Just 1 World Series win in 25 years. For most teams, that would be okay. But, again, the New York Yankees are not most teams.

And now, for the 16th year in a row, we have to spend an entire year, until at least late October 2026, hearing from fans of the other 29 teams that the Yankees "suck" and "choke."

Including teams that didn't make the Playoffs, like the Mets. Including teams that haven't won a Pennant in over 30 years, like the Blue Jays. Including the Red Sox, whom we eliminated.

As Boone’s predecessor as Yankee manager, Joe Girardi, who managed the 2009 World Series win, likes to say, "It's not what you want."

As Boone so often says, "It is what it is."

John Greenleaf Whittier said, "For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.'"

But Bret Harte -- another poet, not a "professional wrestler" -- reminded us, "More sad are these we daily see:

'It is, but hadn't ought to be.'"

Yankees Can't Quite Get It Done In Division, Mets Choke Completely

As current Yankee manager Aaron Boone would say, "It is what it is." But, as his predecessor, Joe Girardi, now a Yankee broadcaster, would say, "It's not what you want."

To win the American League Eastern Division, the Yankees needed to beat the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium today, and for the Toronto Blue Jays to lose to the Tampa Bay Rays at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Luis Gil started, and went 5 innings, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. He left with the game tied, 2-2, including a home run by Ben Rice. Fernando Cruz pitched a scoreless 6th, Luke Weaver a perfect 7th, Devin Williams a scoreless 8th, and David Bednar a scoreless 9th.

Rice led off the bottom of the 8th with another home run. That made the difference in a 3-2 victory. The Yankees finished the season with a 94-68 record, including an 8-game winning streak.

But it wasn't enough: The Jays beat the Rays, 13-4, for their own 94th win. Under the system in place prior to the expansion of the Playoffs, there would have been a one-game Playoff, as the Yankees won over their arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox, in 1978. Under the new rules, the 1st and only tiebreaker is head-to-head competition, and the Jays won that, 8-5.

Here's where the Yankees lost the Division: April 25. At home. They went into the 9th inning leading Toronto, 2-1. Williams -- with retroactive irony, the winning pitcher in today's finale -- was brought in as the new season's much-hyped new closer, and he allowed a single, hit a batter, then allowed a 2-RBI double and an RBI single, and the Jays won, 4-2. That was the season, right there, on April 25, although we didn't know it for sure until September 28.

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Aaron Judge finished the season with a .331 batting average, winning the AL batting title. He joins Babe Ruth in 1924, Lou Gehrig in 1934, Joe DiMaggio in 1939 and '40, George "Snuffy" Stirnweiss in 1945, Mickey Mantle in 1956, Don Mattingly in 1984, Paul O'Neill in 1994, Bernie Williams in 1998 and DJ LeMahieu in 2020 as Yankees who have done that.

Judge finished with 53 home runs and 114 RBIs. Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners hit 60, making him only the 4th AL player to hit that many, after Ruth's 60 in 1927, Roger Maris' 61 in 1961, and Judge's 62 in 2022. He broke the record for home runs by a catcher, previously 48 by Salvador Perez in 2021; and Mantle's record from 1961 of 54 homers by a switch-hitter. Raleigh also led in RBIs, with 125. One of these men will win the AL's Most Valuable Player award, but it's not yet clear which.

Judge batted .331 and hit 53 home runs in a season. Here's a list of all the players who have ever done at least that:

1920, 1921 and 1927 Babe Ruth

1930 Hack Wilson

1932 Jimmie Foxx

That's it. That's the list. Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Reggie Jackson never did it. Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Mike Schmidt, Ken Griffey Jr. or Albert Pujols never did it. Nor has Shohei Ohtani. Nor did any of the steroid boys, though Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds each came within .003 of doing it.

The Yankees finished with 272 home runs, including 53 by Judge, 34 by Trent Grisham, 31 by Jazz Chisholm, 29 by Cody Bellinger, 24 each by Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice, 21 by Austin Wells, 19 by Anthony Volpe, and 10 each by Paul Goldschmidt and Jasson Domínguez.

RBIs? Judge 114, Bellinger 98, Chisholm 80, Grisham 74, Volpe 72 (suddenly, his .211 batting average doesn't look so damaging), Wells 71, Stanton 65, Rice 63, Domínguez 47, Goldschmidt 45. Late acquisition Ryan McMahon added 4 homers and 18 RBIs in 53 games.

In other words, the Yankees and their fans, while angry at Juan Soto rejecting them and signing with the Mets, did not miss him at all.

Max Fried went 19-5, and Carlos Rodón 18-9. But injuries to the rotation were costly. Gerrit Cole missed the entire season. Clark Schmidt missed most of the 2nd half, and only went 4-4. Luis Gil missed the 1st half, and only went 4-1. Cam Schlittler came on late, and went 4-3 with a lower ERA than any Yankee starter except Fried. Marcus Stroman was 3-2, but had a 6.23 ERA and had to be released. Will Warren was 9-8 but very inconsistent. Devin Williams, Luke Weaver and Mark Leiter Jr. all failed as the closer before David Bednar was brought in to take the job.

With all that, the Yankees still won 93 games. Since the advent of Divisional Play in 1969 -- and the expansions of the Playoffs in 1994, 2012 and 2020 did not change that -- the average number of wins of the 2nd-place team in the AL East has been 92, so 93 is, on the average, enough to win the Division. This time, it took 94.

Since the Wild Card was established in 1994, this is the 10th time the Yankees have made the Playoffs as a Wild Card. The 1st 9, they failed to win the Pennant every time. So, yes, winning the Division matters. In contrast, over that stretch, they have won the Division 16 times, and gone on to win the Pennant 8 times -- half the time.

The Red Sox finished 5 games behind the Jays, the Rays 17 back, the O's 19 back. In the Central Division, an epic collapse by the Detroit Tigers and a nearly-as-impressive surge by the Cleveland Guardians made Cleveland the Division Champion, and the Tigers the 6th and final seed. And the Mariners won the West, keeping the Houston Astros out of the Playoffs.

So the Wild Card Series schedule looks like this: Game 1 against the Red Sox will be on Tuesday, Game 2 will be on Wednesday, and, if necessary, Game 3 will be on Thursday -- October 2, the anniversary of the Bucky Dent Game. All games will be at Yankee Stadium, all will be at 6:00 PM, and all will be broadcast on ESPN. The only variable: If the Cincinnati vs. Los Angeles series ends after 2 games, and Yankees-Red Sox requires a Game 3, that game will be moved up to an 8:00 start.

Starting pitchers have not yet been announced, but, if the Yankees hold to their rotation, then Fried starts Game 1, and Rodón starts Game 2. Game 3 could be Warren on 5 days' rest, or Schlittler on 4. I would trust Schlittler. I would not trust Warren.

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Meanwhile...

The Mets lost to the Miami Marlins, 4-0. The Mets went in needing to win, and to get a loss from the Cincinnati Reds. They got the latter result, as the Reds lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-2 at American Family Field in Milwaukee.

But the Mets lost the regular-season finale to the Miami Marlins, and so they miss the Playoffs. That same combination happened in 2007 and 2008, and now, it has happened again in 2025. They added Juan Soto, who thus rejected staying with the Yankees, and they and their fans were sure they were going to go all the way, and, at the least, "take over New York" from the Yankees.

Instead, they went 83-79. 84 wins would have made it. My compliments to the camera operators on the Mets' network, SNY, for getting some great images, including on the face of The expressions on the faces of the Mets fans who went down to Miami spoke volumes.

Met broadcaster Gary Cohen said, "It is unfathomable that this collection of talent winds up outside of an expanded Playoff system after having the best record in baseball after the first 2 1/2 months of the season."

Clearly, Cohen fathomed more about the '25 Mets than was there.

The Curse of Kevin Mitchell: Now 39 years. Next year will make it 40 years in the wilderness -- and Juan Soto is not Moses.

Take That, Astros!

The Yankees started their toughest stretch of the season, 12 straight games against potential Playoff opponents, on Tuesdau night, at Daikin Park, formerly Minute Maid Park, formerly Enron Field, formerly The Ballpark at Union Station, in Houston. This began a 3-game series against the Houston Astros, formerly the Houston Colt .45s, also know as the Houston Asstros, the Houston Asshats, the Houston Asterisks, the Red Sox South, and the Chicken Fried Cheats.

Given the fact that the Astros have eliminated the Yankees from the Playoffs in 4 of the last 10 seasons coming into this one, and another Playoff matchup against them this season is possible, we had to send those  cheating bastards a message. We have to take at least 2 out of the 3. Anything less than that would have been unacceptable.

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Max Fried started on Tuesday night, and he continued his resurgence after a difficult slump to start the 2nd half of the season. He went 7 innings, allowing just 1 run. Paul Blackburn went the rest of the way. That took a lot of pressure off the bullpen.

Jazz Chisholm made the difference all by himself, going 3-for-4 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs. Trent Grisham went 2-for-4 with a grand slam. Yankees 7, Astros 1. A huge win, and a big statement made to the Chicken Fried Cheats in their bandbox

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But Wednesday night was the kind of game that will loom large in our memories if the Yankees don't win the American League Eastern Division, especially if we can't go on from a Wild Card position to win the World Series.

It didn't start out that way. Will Warren allowed just 1 run in 5 innings. Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run in the 2nd inning, Austin Wells hit one in the 4th, and Ryan McMahon drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the 6th.

To lead off the bottom of the 6th, Jeremy Peña hit a home run. The Yankees still led, 4-2. Warren had thrown only 67 pitches, 46 of them for strikes. There was no reason to take him out and play musical chairs with the bullpen. But Aaron Boone did that. Fernando Cruz allowed another run in the 6th. And Luke Weaver allowed the Astros to tie the game in the 7th.

Then came the bottom of the 8th. Devin Williams may be the single most disappointing acquisition of the Brian Cashman era. Based on what he'd done with the Milwaukee Brewers -- who have the best record in baseball by 4 1/2 games without him -- he was expected to be the reliable closer that the Yankees haven't had since Mariano Rivera retired. Instead, he's been bad in the 9th inning and later, but good in innings 6, 7 and 8.

Not this time: He gave up a double and a walk, got a strikeout, gave up another walk to load the bases, got another strikeout to give us hope of getting out of the inning okay, then forced in a run with a walk.

Boone had seen enough: He took Williams out, and brought in new acquisition Camilo Doval. He allowed an RBI single, then forced runners home on a balk and a walk pitch, before he finally got a groundout to end the inning with 4 runs on 2 hits, 3 walks, a balk and a wild pitch. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, although they're not the only thing that can. In this case, the other things wouldn't have without the walks.

Pardon my French, but DeFuque? Boone could have left Warren in, saved 3 bullpen slots, and, in practical term, it wouldn't have been any worse than this. Cruz threw 16 pitches, Weaver 22. Add those to Warren's 67, and you've got 105 pitches. That's not too many. Williams with 34 and Doval with 9 needed 43 pitches to end the bottom of the 8th.

What's worse, the Yankees mounted a comeback in the 9th, but it wasn't enough. With 1 out, McMahon singled. Grisham struck out, but Aaron Judge singled McMahon over to 3rd base. Judge took 2nd on defensive indifference. Cody Bellinger hit a home run, to make it 8-7.

But Chisholm was called out on strikes, on a pitch outside the strike zone, by home plate umpire Brian Walsh, to end it. There's no guarantee the Yankees would have gone on to tie the game had Walsh correctly given Chisholm ball 4. Still, it was a bad ending to a bad game.

The Astros won the game, a game in which Walsh had 21 missed calls. Walsh has admitted on Facebook to being a "Loyal Dodgers fan." After the game, someone found a picture of Walsh and an unidentified acquantaince wearing Boston Red Sox gear. Gee, you think he might have it in for the Yankees? Already, he's being called Boston Brian.

Walsh on the right. The guy on the left has not been identified.

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So the Thursday night game became very important for both teams, but especially for the Yankees. They needed a good start from Carlos Rodón. They got one, as he went 6 innings, allowing only 2 runs. McMahon singled a run home in the 2nd inning, then hit a home run in the 5th. This was followed by 3 singles and 2 walks, and the Yankees left it up 4-1. Rodón left winning 4-2.

But Weaver began the 7th by allowing a home run to make it 4-3. He got 2 strikeouts, but also put runners on 1st and 2nd. Boone took him out, and brought in Cruz, to face the dangerous, cheating, diminutive, insufferable Jose Altuve. Cruz struck his cheating ass out, and the traveling Yankee Fans could be heard cheering over the the home fans.

The Yankees took this big lift into the top of the 8th, and scored 4 runs, including a screamer down the right-field line by Grisham, ending up in the 2nd deck. It was 8-3. If you want to argue that Cal Raleigh deserves the AL's Most Valuable Player award more than Judge, Grisham is your best argument: He might be more valuable to the Yankees than Judge is.

Cruz allowed a single to start the bottom of the 8th, then retired the next 3. David Bednar was brought in to pitch the bottom of the 9th. He was shaky: He began the inning with a single and a double. That double was hit by former Yankee Taylor Trammell. Afterward, Boone told the umpires to look at his bat. He thought there was something wrong with it. Trammell's double was allowed to stand, but the umpires confiscated the bat. We shall see if this is yet another example of the Astros' cheating.

There was a line-shot that shortstop Anthony Volpe caught. Apparently, Boone still thinks his defense is worth keeping his .208 batting average and his .271 on-base percentage in the lineup, although he did get a hit in this game.

Bednar allowed an RBI single to make it 8-4, then gave up a walk, loading the bases. The tying run was at the plate, with just 1 out. But he struck Carlos Correa out, and then he struck Christian Walker out to end it -- in each case, swinging, not on a disputable call. Yankees 8, Astros 4. Take that, Astros, you cheating bastards!

For the series, Altuve, the single most-hated Yankee opponent since fellow cheating bastard David Ortiz, went 0-for-11, with 2 walks, an RBI on a groundout, and 3 strikeouts.

One troubling note, though: Chisholm had to leave last night's game with contusions on both legs. Will he be able to play in the Toronto series?

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So the Yankees not only survived their 1st big test of September, they took 2 out of 3 in Houston. They messed with Texas.

They are 78-62. They are 3 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Eastern Division, with 22 left to play, and the next 3 are at home, at Yankee Stadium II, against those pesky Blue Jays. If the current standings hold to the end of the season, then, despite both teams having a better record than the AL West-leading Astros, the Yankees would have the 4th seed in the AL Playoffs, and the Boston Red Sox would have the 5th seed, and the Yanks and Sox would play each other, with the Yanks having home-field advantage.

Here are the projected pitching matchups for the Toronto series, with all 3 games on YES:

* Tonight, 7:05: Cam Schlittler vs. Kyle Gausman.

* Tomorrow, 1:05: Luis Gil, last season's AL Rookie of the Year, vs. Max Scherzer, a probable future Hall-of-Famer.

* Sunday, 1:35: Max Fried vs. Chris Bassitt.

This could decide the Division title. Come on you Pinstripes!

Yanks Bash Rays Twice, Bring On the Auld Enemy

The Yankees made a short trip to their Spring Training home of George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, which the Tampa Bay Rays are using as their emergency home field, after Hurricane Milton wrecked their usual home, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, last October 10. As "Dr. Funkenstein," George Clinton, would have said, it tore the roof off the sucker.

Incidentally, you know how Rays fans have said that they would have higher attendance if they played in Tampa instead of St. Petersburg? Well, they're averaging 9,872 fans per home game at The House The Boss Built. It seats 11,026. In other words, even with a good team in a good location, they can't even fill a minor-league stadium on a regular basis. It is time to move the Rays.

The Yankees? Currently averaging 42,683, 1st in the American League, 2nd in all of Major League Baseball behind the defending World Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, at 49,961. The Mets are averaging 39,371, 3,312 fewer than the Yankees, although closer to a sellout at their place, and good enough for 4th in the National League, and 5th overall.

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Anyway. On Tuesday night, how many times did the Yankees hit a home run?

Yup. It's the 2nd time this season they've hit 9 home runs in a game, tying the team record, and 1 off the MLB record set by the 1987 Toronto Blue Jays.

Trent Grisham began the Tuesday night game with a strikeout. This was followed by a home run by Aaron Judge, a home run by Cody Bellinger, and a home run by Giancarlo Stanton. Back-to-back-to-back. José Caballero hit one in the 2nd inning. Jazz Chisholm hit one in the 3rd. Stanton and Ben Rice hit back-to-back jacks in the 4th. Bellinger hit another one in the 6th. And Caballero hit another one in the 9th.

Carlos Rodón was the beneficiary of all this unloading of lumber. He cruised for 6 innings, and 3 relievers kept the Rays from mounting a comeback. Yankees 13, Rays 3.

The Wednesday night game was the opposite: Grisham led it off with a home run, but the rest of it would be considerably harder. Austin Wells added a home run in the 5th. Cam Schlittler had a perfect game after 6 innings. But after a single and 2 walks, Aaron Boone lifted him with 2 outs in the 7th, and Luke Weaver ended the threat with a strikeout. Grisham hit another homer in the top of the 8th, and it was 3-0 Yankees.

But Weaver gave up a home run in the bottom of the 8th, and David Bednar gave up a walk, a single and a double in the 9th, and it was on to extra innings. Stanton and Wells began the top of the 10th with back-to-back homers. Counting the "ghost runner," it was 6-3 Yankees.

Boone trusted the bottom of the 10th to Devin Williams. From Albany in the north to Cape May in the south, from Montauk in the east to Scranton in the west, Yankee Fans said, "Boonie, are you out of your mind?" Williams allowed a single to make it 6-4, and then a double. The winning run had come to the plate. But then, he struck out the side, nailing down the win. Between them, the Yankee pitchers had 16 strikeouts on the night.

Stanton is the active leader in career home runs, with 444. Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels has 398. Paul Goldschmidt, currently on the Injured List with the Yankees, has 372. Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres has 363. Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers has 358. Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies has 357. And Judge has 355. 

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The Yankees have 36 games left. They trail the Toronto Blue Jays by 4 games, 3 in the all-important loss column. The Boston Red Sox trail the Jays by 5 1/2, the Rays trail by 12 1/2, and the Baltimore Orioles trail by 14.

Tonight, the Yankees return home, to face the Sox. The Auld Enemy. The Scum. That lot up I-95. Here are the projected pitching matchups:

* Tonight, first pitch scheduled for 7:15, on Fox: Luis Gil vs. Lucas Giolito.

* Tomorrow night, 7:05, on Amazon Prime: Max Fried vs. Brayan Bello.

* Saturday afternoon, 1:05, the only game of this series that will be on YES: Will Warren vs. Garret Crochet. Atrocious Pun Alert: I wonder how soon Crochet will get the hook? 

* Sunday night, 7:10, on ESPN: Rodón is slated for the Yankees, while the Sox have not yet chosen a starter.

Come on you Pinstripes!

Yankees Flop Against Astros, Again

This weekend, the Yankees faced the Red Sox South, the Houston Asterisks, at Yankee Stadium II. As usual, the Astros were in the Yankees' heads. In particular, that cheating midget José Altuve was.

Rookie Cam Schlitter started on Friday night, allowing 2 runs over 5 innings. Those 2 runs came on a home run by Altuve in the 1st inning, but Schlittler was fine the rest of the way. That should have been enough.

It wasn't: We only got 5 hits all night. That included no baserunners whatsoever in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. Aaron Boone brought Devin Williams in to pitch the top of the 10th. This was a very stupid thing to do. Carlos Correa singled "ghost runner" Altuve home. Williams got 2 outs, then allowed a home run to former Yankee Taylor Trammell to make it 5-2.

In the bottom of the 10th, Amed Rosario flew out. Anthony Volpe singled home ghost runner Jazz Chisholm. Paul Goldschmidt flew out. Giancarlo Stanton drew a walk, so the tying runs were on base. But Trent Grisham just got under one, and it was a long out. Astros 5, Yankees 3.

On social media, the blame seemed to go more to Boone than to Williams, because Williams is a known bad commodity that Boone should have avoided at all costs.

*

Jeremy Peña led off the Saturday game with a home run off Luis Gil, who really needed a bounceback performance after his initial off-injury start was terrible. He was fine, getting into the 6th inning allowing only 1 more run.

The Yankees led 4-2 after 7 innings. This time, it was new acquisition Camilo Doval who blew the lead, and it was 4-4. But Grisham hit one out in the bottom of the 8th, and new acquisition David Bednar got a 5-out save. Yankees 5, Astros 4.

*

There should have been some momentum going into the Sunday game, but it vanished quickly. Max Fried, who seemed to be the front-runner for the American League Cy Young Award in the 1st half of the season, allowed 4 runs in 5 innings, including another 1st inning home run to that little piece of shit, Altuve.

The Yankees never caught up, with not even their only run coming on a hit: New acquisition Ryan McMahon hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 7th. Astros 7, Yankees 1.

*

It's bad, it's getting worse, and it's getting late. On June 12, the Yankees were 42-25. Over 162 games, that's a pace for 101-61. Since then, they are 20-31, on a pace for 63-99. We can blame the many injuries, but there has also been some stupid play: Stupid fielding, stupid baserunning, swing at stupid pitches, and stupid pitching choices by Boone.

They are 62-56. The Toronto Blue Jays currently lead the American League Eastern Division by 4 games over the Boston Red Sox, 6 1/2 over the Yankees -- 6 in (Cliché Alert) the all-important loss column. There are 44 games left to play. The Yankees would have to gain an average of 1 game a week to overtake the Jays for the Division title. If the current standings hold to the end of the season, the Yankees would be the 6th and final seed in the AL Playoffs -- barely.

The Minnesota Twins come in tonight. This is a team the Yankees usually handle. They're going to need to.

Yankees Barely Escape Texas

Ben Rice (left) and David Bednar

Most of the Yankees series away to the Texas Rangers was awful. Arguably, they deserved to get swept.

The Monday night game might have been their worst of the season, feel-wise. Max Fried, perhaps the front-runner for the American League Cy Young Award in the 1st half of the season, suffered from "onebadinningitis," allowing 4 runs in the bottom of the 2nd. Otherwise, he was fine, and the Yankees led, 5-4 after the top of the 4th inning. Thanks to a perfect inning each from Luke Weaver and new acquisitions Camilo Doval and David Bednar, they held that lead all the way to the bottom of the 9th.

But, as we have seen, Devin Williams can't handle being the Yankees' closer. He got the 1st out in the bottom of the 9th, then gave up a game-tying home run to former Los Angeles Dodgers star Joc Pederson, who had been struggling mightily lately.

In the top of the 10th, a grounder to short by Jazz Chisholm got ghost runner Jasson Domínguez to 3rd base, and Anthony Volpe drew a walk, but Austin Wells grounded into a double play. New acquisition Jake Bird got a strikeout and a groundout, but manager Aaron Boone ordered an intentional walk to Wyatt Langford, to set up the force play. Big mistake: Josh Jung crushed a home run to end it: Rangers 8, Yankees 5.

The reaction online was horrible, although Boone bore the brunt of it, rather than Williams. The "keyboard warriors" seemed to pity Williams, while demanding Boone's head.

*

Saturday's game brought what might be general manager Brian Cashman's worst transaction back to haunt us. Yes, worse than refusing to sign either Hideki Matsui or Johnny Damon after the 2009 World Series. Worse than trading for Jeff Weaver. Worse than signing Carl Pavano or Jacoby Ellsbury. Worse than bringing in Vázquez, Scott Proctor, and Adam Warren twice each. Worse than dismantling the bullpen in 2016 for a bunch of prospects, the best of whom turned out to be Gleyber Torres. (Which was predicted. But he failed, which was not -- except by me.)

From April 10 to August 30, 2015, Nathan Eovaldi went 14-2 for the Yankees. But he got hurt in a loss on September 5. He only went 9-8 in 2016, pitching just 1 inning on August 10. He had his 2nd Tommy John surgery, and would be out the rest of the way, and for all of 2017. He was 26 years old, and Cashman gave up on him, releasing him on November 23, 2016 -- the day before Thanksgiving. Happy Holidays, kid.

Eovaldi pitched and won the clinching game of the 2018 AL Division Series -- against the Yankees, for the Boston Red Sox. He has continued to pitch well against the Yankees, and did so again on Saturday, for the Rangers. He went 8 innings. Here's a list of the baserunners he allowed: A double to Volpe with 2 out in the 3rd. That's it. That's the list. Ryan McMahon singled off reliever Phil Maton to lead off the 9th, but we couldn't get him home. All that despite Aaron Judge coming off the Injured List: Not once did he look like he would reach base. (Hitting a home run counts as "reaching base," but he never looked like he would hit one, either.)

The thing is, this pathetic offensive output wasted some really good pitching. Will Warren allowed 3 hits and 3 walks over 5 innings, Doval pitched a scoreless 6th, and Luke Weaver a scoreless 7th. Of course, Williams was brought in to pitch the 8th, with the score 0-0. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. After starting with a groundout, he allowed double, walk, walk, single. Final score: Rangers 2, Yankees 0.

Eovaldi is 101-84 for his career -- 23-11 as a Yankee, 63-37 since Cashman dumped him.

*

Wednesday would be a day game after a night game, so the Yankees could fly home on Wednesday night, and then have the next day to rest. Former Yankee (and Met) Al Leiter and former Yankee Mark Leiter Sr. were at the game. Al's son Jack started for the Rangers, and Mark's son Mark Jr. relieved for the Yankees.

Carlos Rodón started for the Yankees, and was a little shaky through the 1st 3 innings, falling behind, 1-0 in the 3rd. The Yankees took a 2-1 lead in the 4th, but Rodón couldn't hold it, and the Rangers tied it in the 5th.

The hero would be Paul Goldschmidt: With 1 out in the top of the 7th, he cranked one to deep left field. Tim Hill and Yerry de los Santos pitched a scoreless 7th. de los Santos got the 1st out in the 8th, but then Boone took him out, which made no sense. He brought in Bednar to get a 5-out save. For the 1st 4, Bednar was fine. But with 2 outs in the 9th, he walked Corey Seager and gave up a single to the seriously struggling Marcus Semien. Finally, he showed some character, and struck Adolis García out.

Whew: Yankees 3, Rangers 2. They barely held off the sweep. And maybe, just maybe, we have a closer, in Bednar. Definitely not one in Williams.

*

With 47 games remaining in the regular season, the Yankees are 61-54, for a winning percentage of .530, which works out to 86 wins over a full season. They are in 3rd place in the AL Eastern Division, 6 1/2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays, with the Red Sox 4 back. If the current standings hold to the end of the season, the Yankees would be the 6th and last seed in the AL Playoffs.

That is unacceptable, especially with the bullpen trades that Cashman made 2 weeks ago.

The Yankees have returned home, and will play a 3-game weekend series with the cheating Houston Astros. Tomorrow is Old-Timers Day. Hopefully, they won't embarrass the legends.

Yanks Sweep Royals, Head to Boston

So, in between series against the hated Boston Red Sox, the Yankees went to Kansas City to play the Royals. Max Fried started on Tuesday night, went 7 innings, and allowed only 2 runs on 6 hits, with no walks. He was backed by home runs by Aaron Judge and Austin Wells. The Yankees won, 10-2.

Clarke Schmidt started on Wednesday night, and pitched 6 shutout innings. The Yankees scored 5 runs in the top of the 2nd inning, including another homer by Judge. It was 6-0 Yankees going into the bottom of the 9th, by Mark Leiter Jr. had nothing. Devin Williams had to come in and close it out. Despite my fears, he actually did it. Yankees 6, Royals 3.

How many pitchers does it take to pitch a 5-hit shutout? If you're Brian Cashman, apparently, 5. Will Warren allowed 4 over the 1st 5 2/3rds last night. Tim Hill got the last out in the 6th and the 1st 2 in the 7th. Leiter got the last out in the top of the 7th. It was still 0-0.

In the top of the 8th, Pablo Reyes singled. Judge struck out. Trent Grisham grounded out. But... Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. Ben Rice drew a walk. Paul Goldschmidt hit a drive just over the outstretched glove of Royal 2nd baseman Jonathan India. Reyes tried to score, then stumbled, leaned back to 3rd base, then decided he could score, anyway. 1st baseman Vinnie Pasquantino made a bad throw to the plate, and Reyes scored.

Jonathan Loáisiga pitched a perfect 8th, and Williams pitched a perfect 9. It was the Yankees' 4th 1-0 win of the season so far.

The Yankees head into Fenway leading the American League Eastern Division by 4 1/2 games over the Toronto Blue Jays, 6 1/2 over the Tampa Bay Rays, 9 1/2 over the Sox, and 15 over the Baltimore Orioles.

This series is hardly a must-win, but you want to win as much as you can, especially against, as they say in English soccer rivalries, that lot. Here's the prospective pitching matchups:

* Tonight, 7:10, on YES: Ryan Yarbrough vs. Garrett Crochet.

* Tomorrow, 7:15, on Fox: Carlos Rodón vs. Hunter Dobbins.

* Sunday, 1:35, on YES: Max Fried vs. Brayan Bello. That's right: Not the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball broadcast. Instead, they will show the National League's greatest rivalry, the San Francisco Giants at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Yankees Take 2 of 3 vs. Guardians

After coming back from their disappointing series in Los Angeles, the Yankees came home to face the Cleveland Guardians, and the rotten news that their closer, Luke Weaver, will be on the Injured List, probably until the All-Star Break.

Carlos Rodón started on Tuesday night. He pitched like he didn't trust a Weaver-less bullpen, going 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 1 walk. DJ LeMahieu singled a run home in the 5th inning, and the 7th inning began with home runs by Jazz Chisholm and Anthony Volpe. Mark Leither Jr. pitched a scoreless 8th.

So Aaron Boone handed the ball, and a 3-1 lead, to Devin Williams for the 9th. He got the 1st out. Then he allowed a double. Then he got a strikeout. Then he allowed an RBI double. It was 3-2, and I'm having Aroldis Chapman, Boone Longa, Kyle Farnsworth and Scott Proctor flashbacks. But Williams got the last out. Yankees 3, Guardians 2.

Clarke Schmidt started on Wednesday night, and didn't have much. He also didn't get much. Aaron Judge and Ben Rice each had 2 hits, Cody Bellinger 1, and that was it. Guardians 4, Yankees 0.

So Wednesday night's game felt like a must-win. Max Fried sure pitched like it: He bounced back from his one bad start of the season so far with 6 shutout innings, allowing 1 hit and 2 walks, with 7 strikeouts.

Bellinger hit a 2-run home run in the 4th inning. He also singled home a run in the 8th, followed by an RBI single by Chisholm. Leiter got into trouble in the 7th, but Tim Hill got out of it, and pitched a perfect 8th. Jonathan Loáisiga pitched a perfect 9th. Yankees 4, Guardians 0.

The Yankees lead the American League Eastern Division, over the Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays by 5 1/2 games, the Boston Red Sox by 9 1/2, and the Baltimore Orioles by 13.

Now, the hated Red Sox come in to Yankee Stadium II for a 3-game weekend series. Then, the Yankees go on the road, first to play the Kansas City Royals, then to Boston to play the Red Sox. So, 6 of the next 9 are against the ancient rivals.

Here are the times, TV coverage, and listed pitching matchups for the Yanks-Sox series that begins tonight:

* Tonight, 1st pitch at 7:05, on YES: Will Warren vs. Walker Buehler.

* Tomorrow, 7:35, on Fox: Ryan Yarbrough vs. Garret Crochet.

* Sunday, 7:10, on ESPN: Carlos Rodón vs. Hunter Dobbins.

Come on you Pinstripes! Beat The Scum!

Citi Series Wrapup: Yankees Embarrass Mets, Who Embarrass Themselves

Dr. Francis Young, who calls himself a "Historian of religion and belief," has said, "Anglicans obsessed with the papacy (I’m one of them) are the ecclesiastical equivalent of Americans obsessed with the British monarchy - the strange phenomenon of people being obsessed with the one thing whose repudiation defines their existence."

Sort of like Mets fans, forever obsessed with the Yankees.

The father of modern psychology, Sigmund Freud, had an expression: "The vanity of small differences." This explains many local rivalries: The people on each side are more similar than they would care to admit, so the differences they so have get blown out of proportion, or even made up altogether, as lies.

*

In the Citi Series at Yankee Stadium II that concluded last night -- remember, a regular-season series is not a Subway Series -- both teams work camouflage-"colored" caps in honor of Armed Forces Weekend.

Carlos Rodón started the Friday night game. He didn't allow a single baserunner over the 1st 3 innings, and the Yankees gave him 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd. Well, the Mets helped, thanks to an error by Francisco Lindor. It led to an early exit for Met starter Tylor Megill. The Yankees scored 2 more in the 4th.

But Rodón allowed a run in the 4th, and a walk in the 5th led Aaron Boone to think it was time to go to the bullpen for the 6th. Jonathan Loáisiga, back from Tommy John surgery that limited him to 1 appearance all last season, and that 1 very early, made his 2025 debut, and kept the Mets from scoring in the 6th.

Mark Leiter Jr. did so in the 7th, and so did Devin Williams in the 8th. (Of course: He wasn't the closer. It was still pressure-packed.) Yerry de los Santos got into trouble in the 9th, allowing 2 walks and an RBI double by Lindor. Luke Weaver had to be brought in to get the last out. Yankees 6, Mets 2.

*

On Saturday afternoon, Clarke Schmidt repeated Rodón's feat the night before, of going through the 1st 3 innings without a baserunner, and getting a lead, on a home run by the back-from-injury DJ LeMahieu. But, like Rodón, he faltered in the 4th, allowing 2 runs. Cody Bellinger tied it by leading off the bottom of the 6th with a home run.

Leiter relieved Schmidt in the 7th. Tim Hill and Fernando Cruz combined to hold the Mets off in the 8th. But in the 9th, with 1 out, Cruz walked a batter, gave up a single, and hit a batter, before Lindor hit a sacrifice fly to give the Mets the 3-2 win.

*

Last night, on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, would decide the series. Max Fried started, and pitched decently for 6 innings. The game was tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the 8th.

My grandmother was from Queens, a Brooklyn Dodger fan who became a Met fan. The thing that bothered her the most was errors; next, walks.

Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Met reliever Ryne Stanek started the inning by walking Jasson Domínguez. He struck LeMahieu out, but gave up a double to Austin Wells. Jorbit Vivas was up, and he hit a grounder to Met 1st baseman Pete Alonso. He's the guy Met fans call "the Polar Bear" and consider to be a better power hitter than Aaron Judge. Alonso threw in the direction of home plate, but wide, and Domínguez scored.

That would have been embarrassing enough for Met fans, if that had been the end of it. That wasn't the end of it: Paul Goldschmidt singled Wells home. Met manager Carlos Mendoza brought Génesis Rodriguez in to relieve. In a manner of speaking, he also issued a leadoff walk, since he walked the 1st batter he faced, Trent Grisham. He struck Judge out, dropping Judge's batting average for the season to .401.

Judge must have softened Cabrera up for Bellinger, who hit a grand slam deep to right field. This made the much-maligned Williams the winning pitcher, as Tim Hill pitched a perfect 9th, and the Yankees won, 8-2. The Yankees had taken the series. They had humiliated the Mets, and the Mets had humiliated themselves.

Postscript, added after posting: I didn't mention Juan Soto at all. He got booed plenty, and went 1-for-10 with 3 walks and 2 stolen bases. Judge went 3-for-12 with 3 walks. Currently, without Soto batting in front of him, Judge is batting .401 with 15 home runs and 41 RBIs; without Judge batting behind him as "protection," Soto is batting .246 with 8 homers and 20 RBIs. And, on the Mets, he's behind both Alonso and Lindor in being "The Man."

As we say here in the New York Tri-State Area, I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

Postscript 2: In the Mets fan blog Faith and Fear In Flushing, Jason Fry said this about Bellinger's grand slam: "It would have been a flyout in a park with dimensions not suited for a flea circus, but that’s sour grapes: The fences were the same distance when the Mets were hitting, and they didn’t hit a single ball out of Yankee Stadium this weekend."

That's right. They didn't. The Mets had Soto, they had Alonso, they had Lindor, and they had others, and, in 27 innings, they couldn't hit one single home run in that "little league ballpark." So maybe it's not as easy as it looks, fellas.

Or maybe the Yankees are simply good enough to turn all MLB stadiums into "little league ballparks."

Or maybe the Yankees just have better pitching. Nah, none of the Flushing Heathen would ever admit that.

*

Anyway... 

We are 28 percent of the way through the regular season. The Yankees are in 1st place in the American League Eastern Division, 5 games ahead of both the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays, 6 ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays, and 11 1/2 ahead of the Baltimore Orioles.

The Yankees have today off, and welcome the Texas Rangers to The Stadium tomorrow. The Mets? What is their punishment for humiliating themselves? They have to go play the Boston Red Sox, in Fenway Park. You will never find a more disgusting hive of scum and villainy.

The Yankees host The Scum on June 4, 5 and 6; and go to Scum Town the following weekend. The rematch with the Mutts will happen at Pity Field on July 4, 5 and 6 -- with the 4th of July holiday providing a rare post-Opening Day occurrence of an entire series of day games.