Yankees Get Screwed In the Smog In Doubleheader Opener

The dangerous air quality from the smog caused by the Quebec wildfire postponed last night's home games for the Yankees, the New York Liberty (even though they play home games indoors, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn), Gotham FC (the National Women's Soccer League team, formerly Sky Blue FC, who play at Red Bull Arena); and, one metro area over, the Philadelphia Phillies. 

The Yankees announced a single-admission doubleheader with the Chicago White Sox for today, and the improved air quality has made it possible. Things are supposed to be considerably better tomorrow and Saturday. 

Still, Governor Kathy Hochul, with the final word over the New York Racing Association, and thus over Belmont Park, is considering tbe possibility of postponing the Belmont Stakes, set for Saturday.

Luis Severino started today's opener for the Yankees. In the top of the 2nd inning, he gave up a home run to Jake Burger (not to be confused with Yankee outfielder Jake Bauers), and the South Siders had a 2-0 lead.

The Yankees tied it in the bottom of the 2nd with a triple by Scranton callup Billy McKinney, a double by Kyle Higashioka, and a single by Willie Calhoun. But Severino gave up a pair of solo homers in the 3rd, to Luis Robert Jr. and Yoan Moncada, to make it 4-2 Chicago.

Higashioka reached on an error in the 4th, and Calhoun hit a home run to tie the game. The Yankees took the lead in the 5th, when Bauers doubled and Oswaldo Cabrera singled him home. But Michael King, who'd been really good lately, gave up a 2-run homer to Eloy Jiménez in the 7th, and it was 6-5 Pale Hose.

In the bottom of the 9th, Josh Donaldson drew a leadoff walk, and was removed for pinch-runner Anthony Volpe. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a grounder that was mishandled by 2nd baseman Romy González, putting the tying run on 2nd and the winning run on 1st with nobody out. Gleyber Torres hit a drive down the right field line, but it was just 8 feet foul. He then popped up.

Anthony Rizzo grounded into a double play to end the game. But Aaron Boone challenged the call, and White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson's foot was definitely off 2nd base when he got the throw from González. So it should have been tying run on 3rd, winning run on 2nd with 2 outs. The umpires lied, and called IKF out, anyway.

Now, there's no guarantee that the next batter would have gotten a hit. But it was Giancarlo Stanton, and how nice would it have been for Yankee Fans, dealing with this smog for 3 days, to get a walkoff home run? Or at least a hit.

But the umpires lied. And so, White Sox 6, Yankees 5. WP: Gregory Santos (2-0). SV: Kendall Graveman (6). LP: King (1-2).

The nightcap starts half an hour later. Randy Vásquez will start for the Yankees, Mike Clevinger for the ChiSox.

Yanks 8, Phils 5: A-Rod Homers in a World Series Game!

Two wins to go. The Yankees took Game 3 of the World Series, 8-5 over the still-fightin' Phils. I am under no illusions that those last 2 wins will be easy, not even with CC Sabathia going in Game 4 in 19 hours. After all, he'll be on 3 days rest, and it is in the Phils' beautiful but bandbox ballpark.

Our long national nightmare is over: Alex Rodriguez has hit a World Series home run. Even then, it had to be confirmed by the instant replay. But he's done it.

It is somewhat fitting that the 1st possible home run decided by instant replay in MLB history was hit by A-Rod. It is also somewhat fitting that his potential 1st World Series home run was controversial -- but not as controversial as it would have been had there not been the instant replay rule.

Ryan Howard, however, remains in a serious funk – and not the good kind of serious funk that was produced by Philly music writers-producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in the Seventies.

Who would've thought that A-Rod would twice be hit by pitches in a game in this Series, and it wouldn't be the game that Pedro Martinez pitched? First Cole Hamels (before the homer), then Chad Durbin (after the homer).

Chad Durbin. Sounds like a character from a soap opera. Then, again, Philadelphia sports is a soap opera, isn't it? Search For a Win Tomorrow. As the Stomach Turns. Getting Booed By All My Children. No Life to Live. The Young and the Reckless.

Andy Pettitte broke the pattern, having a pretty good postseason start after a pretty good postseason start. Cole Hamels, however, didn't have much. He was relieved by J.A. Happ. Fixing the Phillies' pitching problems? Tonight, Happ was not the app for that. Happ was hapless.

Pettitte also had an RBI single. As with A-Rod hitting a World Series home run, a Yankee pitcher getting an RBI hit had not happened in my lifetime. The last time was in 1964, Game 6, by Jim Bouton. Bouton did it? As the man himself would say, "Yeah, surrrre!" Believe it.

(UPDATE: On the official World Series highlight film, Derek Jeter told Phils catcher Carlos Ruiz that the Yankees would never hear the end of that hit.)

I heard the "Let's Go Yankees!" chant at "The Bank." I also heard "Hip Hip Jorge!" when Posada batted in the 8th, but the Philly Boo-Birds came out to drown that one out.

This has been a fun Series so far, with all 3 games being close at least into the 8th inning. And, for my money, it's been played at the 2 best ballparks, the best in each league: The new Yankee Stadium (which is starting to feel more and more like "Yankee Stadium") and Citizens Bank Park.