Time for Yankee Fans to Get Concerned

On June 6, the Yankees were 45-19, leading the American League Eastern Division by 4 1/2 games, and looking like they might be headed for a title.

Then Juan Soto got hurt. I'm not saying he came back too soon. But since he got hurt, the Yankees are only 5-5.

The Yankees' trip to face the Kansas City Royals was very nearly a 4-game sweep. Last Monday night, Carlos Rodón was terrific for 7 innings, Alex Verdugo and Jose Trevino each got 2 hits, and the Yankees won, 4-2. On Tuesday night, Marcus Stroman pitched just well enough into the 6th, while we got home runs from Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Austin Wells (who raised his batting average to .211), and we beat the Royals, 10-1. On Wednesday night, we staked Cody Poteet to 6 runs before he even threw a pitch. He pitched decently, and he was backed by homers from Stanton, Trevino and Gleyber Torres, and we won, 11-5.

The Thursday afternoon game was a bit anticlimactic. It was a classic "day game after a night game." But there were worrying signs. Nestor Cortés pitched well for 7 innings. Soto went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Anthony Rizzo hit a home run. But it was 2-0 Royals after 7. The Yankees scored 3 runs in the 8th. But Clay Holmes is supposed to be our closer. In the bottom of the 9th, he got the 1st out. Then he allowed a hit. Then he got a forceout. Then he allowed a single and a 2-RBI double to lose the game, 4-3.

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Finally, for the 1st time in the season, the Yankees faced the Auld Enemy. The Scum. The Boston Red Sox. The Friday night game couldn't have gone much better, with former Red Sock Verdugo hitting a 2-run homer in the 1st inning. Luis Gil pitched very well for 5 innings, but, with 104 pitches under his belt, Aaron Boone panicked, and took him out. Fortunately, the bullpen allowed just 1 hit and 3 walks the rest of the way. Trevino added a homer, and the Yankees won, 8-1.

But since this is Yankees vs. Red Sox, of course, there was a Saturday game on Fox, and a Sunday game on ESPN. How often do the Yankees win those, especially at Fenway Park? Rodón had nothing on Saturday night. Soto hit a home run, Stanton went 2-for-4, and the seriously struggling DJ LeMahieu had 3 RBIs. But the Yankees fell behind 5-2 after 2 innings, and were never really in it, losing 8-4.

Last night's game should have been winnable. Judge hit one so far over the Green Monster in the 1st inning, I thought it was going to get charged with a toll on the Massachusetts Turnpike. But Stroman was awful, falling behind 4-1 after 5 innings. The Yankees pulled 2 back in the 6th, including on another home run by Trevino.

The top of the 7th was the series, and the Yankees from July 2016 onward, in a nutshell. Verdugo led off with a single. Stanton added another. Anthony Rizzo reached on an error -- then had to leave the game due to an injury. Oswaldo Cabrera pinch-ran for him. Bases loaded, nobody out, trailing by a run, at Fenway Park. This could have been an explosive inning, a message-sender.

It sent a message, all right: Never trust Gleyber Torres in a clutch situation. He ran the count to 3 balls and no strikes, then took 2 strike right down the middle, and swung at a pitch away and in the dirt for strike 3. Once again, Brian Cashman's golden boy, his "Derek Jeter," came up small when we needed him to come up big.

Trevino also struck out, and LeMahieu hit a long fly to center, but not long enough, and it was still 4-3 Boston when the inning ended. Then Boone brought Caleb Ferugson in to relieve at Fenway Park. Ferguson has been, by far, the Yankees' worst pitcher this season, so this was like giving a man with Parkinson's disease a loaded gun. He pitched to the minimum 3 batters: Walk, lineout, single. Boone then brought in Luke Weaver, who was just as bad: Single, triple, hit-by-pitch, before getting the last 2 outs. The Red Sox added 2 more in the 8th, and they won, 9-3.

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We are now 45 percent of the way through the regular season. The Yankees are 50-24, with a winning percentage of .676, the best in baseball. We lead the AL East by a game and a half over the Baltimore Orioles. Things look great -- if that's all you know.

But it is time to get concerned. The Orioles are dead even with us in the all-important loss column. We are only 1-3 against them, 1-2 against the Red Sox, just 2-2 against the awful Oakland Athletics, 2-2 against the Seattle Mariners, 3-3 against the Toronto Blue Jays; and 1-2 , at home, in an Interleague series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a potential World Series opponent -- if we get that far. (And if they do: They just lost Mookie Betts to a broken hand on a hit-by-pitch. He'll be out for a while.)

True, we are 6-1 against the Houston Astros, but they don't seem to be in anybody's heads this season. And if they do get it together, and get into the Playoffs, can we really trust the Yankees against them?

Check out these on-base percentages. Not batting averages, on-base percentages: Wells .208, Stanton .238, Cabrera .275, Rizzo .289, Torres .298, LeMahieu .304, Verdugo .313, Trevino .317. Meanwhile, Clarke Schmidt is on the Injured List, and Rodón, Cortés and Stroman have been shaky lately.

Injury-wise, as I said, Schmidt is out, Gerrit Cole has been out all season, Jonathan Loáisiga is out for the season, and Jasson Domínguez, who had been tearing up Triple-A ball with his hitting in his injury rehab, is back on the IL.

Rizzo is day-to-day. The current rumor is that Cole could make his major league season debut this Wednesday night. Domínguez could be playing at Triple-A again in a week. Schmidt could return after the All-Star Break. So might reliever Scott Effross, which had better mean bye-bye, Ferguson -- if we don't dump him earlier.  

The Yankees have today off. Then, 3 games at home against the O's, a great chance to show that we can handle a good team -- or not. Then, 3 in a home Interleague series with the Atlanta Braves. Then, 2 away to the suddenly competent Mets. Followed by 4 in Toronto against those pesky Blue Jays.

This could be the trouble part of the season. Or the snap-out-of-it part of the season.

Meanwhile, tonight is Game 5 of the NBA Finals, and the Boston Celtics could win their record 18th title, eliminating the Dallas Mavericks. And the next night is Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and the Florida Panthers could win their 1st title, eliminating the Edmonton Oilers.

And in soccer, Euro 2024 is ongoing in Germany. And the U.S. hosts the Copa América, the Western Hemisphere-wide tournament for national teams, starting on Thursday night. The U.S. plays Bolivia at the Dallas Cowboys' stadium next Sunday afternoon, Panama at the Atlanta Falcons' stadium the following Thursday night, and Uruguay at the Kansas City Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium the following Monday night. Do we have a chance to win the tournament? Yes. A good chance? No.

Yanks Stay On Top of MLB with 2 of 3 vs. Guardians

When I was a kid, the Yankees never, ever lost to the Cleveland Guardians.

Of course, when I was a kid, the Yankees never, ever beat the Cleveland Guardians, either. They were known as the Cleveland Indians from 1915 to 2021.

The Yankees and the Guardians were supposed to start a 3-game series at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Friday night, but it rained, resulting in a doubleheader on Saturday. Clarke Schmidt started the opener, and allowed 2 runs, 1 of them earned, over 5 innings and change. It was a little worrying that he walked 5 batters, along with allowing 3 hits, but he struck out 7. The bullpen kept the "Guards" off the scoreboard the rest of the way. A 2-run home run from Oswaldo Cabrera in the 6th made the difference, and the Yankees won, 3-2.

Cody Poteet, 29 years old and with 19 previous major league appearances to his credit, all with the Miami Marlins, made his Yankee debut as the starting pitcher in the nightcap. He went 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 6 hits, and no walks, striking out 4. Anthony Rizzo and Anthony Volpe each had 2 hits, and Juan Soto hit a home run, and the Yankees won, 8-2. That's 12 out of 15 to start the season.

The Sunday game didn't go so well. Nestor Cortés for the Yankees, and allowed 4 runs in 4 innings. Aaron Judge and Jose Trevino hit home runs. The Guardians took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the 8th. A double by Volpe tied the game in the 9th, and it went to extra innings -- meaning, the damn ghost runner came into play.

At first, it helped. In the top of the 10th, Soto was the ghost runner. Judge was intentionally walked to set up a double play. Giancarlo Stanton singled, but Soto couldn't score. Bases loaded, nobody out. The Yankees could have put the game away. Rizzo singled Soto and Judge home. It was 7-5. Gleyber Torres bunted the runners over.

But Alex Verdugo grounded into a double play. To start the bottom of the 10th, Caleb Ferguson was the Yankee reliever. Ferguson had nothing: He allowed a single, and RBI groundout, a double, a game-tying fielder's choice, and a game-losing sacrifice fly. Guardians 8, Yankees 7.

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So, as things stand, the Yankees are 12-4, despite Gerrit Cole, D.J. LeMahieu and Jonathan Loáisiga being unavailable, our catchers batting a combined .157, Torres batting only .203, Judge batting only .207, Verdugo batting only .218, and no would-be closer better than Clay Holmes.

That 12-4 record is the best in Major League Baseball. They lead the American League Eastern Division by 2 1/2 games over the Baltimore Orioles, 3 over the Tampa Bay Rays, 3 1/2 over the Boston Red Sox, and 4 over the Toronto Blue Jays. Given the nature of the early season, when postponements are more common, and teams tend not to have played the same number of games, in the all-important loss column, the Yanks lead the O's by 2, the Rays by 3, and the Sox and Jays by 4 each.

The Yankees' roadtrip continues tonight, in Toronto. Luis Gil starts for the Yankees, against Chris Bassitt.

Yankees Win Opener Thanks to Juan Soto's Arm

The New York Yankees opened the 2024 season yesterday, against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. For a while, it was looking more like an October matchup with the Chicken Fried Cheats. Like all our worries about injuries, anti-clutch hitting, and new players not adjusting well to the team were coming true.

Didn't end up that way, though.

The Yankees took the field with their road uniforms having no white trim around the numbers on the back and the block letters NEW YORK on the front, as was the case until 1972, although they kept the font they've used since 1973.

And with Gerrit Cole out, for what looks like the 1st 2 months of the season, it was Nestor Cortés who was sent out to start by manager Aaron Boone. Nasty Nestor allowed 3 runs in the 1st inning and another in the 2nd, and it looked like we were doomed to 0-1 early.

A funny thing happened on the way to the Astros beating us: As they would say in English soccer, Four-nil, and they fucked it up! Well, they had help. Yankee help. The Yankees loaded the bases on Framber Valdez in the top of the 5th, and Juan came up with his 1st Yankee hit, scoring Jose Trevino for Soto's 1st Yankee RBI. The bases were still loaded, and Valdez hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch. Clearly, that was not intentional, because it forced in Oswaldo Cabrera. The bases were still loaded, and Valdez walked Anthony Volpe. The Yankees were within 4-3.

Cabrera hit a home run in the 6th, and the game was tied. Aaron Judge led off the top of the 7th with a double. Giancarlo Stanton grounded to 3rd, and Judge was unable to advance. Rizzo singled, but Judge could only get to 3rd. Volpe drew another walk. And Alex Verdugo hit a sacrifice fly to left, bringing Judge home with Verdugo's 1st Yankee RBI. Back in the dugout, Judge congratulated Verdugo, and it seemed like he was as happy for his teammate's RBI sac fly as he would have been had he hit a home run. It was 5-4 Yankees.

Jonathan Loáisiga pitched a scoreless 6th and a scoreless 7th. Ian Hamilton pitched a scoreless 8th. Clay Holmes was called on to finish the game. The Astros weren't going to give up. Mauricio Dubón led off the inning with a single. Up next was that cheating little piece of trash José Altuve, but he hit a liner right at 2nd baseman Gleyber Torres. Yordan Álvarez hit one that 1st baseman Rizzo could only stop, unable to make a throw. Now, the tying run was on 2nd, the winning run on 1st, with only 1 out. Everyone expected the Astros to win it.

Kyle Tucker singled to right. But Soto is now in right field, with Judge having been moved to center. And Soto threw home, and catcher Trevino just got the tag on Dubón, with no time to spare. Home plate umpire James Hoye called him out. Naturally, the Astros called for a replay, which proved that the initial call was correct.

A weak grounder by Alex Bregman to Volpe, who threw to Torres covering 2nd, and it was, as radio announcer John Sterling said, for the 1st time in a game that counted since September 30, 2023...

"Ballgame over! Yankees win! Theeeeeeee Yankees win!"

Yankees 5, Astros 4. WP: Loáisiga (1-0). SV: Holmes (1, but give credit to Soto for a great throw). LP: Ryan Pressly (0-1). Attendance: 42,642. And the time of the game, as TV announcer Michael Kay would say, a very manageable 2 hours and 41 minutes.

How big was Soto's throw? It preserved a huge win. It's huge because, since 2015, the Astros have been in the Yankees' heads. The Yankees went down there, and messed with Texas, literally beating them on their own turf. (In this case, real grass.) You never hear a championship team say that their biggest regular-season win was on Opening Day. But if the Yankees make the Playoffs, especially if they end up with a higher seed than the Asterisks, this may well end up being the biggest result of the regular season.

"That was a Yankee classic right there," Judge said after the game. "Juan's debut, that was pretty special out of him. Come up, get his first hit, first at-bat, he takes a walk. Then come up there and, biggest moment of the game and just be cool, calm and collected and deliver a strike home."

The baseball season is underway, and the Yankees are undefeated, and in 1st place. That's just the way I like it.

I don't know how long that will last, but if the Yankees end the season in 1st place, I will be shocked. Pleased, but shocked.

The series continues tonight. Carlos Rodón starts against Cristian Javier.

Yankees Take Holiday Matinee vs. O's

It was a hot 4th of July. It rained, too, and today's holiday matinee at Yankee Stadium was delayed half an hour.

Clarke Schmidt started against the Baltimore Orioles, and pitched shutout ball over the 1st 4 innings. But, in the 5th, he gave up a home run to, of all people, former Yankee Aaron Hicks. And Hicks still got booed by the Bronx crowd. Schmidt ended up giving up 3 runs in that inning, and left thereafter.

Gleyber Torres hit a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 1st. He nearly had another homer in the 3rd, but it was caught at the warning track. Isiah Kiner-Falefa got a run home in the 4th with a sacrifice fly. But Schmidt's wobble in the 5th allowed the O's to tie the game.

Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. To start the bottom of the 5th, Jose Trevino drew a walk on Kyle Gibson. It turned out not to mean anything, as Anthony Rizzo grounded into a double play. But Torres drew a walk. Giancarlo Stanton hit one up the gap. So often, Torres has been criticized for a lack of hustle. This time, he ran through the stop sign put up by 3rd base coach -- and former Mets manager -- Luis Rojas, and managed to score all the way from 1st base, giving the Yankees the lead.

The Yankees picked up 3 runs in the 7th, including a home run by Trevino. They got another in the 8th. The Orioles picked up a run in the 9th, but Albert Abreu finished it off. Yankees 8, Orioles 4. WP: Schmidt (4-6). No save. LP: Gibson (8-6).

The series continues tomorrow night. Randy Vásquez starts against Dean Kremer.

Happy Independence Day. Happy Lou Gehrig Day. Happy George Steinbrenner's Birthday. And happy John Sterling's Birthday. As I said yesterday, Celebrate safely, everyone: Be careful on the grill, don't drink too much, and leave the fireworks to the professionals.

IKF Leads Yankee Win Over Mariners

Just the luck to which the Cashman Era Yankees have become accustomed: On the day that Aaron Hicks, who had been designated for assignment, got picked up by a Divisional opponent, the Baltimore Orioles, the center fielder who replaced him, Harrison Bader, went on the Injured List.

Fortunately, for last night's middle game of a series away to the Seattle Mariners, catcher Jose Trevino was activated from said Injured List. He went 0-for-4, but did draw a walk. 

Nestor Cortés started. Over the 1st 4 innings, he allowed no runs on 3 hits and a walk. But in the 5th, he allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. After the 4th inning this season, his ERA is 14.67.

Fortunately, the Yankees gave him some run support, early and often. The game began with Gleyber Torres singling, Aaron Judge drawing a walk, Willie Calhoun flying out, DJ LeMahieu reaching on an error, Isiah Kiner-Falefa singling Torres and Judge home, and Jake Bauers hitting a sacrifice fly that scored LeMahieu. It was 3-0 Yankees.

In the 3rd, Calhoun and IKF singled, and Anthony Volpe hit a home run, to make it 6-0. In the 4th, Greg Allen hit a solo home run, so it was 7-0 before Cortés faltered and made it 7-2. Judge led off the 7th with a home run. IKF singled home 2 runs in the 9th. On the night, he went 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs. His batting average, long under his weight, is now up to .243. Michael King and Ryan Weber each pitched 2 scoreless innings.

Yankees 10, Mariners 2. WP: Cortés (5-2). No save. LP: Logan Gilbert (3-3).

The series concludes tonight. Clarke Schmidt starts against George Kirby. Then the Yankees have tomorrow off. Then they start a series away to the Los Angeles Baseball Team. (I like to call the Dodgers that, in reference to the fact that they left Brooklyn in 1957, and should have given the name up.)

Yanks Bounce Back, Make It 3 of 4 In Toronto

After a disastrous loss, you always want to bounce back with a win. The Yankees closed their series away to the Toronto Blue Jays by sending Nestor Cortés out to start. He pitched 6 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and 1 walk, striking out 6.

The game began with with Gleyber Torres hitting a single and Aaron Judge hiting a home run. Bo Bichette followed this with a solo home run in the bottom of the 1st. The game remained 2-1 through 6 innings. Oswaldo Cabrera led off the top of the 7th with a double. After 2 outs, Aaron Hicks singled him home, making it 3-1.

But you know what I say about leadoff walks. Sending Cortés out to start the bottom of the 7th was the right thing to do, but he walked the leadoff batter. Ryan Weber was sent in, and pitched to the minimum 3 batters, allowing a single and a walk to load the bases with nobody out, before getting a short flyout on which the runner on 3rd couldn't score. He did on the next fly, but a great catch by Harrison Bader in center field ended the inning with the Yankees still on top.

Albert Abreu pitched a perfect 8th. And Hicks got 3 hits. If it was Bizarro Night in Toronto, I'll take it. Anthony Volpe added a home run, which he really needed after his 10th-inning error the night before. Ron Marinaccio pitched a perfect 9th. Yankees 4, Blue Jays 2. WP: Cortés (4-2). SV: Marinaccio (1). LP: José Berríos (3-4). So the Yankees took 3 out of 4, on the road, from those pesky Blue Jays.

Bad news, though: Catcher Jose Trevino went on the Injured List with a hamstring strain. So Kyle Higashioka was last night's catcher. Coming off the Injured List, Ben Rortvedt has been called up. Due to injuries, the man has played all of 39 games in the major leagues, all with the Minnesota Twins in 2021. He came over in the deal for Gary Sánchez, now with the Mets. They took 2 out of 3 from the Tampa Bay Rays this week, so the Yankees are now 6 1/2 games out of 1st place in the American League Eastern Division.

Tonight, the Yankees begin an Interleague series, away to the Cincinnati Reds. Clarke Schmidt starts against Ben Lively. The Reds have a losing record, but are only 5 games out in the National League Central Division.

Yanks Take Walkoff Win Into Big Series With Rays

Clarke Schmidt as the starting pitcher? Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton still hurt? Oswald Peraza and the newly-reactivated Harrison Bader both injured during the game? The offense still weak? The Cleveland Guardians being a Playoff team from last season? It all seemed to add up to another Yankee defeat.

It didn't. Schmidt got into the 5th inning, allowing only 2 runs, neither of them earned, both in the 1st inning, and he calmed down from there. With a day off today, Aaron Boone knew he could use whoever he wanted out of the bullpen, and they'd get rest today. Ian Hamilton finished the 5th, and pitched the 6th. Jimmy Cordero pitched the 7th. Ron Marinaccio pitched the 8th. No further runs scored.

The Yankees tied the game in the 5th. Willie Calhoun hit a home run for the 2nd game in a row. He's now batting .250, after batting only half that a week ago. And the newly-called-up Jake Bauers homered as well.

Marinaccio got the 1st 2 outs in the 9th inning. But Boone took him out after that, and brought in Clay Holmes. This was an incredibly stupid thing to do: Holmes allowed a double and a single, giving the Guardians a 3-2 lead. To make matters worse, the single was a looper, and 3 Yankees came together to try to catch it, and none did. It was a Mets-type play.

To make matters worse still, 2 of those Yankees, center fielder Bader and left fielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa collided. Bader was hurt, and had to leave the game. IKF was able to stay in, and moved to center field. Oswaldo Cabrera moved in to left field.

Guardians manager Terry Francona, our old nemesis from the Boston Red Sox, brought in his closer, Emmanuel Clase. But the Yankees didn't give up. Anthony Rizzo led off with a single, and Boone pinch-ran Peraza for him. Peraza stole 2nd, but he hurt his ankle in the attempt. Aaron Hicks was sent in to pinch-run for him. After DJ LeMahieu grounded out, Calhoun singled Hicks home to tie the game. But Cabrera grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Albert Abreu, who has been less than reliable, was brought in to pitch the 10th inning. He struck out the leadoff batter, then intentionally walked the next one, to set up an inning-ending double play. It worked, and that stranded the "ghost runner."

So, with the walk being intentional, perhaps we can avoid the Cliché Alert. No, we can't: Bauers was the leadoff hitter for the Yanks in the bottom of the 10th, and Guardians reliever Trevor Stephan walked him. IKF bunted him and ghost runner Cabrera over. And Jose Trevino singled Cabrera home with the winning run. Commissioner Rob Manfred's stupid rule worked in the Yankees' favor this time.

Yankees 4, Guardians 3. WP: Abreu (1-0). No save. LP: Stephan (1-1).

After the game, Boone said that Bader would undergo some tests on his head and neck area but appeared to be in "good spirits, laughing in the training room." He also said that Peraza would undergo X-rays, and did not know if the rookie would need a stint on the Injured List.

As I said, the Yankees have today off. Tomorrow night, they start their first big series of the year, away to the Tampa Bay Rays. Here's the schedule, and the projected starting pitchers:

* Friday, first pitch at 6:40 PM: Jhony Brito vs. Yonny Chirinos.

* Saturday, 4:10: Domingo Germán vs. Drew Rasmussen.

* Sunday, 1:40: Gerrit Cole vs. Josh Fleming.

Great Night for Devils, Horrible One for Yankees

Last night was a great night for the New Jersey Devils. It was Game 7 of their 1st Round Playoff series against their despicable arch-rivals, the New York Rangers, at the Prudential Center in Newark. 

They had lost the 1st 2 games of the series, before head coach Lindy Ruff switched goaltenders to Rookie Akira Schmid. It led to the team winning 4 of the next 5, including a 4-0 win in Game 7 last night, in front of an initially nervous, and eventually deliriously happy, home crowd.

The 1st period ended scoreless. Goals were scored in the 2nd period by Michael McLeod and Tomáš Tatar. In the 3rd came goals by Erik Haula and a late empty-netter by Jesper Bratt. Haula scored in the Playoffs for the Florida Panthers in 2020, the Nashville Predators in 2021, the Boston Bruins in 2022, and now for the Devils this season. He has scored in the Playoffs for 4 different teams in 4 seasons. I don't know if that's ever happened before in the NHL's 106-year history.

This was the 7th Playoff series between the teams, and the 3rd win for the Devils. The Mulberry Street Marauders move on to face the Carolina Hurricanes.

As for the Rangers, it's now 83 Years, 1 Cup. Their broadcaster Sam Rosen was right about 1994: That one has lasted a lifetime.

Once again, Ranger fans talked a lot of smack. Once again, they look like idiots. Once again, they had Yankee Fan talk and got Jet fan results.

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Ah, but it wasn’t such a good night for the Yankees. They opened a hone series against the Cleveland Guardians. Domingo Germán started, and pitched very well: Over 8 innings, he allowed no runs on 2 hits and a walk, striking out 5.

The Yankees didn't hit much for him. For a while, it looked like they'd hit just enough. In the 3rd inning, Jose Trevino hit a home run. After Anthony Volpe struck out, Anthony Rizzo walked, and this was followed by singles from Gleyber Torres and DJ LeMahieu, which got Rizzo home. It was 2-0 Yankees.

It was still 2-0 Yankees as the 9th inning began. Manager Aaron Boone let Germán start the inning. He struck Myles Straw out. He needed just 2 more outs.

Then he gave up a single to Steven Kwan. And, noting that he'd thrown 88 pitches, manager Aaron Boone panicked. He took Germán out, and brought in Clay Holmes to close it out. Amed Rosario grounded to short. Volpe threw over, and Holmes himself tried to cover 1st base, and dropped the ball. Holmes then gave up singles to José Ramírez and Josh Naylor, tying the game.

Having let him face the minimum 3 batters, Boone then took Holmes out, and brought in Wandy Peralta. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. Peralta walked Josh Bell to load the bases. He struck Andrés Giménez out, then walked Mike Zunino to force the go-ahead run home.

The bottom of the 9th came and went quietly: Torres grounded back to the pitcher, LeMahieu grounded to short, and Aaron Hicks, he of the .156 batting average, struck out. Boos rang out throughout Yankee Stadium II, and deservedly so.

Guardians 3, Yankees 2. WP: Enyel De Los Santos (2-0). SV: Emmanuel Clase (10). LP: Holmes (0-2). The Yankees are down to .500: 15-15.

The series continues tonight. Gerrit Cole starts against Tanner Bibee, weather permitting.

Cole and Homers Lead Yanks, But Judge Injury a Concern

The Yankees opened a 4-game series against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington last night. They opened up a lead in the top of the 2nd inning. DJ LeMahieu and Gleyber Torres opened it with back-to-back home runs. Oswald Peraza was hit with a pitch. After Isiah Kiner-Falefa flew out, Jose Trevino singled, Aaron Hicks drew a walk, and Anthony Volpe singled Peraza home. It was 3-0 Yankees.

Gerrit Cole started, and pitched shutout ball for 5 innings. In the bottom of the 6th, he loaded the bases with nobody out. He got a strikeout for the 1st out. On the next play, LeMahieu took a grounder at 1st base. He did the right thing by going to 2nd base for the 2nd out, and Volpe got it. Volpe made a good throw to 1st, but Cole didn't get there in time, and he dropped the ball, and a run scored. The next play was a slow bouncer to 3rd, and Peraza couldn't make the throw, making it 3-2. Another grounder ended the inning. Given the circumstances, the Yankees were lucky to get out of it with only 2 runs.

Cole pitched into the 7th, and Michael King pitched the rest of the way. Trevino provided an insurance run with a home run in the 9th. Yankees 4, Rangers 2. WP: Cole (5-0). SV: King (1). LP: Andrew Heaney (2-2).

There was one rough note: Aaron Judge had to leave the game in the 4th inning, with an apparent hip injury. He has played in all 26 games this season. This will surely end tonight, but manager Aaron Boone says he is "not too concerned about it," and he might need only a day or two off.

The series continues tonight. Clarke Schmidt, coming off easily his best start of a rough season so far, will start against former Met ace Jacob deGrom.

Big 1st Inning Powers Yanks Past Halos

The Yankees played the finale of their 3-game home series with the Los Angeles Angels this afternoon. Nestor Cortés started for the Yankees. He got Shohei Ohtani to pop up, and then, just when it looked like no one was going to get it and it was going to drop in fair territory, made a basket catch He got through the 1st 2 innings without allowing a baserunner, and the 1st 4 without allowing a hit, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa -- not normally a center fielder -- making a spectacular diving catch to end the top of the 4th.

The Yankees struck right away, with a leadoff walk by Anthony Volpe, and singles by Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo, to make it 1-0. After Anthony Rendon robbed Gleyber Torres of a line-drive hit that was sure to be an RBI, DJ LeMahieu drew a walk. Oswald Peraza had been called up, and was walked with the bases loaded. Oswaldo Cabrera struck out, and Jose Trevino hit one all the way to the base of the left-field wall, clearing the bases and making it 5-0.

Brandon Drury broke up the no-hitter by leading off the top of the 5th with an infield single to 3rd. Luis Rengifo hit one into the right-field corner, putting men on 2nd and 3rd. Logan O'Hoppe singled Drury home to end the shutout. Tyler Ward hit a long drive into Death Valley, and IKF made another great catch, but it was still a sacrifice fly that brought Rengifo home. But Cortés got Ohtani to ground out to end the threat, and it was 5-2 Yankees.

Cortés walked Rengifo, and Aaron Boone brought Ron Marinaccio in. He gave up a double to O'Hoppe to make it 5-3. He then got 2 outs, but then, having had him pitch to the minimum 3 batters, Boone took him out. And brought in Wandy Peralta.

Why would you do that? Because he was a lefty, and the next batter was the Angels' only lefty, the previously 0-for-3 Ohtani. This move, reminiscent of Joe Girardi bringing Boone Logan in to face 1 lefty batter, was just asking for a game-tying home run.

And Peralta got called for a pitch clock violation before even threw a damn pitch. And then he walked Ohtani, to bring the even more dangerous Mike Trout to the plate as the go-ahead run. He hit one up the middle, and Peraza, playing 2nd base, kept it in the infield to momentarily save the run, but that loaded the bases. Fortunately, Peralta got Rendon to fly to left, ending the threat, and keeping the game 5-3.

LeMahieu loosened things up a bit in the bottom of the 7th, doubling home a run. The Yankees loaded the bases, and IKF, coming into the game batting a horrible .115, singled up the middle to get 2 runs home. They got another run in the 8th, and left loaded the bases. Ian Hamilton pitched a scoreless 8th, and Greg Weissert a scoreless 9th.

Yankees 9, Angels 3. WP: Cortés (3-0). No save. LP: Patrick Sandoval (1-1).

Tomorrow night, the Yankees welcome the Toronto Blue Jays to Yankee Stadium II for 3 games. Domingo Germán is scheduled to start against Yusei Kikuchi.

Torres' Singles, Trevino's Homer, Cole's Pitching Lead Yanks Over Phils

Well, it's Masters week. To Hell with that: Golf is not a sport. Let's talk baseball:

The Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies wrapped up a 3-game series at Yankee Stadium this afternoon. The threat of rain was a factor. So was the wind. But they got the whole game in. Gerrit Cole got through the 1st 4 innings without much trouble. He walked 2 batters with 2 out in the 5th, but got out of it. He breezed through the 6th.

In the bottom of the 1st, Aaron Judge singled and stole 2nd base, and was singled home by Gleyber Torres. In the bottom of the 2nd, Josh Donaldson started limping while running out a popup, and was replaced at 3rd base by Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow.

The Phillies weren't happy with home plate umpire Nic Lentz, and he gave them a little leeway until the top of the 5th, when he threw hitting instructor Kevin Long out of the game. Long, of course, previously held the same job with the Yankees, and later with the Mets.

DJ LeMahieu led off the bottom of the 6th with a double into left-center. Torres singled him home, to make it 2-0 Yankees. Cole struck out the 1st batter in the 7th, and was cruising. He had allowed no runs on 2 hits and 2 walks. Then he walked a batter. And, since he had thrown 103 pitches, Brian Cashman had Aaron Boone take him out. Mistake: Jonathan Loáisiga allowed a single, hit a batter, and allowed a sacrifice fly before getting out of the inning.

However, Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you, especially the leadoff variety. Oswaldo Cabrera led off the bottom of the 7th by drawing a walk, and Jose Trevino hit a home run to make it 4-1 Yankees. Loáisiga gave up a homer to Kyle Schwarber in the 8th, making it back-to-back games with a homer for Schwarber. But that would be the last baserunner for the Phils, as Loáisiga got out of the 8th, and Clay Holmes struck out the side in the 9th.

Yankees 4, Phillies 2. WP: Cole (2-0). SV: Holmes (1). LP: Aaron Nola (0-1). It was just like in days of old, if not at the old Yankee Stadium: An afternoon game, with a big crowd (35,847), the Yankees won with a home run and good pitching, and it took only 2 hours and 30 minutes to play.

This concludes the Yankees' 1st homestand of the season. They were supposed to be the opponents for the Baltimore Orioles' home opener tomorrow afternoon. But the O's have looked at the weather forecast, and postponed the game to Friday at 3:05 PM. This is why teams tend to have an off day the day after their home opener, so they don't lose that big crowd.

Regular Season Ends With Loss In Texas

The Yankees ended the regular season yesterday, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, against the Texas Rangers. There was nothing remarkable about the game, typical of season-enders between a team in the Playoffs and a team out of them: With neither having anything to play for, the team on the outside got by. In spite of being played on a sunny day in a stadium with its retractable roof open, it was what English soccer fans would call "a damp squib."

Domingo Germán started for the Yankees, and was not encouraging, going 4 1/3rd innings and allowing 4 runs. The bullpen was scoreless after that, although Lucas Luetge allowed 3 hits in the 9th inning.

Nor was there much to talk about with the office. Aaron Judge, Gianarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres were all given the day off, spite of the long layoff to come. Jose Trevino got 2 hits, including a home run, but the rest of the team combined only got 3 hits. Rangers 4, Yankees 2. WP: Glenn Otto (7-10). SV: Matt Moore (5). LP: Germán (2-5). 

The Yankees finish the season 99-63, Champions of the American League Eastern Division, by 7 games over the Toronto Blue Jays. The Tampa Bay Rays, so long in the race, failed off near the end, and finished 13 games out. The Baltimore Orioles, so bad these last few years, finished with a winning record, 16 games back. In last place, 21 games back, with a losing record, are the Boston Red Sox.

In the immortal words of Bono, "Well, tonight, thank God it's them, instead of you!"

However, the Yankees finished seven games behind the Houston Astros for the best record in the American League. This locks the Yankees to the 2nd seed of the American League Playoffs.

Here are the Playoff matchups, with the higher seed having the home-field advantage:

Starting tomorrow: Wild Card Series

American League: 3. Cleveland Guardians vs. 6. Tampa Bay Rays; 4. Toronto Blue Jays vs. 5. Seattle Mariners.

National League: 3. St. Louis Cardinals vs. 6. Philadelphia Phillies; 4. New York Mets vs. 5. San Diego Padres.

Starting Tuesday, October 11: Division Series

American League: 1. Houston Astros vs. Jays-M's winner; 2. New York Yankees vs. Guardians-Rays winner.

National League: 1. Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Mets-Padres winner; 2. Atlanta Braves vs. Cards-Phils winner.

The National League Championship Series starts on Tuesday, October 18. The American League Championship Series starts on Wednesday, October 19. The World Series starts on Friday, October 28.

Yanks Sweep Sox, Judge Still On 60

Four games, 34 innings, 4 Yankee wins -- 2 hits for Aaron Judge, neither of them home runs. He still has 60 home runs on the season.

The purpose of playing baseball is to win. Or, as Herman Edwards -- recently fired as head football coach at Arizona State University -- put it when he was running the New York Jets, "This is what the great thing about sports is: You play to win the game!"

The Yankees completed the sweep against the Boston Red Sox last night thanks in large part to the pitching of Nestor Cortes. In 6 innings, he allowed only 3 baserunners: A walk to Xander Bogaerts in the 1st inning, and a walk to Tommy Phan and a ground-rule double to former Yankee "prospect" Rob Refsnyder in the 4th, stranding all 3.

The Yankees also struggled to hit against Sox starter Bryan Bello. Oswaldo Cabrera led off the bottom of the 4th with a double, and was singled home by Jose Trevino. By the 6th, it was raining. Harrison Bader led off with a single. After 2 outs, Marwin González came to bat, and lifted a fly ball out to right field, where Refsnyder waited for it. Easy play. And he dropped it, allowing Bader to score.

The umpires let the inning finish, then ordered the tarp onto the field. After an hour and a half's rain delay, they called the game. Yankees 2, Red Sox 0. WP: Cortes (11-4). No save. LP: Bello (2-7).

So, the Yankees swept The Scum, 4 straight. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays, which eliminated them from the American League Eastern Division race. The Magic Number to eliminate the Jays, and thus to clinch the Division title, is 2.

And the Yankees now head to Toronto for 3 games. A win in any of them wins the Division. As of this writing, none of the games had either team's starting pitchers set yet.

After these 3 games, there is a day off on Thursday, then 3 home games against the Baltimore Orioles, followed by 3 games away to the Texas Rangers.

The Yankees are 6 games, 5 in the loss column, behind the Houston Astros for the best record in the AL, and thus home-field advantage all the way through the AL Playoffs, so we can probably forget about overtaking those Chicken Fried Cheaters. Maybe we'll get lucky, and they'll lose their Division Series, and we won't have to face the prospect of winning a Game 7 in their Faux Fenway bandbox.

*

Days until the next game of the U.S. National Soccer Team: 1, tomorrow afternoon, at 2:00 PM New York time, away to Saudi Arabia. They are already in the Middle East to acclimate themselves to the weather, in time for the World Cup. Their 1st match in that tournament will be on its opening day, November 21, at 2:00 PM New York time, against Wales, at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar.

Days until the next East Brunswick High School football game: 4, this Friday, at 7:00 PM, home to Sayreville, a local rival. We're gonna be 0-5...

Days until the next Arsenal match: 5, this Saturday, at 7:30 AM New York time, at home at the Emirates Stadium, against arch-rival Tottenham Hotspur, making it a North London Derby.

Days until the next North London Derby: 5, on Saturday, October 1, at 7:30 AM New York time, at the Emirates Stadium. 

Days until the next Rutgers University football game: 5, this Saturday, at 3:30 PM, away to Ohio State, the Number 3 team in the country. We're all gonna die...

Days until the next New York Red Bulls game: 5, this Saturday, at 7:30 PM, away to the Columbus Crew.

Days until the Red Bulls again play a nearby rival: Unknown. There are only 2 games left in the regular season. New York City FC and the Philadelphia Union have qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs, so there's a chance the Red Bulls could face one of them.

Days until the New Jersey Devils play again: 17, on Thursday, October 13, away to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Days until the New Jersey Devils again play a local rival: See the previous answer.

Days until the next elections for the U.S. Congress and for the Governors of most States in the Union, including New York and Pennsylvania: 43, on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. A little over 6 weeks.

Days until the next Rutgers-Penn State football game: 54, on Saturday, November 19, at 12:00 noon, at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey. Under 8 weeks.

Days until the next World Cup opens: 94, on Monday, November 21, 2022, in Doha, Qatar. Exactly 8 weeks.

Days until the Yankees' next series against the Boston Red Sox begins: 256, on Friday, June 9, 2023, at Yankee Stadium II.

Days until the next Women's World Cup opens: 287, on Friday, July 10, 2023, jointly held in the neighboring nations of Australia and New Zealand. Under 10 months.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge game: Unknown, since we won't know the 2023 schedule for months. It could be as soon as Friday, September 1, which would be 340 days. A little over 11 months.

Days until the next Summer Olympic Games: 669, on Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris, France. Under 2 years, or a little under 22 months.

Days until the next Presidential election: 771, on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Under 2 1/2 years, or under 26 months.

Days until the next elections for Governor of New Jersey and Mayor of New York City: 1,135, on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Under 3 1/2 years.

Days until the next Winter Olympics open in Milan, Italy: 1,229, on Friday, February 6, 2026. Under 3 1/2 years.

Judge Does Not Get Closer, But Cole & Yanks Do In Win Over Sox

First, the bad news: Aaron Judge remains stuck on 60 home runs; and, because the game was on Apple+, most Yankee fans couldn't watch this game.

Now, the good news: Since Judge didn't hit his 61st home run of the season last night, Yankee Fans can now see it when it actually happens. And, more importantly, the Yankees won, beating the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium, and got closer to clinching the American League Eastern Division title.

Alleged ace Gerrit Cole started last night. It was a typical game for him, as he gave up a solo home run in the 1st inning and a 3-run home run in the 6th, and was brilliant in between. The Yankees got a home run from Aaron Hicks in the 3rd, and an RBI single by Hicks and an RBI double by Gleyber Torres in the 5th. But the Alex Verdugo homer in the 6th tied the game at 4-4.

Cole struck out 8 batters. He now has 244 on the season, 4 short of Ron Guidry's single-season Yankee record. Barring injury, he will get 2 more starts. He will break the record. I almost don't want him to, because he's no Guidry.

Nothing like a 2-out rally. With 2 out in the bottom of the 8th, Harrison Bader drew a walk. Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. Bader stole 2nd, and was singled home by Jose Trevino. Jonathan Loáisiga allowed 2 singles in the 9th, but got out of it to end the game. 

Yankees 5, Red Sox 4. WP: Loáisiga (5-4). No save. LP: Matt Strahm (3-4). It was the Yankees' 5th win in a row. The Tampa Bays beat the Toronto Blue Jays. They are now tied for 2nd in the AL East. The Yankees' Magic Number to eliminate each of them, and clinch the Division, is now 4.

The series continues this afternoon. Domingo Germán starts against Nick Pivetta.

Also, last night, my alma mater, East Brunswick High School in Central New jersey, lost to hated Old Bridge, 24-7. I guess it was too much to ask for two teams that I love to beat their arch-rivals in one night.

Another Disgraceful Loss That Can Be Blamed On Cashman

Last night, just after the trade deadline, 2 of Brian Cashman's newest Yankee acquisitions made their Pinstriped debuts. Neither did anything noteworthy. A 3rd came up small.

But it was the signature Cashman trade that ended the game -- and not in the Yankees' favor.

Jameson Taillon started, and, while he only gave up 2 hits, he didn't get out of the 5th inning. You see, those 2 hits were both home runs. And in that 5th inning, well, Cliché Alert: Walks can kill you. And Taillon walked 2 batters in the 5th. And since the 2nd of those walks got him to 98 pitches, Cashman's pitch limit kicked in, and "manager" Aaron Boone was "forced" to take him out.

Boone put in Lucas Luetge, and Luetge should have been the pitcher Cashman traded away this week, not Jordan Montgomery. He gave up a double that allowed both of Taillon's walks to score.

Jose Trevino hit his 3rd home run in 2 days in the 4th inning. Anthony Rizzo hit his 3rd in 3 days in the 6th, and Josh Donaldson added one that inning. Donaldson needed it: With Joey Gallo having been traded, he has become the focus of Yankee Fans' ire, as he is batting just .223.

Luetge gave up a home run in the 7th. He was replaced by Yankee debutant Scott Effross, who got out of the inning with no further damage. Albert Abreu allowed a run in the 9th, and another debutant, Lou Trivino (not to be confused with Jose Trevino, or old-time golfer Lee Trevino) ended the inning without further ado.

You'd think that, scoring 6 runs, the Yankees did okay. But they didn't. They had men on 2nd & 3rd in the 3rd inning, but DJ LeMahieu was thrown out at the plate, the kind of play that hurt the team so often last season, but not much this season, until now. They had men on 2nd & 3rd with 1 out in the 6th, but Aaron Hicks grounded into a double play. They had Tim LoCastro on 3rd in the 8th, but Trevino struck out. And Andrew Benintendi, the new acquisition who "rarely strikes out," went 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts.

In the bottom of the 9th, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Hicks struck out. But LeMahieu singled, and Aaron Judge and Rizzo drew walks. (The Mariners didn't want to face Judge. It was obviously that this was one of those "unintentional intentional walks.") They had the baserunners they needed. The bases were loaded. A runner on 3rd. The tying run on 2nd. The winning run on 1st.

But, instead of sending LoCastro back up, Boone sent up Gleyber Torres to pinch-hit. (LeMahieu had started at 2nd base, with Rizzo at 1st, Matt Carpenter in right field and Judge as the DH.)

Torres, of course, is the man Cashman traded 3 months of Aroldis Chapman for to get 20 years of, the greatest "prospect" of them all. This is his 7th year in the organization, and his 5th year on the big club. He has yet to help the Yankees win a Pennant. And he ended this game with a very poor-looking strikeout.

Mariners 8, Yankees 6. WP: Penn Murfee (yes, that's his real name, 2-0). SV: Andres Munoz (2). LP: Luetge (3-4).

Disgraceful. Blame Cashman. Not any individual player.

The series concludes this afternoon. It's a battle of alleged aces: Gerrit Cole against the Mariners' big acquisition in his debut for them, Luis Castillo, whom Cashman apparently didn't lift a finger in trying to get. Also, Judge is getting the day off, although he may appear as a pinch-hitter later.

Yankees Make Balls Go, Domingo A-Go-Go, and Goodbye Joey Gallo

The Seattle Mariners had been the best team in baseball over the last few weeks, and have always given the Yankees trouble since they entered the American League in 1977. And with Domingo Germán as last night's starter, I was not optimistic.

Germán was fine, if not more than that: He went 5 innings, threw 90 pitches, and allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. Ron Marinaccio, Aroldis Chapman, Jonathan Loáisiga and Wandy Peralta each pitched a scoreless inning, with the only baserunner being a single allowed by Chapman in the 7th, immediately turned into a double play.

As for the Yankee bats, they went to work right away. DJ LeMahieu led off the game with a single, followed by Aaron Judge with a double, and Anthony Rizzo with a home run. 3-0 New York. The Mariners hit a home run in the 2nd, but so did Judge, his 43rd of the season. Pace: 67. The Mariners scored again in the 4th, but so did the Yankees, on a home run by Jose Trevino. Trevino hit another homer in the 8th, to finish off the scoring.

Yankees 7, Mariners 2. WP: Germán (1-1). No save. LP: Marco Gonzales (6-11). The Yankees are the 1st team to 70 wins this season, and are 3 full games ahead of the Houston Astros for home-field advantage through the AL portion of the postseason.

Also, with today being the trading deadline, on top of the acquisitions of Frankie Montas, Lou Trivino and Scott Effross yesterday, the Yankees actually found a taker for Joey Gallo. And it's the team vying with them and the Astros for best record in baseball and thus home-field advantage all the way through the World Series: The Los Angeles Baseball Team.

(I've taken to calling them that, in "homage" to the NFL team formerly known as the Washington Football Team. As far as I'm concerned, the Dodgers died in Brooklyn in 1957. Cause of death: Greed, a case of domestic violence, murdered by their owner.)

The Yankees sent Gallo and his slash line of .159/.282/.339, and his OPS+ of 76, to L.A. for Clayton Beeter, a righthanded pitcher currently struggling in Double-A ball with the Tulsa Drillers. He'll be 24 in October. He may never throw a pitch in the major leagues. This sounds like a "my headache for your headache" trade. Or, for each team, "addition by subtraction." Or, as Hank Williams would have put it, "Goodbye, Joe, you gotta go, me-oh-my-oh."

The series with the Mariners continues tonight. Jameson Taillon starts against Logan Gilbert.

UPDATE: Right after I posted this, it was made public that the Yankees had traded starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals for outfielder Harrison Bader. I don't know about this one...