This has been a week of rooting the Yankees home. From Tampa to Boston to the Wild Card home field to the MLB single season home run record.
A week ago I was dubious about the Yankees’ chances to secure home field and to break the Seattle Mariners’ record for homers. Ye of little faith!!
Despite shortstop Didi Gregorius suffering torn cartilage in his right hand, the Yankees persevered against the Rays, taking 3 of 4games and they made a late run at a game the Rays seemingly had well in hand. It was the Thursday afternoon matchup that showed the Yankees’ heart. With Didi and centerfielder Aaron Hicks out with a sore hamstring, New York came out determined. Behind Miguel Andujar’s bat (how can he NOT be A.L. Rookie of the Year??), the Yankees went out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. By the fourth inning, New York led 7-0.
In the fifth inning, Yankees starter C.C. Sabathia, one of the two links to the 2009 World Championship team (Brett Gardner is the other), was sailing along with a shut out and dominating the Rays on 55 pitches. He hit Jake Baurers on the knuckles of his right hand with an 88 mph two-seam fastball that rode in on Bauers hands. It was unintentional.
The next inning, Rays’ relive Andrew Kittredge threw over the head of New York catcher Austin Romine. That incited Sabathia, and Romine questioned his Tampa Bay counterpart, Jesus Sucre why was he being thrown out.
Despite both teams being warned about any further retaliation, Sabathia’s first pitch hit Sucre in the leg. He was tossed from the game and did not have very nice things to say to the Rays’ bench.
This was pure Sabathia—a bona fide leader on the team. He stood up for his teammate. And this was notwithstanding his staying on the mound to collect a nice $500,000 bonus—about which, when he learned about it, Sabathia didn’t really care.
Sabathia is closing in on 3,000 strikeouts. He has tons of money from his contracts with the Yankees. He may be the fourth starter if the Yankees win the Wild Card game and take on the Red Sox. And he wants to come back one more year.
He is a liability to a degree, with his age and aching legs. But his leadership cannot be replaced. I would not have advocated for C.C. to be resigned last week. Thursday changed all of that.
I know that Braian Cashman does not read this blog. For if the Yankees GM did, he would work out a nice deal for C.C. for one more year. He earned it.
Additionally, New York clubbed their way to the homers record with the awakening of the bat of Giancarlo Stanton on Thursday with 2 home runs and the record-tying shot by Aaron Judge, the long overdue first homer since Judge returned from injury.
New York seems to be getting healthier—Aroldis Chapman is rounding into form, plus Didi and Hicks are back in the lineup. Two additions—Andrew Mc Cutchen in the outfield and Luke Voit at first base—have paid enormous dividends. Mc Cutchen has been playing like a 2-time N.L. M.V.P. and getting on base. Voit has, along with Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich, hit the most homers in the last 2 months.
I was chided for a Facebook post where I called the Yankees game on Saturday meaningless. While the Bombers place in the standings could not change, there were a few accomplishments. First, the team record for home runs was shattered on a blast by Gleybar Torres. Then Andujar broke Joe Di Maggio’s team record for doubles by a rookie and put himself one away from Fred Lynn’s rookie mark (which he tied on Sunday). Moreover, the Yankees won 100 games—one of three teams in the AL this season—which marks the first time in division play that three teams from one league won 100 games. It was also the 21st time in club history that the team had won 100 games in a season.
The Yankees appear ready for the Wild Card game on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. I hope they play as well they have been lately.
The N.L. Central, West and the N.L. Wild Card have still not been settled. Colorado and the Dodgers are neck and neck. Same with the Brewers and Cubs. This will have to be settled with one game playoffs on Monday. This probably makes the N.L. East winner, the Atlanta Braves, happy as they will await either the winner of the Central or West as their opponent. This is Sunday baseball with some meaning on the last day of the season. The MLB executives must be very pleased.
It was a very nice day as #21 F&M traveled to Allentown for a critical Centennial Conference game with Muhlenberg. As I left Scotty Wood Stadium, F&M had been demolished 42-21. They are still alive in the CC, but perennial champ Johns Hopkins come to Lancaster next week. The QB must shake off a 4 INT performance and have a game he is more than capable of. It is the secondary which could not handle the Mules’ receivers and the DB’s who forgot how to tackle. That was evident last week in the OT win versus Susquehanna. Expect Hopkins to exploit that weakness.
My obligatory Rutgers comment is that Indiana came to Piscataway and won—only by a 24-17 margin. Illinois is up next—a beatable team. Did I just say that? Let’s see if I have more to say next week.
I have sent the majority of my Saturday night watching the Marlins-Mets game. The outcome is meaningless in the standings to the sixth largest crown in Citi Field history. For they came to send David Wright into retirement.
David Wright will never be confused with Babe Ruth or even Mike Schmidt. However, to Mets fans, he is the closest thing they have to that in a home grown player. David grew up in Chesapeake, Virginia, where as a youth, he became a Norfolk/Tidewater Tides fan. The Tides were the Triple-A affiliate for the New York Mets. So young David was able to see the Mets of the future pass through his hometown on their way to the big club.
Wright was a high draft choice for the Mets and he came to New York and he didn’t disappoint. He retires as the team leader in everything but home runs, and he tried Darryl Strawberry by 10. More importantly, he was there as much as he could be, until injuries sidelined him—the most severe was spinal stenosis.
He could have retired without going through the arduous rehabilitation and the struggles which he did. That is not David Wright.
David Wright had a burning desire to play again, despite the formidable handicaps. The Mets offered one more opportunity, and Wright accepted the challenge.
Which leads us to September 29, 2018. It would be his last game. The fourth team captain in Mets’ history would have his last chance on a diamond in his team’s city.
Forget that he walked and popped out to first base in foul territory. Even forget the clean play he made at third base to throw out a runner. On this night, David Wright could do no wrong.
It was a love fest from start to finish. His little daughter threw out the first pitch to him. At the start of the game, Wright sprinted out to his position while his teammates remained in the dugout so the crowd, the players and the TV audience could take in the moment.
When he was removed from the game in the top of the 5th, he hugged long time teammate Jose Reyes, who played over 800 games nearby Wright as the Mets shortstop. After hugging his teammates once more and getting a curtain call, he left the field.
Wright did both radio and TV bits while still in his uniform. And once the Mets won the game 1-0 in 13 innings, Wright addressed the adoring fans for the last time.
This guy was a class act—to fans, to the media, to his opponents. I salute him for I know what it is to go out on your own terms, as I rehabbed a shoulder at age 41 to play one more time against college players half my age, and to walk off of the field to never play baseball again. Ironically, like Wright, I walked, popped out, made a flawless play in the outfield and finished my participation after four innings. That is as close as I come to him, and that is indeed very distant.
David Wright will some day have his number retired by the Mets. He will not make Cooperstown. To a whole lot of Mets fans, he was their hero. And that’s all that counts.
The NFL played again this Sunday. Once more, sloppiness and mistakes cost the Jets. Jacksonville is a good team, but the Jets could have hung in with the Jaguars had they been more proficient and not erred so much. Next Sunday Denver comes to Met Life Stadium. They have a chance to beat the Broncos—if they vastly cut down their miscues.
Philadelphia Eagles fans must be apoplectic after the Birds lost to Tennessee in OT. The Titans aren’t a bad team—they defeated Jacksonville last week in a defensive struggle. Give it time Eagles fanatics—Carson Wentz is just getting going. The team will be alright.
Conversely, Cowboys fans should not be too overly excited. You beat the Lions this week. Detroit is not that good. Neither are the Cowboys.
Bears fans should weigh their enthusiasm a bit too. Beating Tampa Bay was a solid win. You have a young and improving team. Chicago might just be in the mix for the Wild Card.
New England took Miami from the unbeaten ranks. Typical Brady. This team isn’t going to steamroll the AFC East, but the Patriots will win it.
The Texans came to life, winning on the road in Indianapolis on OT. Cincinnati defeated the Atlanta Falcons by one point with a game-tying Andy Dalton pass in the last ten seconds. Green Bay improved to 2-1-1 and sent Buffalo back to reality with a 22-0 win.
The Chargers survived the 49’ers onslaught. Seattle was better than the Cardinals. The Giants could not mount enough offense to beat New Orleans.
As to Baker Mayfield, he had a so-so day with 2 TD’s and 2 INT, as the Browns piled up 42 points. Unfortunately, Oakland mounted a furious comeback and prevailed in OT, and gave Jon Gruden is first win in his return to the Raiders.
With the Ravens-Steelers Sunday night matchup, the NFL season is already 25% over. January and February seem a long ways away. A lot will come into perspective by the end of October. Stay tuned.
One more shout out to the U.S. Women’s National Basketball Team, who won the World Cup by vanquishing Australia. I have always like the UConn women on the team—particularly Breanna Stewart, Sue Byrd and Diana Taurasi. They are as good as it gets.
I’m done for this week. Whew. At least I didn’t discuss the Ryder Cup debacle.
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