Bleacher Report - Articles by A.J. Martelli

New York Yankee Memories: 27 Things I'll Remember from Their 2009 Season

A.J. Martelli — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:23:41 -0500

As everyone knows, the 2009 New York Yankees have won the World Series. Now that they finally have 27 World Titles, here are 27 things I have learned and will remember and take with me from this past season.

27— It was cool to call Nick Swisher “Nick at Nite” when he hit a home run during a night game. Just one of the many nicknames I have come up with for the Bombers this year. Yeah, I know. It’s corny

26— The Yankees know how to open a new Stadium. They completely out-did the Mets with this task in ’09.

25— No matter how much every critic of Derek Jeter wants to say his range has gone down...it hasn’t. He is still a monster on defense.

24— May 15, 2009: Brett Gardner hit an inside-the-park home run. Best part about it—I was there to see it. Many people at Yankee Stadium probably still think I belong in a mental hospital for how I reacted to the homer that night. Yankees won, 5-4.

23— Not only was I there for an inside-the-park homer on May 15, I was there to watch Alex Rodriguez’s first at-bat in the new Stadium, as that was his first home game coming off his return from the DL.

He drew a walk in his first at-bat, but hit a walk-off homer the very next day.

22— Apr. 22, 2009: My first game at the new Stadium. Hideki Matsui and Melky Cabrera hit the first back-to-back home runs in the new house.

Cabrera later hit the first walk-off home run in the bottom of the 14th inning. Oh, and Jeter homered that day, too!

21— Pies in the face after a walk-off win became a tradition. We did it 15 times this year. Ask A.J. Burnett, who was inconsistent and at the receiving end of a lot of criticism this season.

I saw him pitch at the Stadium twice this year and both times he was awesome. I defended Burnett to his critics all year. And, I’m proud I did.

After all, I had to honor our initials.

20— Pitcher’s duels are FUN! Case in point—Aug. 7. A.J. Burnett vs. Josh Beckett at Yankee Stadium. How did it end? A-Rod wins the game with a two-run home run at almost one o'clock in the morning. A long night’s journey into day complete with a 2-0 Yankee win.

19— It takes more than 25 guys to win the World Series. There were players on the team that were not on the playoff rosters, but they still did many things, big and small, to help get the Yankees to where they are now.

18— As much as I should not pick on the Mets anymore than I have, it was fun to go 5-1 against our cross-town rivals.

It was especially fun the day before my birthday (on June 14) when the Yankees beat the Mets 15-0. That...was awesome. So was Luis Castillo dropping that pop-up two days before. Now that was hilarious!

17— Some of our pitchers nearly tossed no-nos and perfectos. Sergio Mitre nearly perfect on Aug. 29 vs. Chicago, Andy Pettitte nearly perfect at Baltimore two days later on Sept. 1, and CC Sabathia took no-hitters into the middle innings twice against Boston at home.

16— Even though he was not good (at all) in 2009, I’m sure we can all safely say that we appreciate what Chien-Ming Wang has done.

If he had been healthy, we would have had a good No. 4 starter. But they still managed to win it all with three starting pitchers. That’s impressive!

15— Moving Phil Hughes to the bullpen was good. I guess we’ll leave him there.

14— Moving Joba Chamberlain to the rotation was bad, so we’ll rewrite the “Joba Rules.” That was the right thing to do, right?

13— Even though the Yankees can lose 22-4 to the Cleveland Indians in April, and lose two out of three to the Washington Nationals in June, they can still win a Championship.

12— Did Mike Mussina make the right choice retiring at the end of ’08? “Mr. Almost” missed the title by one year. Way to “Tiki Barber” that one, Moose. It’s OK. We still love you.

11— Mariano Rivera got his 500th career save on June 28, Derek Jeter became the all-time Yankee hits leader on Sept. 11, and Melky Cabrera hit for the cycle on Aug. 2.

I was fortunate enough to be there at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 29 when the team honored all three players for their accomplishments and presented them with many different and unique gifts; they gave Cabrera a ring for the cycle, Rivera the bench from the old bullpen, and Jeter the seats he dove into on July 1, 2004!

Former players like Tino Martinez, Dave Winfield, Bernie Williams, Reggie Jackson, and Yogi Berra were all on hand for the ceremony. A truly classy night, and I am so proud I was there to see it.

10— Mariano Rivera is still as dominant as he was 10...15 years ago. He only blew two saves all year, one to Boston and the other to Seattle. Rivera is still the Sandman.

9— Erasing the 2005, ’06, and ’07 playoff failures, the Yankees finally got by the first round of the playoffs by sweeping the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS. Yes, they really can do it! I was beginning to think they would never make it over the first hump again.

8 —Umpires are humans, too. Humans that make a lot of mistakes when it matters in the postseason. Some of the bad calls went the Yankees’ way, but most of them were just absurd. Should instant replay be expanded in 2010?

7— There is magic at the new Yankee Stadium. I think the ghosts have relocated.

6— The Yankees can in fact beat the Angels. It has now been proven that it can be done.

5— Blogging on Yankee Yapping has become a new thing for me and there are some extremely passionate Yankee fans out there. God bless all the TRUE Yankee fans I have met and connected with this year.

4— Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui were forces in the Yankee lineup and both guys deserve new contracts for what they did this year. If they don’t come back due to circumstances beyond our control...thank you, both. You will be missed by the Yankee faithful!

3— The Yankees duplicated the cracking of the Liberty Bell in the World Series. It made for an exciting fall classic, especially since Jimmy Rollins predicted the Phillies would win it in five games.

Way to call that one, Nostradamus.

2— Alex Rodriguez is a winner, not a choker.

He can never be called non-clutch again for what he did in the playoffs. With all his dramatic game-tying homers and RBI, he was probably the best player on the team throughout this whole postseason.

So every A-Rod hater can LAY OFF! He’s a World Champ now!!!

1— The Yankees won their 27th World Championship because they had the right team chemistry and it all clicked the right way.

Money had nothing to do with it. The Yankees signed Randy Johnson in 2005 for a lot of money, how’d that work out? Jason Giambi? Kevin Brown?

Exactly. Sure they had a lot of money to spend, but they spent it on the right players who impacted the team the correct way.

Not to mention after the World Series and celebration ended, Joe Girardi stopped on his way home to aid a distressed motorist. So not only do we have a new title, we have a Good Samaritan for a manager.

Whatever anyone says, nothing is bringing me down off this high. Thank you, 2009 Yankees, for a season of a lifetime.

Alex Rodriguez Comes Up Big, Goes from Alexander the Goat to Alexander the Great

A.J. Martelli — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:48:30 -0400

When Alex Rodriguez flies the other team dies…eventually. That seems to be the formula of the 2009 playoffs.

Prior to the 2009 postseason, Rodriguez struggled immensely at the plate when it mattered most. The three-time regular season Most Valuable Player seemingly could not hit anything after Game Three of the 2004 American League Championship Series.

In that game, the Yankees put a beat down on the Boston Red Sox 19-8, but fell apart in the rest of the series. The Yankees ended up blowing a three games-to-none lead to the Red Sox with Rodriguez finishing 8-for-31 with six strikeouts and a batting average of .258.

And his sudden struggles didn’t stop there.

In 2005, the Yankees were forced to an early exit by the same team they are facing in the ALCS this year, the Los Angeles Angels. In the ’05 ALDS, A-Rod batted .133, going just 2-for-15 with a double and five strikeouts.

And that was coming off his second MVP season. Talk about going from hero to goat.

In 2006 it just got worse for number 13, as he only had one hit in the 2006 ALDS against the Detroit Tigers. He went 1-for-14, which translates to a .071 average with four more strikeouts and no runs scored.

The postseason just didn’t seem fit for A-Rod after 2006.

But in the 2007 regular season, Rodriguez put the Yankees on his back, hitting 54 home runs, knocking in 156 runs, and batting .314. He had arguably the best season of his life, basically carried the Yankees to the playoffs, and even hit his 500th career home run on Aug. 4.

The type of year he had in ’07 was unreal, but could he finally break out of his postseason slide?

Well, yes and no.

He went 4-for-15 with a home run and three walks, but it was too little too late. The Yankees again just did not have enough gas to drive any further than the first round, as the Cleveland Indians eliminated them from the postseason.

But here we are in 2009 and Rodriguez seems to have forgotten the past.

Against the Twins, A-Rod batted .455 with two homers and six RBI. Both of his ALDS home runs tied the game in the seventh inning or later, proving that he can in fact come up big when it matters most.

Many fans and critics thought he would never be able to be a clutch hitter, but he proved them wrong and silenced everyone in the ALDS.

And he just kept going once the ALCS began.

It’s been only two games so far, but Rodriguez has once again showcased his clutch and timely hitting. In the first inning of Game One of the ALCS Friday night, he knocked in the first of the four Yankee runs in the game with a sacrifice fly.

Then yesterday night, A-Rod smacked a wall-scraping, solo home run to right field with the Yankees down 3-2 in the bottom of the 11th inning, another instance when he tied the game in a clutch situation.

Alexander the goat has become Alexander the Great.

And it’s not like Rodriguez’s home runs are coming off bad pitching. His first home run in Game Two of the ALDS came off Twins’ closer Joe Nathan, who recorded 47 saves during the regular season. Yesterday’s game-tying blast came off Brian Fuentes, who led the American League in saves with 48.

Now as Game Three emanates from Angel Stadium tomorrow afternoon, Rodriguez will look to keep the ball flying and the postseason numbers climbing. A-Rod and the Yankees will face Jered Weaver, a 16-game winner during the regular season and one of the Angels’ best pitchers in ‘09.

But Weaver probably does not scare Rodriguez.

In his career, A-Rod is 5-for-15 against the Angels’ young pitcher, four of those five hits being home runs. Historically Rodriguez has hit well in Angel Stadium too, and, in fact, against the Angels in general.

Throughout his entire MLB career when facing the Angels, Rodriguez has smashed 68 homers and has knocked in 152 runs. That's not a trend—that's ownership.

Rodriguez will help lead the Yankees in Game Three tomorrow afternoon behind Andy Pettitte, looking to further improve his numbers this postseason and his lifetime numbers against the Angels.

If Rodriguez keeps at it, he might just earn another MVP. The 2009 ALCS MVP, that is.

What Has Happened to A.J. Burnett?

A.J. Martelli — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:24:51 -0400

After Tuesday night’s game he said he felt decent but wasn’t sharp.

Although the Yankees’ offense bailed A.J. Burnett out with five home runs and a 9-6 win over the Orioles, he was lit up for six earned runs on 11 hits while giving up two home runs on the night. He walked two and struck out two.

“I didn’t have anything,” Burnett said to the YES Network and the media after the game.

“I missed a lot of spots and didn’t throw the ball where I wanted to throw it. I never found it tonight. They got a lot of 0-2 hits and I wasn’t able to bury them.”

It may have been merely one bad game, but inconsistency has been a huge part of the second half of Burnett’s season. In the month of July the tall, lanky, right-hander seemed unstoppable with a record of 4-0.

With his undefeated record and ability to pitch deep into ballgames, the Yankees won all five games he started in July. But since July 27 at Tampa Bay, Burnett has not claimed a victory, going 0-4 with a 3.92 ERA.

“It’s frustrating,” he said.

“Who’s going to be happy with not winning a game in a month?”

Yankee skipper Joe Girardi noted that Burnett looked extremely flat tonight, and was not working “down hill” from the start of the game.

“Players get on rolls and he’s not on a roll,” Girardi said.

“He is human. Just look at his career—I’m not concerned with him. We’ll just go back to work with him.”

Perhaps his inability to notch a win comes from who is catching him. In games Jorge Posada catches Burnett the battery has gone 5-5 with Burnett’s ERA at a bloated 4.96. When other catchers are behind the dish when Burnett starts, he is 5-3 with an ERA of 3.38.

With Posada hitting .278 with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs (and backup Jose Molina hitting .232 with a homer and nine RBIs) it’s been difficult to keep Posada out of the lineup. Girardi wants Posada’s bat over Molina’s, and for good reason.

Posada, trying to take the positives out of the win tonight, noted after the game that Burnett “battled and looked better,” but obviously his numbers and feelings did not indicate a good start.

Maybe his recent inconsistency is stemming from his arm angle. Against Bsltimore it looked like Burnett’s front shoulder was flying out too quickly, causing him to throw the ball in locations unwanted. Posada would set up the pitch outside and the ball would tail down and in.

Whatever the case, Burnett must work on his stuff and find it before the end of the month and the post-season. If the Yankees plan on winning, they will need a good Burnett. He is a critical piece of the Yankees’ rotation, and they will need the kind of game he gave them on Aug. 7 against the Red Sox.

On that hot Friday night in the Bronx against the BoSox, Burnett went 7 2/3 innings allowing no runs on just one hit with six strikeouts. Alex Rodriguez eventually delivered the game-winner with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 15th inning.

He had two acceptable starts against Toronto and Oakland that followed the Aug. 7 start before getting roughed up for nine earned runs in five innings by Boston on Aug. 22.

Right now Burnett has a record of 10-8 with an ERA of 4.29.

“Individual numbers don’t matter to me,” he said.

“I just want the team to win.”

Burnett will get an opportunity to turn it around when he takes the ball again on Monday against the Tampa Bay Rays at home. He will pitch one game of the Yankees' day-night double header.

Sabathia Shines, Yankees Shut Out Red Sox for Second Straight Time

A.J. Martelli — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 20:42:32 -0400

David Ortiz looked to be trying to hit a 15-run home run in the top half of the ninth. He took two hard whiffs before gazing at strike three to end the game.

The Yankees once again upstaged the Red Sox on Saturday afternoon with a shutout, beating them 5-0.

The Yankees have not allowed Boston to score in 24 consecutive innings, and shut them out in consecutive games for the first time since August 2002.

“Coming into this series, we talked about winning a game first,” Yankee manager Joe Girardi told the press after the win.

“After focusing on winning one, then we concentrated on winning the series.”

CC Sabathia was dealing against the Red Sox, putting together what he said was his best performance as a Yankee to this point.

“It was unbelievable, I had goose bumps,” he commented to the media.

“”It was the best start for me so far, and I felt good. I threw the ball better than my last starts, and my delivery was where it needed to be.”

Sabathia went 7 2/3 innings, and gave up no runs on just three hits. He walked two and racked up nine strikeouts while taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Jacoby Ellsbury broke up his no-hit bid with a two-out single in the frame.

“I think everyone knows when they’re throwing a no-hitter,” Sabathia continued.

“I was just trying to get outs and get our team back in the dugout.”

The Yankee offense helped him out, scoring five runs in the game.

Leading 3-0 in the bottom of the eighth, Derek Jeter put a bow on the game, smacking a two-run homer that just cleared the right-field wall.

“I don’t care that it barely made it out,” Jeter said to the media.

“As long as they weren’t catching it, I don’t care.”

For Jeter, it was his 12th home run of the year.

The Yankees scored three more runs on the afternoon, getting on the board for the first time in the third with an RBI single from Mark Teixeira to score Melky Cabrera.

Their second run came on an RBI sacrifice fly from Jose Molina in the sixth, and the Bombers also scored in the seventh on a bases loaded walk to Nick Swisher to knock in Alex Rodriguez, who was hit with a pitch that put him on base.

The Yankees were skeptical as to whether or not the pitch was meant to hit Rodriguez.

“Only the individual knows intent,” Girardi said.

“We were expecting something, and it happened.”

In Thursday’s 13-6 win over Boston, Yankee reliever Mark Melancon hit Dustin Pedroia with a fastball immediately after tossing a pitch over his head. Girardi told the press after the game it was unintentional.

The Yanks have played great ball over the last three games, scoring 6.7 runs per game and posting a team ERA of 1.64.

“Our pitchers have done a wonderful job,” Girardi said.

“We hope they continue it, because Boston is a very tough club.”

Sabathia’s brilliant performance earned him a win today, and he now owns a season record of 12-7. Five of those 12 wins have come at home.

Tomorrow night, the Yankees will look to sweep Boston in the series finale.

Andy Pettitte (9-6, 4.35 ERA) will take the hill against Jon Lester (9-7, 3.79 ERA)

Media Credit: YES Network, Fox

Empire Strikes Back: After Eight Straight Losses, Yanks Finally Squash Red Sox

A.J. Martelli — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:02:22 -0400

They really had nothing to laugh about up until tonight.

The Yankees were 0-8 against their arch enemy Red Sox coming into Thursday’s game, but they got the last laugh in their 13–6 win.

“I mean, that’s a good win for us,” Yankee skipper Joe Girardi told the YES Network after the game. “We got a lot of production out of the bottom of our order, and we played a pretty decent game. We’ve been playing well for two or three months now, and the fourth was an important inning for us.”

Down 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, the Bronx Bombers exploded for eight runs on eight hits, sending 12 men to the plate.

Melky Cabrera connected for a three-run homer, his 11th long ball of the year, that landed in the second deck of the right-field seats to put the Yankees in the lead.

Later in the frame, Jorge Posada launched a three-run homer to left-center, giving the Yankees a 9-3 lead.

“We are playing a lot better than we did at the beginning of the year—we are doing a lot of things well on the mound and at the plate,” Posada told the media. “Today was different. We had a good approach and it was good to see what we were doing at the plate.”

Posada ended the night 3-for-5 with three runs batted in and two runs scored.

Along with Cabrera and Posada, Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira joined the home-run parade, both smacking solo home runs on the night.

“It’s definitely better to be 1-8 than 0-9,” Damon said to the press. “We went up and played all right. We walked too many guys, but we did OK and we feel fortunate we were able to tack on runs. There were so many other hits.”

Damon was batting .455 with two homers and six RBI over his last five games, and he extended his hitting streak to six games tonight.

The Yankees touched up the Red Sox hard, pounding out their 13 runs on top of 18 hits in the game where every Yankee starter reached base safely.

Coming into this game, Joba Chamberlain had not allowed a run in his last 14 innings pitched, but that ended in the top of the third when Dustin Pedroia smacked a solo home run to get the Red Sox on the board.

Casey Kotchman followed Pedroia’s lead in the top of the fourth, clubbing a two-run homer to right.

Boston was only able to push three more runs across the plate after Kotchman’s homer, receiving RBI from Mike Lowell, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Pedroia.

Despite the seven walks he issued and the four earned runs he gave up, Chamberlain struck out five batters over the five innings he pitched, which was good enough to improve his record to 8-2 on the year.

“We just came in and swung the bats well,” Chamberlain said to the press. “The offense bailed us out, and I knew their game plan from the get-go was to take pitches. You have to take a positive out of this, we won the game. It’s always good to get the first win out of the way.”

With their first victory against the Red Sox in 2009 under their belt, the Yankees will look to keep their four-game winning streak alive in game two of the four-game set tomorrow night.

A.J. Burnett (10-5, 3.89 ERA) will take on Boston ace Josh Beckett (13-4, 3.27 ERA)

Four-Run Seventh, Damon Lead Yankees to Win over Blue Jays

A.J. Martelli — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:54:32 -0400

Losing 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning of Wednesday’s game, the New York Yankees broke free and scored four runs, leading them to an 8-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

With the Jays ahead by one run, Nick Swisher started the inning with a solo home run to left, giving him 18 on the year, to tie the game at three.

Hideki Matsui gave the Yanks the lead with a pinch-hit RBI single to score Robinson Cano. Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira each knocked in a run with a single, giving the Yankees a 6-3 lead.

Along with their RBIs in the seventh, Damon and Teixeira each knocked in a run in the top of third.

Eric Hinske added an RBI with a sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth, and Damon crushed his 19th home run of the season in the top of the ninth to pad the lead and complete the Yankee offense on the night.

“We didn’t quit tonight,” Damon told the YES Network after the game.

“We did not know a lot about the starting pitcher (Marc Rzepczynski), but everyone helped out. We are just hoping to find that groove that can take us a long way.”

Damon ended the night 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored.

The Blue Jays pushed four runs across the plate, seeing early run production from Vernon Wells and Alex Rios, who each recorded RBI singles in the bottom of the first.

Adam Lind and Marco Scutaro each had a solo home run for the Jays, capping off their offense in the game.

Sergio Mitre started for the Yankees, and once again failed to make a quality start. He lasted four-and-a-third innings, giving up three earned runs on eight hits, while walking two and striking out three.

“I thought he did a pretty good job,” Yankee skipper Joe Girardi said of Mitre’s performance. “They made him work hard and he got a little tired at the end there, but I think he did alright.”

Alfredo Aceves got the win in relief and improved his season record to 7-1 while the “Phil-thies", Phil Hughes and Phil Coke, each recorded a hold.

The Yankees finished their nine-game road trip at 5-4, and are 2 ½ games up in the American League East, and will now head back to the Bronx to open a crucial four-game series with the Boston Red Sox.

“We need to try to beat them,” Damon continued.

“We know what’s at stake and we have to be flawless.”

The Yankees are 0-8 against the Red Sox this season, but also own a record of 35-17 at home.

"We've been hearing about how we haven't beat the Red Sox this year, but so what?" Swisher added. "We are a different team now. We are ready to go home and get it on."

Tomorrow night, Joba Chamberlain (7-2, 3.58 ERA) will get the ball for the Yankees. He will be opposed by John Smoltz (2-4, 7.12 ERA).

Media Credit: YES Network

Happy Halladays: New York Yankees Beat Toronto Blue Jays' Ace

A.J. Martelli — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:21:36 -0400

In the first game of a two-game series in Toronto, the New York Yankees slipped by the Blue Jays Tuesday night, beating them by a score of 5-3.

Hideki Matsui ensured a Yankee win, clubbing a long solo home run off Jays’ ace Roy Halladay in the top half of the ninth. It was Matsui’s 16^th homer of the season, a shot that bounced off the camera behind the center field wall.

The Yanks touched up Halladay twice more in the previous inning, receiving back-to-back solo home runs from Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira. With the round-trippers, Damon now has 18 for the season while Teixeira has 27.

“It always feels good when you can get a few runs off Roy,” Damon told the YES Network after the game.

“He’s been the best pitcher in the majors these last six years, and I just tried to keep the ball in play.”

Damon now has 32 career hits off Halladay, the most among any Major Leaguer.

Alex Rodriguez knocked in Damon in the top of the first with an RBI double, and scored later in the inning on an error, completing the Yankee offense in the game.

The Blue Jays saw run production from Alex Rios, who hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth to score Aaron Hill, and Vernon Wells, who wrapped a two-run double in the bottom of the eighth.

Andy Pettitte took the ball for the Yankees tonight and turned in a good outing. He lasted 6.2 innings and gave up one earned run on four hits. He walked four and struck out six.

“Andy was great; he picked up where he was since the All-Star break,” Yankees skipper Joe Girardi said to the press.

“He started making pitches he feels great and he gives us a chance every time he goes out. One of the differences has been his cutter. He gets strikeouts with that pitch.”

Pettitte now has 29 strikeouts over his last four games, and tonight marked his first win since July 1. His record now stands at 9-6 for the year.

On the other side of the field, Halladay took the loss and drops to 11-5, but also turned in a great game. He tossed all nine innings while allowing five runs on 10 hits. He walked none and struck out five.

Phil Hughes notched his 10^th hold of the year while Mariano Rivera recorded a four-out save. He has now slammed the door 31 times this season.

Tomorrow night, the Yanks will look for a sweep of the two-game set before the huge, four-game series against the Red Sox at home starting Thursday.

Sergio Mitre (1-0, 7.90 ERA) will start for the Yanks against Marc Rzepczynski (1-2, 3.25 ERA).

Media Credit: YES Network

Cabrera Hits for Cycle in Yankee Win Over White Sox

A.J. Martelli — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:48:09 -0400

Coming off three straight losses to the Chicago White Sox, the New York Yankees finally beat them 8-5 Sunday afternoon, avoiding a sweep.

Melky Cabrera put on an offensive show in the game, going 4-for-5 and hitting for the cycle.

“I just want to thank our manager for the opportunity to play every day,” Cabrera told the YES Network after the win.

“When the ball went over (Jermaine) Dye’s head I just didn’t want to make an out. My teammates were happy for me; we just have to keep working hard and I am so happy. I just want to take advantage and play every day”

Cabrera smacked a three-run home run in the top of the second, wrapped a double in the top of the fourth, singled in the top of the fifth, and completed the cycle with a triple in the top of the ninth.

“It was a great day for Melky,” Yankee manager Joe Girardi said to the press after the game.

“He got us started with that homer and it was special for him to end the day with the cycle. Melky was outstanding and everyone seemed to contribute.”

Cabrera is the first Yankee to hit for the cycle since Tony Fernandez on Sep. 3, 1995 against the Oakland Athletics, and he is only the 15th Yankee to ever accomplish the feat.

He racked up four RBIs and two runs scored on the day.

Tied 4-4 in the top of the fourth, Johnny Damon singled to centerfield to score Jose Molina, giving the Yanks the lead in the game.

On top of Cabrera’s four RBIs and Damon’s RBI single, recent acquisition Jerry Hairston, Jr., Molina, and Derek Jeter each knocked in a run on the afternoon, finishing the Yanks’ scoring in the game.

The White Sox scored five runs in the game, two of which came off the bats of Dye and Jim Thome.

In the bottom of the third, Dye and Thome clubbed back-to-back home runs that gave the Sox three runs.

Rookie third baseman Gordon Beckham notched an RBI single in the bottom of the third to score Scott Podsednik. Carlos Quentin singled to drive in Beckham in the bottom of the eighth, completing Chicago’s offense on the night.

CC Sabathia got the nod for the Yankees today. The ace went seven innings, gave up five earned runs on 10 hits, allowed no walks and struck out five batters.

"I felt a lot better today than I have in previous starts," Sabathia told the press.

"I left the sinker over the plate for Thome, left some pitches up and I was just trying to make pitches. They (the White Sox) score early, and you never want to get swept. I just did whatever I could to win."

Sabathia gets the win and improves his season record to 11-7.

Phil Hughes recorded his ninth hold of 2009 while Mariano Rivera nailed down save number 30 this year.

After an off-day tomorrow, the Yankees’ will continue their road trip and head up to Toronto to open up a two-game series with the Blue Jays.

On Tuesday night Andy Pettitte (8-6, 4.51 ERA) will start for the Yanks against 2003 American League Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay (11-4, 2.68 ERA)

Yankees Take Two of Three From Rays Behind Homers, Strong Chamberlain

A.J. Martelli — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:42:12 -0400

In the rubber game of a three-game set in Tampa Bay, the New York Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night, 6-2.

Robinson Cano stood out on the offensive side of the game, knocking in two runs on the night.

In the top of the sixth, Cano smacked his 16^th home run of the year off Rays’ starter Matt Garza, who waved goodbye as the ball sailed over the right field fence.

Earlier on in the top of the fourth inning, Cano grounded out to second to score Alex Rodriguez from third, giving him an RBI on the play.

Mark Teixeira also pieced together a good night, smacking his 26^th home run of the year in the top of the ninth. He also got the Yanks on the board in the top of the first, wrapping an RBI single to score Derek Jeter.

Teixeira is now tied with Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins for the American League lead in the home run category.

Melky Cabrera also took the Rays deep in the top of the ninth, clubbing his ninth home run of the season. With that round-tripper, he has set a career-high in home runs.

Capping off the Yankee offense was Jorge Posada, who added an RBI single to score pinch-runner Cody Ransom in the top of the eighth.

The Rays were able to get two runs on the night, both of which came in the bottom of the ninth.

Evan Longoria took Brian Bruney deep for his 21^st home run of the year, a two-run blast that flew over the left field wall.

Joba Chamberlain took mound for the Yankees and spun a gem.

In arguably his best start of the year, Chamberlain matched his career-high innings mark with eight and gave up no runs on only three hits. He walked two and struck out five.

“I think this has been his best performance for us,” Yankee skipper Joe Girardi said of his outing.

“He was great; I think he looks different because he is throwing the ball so well. His last three starts are as good as we’ve seen him, and it’s a great way to start a road trip."

Chamberlain picked up the win and now owns a season record of 7-2.

“It was one of my best starts,” Chamberlain said to the media after the game.

“It felt good just playing catch, really. Keeping B.J. (Upton) and Carl (Crawford) off the bases was huge. They have a great lineup up and down, so you have to be on your game from start to finish.”

Taking two out of three from the Rays and winning 11 of their last 13 games, the Yankees will now head to Chicago to open up a four-game series against the White Sox starting tomorrow night.

Andy Pettitte (8-6, 4.67 ERA) will take the ball for the Bronx Bombers. Yankees.com has Gavin Floyd (8-6, 4.24 ERA) penciled in as the White Sox starter.

Media credit: YES Network

Catch, Save, and a Beauty: Top 10 Game-Saving Catches in Baseball

A.J. Martelli — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:55:00 -0400

Salvation. There's no better feeling than knowing you are safe. In the game of baseball, a save is usually rewarded to the closing pitcher who shuts down the offense in hte final inning to secure a victory for their team. But in reality, it takes nine players to win a baseball game. And there's no better feeling for a pitcher than to see his teammate go all-out fo him to win. Whether it be diving to catch a fly ball or scaling the wall to rob a home run, outfielders sometimes make the most unbelievable catches a fan can witness. I have rounded up 10 of the best catches I have seen as a baseball fan.

Begin Slideshow

Top 10 Chris Berman Baseball Nicknames

A.J. Martelli — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:01:12 -0400

Everybody knows him. He is the voice of the Major League Baseball Home Run Derby every year and the host of NFL Sunday Countdown on ESPN.

I am talking about none other than Chris Berman. He says some of the most outlandish things a person could ever hear, taking players’ names and twisting them into nonsense.

Love him or hate him, some of them are witty, and some of them are ridiculous.

Since I am a huge baseball fan above any other sport, I have rounded up my top 10 Chris Berman names for baseball players. Like most fans, some I find funny and others ridiculous.

10) David Supreme Court Justice

Justice was a great baseball player in his day. A member of the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and Oakland Athletics, he hit 305 career home runs and knocked in 1,017 runs.

He has such a great name Berman had to make it into a corny nickname. It’s not like Justice is going to be on the Supreme Court. Well, maybe he could try his hand at it. What else is he doing right now?

9) Jeff pin the tail on the Bronkey

I know what you’re probably all wondering: Who is Jeff Bronkey?

Well, I had to find that out myself. He pitched for two years in the majors for the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers. He had a lifetime record of 2-2 and recorded a measly 36 career strikeouts.

As much of a nobody as Bronkey is, the name Berman came up with is clever.

Maybe Bronkey can make a career entertaining children at birthday parties with games and call it “pin the tail on the Bronkey.” It might be a better career choice than pitching in the majors, anyway.

8) Harold Growing Baines

Baines enjoyed a great Major League Baseball career. He smacked a lifetime 384 home runs and came close to 3,000 hits, recording 2,866 in his 22-year career. His number is retired by the Chicago White Sox, a team he now coaches for.

So Harold...show me that smile, because your name was turned into a dorky nickname.

I have nothing but respect for Baines, because he enjoyed such a rich and fruitful career. Perhaps one day could even be in the Hall of Fame. But the nickname just isn’t cool. He is not Mike Seaver—he was better than Kirk Cameron; a great ballplayer.

7) Jay Ferris Buhner

“What the hell did you trade Jay Buhner for?” Whenever anyone mentions Buhner, I can only think of Frank Costanza yelling at George Steinbrenner on an episode of Seinfeld for trading Buhner from the Yankees to the Seattle Mariners.

I suppose the nickname is funny, but it would probably make more sense if his last name was Bueller, not Buhner. I get where Berman is coming from, referencing the great and hilarious movie with Matthew Broderick.

I love that movie, and Buhner should be proud that his name has been mentioned with it—even if the nickname doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

6) Jose can you see Canseco

I never liked Canseco. He is such a bum. He probably just should have been an actor and not an athlete.

After he admitted using steroids and named names in his book (Mark McGwire, Juan Gonzalez, Ivan Rodriguez, and Jason Giambi) he went on The Surreal Life and did guest spots on The Simpsons and Nash Bridges. He would have been better off doing television his whole life rather than outing himself in baseball.

As a Yankee loyalist, I never thought of him as a World Series Champion in 2000. It made me sick knowing he got a ring when he really did not deserve one.

As far as his nickname goes, just like Canseco, it stinks. Berman obviously borrowed the name from the first line of our National Anthem, and quite frankly, it’s embarrassing putting Canseco’s name in the same line as the anthem of our great country.

5) Dave no man is an Eiland

“No man is an island entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent; a part of the main.”

Berman borrowed his nickname for former relief pitcher Dave Eiland from John Donne’s poem.

I recall learning in high school that the actual meaning of the line suggests that men cannot live isolated from each other, and when they do, they do not thrive.

Eiland really didn’t thrive in his MLB career, owning a career record of 12-27 over a span of 12 years. If you do the math, that’s only one win for every year he pitched in the majors.

Right now he serves at the helm of Yankee pitching, as he is their pitching coach. I swear, he needs to get fired from his position. The only reason he has his job is because he worked in the minor leagues with Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Joba Chamberlain. So far things haven’t gone as planned.

The more I hear Al Leiter and David Cone talk about pitching in the YES Network booth, the more I want one of them to come down and be the pitching coach, because Eiland is not good.

His nickname, however, is unique. I enjoyed learning that poem in my studies, and now whenever I think of it, I think of baseball.

4) Greg Mathe Maddux

This has got to be the lamest one on the list.

Maddux has won 355 games in his career, recorded 3,371 strikeouts, and is a surefire Hall of Famer. So I find it lame that Berman decided to change his name into my least favorite subject.

Maddux has so many other, better nicknames, including “The Professor” and the “Mad Dog.” When I think of Maddux, those two nicknames come to mind—not Berman’s terrible “mathematics” reference.

3) Scott Supercalifragilisticexpiala Brosius

Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious, this nickname kind of makes me smile.

Brosius was probably the best third baseman I’ve seen in my lifetime as a baseball fan. He could barehand the ball better than anyone in the game during his time, and he provided us fans with great memories.

I would say he made 1998 the most enjoyable time to be a Yankee fan, and he proved that when he won the World Series MVP Award.

Berman had to go and use a song from Mary Poppins to make up his little nickname for Brosius, but it doesn’t really matter to me.

Brosius will always be a great player—and if you say his last name loud enough, you’ll always sound precocious.

2) Albert Winnie the Pujols

Pujols is currently leading the National League in Home Runs with 32 and RBI with 87. Some people are even saying he could win the Triple Crown this year.

Recently at the Home Run Derby, Pujols and Berman actually talked about this nickname. Pujols said he didn’t mind being called by the alternate name.

I, for one, think it is stupid. I know a lot of other fans probably think it’s witty, but I am sorry; I don’t think it is witty at all.

It’s just a little childish to call the best hitter in the game a Disney cartoon character. Maybe I’m just thinking too much of it. Either way, it’s a little ridiculous.

1) Carlos daylight come and Delgado go home

This one (for some reason unbeknownst to me) just makes me crack up.

Delgado is currently on the disabled list but could maybe reach 500 lifetime home runs if he stays healthy for the rest of his career. The 37-year-old first baseman is currently sitting 27 long balls away from the milestone with 473.

Maybe I laugh at this nickname because it’s a reference to the “Banana Boat Song,” as made famous by Harry Belafonte.

In the movie Beetlejuice, the ghosts that haunt the house in the movie somehow make the people that actually live in the house dance to this song. It’s one of my favorite scenes in movie history. Perhaps that’s why I get a kick out of the nickname—who knows?

Well, there you have it. My Top 10 Chris Berman funny/ridiculous/pathetic nicknames for baseball players.

I’m sure most of you agree that these names are corny and dorky. They’re ridiculous, yes, but most of them are hysterical. It’s a guilty pleasure. Respect to Berman for coming up with these dumb names to mildly entertain us fans.

For the definitive list of goofy player names, visit: http://www.funny2.com/berman.htm.

Proud To Be An American: A.L. Tops N.L. in Mid-Summer Classic

A.J. Martelli — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:24:06 -0400

It was a star-studded night in St. Louis. Baseball legends, All-Stars, and even the President of the United States were in attendance for the 80th annual Major League Baseball All Star Game.

The American League has beaten the National League in 11 of the last mid-summer classics, and the trend continued tonight as the A.L. beat the N.L. by a score of 4-3.

Carl Crawford of the Tampa Bay Rays gets the nod for play of the game, as he saved the American League in the bottom of the seventh.

With Red Sox’ closer Jonathan Papelbon on the mound and the game tied 3-3 Brad Hawpe of the Colorado Rockies hammered a long fly ball to left field that was on track to leaving the yard.

Crawford showcased some unique athleticism, leaping the wall and bringing the ball back into the park, saving Papelbon and the A.L. a run.

For his game-saving grab, Crawford was named the Ted Williams-All Star Game Most Valuable Player.

“I was just trying to contribute any way I could,” he told the press after the game.

“It means a lot, and I am happy to share it with my teammates.”

Crawford also stated that he could not recall ever stealing a home run in his career, and that he picked a good time to rob his first home run.

Curtis Granderson of the Detroit Tigers scored the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth. After Granderson hit a triple, Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles knocked him in with a sacrifice fly to break the 3-3 tie and give the A.L. the lead.

The A.L. previously pushed three runs across the plate, getting two of their runs in the top of the first. Yankees’ first baseman Mark Teixeira reached on an error by hometown first baseman Albert Pujols, allowing Derek Jeter to score.

Later in the frame, Texas Rangers’ outfielder Josh Hamilton grounded into a fielder’s choice, enabling Minnesota Twins’ catcher Joe Mauer to score.

In the top of the fifth, Mauer doubled to score Jeter, completing the A.L. offense in the game.

The National League scraped three runs across the plate, all of which came in the bottom of the second inning.

Yadier Molina gave his hometown crowd something to cheer for, hitting a two-run single and reaching second base with some help on a throwing error by Hamilton to score Mets’ third baseman David Wright and Phillies’ outfielder Shane Victorino.

Home Run Derby winner Prince Fielder followed suit with a double to score Molina, finishing the N.L. run scoring in the game.

Papelbon gets the win, and now has one victory in All Star Game play.

San Diego Padres’ closer Heath Bell takes the loss, as he gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth.

Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera gets the save, and it was the fourth time he ended an All Star Game in his career. He is now the all-time saves leader in mid-summer classic history, passing Dennis Eckersley on the All Star Game saves list.

“It was great, I just thank the guys for giving me the opportunity,” he said after the game.

“It’s important, because whoever wins this gets home field advantage in the World Series. I really can just thank God.”

Along with nailing down his historic fourth All Star save, Rivera extended his streak to eight scoreless innings pitched in All Star Game play and also maintained his 0.00 ERA in All Star Game play.

Rivera’s previous All Star Game saves came in 1997, 2005, and 2006.

The American League has now won 12 of the last All Star Games played (not counting the 7-7 tie in 2002) although four of their last wins over the N.L. have come by a margin of only one run.

Tonight also marked the shortest All Star Game played since 1988, lasting only a mere two hours and 31 minutes.

Now that the American League has won the All Star Game, whichever team takes the A.L. title this year will receive home field advantage in the World Series, which will be played in October.

16 teams will resume regular season play on Thursday and the rest of the league will be back in action on Friday.

The Prince Becomes a King: Fielder Wins Derby

A.J. Martelli — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:29:56 -0400

Back, back, back, there it goes, goodbye!

This was the line of the night for Prince Fielder, who won the 2009 Home Run Derby, becoming the first player for the Milwaukee Brewers to accomplish the feat.

Perhaps the favorite to win the derby was hometown slugger Albert Pujols, who was competing in the Home Run Derby for the third time in his career.

Fielder had a feeling he would be facing tremendous odds in Busch Stadium.

“It’s what I expected,” he told ESPN after the game.

"This is Albert’s stadium, I was just happy to put on a show, and I’m glad I won.”

Fielder crushed his longest home run of the night at a whopping 503 feet, and his average home-run distance was 438 feet.

11 of his 23 home runs went over 450 feet.

In the first round, Fielder smacked 11 home runs, tying Nelson Cruz who also hit 11 long balls before him.

In the second round, Fielder hit six homers while Cruz hit five home runs, eliminating Ryan Howard and Pujols before the final round.

Adrian Gonzalez, Carlos Pena, Joe Mauer, and Brandon Inge also competed, but they failed to make it past the first round.

Now that he has dominated the Home Run Derby, Fielder will go into tomorrow night as a National League reserve player in the All-Star Game.

The American League All-Star team will face the National League All-Star squad for home field advantage in the World Series.

Tim Lincecum (10-2, 2.33 ERA) of the San Francisco Giants will make the start for the National League against Roy Halladay (10-3, 2.85 ERA) of the Toronto Blue Jays.

Yankees Sweep Season Series Against Twins

A.J. Martelli — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:04:24 -0400

The New York Yankees swept the Minnesota Twins on Thursday afternoon, beating them by a score of 6-4.

It was the seventh time this year the Yankees have beaten the Twins and their 13^th win in their last 15 games.

Mark Teixeira topped off the Yankees offense in the top of the fifth, blasting a solo home run to left to give the Yanks a 6-4 lead, which they would not relinquish.

“For us to win every game here is a boost to our club house,” Teixeira told the YES Network after the game.

“The consistency in our pitching, defense and offense are getting it done.”

In the top of the second, the Yanks put three runs on the board. Cody Ransom drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Alex Rodriguez, Brett Gardner knocked in Jorge Posada with a fielder’s choice, and Derek Jeter singled to score Robinson Cano.

In the top of the fourth, Ransom and Gardner both had RBI singles to finish the Yankees offense in the game.

For the Twins, Jason Kubel belted his 14^th home run of the year in the bottom of the second and they received a gift run in the inning on an error by Ransom, which allowed Michael Cuddyer to score.

Yankees reliever Dave Robertson continued the gift-giving in the bottom of the fourth, issuing two bases-loaded walks to Denard Span and Matt Tolbert, finalizing the Twins’ offense in the game.

Alfredo Aceves made the start for the Yankees today, taking Chien-Ming Wang’s spot in the rotation. He went 3.1 innings, gave up four runs on four hits, walked one and struck out two batters.

The Yankees bullpen pitched 5.2 innings and gave up no runs on two hits.

“We walked a few too many guys, had a blip, but they settled down nicely and they’ve really been doing the job for us,” Yankee manger commented on his bullpen.

“They have the attitude of being ready when they get the call.”

Jonathan Albaladejo got the win in relief and is now 4-1 on the year.

Francisco Liriano took the loss and is now 4-9 this season.

The “Phil-thies,” Phil Coke and Phil Hughes, each recorded a hold while Mariano Rivera notched his 23rd save on the year.

The Yankees will now head out west to California to open up their final three-game series before the All Star break against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Tomorrow night, Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 4.04 ERA) will look to keep the Yanks hot against Joe Saunders (8-5, 4.44 ERA).

8J: Burnett Picks Up Eighth Victory in Yankee Win Over Twins

A.J. Martelli — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:48:44 -0400

In a close game Wednesday night, the New York Yankees slipped past the Minnesota Twins beating them by a score of 4-3.

The Yankees made it two wins in as many nights against the Twins with the RBI single off the bat of Alex Rodriguez in the top of the fifth, giving the Yankees their fourth run in the game.

The Yanks scored first in the top of the second, receiving an RBI groundout from Nick Swisher to score Hideki Matsui.

Later in the second, Brett Gardner added two runs with a single to score Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada.

“It’s big,” Gardner told the YES Network after the game.

“We’re finding different ways to score without hitting home runs, we’re getting guys on base, and we have to finish the first half right.”

The Twins got offensive contributions from Joe Mauer, who smashed his 15^th homer of the year in the bottom of the seventh by hitting a solo shot to left field.

Mauer also added a run with an RBI double in the bottom of the third, and Yankee starter A.J. Burnett gave the Twins a gift in the third, throwing a wild pitch that allowed Denard Span to score.

Despite tossing three wild pitches in the game, Burnett went 6.1 innings, gave up two runs on seven hits, walked four, and struck out two. He also made a stellar play on the mound, picking off Span at second base in the bottom of the first.

“It was a tough performance by him, one of the toughest all year,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said of Burnett’s outing.

“He was pulling some fast balls and when the ball is going 95 miles an hour it’s hard for the catcher to adjust.”

Burnett picked up his eighth win of the year. He has a total of 100 strikeouts to this point, and now holds an 8-4 record.

“I didn’t have a hook all game and my control was off, but I was able to regroup,” Burnett said to the press.

“I got upset a couple times because of poor execution, but I was able to correct it.”

Anthony Swarzak, who started in place of the ailing Glen Perkins, took the loss and is now 2-3 this season.

The tandem of the “Phil-thies,” Phil Coke and Phil Hughes, each recorded a hold in relief while Mariano Rivera nailed down save number 22 this season.

The Yankees have now won six in a row against the Twin Cities this year, and are winners of 12 out of their last 14 games.

Tomorrow afternoon, the Yankees will look for their seventh win in a row against Minnesota this year, along with a series sweep.

Alfredo Aceves (5-1, 2.03 ERA) will come out of the bullpen to start in place of the injured Chien-Ming Wang, and is going to be limited to 65 pitches.

Aceves will be opposed by 25-year-old left hander Francisco Liriano (4-8, 5.49 ERA).

Yankees-Twins: New York Routs Minnesota in First of Three

A.J. Martelli — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:57:02 -0400

The New York Yankees put on a clinic against the Minnesota Twins Tuesday night.

The rout was on, as the Bronx Bombers squashed the Twin Cities by a score of 10-2, winning the first game of a three-game series.

"It’s a great way to start off the road trip," Yankee manager Joe Girardi said to the press after the game.

"I love when everyone contributes; it makes it easier on the pitcher."

Already leading 5-1 in the top of the sixth, the Yanks tacked five more on the board in the inning to put the Twins away.

In the five-run sixth, Robinson Cano singled to score Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, Brett Gardner hit his fifth triple of the year to score Nick Swisher and Cano, and Francisco Cervelli doubled to score Gardner, giving the Yanks 10 runs.

Cano broke an 0-for-22 slump with runners in scoring position with his two-run single.

The Yanks scored their previous five runs in the first, second, and fourth innings.

In the top of the first, Hideki Matsui singled to score Derek Jeter, while in the top of the second Cervelli hit a sacrifice fly to score Cano and Teixeira singled to score Gardner.

In the top of the fourth, Rodriguez recorded an RBI with a sac fly to score Cervelli and Swisher drew a bases loaded walk that scored Jeter.

Rodriguez’s sac fly could have been much worse if it wasn’t for Twins’ centerfielder Carlos Gomez.

With the bases loaded, Rodriguez clobbered the ball deep to center, and it was undoubtedly leaving the yard.

Gomez leapt for it at the wall and robbed the Yanks’ third baseman of a grand slam home run, only allowing one run to score on the sac fly instead of four on a slam.

Aside from Gomez’s sparkling defense, the Twins were only able to cheer about their two runs, the first coming off the bat of Michael Cuddyer.

Cuddyer smacked his 14th homer of the year, a solo shot to right in the bottom of the third.

Five innings later, Brendan Harris knocked in the Twins’ second run with an RBI single to score Nick Punto in the bottom of the eighth.

The Yankees really poured it on, pounding out 16 hits in the game, while the Twins only reached base by way of a hit four times.

Every Yankee starter recorded at least one base hit on the night and they were issued a total of seven walks by the Twins’ pitching.

In addition to the solid offense, the Yanks got a good game out of starter C.C. Sabathia.

The Yankee ace went seven innings, gave up only one earned run on three hits, walked one, and struck out three.

"C.C. was outstanding," Girardi said. "He went seven strong innings and didn’t throw a lot of pitches. He was 95-97 with his velocity all night and he located well."

Sabathia notched win No. 8 of 2009, and now owns a season record of 8-5.

Scott Baker of the Twins took the loss and is now 6-7 this year.

Winners of 11 out of their last 13 games, the Yanks will look to keep the ball rolling in game two of this three-game series.

A.J. Burnett (7-4, 3.83 ERA) will take the hill for the Bombers, while Glen Perkins (4-4, 4.38 ERA) will start for the Twins.

Jorge Posada Pied: Yankees Walk Off Against Blue Jays

A.J. Martelli — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:04:10 -0400

The Yankees made it a happy Fourth of July in the bottom of the 12^th inning Saturday evening.

With the game knotted at five, Jorge Posada delivered a walk-off single to score Alex Rodriguez from second base giving the Yanks a 6-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

It was the eighth walk-off win for the Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium this year and the second off the bat of Posada.

“I was looking for something up,” he told the YES Network after the game.

“It was a changeup and I got it. Our bullpen is doing a hell of a job and we don’t die, especially here at home.”

After his comments to the media, yesterday’s winning pitcher A.J. Burnett and tomorrow’s starter Joba Chamberlain whip-creamed pied Posada in the face, continuing the ritual after a walk-off win.

Along with from the game-winning single, Posada smacked a solo homer into the right field bleachers in the bottom of the fourth inning, keeping the Yanks in the game.

Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon also took the Blue Jays deep today, and Rodriguez helped out with an RBI single to cap off the Yankee offense in the game.

The Blue Jays came up with five runs in the game, receiving a two-run single from Alex Rios in the top of the second, a two-run homer from Adam Lind in the top of the sixth, and Rios finished the run production for the Jays with an RBI single in the top of the sixth.

Chien-Ming Wang took the hill for the Yankees today. He was moving along nicely, and finished the day with 5.1 innings pitched, four earned runs on six hits, one walk and one strikeout.

After the home run to Lind, he tossed one pitch to Scott Rolen and was quickly taken out of the game due to an injury. Wang was later diagnosed with a right shoulder strain.

“He had an MRI,” Yankee manager Joe Girardi said of Wang to the press after the win.

“He’s got a shoulder strain and some bursitis. He’ll be re-evaluated tomorrow and he needs some rest.”

Girardi is unsure of Wang’s status of his next start, but has indicated that he will most likely miss his next scheduled appearance on Thursday in Minnesota.

The bullpen picked Wang right up, tossing a combined 6.2 innings and only allowing one run without blowing the game.

“They gave up the one run, but were great,” Girardi said of the ‘pen.

“Hughes, Cokey, everyone was great.”

Brett Tomko picked up the win in relief and now has a season record of 1-2.

Shawn Camp, who gave up the game-winner to Posada, takes the loss. His season record now stands at 0-4.

The Yankees have now won nine of their last 10 games, and are a season-high 14 games above .500 with a record of 47-33.

Tomorrow afternoon the Yankees will look to win the series against Toronto.

Chamberlain (4-2, 3.89 ERA) will look to keep the Yankees moving, and he will take on Brett Cecil (2-1, 5.09 ERA).

Cecil is starting in place of original probable pitcher Scott Richmond, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list following the Blue Jays' loss on Saturday.

A.J. Burnett Burns Former Team, Yankees Roll Past Blue Jays

A.J. Martelli — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:39:51 -0400

Starting off the holiday weekend on the right note, the New York Yankees defeated the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday afternoon by a score of 4-2.

In the fifth inning, the Blue Jays beat themselves, making two crucial mistakes.

With the score tied 1-1, Jays starter Brian Tallet gave up a bases loaded walk to Mark Teixeira, allowing Brett Gardner to score. Later in the frame, he tossed a wild pitch, giving Johnny Damon the ability to score from third and the Yankees a 3-1 edge.

The Bronx Bombers scored their first run with a solo home run from Robinson Cano in the bottom of the second; a blast that landed in the Yankee bullpen good for his 13th long ball of the year.

Alex Rodriguez padded the Yankee lead with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the eighth, his 14th round-tripper of the year and 222nd as a member of the Yankees.

Rodriguez has now homered in five of his last eight games and is now tied with Yankees favorite Don Mattingly for ninth place on the all-time Yankee home runs list.

The Blue Jays scraped two runs across the plate, the first with an RBI single off the bat of Alex Rios to score Lyle Overbay in the top of the fourth, and a solo home run from Vernon Wells in the top of the sixth.

Wells’ home run is the 21st he has hit in his career against the Yankees, and is now tied with Joe Carter on the Blue Jays’ list of home runs against New York.

Coming off a brilliant game last Saturday against the Mets, A.J. Burnett started against his former team and tossed yet another gem from the mound.

He went seven strong innings, gave up two earned runs on six hits, walked two, and racked up seven strikeouts.

“He was very good again,” Yankee manager Joe Girardi said to the media of Burnett’s performance.

“He really only made one mistake. His fastball was great and his curveball was great.”

With the win, Burnett has won five of his last seven games and now owns a 7-and-4 record this year.

“I made one mistake all game,” Burnett said to the press.

“Facing the Blue Jays as a Yankee is different. It was a little weird when some of them stepped into the box, but I just went about my business.”

The tandem of Phil Coke and Phil Hughes came out of the bullpen strong in the eighth inning, not allowing a run. Each reliever recorded a hold.

Mariano Rivera shut down the Jays in the ninth, and has slammed the door 21 times this year.

Tomorrow afternoon, the Yankees and Blue Jays will play game two of the four-game wraparound series.

Chien-Ming Wang (1-and-6, 10.06 ERA) will start for the Yankees and face 2003 Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay (10-and-2, 2.56 ERA).

Rodriguez's Home Run Lifts Yankees Past Mariners

A.J. Martelli — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:59:31 -0400

Riding a six-game winning streak, the New York Yankees made it seven consecutive wins on Wednesday night by beating the Seattle Mariners by a score of 4-2.

Tied 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Alex Rodriguez smashed a two-run homer into Monument Park, breaking the tie and lifting the Yanks past the M’s.

For Rodriguez it was his fourth homer in the last seven games and 13th long ball of the year.

“I guess I just woke up,” he told the YES Network after the game. “To Monument Park is a long ways, and when it went out I was really happy. Right now I am just doing the best I can.”

The Yankees got their other two runs in the game with solo homers from Johnny Damon in the bottom of the third and Melky Cabrera in the bottom of the fifth.

Damon’s homer was his 15th on the year and 11th at Yankee Stadium while Cabrera’s blast was his eighth on the year.

Cabrera’s homer flew over the foul pole in left field and went under review. It took only two-and-a-half minutes before it was ruled a round-tripper.

The Mariners put their first run on the board in the top of the fourth inning when Wladimir Balentien grounded into a fielder’s choice allowing Jose Lopez to cross the plate.

Their only other run on the night came off the bat of Ken Griffey, Jr., who clubbed a solo home run to right in the top of the sixth, finishing the M’s offense in the game.

With the home run, Griffey has now left 44 different ballparks in his Major League career and has 621 lifetime home runs. It was his 10th of 2009.

Andy Pettitte took the hill for the Yankees tonight. He went seven innings, gave up two earned runs on six hits, walked one, and struck out five.

“Andy was great tonight,” Yankee manager Joe Girardi said to the media after the game.

“He got deep into the game and avoided walks. His last few starts have been very good.”

Pettitte earned his team-leading eighth win of the season, and now has a record of 8-3.

Jarrod Washburn, who started for Seattle, takes the loss and falls to 4-6.

Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke each recorded holds while Mariano Rivera notched his 20th save of the year and 502nd of his career.

With the win tonight, the Yanks have taken the series from the Mariners and will look to sweep them tomorrow night.

CC Sabathia (7-4, 3.55 ERA) will make the start for the Yankees and take on Jason Vargas (3-3, 3.79 ERA).

Cabrera Leads Yankees Past Mariners

A.J. Martelli — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:58:42 -0400

In the first game of a three game series at home, the New York Yankees defeated the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, winning by a score of 8-5.

Tied at five in the bottom of the eighth, Melky Cabrera delivered an RBI double to score pinch-runner Brett Gardner, lifting the Yanks past the M’s.

The RBI in the eighth was one of three Cabrera drove in on the night, as he knocked in Jorge Posada with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second, and he grounded into a force out in the bottom of the fourth allowing Robinson Cano to score.

“He’s had some real big hits for us,” Yankee manager Joe Girardi said of Cabrera.

“The walk-offs are great, and his numbers from the seventh inning on are great.”

Padding the lead in the bottom of the eighth, Derek Jeter singled to score Nick Swisher and Cabrera.

The Yankees received extra offensive help in the game from Hideki Matsui, who reached on a throwing error by Mariners’ third baseman Chris Woodward enabling Cano to score in the bottom of the second, and Alex Rodriguez who blasted his 12^th home run on the year, a two run shot in the bottom of the seventh.

The Mariners put five runs on the board tonight starting with a solo homer from Ronny Cedeno in the top of the third. They later received a two-run single in the top of the fifth from Franklin Gutierrez.

In the top of the eighth Seattle tacked on two more runs with an RBI single from Kenji Johjima and a sacrifice fly from Russell Branyan, completing their offense on the night.

Joba Chamberlain took the hill for the Yankees tonight, and turned in a good outing. He lasted 5.1 innings, gave up three earned runs on nine hits, walked three, and struck out four.

“I got into some long counts,” Chamberlain said to the media after the game.

“There are days when you don’t have your best stuff, but it is part of learning and growing pains.”

Although he blew his first save this season, Brian Bruney gets the win in relief and now has a record of 3-0.

Mariano Rivera nailed down his 19^th save of the year and 501^st of his career, coming off the milestone 500th against the Mets on Sunday night.

Rivera had also thrown out the honorary first pitch of the game in respect of his achievement on Sunday night.

“I don’t know why they made me do it,” Rivera said of the pre-game first pitch.

“But they gave me opportunity, so I took it.”

The Yanks are now winners of six straight games and a season-high 12 games above .500.

Tomorrow night the Yankees will have a chance to take the series from the Mariners, as they play game two from the Bronx.

Andy Pettitte (7-3, 4.38 ERA) will look to keep the Yankees rolling against Jarrod Washburn (4-5, 3.22 ERA).

New York-New York: Yankees Broom Mets, Mariano Rivera Reaches 500 Saves

A.J. Martelli — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:18:03 -0400

The 2009 Subway Series was one-sided to say the least, as the New York Yankees completed a three-game, weekend sweep of their cross town rivals the New York Mets on Sunday night, beating them by a score of 4-2.

Yankee closer Mariano Rivera notched his 500th career save in front of the mixed New York crowd at Citi Field in Queens, and helped his own cause in the top of the ninth.

With the Yankees up 3-2 in the top half of the ninth inning and Rivera at the plate, he drew a bases loaded walk off Mets’ closer Francisco Rodriguez to score Derek Jeter from third, procuring the Yankee lead.

Rivera is only the second player to reach 500 career saves, joining Trevor Hoffman in the 500 saves club. It was his 18th save of 2009, and he also recorded his first career RBI in only his third career at-bat.

“It’s exciting,” Rivera told ESPN after the game about his milestone save.

“I want to thank God and my teammates, but it’s over. We have another game Tuesday that we have to go out and win.”

The Yankees struck for their first three runs right away in the top of the first, getting an RBI double off the bat of Mark Teixeira to score Jeter and Nick Swisher, and later receiving a sacrifice fly from Jorge Posada to score Teixeira.

The Mets were only able to score twice in the bottom of the fourth inning. Fernando Martinez knocked in Gary Sheffield with an RBI double, and Luis Castillo drove in Martinez with an RBI single.

In other good news for the Bronx Bombers, Chien-Ming Wang turned in his longest outing since June 15 of last season.

He went 5.1 innings, gave up two earned runs on four hits, walked three and struck out three.

“He got into some long counts,” Yankee skipper Joe Girardi commented of Wang’s pitching performance.

“I would prefer some shorter counts, but other than that he looks good.”

Wang earned his first win of 2009 and now has a season record of 1-6.

The Yankees owned the Subway Series this season, as they won five of the six games against the Mets and outscored the Amazin’s 44-17 this year.

With the sweep the Yankees head into an off day on Monday, but will finally head home after a nine-game road trip.

From Yankee Stadium Tuesday night, the Bronx Bombers will host the Seattle Mariners.

Joba Chamberlain (4-2, 3.81 ERA) will take on Brandon Morrow (0-3, 5.64 ERA).

Yankees Play Home Run Derby to Top Tampa Bay Rays

A.J. Martelli — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 22:18:29 -0400

It took two swings by the New York Yankees in the late innings to beat the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night by a score of 5-3.

Johnny Damon launched a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, his 12th of the year, to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead.

“It's great to come to the ballpark and feel good about our team night in and night out,” Damon said after the game.

“Hopefully I can keep doing it. I felt like my swing was good all night, and we’ll take this win.”

Derek Jeter padded the lead in the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot of his own, his eighth of 2009, to give the Yanks their five runs of the game.

Mark Teixeira started the Yankees off right in the bottom of the first, smashing his 18thlong ball of the year, and Nick Swisher added two runs on yet another home run – his 12th of the year.

The Yanks scored all five of their runs tonight with home runs.

The Rays touched up the Bombers for three runs on the night, receiving an RBI single from Michel Hernandez to score Ben Zobrist, and a two-run homer off the bat of Gabe Kapler.

Andy Pettitte took the mound for the Yankees tonight, and earned a win with a good outing.

He went six innings and gave up three runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out seven.

Pettitte now leads the Yankee team with six wins on the year, and owns a record of 6-2.

“It was a good team win for us tonight,” Pettitte told the media.

“I was looking for some easy outs. The wins will come and I’ll keep battling. We are in a good place right now, and hopefully we can keep going.”

Andy Sonnanstine took the loss for Tampa Bay, and now has a 4-6 record.

Phil Hughes and Phil Coke each tossed scoreless innings in relief of Pettitte and recorded holds while Mariano Rivera shut the door in the ninth inning for his 14th save of the year and second on as many games.

Now in first place with a one-game lead in the American League Eastern Division, the Yanks will roll into Beantown and open up a three-game series with the Boston Red Sox.

Tomorrow night, A.J. Burnett (4-2, 4.69 ERA) will look to keep the Yankees on a winning roll. He will face Boston ace Josh Beckett (6-2, 4.09 ERA).

“We’re playing with a lot of confidence and hopefully it’ll roll over to the Red Sox series,” Damon added.

“They’re a good team and we need to play well if we plan on beating them, and hopefully we do. Hopefully our guys will get hot up in Fenway and carry us.”

Media Credit: YES Network, Yankees.com

New York Yankees Come From Behind to Rattle Tampa Bay Rays

A.J. Martelli — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:54:52 -0400

The New York Yankees once again put on a late-inning show on Sunday afternoon.

Down 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Yanks batted around and scored three runs against the Tampa Bay Rays, going on to beat them by a score of 4-3.

It was the 20th time this season the Yankees have come from behind to beat their opponent, and the fifth time this season the Yankees have won a game when trailing after the seventh inning.

Hideki Matsui knocked in the go-ahead run, bouncing into a fielder’s choice allowing Alex Rodriguez to cross the plate to give the Bronx Bombers the lead.

Robinson Cano had started the offense in the frame, walking with the bases loaded to score Johnny Damon.

Jorge Posada also knocked in a run in the inning, as he reached on an error by Rays’ third baseman Willy Aybar that enabled Mark Teixeira to score from third.

The Yanks’ first run came off the bat of Nick Swisher in the bottom half of the third, when he belted his 11th homer of the year, a solo shot that landed in the Yankee bullpen.

The Rays’ runs came from B.J. Upton, who doubled in the third to score Reid Brignac, and Gabe Gross, who doubled in the sixth to knock in Aybar and Carlos Pena.

Mariano Rivera bounced back from yesterday’s poor outing, slamming the door in the ninth inning to notch his 13th save of the season.

“I’m just glad we won,” Rivera told the media after the game.

“We came out to win, and the cutter had more life today, and it was all about determination. I had the opportunity and I didn’t waste it.”

Earning the win today was Alfredo Aceves, who came on in relief of today’s starter Joba Chamberlain.

“Ace did a nice job, but Joba did well, too,” Yankees’ skipper Joe Girardi told the press.

“Joba threw the ball well, and Ace has just got weapons for all different types of hitters.”

Chamberlain lasted six innings, gave up three runs on five hits, walked one, and struck out four.

Meanwhile Aceves pitched the seventh and eight innings, allowing no runs on just one hit. He walked one, struck out four, and now owns a season record of 4-1.

In a match-up of “Andy’s” tomorrow night, Andy Pettitte of the Yankees (5-2, 4.33 ERA) will face Andy Sonnanstine of the Rays (4-5, 7.07 ERA).

Media Credit: YES Network, Yankees.com

Why the New York Yankees Need To Trade Hideki Matsui

A.J. Martelli — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:06:24 -0400

He burst onto the Major League Baseball scene in 2003, crushing a grand slam home run in his first home game with the New York Yankees.

So far this season, Hideki Matsui has eight homers, 22 RBI, and is batting .256. But he is certainly not the durable player he once was, and the Yankees should consider trading him.

In his first three seasons, Matsui played in every single game, compiling a streak of 518 consecutive games played. In his 519th game against Boston on May 11, 2006, he broke his wrist and was sidelined for the majority of the season.

The next year was a bit of a comeback season, as he was able to play in 143 games, belting 25 homers and driving in 103 runs while batting .294.

But during the 2007 offseason, Matsui’s body betrayed him and he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. In 2008, his left knee became an issue, and he was limited to 93 games.

This year is the final year of his contract, and with the way he is going, it would be wise for the Yanks to cut their losses and shop Godzilla to another team.

It’s not like the Yankees haven’t thought of this already.

Prior to the 2008 season, New York was supposedly working on a deal with the San Francisco Giants to trade Matsui for younger pitching talent.

Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain were two young hurlers on the Yankees’ radar, but the deal was never made. The question now is, what team would want Matsui, and who would they give up for him?

Most teams are probably not in the market for a nearly 35-year-old designated hitter.

Let’s face it, Matsui is not an outfielder anymore. He has no range, no arm, and with surgically repaired knees, he cannot run.

Obviously, the idea of swapping Matsui to the National League is out.

However, if an American League team is not going anywhere and is quickly falling out of its division, the Yankees may have a shot to say sayonara to Matsui.

For instance, if the Cleveland Indians remain under .500 and stay at the bottom of the AL Central, Matsui might be a member of the tribe by season's end. The Yanks could make a deal for outfielder Trevor Crowe or acquire another arm from Cleveland’s bullpen.

Jensen Lewis, a 25-year-old right-hander out of Vanderbilt, is someone Yanks general manager Brian Cashman should keep an eye on.

Or how about the Oakland Athletics, who are currently stationed in the basement of the American League West? The Yankees could look into a trade, sending Matsui to Oakland for reliever Brad Ziegler or 23-year-old outfielder Aaron Cunningham.

Ziegler has 14 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings pitched this season, and Cunningham is showing promise as an outfielder, with a home run and four RBI in only 11 games.

The old saying is, “you can never have enough pitching,” but an extra corner outfielder could help take the pressure off Nick Swisher, who has been starting in right field on a consistent basis.

Xavier Nady was set to be the Yankees’ everyday right fielder, but they may not see him for the rest of the year. Players like Crowe and Cunningham would help give Swisher a day off in right once in awhile.

The Yankees may also look into trading Matsui to the Chicago White Sox, maybe for a player like Jermaine Dye, who is also in the final year of his contract and will be a free agent in the offseason.

Dye, 35, has put up better numbers than Matsui (Dye has 14 homers so far this year in comparison to Matsui’s eight) and unlike Matsui, he can play the outfield on a regular basis.

Two seasons ago, rumors swirled about the White Sox possibly looking to give Dye to the Yankees in exchange for Bobby Abreu when Abreu was not hitting and the Yankees were struggling.

The deal never came to fruition.

Dye would most likely not stick around for 2010, but looking ahead he would give the Yankees power in the form of an established outfielder down the stretch and into the postseason.

The Bombers might also weigh their options and call up Austin Jackson from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, allowing them to only target pitching in a deal for Matsui.

If the Yankees were to go after pitching, another name to keep an eye on would be Brian Bannister, if the Kansas City Royals remain out of the race in the AL Central.

Bannister has already experienced pitching in New York before, as he was with the Mets before being dealt for Ambiorix Burgos, a “Brock for Broglio” trade.

Even though he is a starter, Bannister could take pressure off Andy Pettitte, who is showing signs of age, and may also be used as a long reliever if Chien-Ming Wang cannot get his act together.

Whichever way it goes, the Yanks must dismiss Matsui, and do it in a classy way as only they can.

Yankees Beat Rangers Behind Clutch Melky Cabrera

A.J. Martelli — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:55:14 -0400

Melky Cabrera once again proved his worth as a situational hitter on Thursday afternoon.

Knotted at six in the bottom of the eighth against the Texas Rangers, Cabrera crushed a two-run homer over the left field wall to propel the Yankees past the Rangers and give them an 8-6 win.

For Cabrera, it was his sixth home run of 2009 and also his sixth go-ahead hit for the Yanks this year.

“Melky has a knack for doing it for us,” Yankee skipper Joe Girardi said.

“Our guys kept going after them and going after them, and our club feels like we can come back at any time. There’s confidence in the clubhouse.”

Mark Teixeira got the Yanks into the game in the bottom of the fifth. With the Bombers down 5-2, he doubled down the left field line to score Ramiro Pena, Johnny Damon, and Nick Swisher, tying the game at five.

Swisher also recorded an RBI in the inning as he walked with the bases loaded to score Francisco Cervelli, and Alex Rodriguez gave the Yankees a lead in the frame with an RBI single, completing the big six-run inning.

Damon recorded the first Yankee run in the bottom of the first inning, smacking a lead-off homer to right, his 11th of the year, to put the Yanks on the board.

The 6-5 Yankee lead in the bottom of the fifth was short-lived, as Ian Kinsler quickly tied the game in the top of the sixth with a solo home run high off the foul pole in left, knotting the game at six.

Also playing long ball was Nelson Cruz of the Rangers, who launched a solo shot into the Texas bullpen in the top of the fifth, a homer good for his 16th big fly of the year.

The Rangers also saw offensive help from Chris Davis, who scored on a wild pitch and also doubled to score David Murphy and Marlon Byrd.

Hank Blalock also had an RBI single in the top of the third to score Kinsler, capping off the Rangers’ offense on the day.

On the mound for the Yankees today was Chien-Ming Wang, who made his first start since April 18 when he gave up eight hits and eight runs to Cleveland.

Today, Wang lasted 4.2 innings, gave up five earned runs on seven hits, walked one, and struck out five.

“He looked a little better than his numbers indicated,” Girardi noted.

“He left that ball up to Cruz, but I thought he was throwing well. It is going to take time to build him up to where we want him to be, but overall I was happy with his stuff.”

Girardi said Wang is scheduled to make his next start on Tuesday in Boston, and is looking to have Wang up to 85-90 pitches, a step up from the 69 he tossed today.

David Robertson earned the win and now has a 1-0 record on the year.

C.J. Wilson, who surrendered the home run to Cabrera, gets the loss and falls to an even 3-3.

Mariano Rivera nailed down save No. 12 on the season.

Tomorrow night the Tampa Bay Rays will come to town to face the Yankees, opening up a three-game weekend series.

David Price, a 23 year-old left-hander out of Vanderbilt (1-0, 3.00 ERA), will face Yankees’ ace CC Sabathia (5-3, 3.46 ERA).

Media Credit: YES Network, Yankees.com

Yankees-Rangers: New York Crushes Texas in First of Three

A.J. Martelli — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:57:52 -0400

In a battle of two first place teams, the New York Yankees trounced the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night, beating them 12-3 in the first game of a three game series.

The Bronx Bombers exploded in the bottom of the fourth inning, sending 10 batters to the plate and tacking on seven runs to take the lead away from Texas.

Losing 3-2, Johnny Damon tied the game at three with an RBI single to score Melky Cabrera.

Alex Rodriguez came up later in the frame and grounded into a fielder’s choice, allowing Jeter to score his 1,500th career run and take the lead, 4-3.

Jeter also had three hits in the game and widened his hitting streak to 16 games, the longest among Yankees with current hitting streaks.

Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada each had RBI singles in the inning, and Hideki Matsui topped it off with a three-run homer to right, his eighth of the season, to give the Yankees a 9-3 edge after four innings.

Posada added three runs in the bottom of the sixth with a home run, a shot that almost made the upper deck in right field, but landed safely in the second tier. For Posada it was his seventh homer of the year.

“There’s going to be days where we swing the bat, and we swung the bat well,” Posada said to the YES Network after the game.

“I didn’t think the home run ball would hit the upper deck. Teixeira is going to do it!”

The Yankees also had RBI contributions from Brett Gardner, who knocked in Matsui in the bottom of the second with a single, and received a gift from Rangers starter Vicente Padilla who balked with the bases loaded allowing Gardner to cross the plate.

All three of the Rangers' runs came off the bat of Nelson Cruz, who launched a three-run home run into the left field seats in the top of the third inning.

The Yanks were good tonight, but not perfect like they had been for the past 18 games. The error-less streak ended tonight when Posada air-mailed a throw over Jeter’s head attempting to catch Elvis Andrus stealing in the top of the fourth.

Taking the hill for the Yanks was A.J. Burnett, and he turned in a good performance. He went seven innings and gave up three runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out eight.

“He had a little blip in the third, but overall his stuff was really good tonight,” Yankee manager Joe Girardi said of Burnett’s pitching.

“I thought A.J. gave us a good outing tonight, and any night your starter can give you seven strong innings is a good night.”

Burnett was also warned by home plate umpire Doug Eddings in the top of the fifth when he came up and in with a pitch on Cruz, which may have been retaliation from the previous inning.

Teixeira had been hit by two pitches in the game, once in the second inning and was plastered for the second time in the fourth.

“Anyone who knows Vicente knows how he does it,” Teixeira told the media.

“It’s not the right way to play the game, and unfortunately he’s been doing that his whole career. There’s really no reason for it.”

He barked at Padilla after being drilled the second time, and kept the huge fourth inning alive by sliding hard at second base to give Rodriguez his fielder’s choice.

“Teixeira taking out Andrus led to us getting more runs, so it was a good play on his part,” Girardi told the press.

The Yankees and Rangers avoided fisticuffs and no player on either side was run from the game following the warning.

Burnett picked up the win and improved his record to 4-2.

Padilla could not get out of the fourth inning and takes the loss. He season record is now 3-3.

Tomorrow night, the Yanks and Rangers will play game two at Yankee Stadium.

Andy Pettitte (5-1, 4.10 ERA) will look to keep the Bombers rolling against Texas, and will be opposed by 26-year-old right hander Scott Feldman (4-0, 3.91 ERA).

Media Credit: YES Network, Yankees.com

Yankees-Indians: New York Takes Series Behind Joba, Swisher

A.J. Martelli — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:05:39 -0400

Coming off a tough loss to the Cleveland Indians yesterday afternoon, the New York Yankees rebounded to beat the Tribe on Monday night by a score of 5-2.

The game was tied at 1-1 in the top of the seventh, but the Bronx Bombers took the lead with four runs in the inning.

Nick Swisher started the Yanks with a double to score Ramiro Pena and Brett Gardner. Alex Rodriguez later followed him with a two-run single to score Derek Jeter and Swisher, giving the Yanks a 5-1 edge.

“I just got a good fastball to hit,” Swisher told the YES network.

“We’ve been getting dominant pitching, they have some good bats over there, and for us to hold them down for three games in their place is a good thing.”

The Yankees scored their first run in the game in the top of the third when Swisher grounded into a double play allowing Gardner to score.

The Indians could not generate enough offense and were held to only two runs in the game.

Victor Martinez blasted his eighth homer of the year in the bottom of the fourth, a solo shot into the right field seats to put Cleveland on the board.

In the bottom of the seventh, Mark DeRosa grounded out to short allowing Shin-Soo Choo to cross the plate.

Joba Chamberlain took the hill for the Yankees, and turned in the longest outing of his career.

He tossed eight innings, and gave up two earned runs on four hits. He walked two and struck out five.

“He was great tonight and he used all his pitches,” Yankee skipper Joe Girardi said of his starter.

“His fastball was good, his slider was good, and everything seemed to be on time tonight.”

Chamberlain was also given the opportunity to showcase his athleticism on the mound.

In the bottom of the fifth, with runners on first and second with nobody out, Indians catcher Kelly Shoppach attempted a bunt, but popped it up in front of the mound toward the third base side.

Chamberlain dashed off the mound and dove for the ball, catching it and then doubling up Ryan Garko at second base for a game-saving play. He then utilized his patented “fist pump” after completing the play.

“I saw the bunt go up, and I knew I caught it right away,” Chamberlain said about his magnificent double play.

“I didn’t know where the runner was but I got my bearings right away and turned it.”

Girardi was almost at a loss for words after the dive and double play.

“It was quite a belly flop!” Girardi said of Chamberlain’s brilliant double play.

“It changed the game. They had a chance, and as it happened, it was a huge play and it was interesting.”

Chamberlain earned the win and is now 3-1 in 2009.

Cleveland reliever Greg Aquino takes the loss. His record is now 1-1.

Mariano Rivera nailed down his 11th save of the season.

The Yankees finished their seven game road trip with a record of 5-2, and have not committed an error in 18 straight games, breaking the record of 17 consecutive games set by the 2006 Boston Red Sox.

With the road trip over, the Bombers will now return home to Yankee Stadium to face the Texas Rangers tomorrow night.

Girardi sent tomorrow’s starter A.J. Burnett (3-2, 4.78 ERA) back to New York before the start of tonight’s game. He will square off with Vicente Padilla (3-2, 4.71 ERA).

CC Beats Former 'Mates; Yankees Mow Down Tribe

A.J. Martelli — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:00:12 -0400

In the second game of a wraparound series with the Cleveland Indians, the New York Yankees broke out the lumber and pounded the Tribe on Saturday night, beating them by a score of 10-5.

“We’re just swinging the bats well,” said Yankee skipper Joe Girardi to the press after the game.

“It started in Baltimore, and our guys have stepped it up. It’s a combination of a bunch of things.”

The Bronx Bombers batted around in the top of the fourth inning, scoring half of their 10 runs.

Derek Jeter started the Yankees off with a two-run single in the frame to score Nick Swisher and Hideki Matsui, extending his current hitting streak to 13 games.

Johnny Damon threw in an RBI single to score Brett Gardner, and Robinson Cano added another two-run single to scratch Damon and Mark Teixeira across the plate.

In the top of the second inning, Jorge Posada smashed a solo home run to right, his sixth homer of the year and first round tripper since May 2.

Swisher followed Posada later in the frame with a homer of his own, taking Cleveland hurler Fausto Carmona deep to center field, a shot good for his 10^th home run on the year.

Damon gave the Yanks another run in the top of the sixth with a groundout to first allowing Gardner to score, and Cano and Matsui padded the lead in the ninth, each contributing with an RBI double to complete the Yankee offense on the night.

“We’ve been playing well and pitching good,” Jeter said to the YES Network after the game.

“A lot of credit goes to the pitching staff.”

CC Sabathia took the mound tonight, and turned in a good outing against his former team. He went seven innings, and gave up three earned runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out eight.

He also took a no-hitter into the fifth inning.

“I felt pretty good out there,” Sabathia said after the game.

“I was just having fun, and it was good to be back. I was throwing more strikes and Posada made sure I stayed in line and got the ball down.”

Girardi also made note of his ace’s ability, and noticed Sabathia’s efforts in the game.

“His velocity was the best I’ve seen it consistently all year,” Girardi commented on Sabathia’s pitching.

“He was in a rhythm with Posada, and he just had good stuff tonight.”

The Tribe was able to push five runs across on the night, and their scoring began in the fifth inning.

Ryan Garko singled to score Shin-Soo Choo, and Jamey Carroll later singled to score Mark DeRosa.

In the bottom of the sixth, Grady Sizemore took his former teammate deep, belting a solo home run, his ninth of 2009.

Choo also homered off Yankee reliever Jose Veras in the ninth and Ben Francisco doubled to score DeRosa, finishing up the Tribe’s offense in the game.

Sabathia gets the win, and his record now stands at 5-3.

Carmona took the loss, and is now at 2-5.

The Yankees have now won 14 of their last 17 games, and sit in first place in the American League Eastern Division, leading by a game and a half over the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, who currently share second place in the standings.

The Bombers will face the Indians in game three of the four game series from Cleveland tomorrow afternoon.

Phil Hughes (3-2, 5.16 ERA) will look to keep the Yankees rolling, facing former Yankee Carl Pavano (5-4, 5.50 ERA)

Media Credit: YES Network, Yankees.com

Mathias Kiwanuka: A Bio on the Ugandan Giant

A.J. Martelli — Thu, 28 May 2009 18:52:12 -0400

Most fans of the WWE (back then known as WWF) might recall an outlandish character by the name of Kamala. A tubby, near-300 pounder—he was known to fans as the Ugandan Giant.

But the New York Giants in the National Football League have a real Ugandan Giant. He may not be 300 pounds, but he’s 6’5" 265 pounds.

And his name is Mathias Kiwanuka.

Although born in Indianapolis, Kiwanuka’s story begins in a landlocked country in east Africa.

His grandfather Benedicto Kiwanuka was the first Prime Minister of Uganda, and was given the position when Uganda achieved international self government on March 1, 1962.

When Kiwanuka was in third grade in 1991, his mother gave him and his sister Mary each $100 and told them to go and buy candy.

“It was Heaven for me as a third grader,” he said. “Then we went home and she took it, and I didn’t see it until we go off the plane in Uganda.”

Upon arrival in Uganda, Kiwanuka’s mother proceeded to hand out all the candy to the area children, showing Kiwanuka how things are different in Africa than the U.S.A.

Making the journey back to his family’s homeland, Kiwanuka learned about his grandfather’s work. About how he fought for women’s rights, pushed for education, and higher minimum wages for the working class.

But Kiwanuka also learned of the tragic death of his grandfather.

Benedicto was tortured and soon after assassinated by political opponents, more than 10 years before Kiwanuka’s birth.

“From an early age, my parents told me bits and pieces about it,” he said.

“But it took awhile for me to realize the magnitude of it all.”

Always keeping the memory of his grandfather and the spirit of Uganda close to him, Kiwanuka attended St. Simon the Apostle school in Indianapolis from kindergarten all the way until eighth grade.

He then went on to start his football career at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, and led the school to four Indiana High School Athletic Association titles.

While in high school, he played his future NFL position, defensive end, while also playing tight end on offense.

Playing defense as a senior, he recorded 39 tackles—11 of which came for losses. On the offensive side of the field, he garnered 98 receiving yards at tight end, proving his worth as an all-around player.

Now at the end of his high school career, Kiwanuka chose to play at Boston College.

Out of Indiana and away from his family, he hung the Ugandan flag in his dormitory out of respect to his family and heritage.

Along with showing admiration and love for his family’s place of origin, he put up stellar numbers at BC.

Overall he played in 49 games, starting 38 of them from the defensive end position. He notched 245 tackles, 155 of which he took care of by himself. He set school records with 37.5 sacks and 64.5 stops for losses.

One of his better games came as a senior against Boise State in the MPC Computers Bowl. Kiwanuka recorded two tackles, one of which came for a loss.

Unfortunately the BC Eagles were beaten by the Broncos, 27-21.

After college, Kiwanuka was drafted 32nd overall by the Giants in the 2006 NFL Draft. He then signed a five-year, $10 million contract on July 25 of that year to play defensive end for Big Blue.

In his first year, he played in all 16 games—starting nine of them. He broke out and dazzled in his rookie year, finishing the season with a total of 55 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles.

Coming back in 2007, Kiwanuka learned a new position. Instead of his normal post at defensive end, he was taught how to be a strongside linebacker, and earned the job as a starter.

He started the first 10 games in 2007, but his year was cut short due to a severe injury.

When the Giants were playing the Detroit Lions on Nov. 18, 2007, Kiwanuka suffered a fractured left fibula. He would need surgery on his leg and ankle, ending his season and taking him off the road to the Giants’ Super Bowl XLII victory.

Even though he was not able to compete in the big game, he still earned a ring with the Giants.

Despite missing the Super Bowl and playing a shortened season, Kiwanuka had 47 tackles, 4.5 sacks, four passes defended, and a forced fumble.

Making his return to the team in 2008, Kiwanuka went back to his original position. Giants’ defensive end Osi Umenyiora’s season ended before it even began, injuring his knee against the New York Jets in a preseason game.

Kiwanuka started all 16 games for the G-Men at right defensive end, and put up solid numbers on the year.

At the end of 2008, he completed 59 tackles, 28 of which were solo. He also added eight sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries to his resume.

He has done a lot in his young career. At 26 years old he is a two time first team All-American in college. He was a defensive player of the year. And a Super Bowl Champion.

But Kiwanuka is much more than that.

He is a man who respects his family’s lineage and keeps it alive through his actions.

Sources: Washington Post, Giants.com, Boston College Athletics

Yankees Take Two From Rangers, Gain First Place in American League East

A.J. Martelli — Thu, 28 May 2009 00:05:43 -0400

In the rubber game of a three game set from Texas, the New York Yankees defeated the Rangers in Arlington Wednesday night by a score of 9-2.

With the win and the Boston Red Sox’ loss to Minnesota, the Yankees now own a 27-20 record and share first place with the BoSox in the American League Eastern Division standings as of tonight.

“It’s where we want to be,” said Yankee manager Joe Girardi to the press about the teams' place in the standings.

“A couple weeks ago we were scuffling, and we want to be at the top. It’s been a long time coming, and the whole team contributed to it.”

Hideki Matsui was the leading man for the Yankees, clubbing two homers on the night and knocking in three runs.

His first homer came in the top of the sixth when the Yankees were leading 3-0, and made it 4-0 with a solo shot.

Matsui came up later on in the top of the seventh and smacked a two-run shot, and now has a total of seven homers of the year.

“Once we got on the road, I felt a little better at the plate,” Matsui said through his interpreter to the YES Network after the game.

“I just was not comfortable at home, and it just happened on the road. I made adjustments and applied it in the game and it worked out.”

Mark Teixeira got the Yankees their first pair of runs in the game, belting a two-run homer in the first, a blast good for his 15^th long ball of the year.

Teixeira is now second in the American League in the home run category, and has hit 12 round trippers in the month of May.

Robinson Cano also had a home run in the game, smacking his ninth dinger of the year in the top of the ninth inning.

Derek Jeter added a pair of RBI with a double to score catcher Kevin Cash in the top of the second, and Cash followed Jeter later in the top of the sixth with a double of his own to score Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner.

Overall the Yankees pounded out 15 hits in the game.

Texas was able to scratch two runs across the plate, as Ian Kinsler touched up Yankee reliever Jose Veras for a two-run homer, his 13^th big fly of 2009.

A.J. Burnett started for the Yankees, and turned in a solid outing. He went six innings, and gave up no runs on just three hits. He walked four and struck out seven.

In other good news for the Yankees, Chien-Ming Wang pitched two innings in relief. He gave up no runs on no hits and struck out two.

“It’s the best I’ve ever seen him this year,” Girardi said.

“His velocity and sink was there.”

Burnett picked up the win and is now 3-2 on the year. Tonight marked his first win since Apr. 14 at Tampa Bay.

“It’s been awhile, but I feel strong,” Burnett said.

“It was a great night all around. The offense showed up and I’m taking a positive step forward. There were a few walks, but I got deep into the game.”

Derek Holland took the loss for Texas and his record stands at 1-2.

After an off-day tomorrow, the Yankees will head to Cleveland to open up a four game wraparound series with the Indians.

Friday night the Yankees will send Andy Pettitte (4-1, 4.30 ERA) to the mound to face reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee (2-5, 3.40 ERA).

Media Credit: YES Network, Yankees.com