Sunday, September 9, 2007
9/9/2007: New York Yankees (80-62) at Kansas City Royals (62-80), 2:10pm ***Liveblog***
NYY: C. Wang (17-6, 3.68 ERA) KC: Z. Greinke (6-5, 3.87 ERA)
New York Yankees
J. Damon, LF
M. Cabrera, CF
B. Abreu, RF
A. Rodriguez, 3B
H. Matsui, DH
J. Posada, C
J. Giambi, 1B
R. Cano, 2B
W. Betemit, SS
Kansas City Royals
J. Gathright, LF
D. DeJesus, CF
R. Gload, 1B
B. Butler, DH
M. Teahen, RF
A. Gordon, 3B
J. Smith, 2B
J. Buck, C
T. Pena Jr., SS
Time to sweep.
*** Keith in ***
I am stunned and pleased that, with Wang on the mound and two out of three won, Torre did not go with the House Money Lineup, but is starting Giambi at first and, contrary to what he said last night, Betemit (rather than the Attorney General) at short.
Top of the 1st
Sexy Calves grounds out to Gload. Melky works the count to 3-2 and then draws a walk. Good on him for taking pitches, something he’s been inconsistent about this year.
Abreu works the count to 3-1—which they need to do, as Greinke’s on a hard 80-pitch limit—and then grounds to Gload, who forces Melky at second, Abreu safe at first on the FC. He’s also safe at second on a stolen base.
HE DID IT AGAIN! HOLY SHIT! MR. MVP JUST HIT HOME RUN #52 TO GIVE THE YANKS A 2-0 LEAD! God-fucking-dammit. I am running out of superlatives for this man.
And Sterling just said the same thing I said. This frightens me.
Gojira gets a long-overdue single to right. Jorgie Porgie follows that up with a single that Teahan misplays, allowing the runners to go to second and third.
After Abreu stole second, Sterling said that the Yankees were third in team stolen bases. It’s evidence of how little I trust Sterling that I felt the need to look it up on ESPN.com. They are, in fact, fourth in the league, seventh overall. The motto is: John Sterling doesn’t know what he’s talking about, which admittedly is not news.
Giambi works an eight-pitch at-bat before flying out to DeJesus.
Grienke threw 33 pitches that half inning.
Bottom of the 1st
Gathright drag-bunts a single down the first-base line. I’m counting the seconds until they say Eyechart would’ve made that play. They don’t, amazingly enough, instead they’re talking about how much better he looks at first.
Gathright gets nailed at second tyring to steal. Boo yah. And DeJesus grounds out to Giambi, who flips to Chien-Ming the Merciless for out #2. Gload then flies out to Damon to end it.
Top of the 2nd
Young Robinson socks a single to right. Betemit works the count to 3-2. At this rate, Greinke will be out of the game in the fourth. Betemit socks a double down the right-field line. Robby was running, and he scores easily to make it 3-0.
GYAH! Sexy Calves squares to bunt! Jesus fucking Christ! Okay, he hasn’t been hitting for shit, but man. When the count reaches 2-2, he decides to actually hit the ball, and he socks it to center field, where DeJesus catches it. Betemit advances to third.
Melky grounds out to Gload. Betemit is unable to score. Abreu draws a four-pitch walk. Wow, that’s bad—for Greinke, anyhow. With the greatest hitter in the history of the universe on deck, you should really make an effort to get the ball over the plate somewhere in there.
A-Rod strikes out swinging on three pitches. Hang on, that wasn’t in the script! Get me rewrite!!!!!
Ah, well. Greinke up to 62 pitches. He’ll be gone after three at this rate….
Bottom of the 2nd
Butler flies out to Abreu. Teahan grounds out to Robby. Gordon grounds out to Giambi.
Top of the 3rd
Gojira pops out to Smith. Jorgie Porgie flies out to center. Giambi socks a ball down the line that Gload—whom I despise with every fibre of my being—makes a diving stop to take a
single away from Giambi to end it.
Bottom of the 3rd
Smith chops it back to the mound, Wang tossing to Giambit for the out. Buck grounds the ball up the middle. You might expect that to be a base hit, but with Betemit at short, it’s actually caught, and there are two outs.
Penacito tries to get his Joey Gathright on by bunting for a hit, but he pops it up to Posada to end it.
Wang has thrown all of 25 pitches. He still hasn’t matched Greinke’s first-inning total.
Top of the 4th
Robby flies out to short left field. Betemit flies out to Teahan. Sexy Calves grounds it off Penacito’s glove for a single.
That was Greinke’s 90th pitch, so he’s out, Brandon Duckworth (quack!) in.
Melky socks it to deep center, but DeJesus runs it down to end it.
Bottom of the 4th
Gathright lines a single to left past A-Rod, who was in against the bunt.
DeJesus grounds to Betemit, who forces Gathright at second, but the relay to first isn’t in time. Which is too bad, as Ross “Yankee Killer” Gload socks a single to right, DeJesus to third.
Butler strikes out swinging on a slider. Then Wang gives up a walk to Teahan to load the bases. That’s no good.
This is even worse: Gordon ties the game at 3 with a double to right.
Smith strikes out swinging on four pitches to finally end it.
Top of the 5th
Gload steals another hit with a diving stop to nail Abreu at first. Mr. MVP socks a double to left. Gojira draws a walk.
Duckworth (quack!) out, John Bale in.
Jorgie Porgie, puddin’ pie
Hit the ball, makes the Royals cry
Posada clubs a double the other way that Teahan totally misplays, scoring A-Rod and Gojira to make it 5-3. Behold the power of the ears!
Giambi strikes out swinging. Robby lines the ball right into the giant ball-sucking field that surrounds Ross Gload to end it.
Bottom of the 5th
Buck and Penacito both strike out. Rocket Wang! Gathright ends it by hitting it back to Wang.
You gotta love a half-inning when the ball never gets past the pitcher’s mound. (Okay, except for the throw to first, but you know what I mean.)
Wang has thrown all of 58 pitches through five.
Top of the 6th
Betemit strikes out swinging. Sexy Calves flies out to left. Melky strikes out looking.
Bottom of the 6th
Buh? Chien-Ming the Merciless gives up a leadoff walk to DeJesus.
Forgot who was pitching for a second: Gload bounces it to Robby, who steps on second and throws to first for a DP.
Apparently Wang forgot who was pitching, too: he walks Butler. Oy.
Teahan flies out to Abreu to end it.
Top of the 7th
Abreu strikes out, prompting Sterling’s first pun about the pitcher “Bale-ing” out the Royals. A-Rod also strikes out, and on three pitches, no less. And Gojira strikes out. Ka-zow.
He struck out the side on eleven pitches. Where the hell did that come from???????
Bottom of the 7th
Giambi out, Eyechart in. Wang has only thrown 74 pitches so unless he goes off the rails, I’d leave him to pitch the eighth, too.
Gordon grounds out to third. Smith hits a dunker to left, but Damon makes a nice running catch to nab it. Buck socks a single up the middle.
Shane Costa pinch hits for Penacito. He walks on four pitches. However, Gathright grounds to Robby to end it.
Top of the 8th
Smith moves to short, and Esteban German takes over at second, replacing Costa in the lineup.
Farnsworth is warming up in the bullpen. My heart rate just doubled.
Jorgie Porgie draws a walk—which is, by the way, only the second time Bale has gotten as many as two balls on a batter. Doug Mxyzptlk bunts him over. This time, I don’t object—it’s Eyechart, he’s gonna make an out anyhow, plus it’s late in the game. Robby then does his part by singling to center to score Posada to make it 6-3. Anything we can do to Farnsworth-proof the game is a good thing.
Betemit strikes out. Sexy Calves grounds out to end it.
Bottom of the 8th
Chien-Ming the Merciless out, the Farnsworth Cardiac Infarction (pat. pending) in. Also: Alberto Gonzalez in to play shortstop for Betemit.
DeJesus grounds out to A-Rod, who makes a nice play and throws it to Minky Mouse for the first out.
Not a leadoff walk, not a leadoff double. Who’da thunk?
Kyle K’s Gload. That’s a particular relief.
And he does it again to Butler! Nice!
I’m happy to keep this iteration of Farnsworth…..
Top of the 9th
Bale out (yay!), Joakim Soria in.
Melky strikes out swinging. Abreu strikes out swinging. I should just make this a macro. Sure enough: A-Rod strikes out swinging. Yeesh.
Bottom of the 9th
Say your prayers little one
Don’t forget, my son
To include everyoneTuck you in, warm within
Keep you free from sin
Till the sandman he comesSleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tightExit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Off to never never land
Farnsworth out, Mo in.
Teahan grounds out to second on the first pitch.
Gordon strikes out swinging on four pitches.
Smith singles to right. He steals second on defensive indifference. However, Buck grounds it up the middle, and the AG fields it and throws him out to end it.
That’s five in a row, four games up on Detroit for the WC, a series sweep, and one step closer to 20 wins for Chien-Ming the Merciless.
Perhaps more interesting is that if the Yanks win on Tuesday against the Blue Jays, they’ll do two things: 1) They’ll be guaranteed to finish the season over .500, not something that felt guaranteed a couple of months ago. 2) They’ll be 20 over .500.
Goodnight, everybody!
*** Keith out ***
Comments
There we go. Off to liveblog….
Gutsy move, hitting your two worst hitters first.
When’s the last time Damon lead off a game with a hit?
Melky swings at only one pitch during that sequence.
Nice AB by Melky.
Repost from last thread: AJax 2-5, 2B last night, Trenton advances
I’m calling an Abreu home run right here.
Flaherty is much better when he works with Leiter who should work all the games in my opinion
With ARod on another planet here, no way you hit and run and risk something bad happeneing on a 3-1 count. Y
Now do they walk Arod?
MVP EVER!
They never learn!
What in the devil? Torre, as I said before, A-Rod hits jacks not doubles, don’t let Abreu make the third out on the basepaths
Holy crap.
HOW can you THROW A STRIKE THERE!
OH MY FUCKING GOD.
WOOOOOOO
WOW.
If ARod keeps this up we might have a chance at seeing another Yankee hit 60.
Jesus…
Wow. How awesome is he?
Thanks A-Rod, for proving my point.
Look out Maris…
Waldman, shut the heck up. A-Rod is doing the SAME DAMN THING now that he did in Texas.
He is just an awesome, awesome player.
KC managers who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat their mistakes.
Seriously, Greinke should be fined for throwing that strike. man alive
A-Rod is more hitter than human.
Also, nice job by Waldman mentioning that A-Rod’s home run meant more with Detroit winning, which they weren’t at the time.
Lets break it open now and yes Irv I was thrilled with the 6th inning last night
For those not watching on TV, following the last 4 or so A-Rod homers, guys in the Yankees bullpen would stretch their arms. They do so to joke/mock A-Rod who recently kept stretching his shoulder after sliding into third not long ago. Its pretty funny stuff.
I love that these guys don’t give away a single AB. Big blow outs get the regulars off the field every now and then and will keep everyone fresh down the stretch here.
Time for Giambi to get it going..
We need fucking Seattle to win god ddammit
If the Mariners can somehow hang on to their lead and the Yankees win, I will feel like it’s just about over. I know I shouldn’t, but I will.
And Sterling just said the same thing I said. This frightens me.
Hehe…I noticed that, too. 
I feel like Giambi is just missing some of these
Raul Ibanez!!!
I like that Torre apparently understands that making Giambi a part-time player is bad for Giambi, so we should be seeing Giambi on a fairly regularly basis, I think (hope?).
10-5 Ms!
Seattle 10-5 “Dear King please settle down.”
By the way, hey, King Felix and Seattle’s great bullpen? Could you hold a five-run lead, please?
Real men hit home runs they don’t bunt.
Wow, Gathright can fly
WOW!
Great job, Jorge!
Take a seat, Gathright.
Not only would Dougie-M field that bunt, he would have homer last inning and cure cancer while walking back to the dugout.
That thing the bullpen does when Alex homers: why and it’s kind of lame.
Wow, Po has regained his Tony-Pena-like form throwing guys out
By the by, Sterling, it was a great throw, but come on - “Posada has an arm other players envy.”
Lordy.
Was that an alley-oop? Dr. J style?
Nobody runs on Jorge
Hey, Posado does have a good arm compare to, you know, minor leaguers and 1st basemen. Just because he doesn’t have the arm of a top flight catcher doesn’t mean he doesn’t have an arm a player would kill for.
Does anyone know what Jorgie is typically down to 2nd? 1.8, 1.9? Fabian?
why and it’s kind of lame.
Well, they are mocking him for continuing to stretch his shoulder as if he’s hurt even as he blasts homers left and right.
If they keep it up, it will start to get very old. But its still pretty funny.
Way to cave Guthrie… 2-0 Boston
Well, they are mocking him for continuing to stretch his shoulder as if he’s hurt even as he blasts homers left and right.
If they keep it up, it will start to get very old. But its still pretty funny.
What I think is even cooler about that is that it’s a little glimpse into the clubhouse atmosphere.. these guys are playing loose and having fun.
re: shoulder thing
What cutter said.
re: Posado’s arm
Even amongst C, Jorge has always been said to have a very good arm. It hasn’t always translated into success throwing runners out though. I don’t know exactly what his pop times are, either.
Arod seems to enjoy the ribbing and whatever makes Arod happy (and more likely to stay PLEASE) is good enough for me.
But its still pretty funny.
I thought it was funny the couple of time I saw it in the highlights. But in the first inning, and now the umpteenth time, I guess, does it show up the other team?
Cano is pretty good.
But in the first inning, and now the umpteenth time, I guess, does it show up the other team?
Not really. They’re mocking their guy, not the other guys.
I’d say the homers themselves are showing up the other team, but that’s their problem….
I think the Royals have one of the most awesome hats in all of sports. So simple, and yet, so beautiful. Top 3 MLB hats: Yankees, Royals, White Sox.
It hasn’t always translated into success throwing runners out though. I don’t know exactly what his pop times are, either.
I think Jorgie is around 1.8 - 1.9 which is in the meaty part of the curve but towards the high end for catchers. I think I read somewhere that the St. Louis Molina is like 1.6 or something insane like that.. Pudge was there too when he was in his prime in Texas.
Greinke already has thrown 45 pitches. Oh Torre, you tactical genius!
Woohoo! Betemit!!!
I agree to whoever said a lot of Posado’s stealing woes can be related to pitchers who refuse to hold the runner. All the starters but Andy have been having that problem.
Do switch hitters usually improve their hitting on their weak side over time? If so Betemit could be quite good.
What’s that weird oval shaped number in the Seattle/Detroit scoreboard for the bottom of the third?
Just when I think Torre knows what’s going on, he orders a bunt… okay, Damon isn’t going to get a hit, but you can at least make him take some pitches.
You gotta be kidding. Bunting with a man on 1st is bad enough but a sac bunt there is truly lame.
Thank you very little Mr. Joe Willie Namath for making me a Jets fan 40 years ago and ensuring me alife of NFL misery.
Flaherty believes bunting is part of a team’s strategy to “jump out” on a team. Whereas I regarded as giving a young pitcher/team a free out.
If A-Rod gets to the plate, I would pull the pitcher… don’t want to give the kid nightmares.
Whereas I regard it as, I mean.
Flaherty believes bunting is part of a team’s strategy to “jump out” on a team. Whereas I regarded as giving a young pitcher/team a free out.
Flaherty just lost a truckload of respect from me. Bunting is the diametric opposite of “jumping out.” Moron.
I cannot believe he walked the guy in front of A-Rod.
Hilarious.
And with 59 pitches!!!
Walking Bobby to face A-Rod…. that’s uh, an interesting idea.
#53?
I almost wish he would swing at that first pitch fastball with him so locked in
What a bum!!
Damn, I jinxed him
Arod OPS 9/9/07 2nd inning Zero-some MVP
If Baltimore can somehow beat Boston and put a bit of hurting on Beckett’s ERA in the process AND Wang shuts down the Royals, he moves into the top 2 or 3 for the CY. He being Wang.
Flaherty just lost a truckload of respect from me.
Yeah, he’s been talking up Cano’s bunt yesterday along the same line.
I didn’t know it was the bullpen imitating Alex though, I thought it had something to do with them warming up. Oh well.
Oh, and I thought Alex checked his swing in time too.
Even Seattle can’t blow an 8-run lead, right?
As I see it, as of right now the media would go Sabathia, Beckett, Lackey, Verlander/Wang.
Wang = The anti-Greinke
he moves into the top 2 or 3 for the CY.
... and with several starts to go. Call me crazy, but I think if it is between Beckett and Wang, the upcoming series with Boston and how each of those guys perform will carry a lot of weight in the AL CYA award.
Wang getting it done today too.. on pace to go the distance.
At this rate, with the same pitch limit as Greinke, Wang will pitch 10 innings.
in the AL CYA award.
The American League Cover Your Ass award? 
13-6 Seattle!
“Wang = The anti-Greinke”
Greinke should try to get some Wang into himself.
I really do hate myself for making jokes like that.
Is Max Kellerman the only media guy who doesn’t adore the bunt?
I love that they use Matsui to advertise Benihana on the radio.
So awesomely lame.
Sabathia, Beckett, Lackey, Verlander/Wang.
I think the media would likely go with Escobar over Wang on the list at this point. Especially given he has 16 wins and the second best ERA in the AL right now.
I really do hate myself for making jokes like that.
If it makes you feel any better, I hate you for it, too. :D
I’ve been thinking about the minor awards… Posada and A-Rod won the Silver Sluggers back in June, any player up for a gold glove? I can’t imagine every the media giving Jeter one again.
Not for nothing, but Buck and Teahan is a pretty good return for Beltran, no?
What’s the issue with Gload?
I think the media would likely go with Escobar over Wang on the list at this point. Especially given he has 16 wins and the second best ERA in the AL right now.
I don’t think so. I’m stuck in FL, so I’m not completely sure, but I haven’t heard anyone mention him as a legit candidate. In addition, I feel like Lackey is the more famous of the duo and as a result, Escobar will be overlooked.
Instead of “every” I meant to say “even”
I think A-Rod and Cano have outside GG shots, but I think the winners will be Beltre and Grudz or Ellis.
Ha… that’s like those signs that say “ATM Machine” ... I hate those damn signs
I know I’m late to the party today with this, but I would like to say that A-Rod is the President of God.
Un-italics please
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