After the Yankees lost the first two games, 4-2, and, 6-0, of a three-game weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds, Andy Pettitte once again pitched a big game when the Yankees really needed one. He threw 97 pitches over 6 scoreless innings, allowing only 4 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 4, in route to his eight win this season.

Pettitte (8-5) has not allowed a run over the last 19 innings he has pitched, and has only allowed one run in his last three starts. Andy might have pitched one more inning, but there was a 56 minute rain-delay after the 6th inning, that ended Pettitte's day. Ramirez replaced Andy Pettitte when the game resumed in the 7th, and pitched a scoreless inning to hold the Yankees 4-0 lead at the time.

The shutout was broken when Kyle Farnsworth gave up an eight inning homerun to Ken Griffey, Jr.

The Reds starter, Johnny Cueto (5-8) also pitched a great game, the third great start of the series for Cincinnati. He threw 5 innings, and gave up one earned run, on 4 hits, no walks, and 7 strikeouts. 

The one run the Yankees scored off Cueto came in the 5th inning. Jason Giambi (3 for 3), with 2 runs scored, and 2 RBI's, led off the inning with a single, and advanced to third on a double by Jorge Posada. Giambi then scored the run on a sacrifice fly by Robinson Cano.

After the rain-delay the Yankees scored three runs in the bottom of the 6th, on a two-run double by Giambi, who was then driven home by another double by Posada, scoring the Yanks fourth and final run of the game. 

Mariano Rivera, gave up two hits in the scoreless 9th, and closed out the game to record his 21th save. The "Great Mariano" now has a 0.76 ERA.

Reds startrer, Edinson Volquez (10-2), out-pitched, Mike Mussina (10-5), in the 4-2 win by Cincinnati in game one of this series.

In the second game against the Reds, the Yankees 31-year old rookie, Dan Giese was pitching a gem throughout the first 6 innings, but made a costly throwing error in the top of the 7th, that opened the flood-gates for the Reds, as they scored 4 unearned runs that turned out to be the winning runs in the Reds 6-0 victory.

Ken Griffey, Jr. led off the 7th with a single. Then, the next batter, Brandon Phillips, hit an easy grounder back to Giese, that was a perfect double play ball; but, Giese made a bad throw to second base that pulled Cano off the base. This error by Dan Giese opened the door for the Reds to keep the inning going.

Now first and second, with no outs, the Reds first baseman, Joey Votto hit another easy infield grounder, this time to Alex Rodriguez at third. A-Rod tried to tag Griffey, but was too far back to make the tag, so he made the throw to first for the first out. Giese got a big strikeout of Adam Dunn, for out number two. Then, Edwin Encarnacion got a big, two-strike, two-run, single, to give the Reds a 3-1 lead.

Dan Giese was replaced by Jose Veras, who gave up a homerun to the first batter he faced, Corey Patterson, that upped the Reds lead to, 4-1. Cincinnati scored two more runs off Billy Traber in the top of the 8th, but the game was really over in the 7th.

The Yankees are now, 41-35, still five games behind the Red Sox, who also lost 2 out of 3 over the weekend - to the St. Louis Cardinals. Boston leads the AL East with a record of, 47-31.     

It was a beautiful afternoon to play a baseball game yesterday, as the New York Yankees beat the San Diego Padres, 2-1, at Yankee Stadium, to complete a three-game sweep of the Padres. It was the Yankees second sweep in a row, as they just returned home from sweeping the Astros in a three-game series this past weekend, in Houston.

This victory was the Yankees seventh straight, and 12th win in their past 15 games. The Yankees are now, 40-33, and are on a roll, as they continue to move up in the standings in the AL East, five games behind the first place Boston Red Sox, who are, 46-29, this season.

I watched this game with a friend, Don, in the Empire City Casino, at Yonkers Raceway, in Yonkers New York. It was a fun day viewing the game on a "Big-Screen-TV", over-looking the beautiful race track at Yonkers. But, the Yankees had a much better day then Don and myself. The Yankees won their game; and, after all our betting was complete, we did have a losing day; but, really, we all won because the Yankees beat the Padres, 2-1.

Joba Chamberlain was awesome in this game, his 4th start since moving into the starting rotation. He threw an even 100 pitches, over 5 2/3 innings of work, allowing only one run, on 4 hits, 3 walks, and a season high, 9 strikeouts.

Joe Girardi removed Joba after he recorded the second out of the 5th inning, with the score tied, 1-1. The Stadium crowd, as well as, myself, my friend, and others watching with us, at the casino, were not happy with Girardi's decision to take Joba out, without a chance for the win in this game. But, Joba received a very warm "cheering of approval" from the crowd, as he left the mound, and walked into the Yankee dugout. 

In his four starts, Joba has not received a decision yet, but the Yankees have won three of those four games. Chamberlain has pitched 18 innings, giving up 17 hits, 12 walks, while allowing 4 earned runs, for a 2.00 ERA, in his starts. Clearly, the decision to move Joba into the rotation is a success. Joba's performance, so far, proves that Hank Steinbrenner, and all of us Yankees fans [including myself] that knew from the beginning that Joba could be an ace of the staff, were right.

Hank has to be given much credit for starting the process of moving Joba Chamberlain into the starting rotation - this early in the season. I think it is very clear, Hank Steinbrenner was the driving force that made this move happen.

Chamberlain pitched a scoreless first inning, striking out two. Then he had some trouble in the top of the second innng.

Joba gave up a lead off single to Adrian Gonzalez, and Chase Headley hit a grounds rule double down the left field line. Then, Joba walked Tony Clark, to load the bases.

Chamberlain struckout Hairston for the first out of the inning. With the bases still loaded, and the shortstop Greene up at the plate, Joba threw a pitch in the dirt that got past catcher, Jose Molina. Gonzalez tried to score on the bad pitch, but Molina quickly retrieved the ball, and fired a perfect throw to Joba, who blocked the plate with his right leg as he placed the tag on the runner, for the second out of the inning. Chamberlain then struckout Greene on a 3-2 slider to end the inning.

Chamberlain gave a pump of his fist into the air, and strided off the mound as the Stadium crowd cheered Joba's great performance. The bases were left loaded, and the game remained scoreless.

After a quick, 10-pitch, 1-2-3, top of the third, the Padres scored their only run of the game in the 4th on a RBI double by Tony Clark.

Joba Chamberlain's day was over, after he threw his 100th pitch of the game, which recorded the second out of the 5th. Jose Veras replaced him, and got the final out in the inning on a strikeout.

The Yankees scored their first run in the bottom of the 5th, fueled by the great base-running of Melky Cabrera. A lead off walk to Melky by Padres starter, Josh Banks, set the stage for the Yankees centerfielder to show off his speed, and great base running skills. Melky stole second, then stole third, with Jose Molina up at bat. Molina hit a long shot to center for a sacrifice fly, scoring Cabrera to tie the game, 1-1.

In the bottom of the 6th, speed again would plate another run. Derek Jeter led off the inning with a single and quikly stole second base. Alex Rodriguez then singled home Jeter with what turned out to be the winning run of the game. 

Kyle Farnsworth pitched a scoreless 8th inning, giving up a hit, and striking out two.

Mariano Rivera closed out the game in the 9th, striking out the side, for his 20th save of the year.

Yankee pitchers had 15 strikeouts in this 2-1 win, but it was Joba Chamberlain who ruled the game today.

Jose Veras (2-0) was the winning pitcher as Joba left without a decision again. But, Joba Chamberlain did get a big win yesterday. The decision to move Joba into the starting rotation was once again shown to be a victorious move by Yankee Management. And this is a victory for the future, when Yankee fans will be cheering many Joba Chamberlain wins.

With Joba, the Yankees hit the jackpot !!!

Recap of the first two games in the Padres series ...

Tuesday, June 17, 2008  -  Yankees 8, Padres 0

Andy Pettitte (7-5) pitched a gem, throwing 103 pitches over 7 shutout innings, giving up 5 hits, 1 walk, and 9 strikeouts. Andy was the winning pitcher. The bullpen also pitched great: Veras, got 2 outs in the 8th; Traber, the final out of the 8th, and Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless 9th, to close out the victory.

Jason Giambi hit his 16th and 17th homeruns; Alex Rodriguez was (2 for 5), including is 13th homer; Robinson Cano, went (2 for 3), with 2 runs scored; and Derek Jeter had 2 RBI's.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008  -  Yankees 8, Padres 5

The winning pitcher was Darrell Rasner, who is now, 4-4. He pitched 5 solid innings, throwing 96 pitches, while giving up 2 earned runs, on 3 hits, 5 walks, and 4 strikeouts. The middle relievers almost blew this game, as Edwar Ramirez gave up back-to-back homeruns to Brian Giles and Adrian Gonzalez in the 7th inning, cutting he Yankees lead to, 5-4, at the time. The Yanks scored twice in the bottom of the 7th, to up their lead to, 7-4. But, Kyle Farnsworth kept the game interesting by giving up a lead off homerun to Chase Headley, in the top of the 8th; then, with one out, allowed the tying run to come to the plate after giving up a one out double to, Khalil Greene. Farnsworth did retire the next two batters to get out of the inning with the Yankees still leading, 7-5; but, once again, Kyle showed how shaky he can be, and really is not a very dependable eight-inning "bridge to Mariano". In this game though, the bridge was solid enough. After the Yankees scored their final run in the bottom of he 8th, Mariano closed out the, 8-5, win, by pitching a scoreless 9th inning, for his 19th save.

Johnny Damon was (3 for 5), with one run, and 2 RBI's, raising his batting average to .332.

Alex Rodriguez hit another homerun [his fourth straight game in which he homered], as he went (3 for 4), with 2 runs, and 2 RBI's. Also, A-Rod's RBI single in the 7th inning, gave him 29 RBI's in his 28 games since returning from the DL last month.

Wilson Betemit had 3 hits in 4 at-bats, scoring 2 runs, and driving home one.

Overall, other than the injuries, things are looking very good these days in the Bronx. The Yankees continue this home stand, on Friday, June, 20th, as they play the first game of a three-game weekend series against the Cincinnati Reds, who are in last place in the NL Central with a, 33-41, record. The Yankees head into this series with a record of, 40-33, in third place in the AL East, five games behind the Boston Red Sox.

The pitching match-up will be a great one in game one against the Reds.

Mike Mussina (10-4)  3.87 ERA  vs. Volquez (9-2)  1.64 ERA 

Hopefully, the Yankees can keep their seven game winning streak going.                    

"Requiring the AL pitchers to be part of the lineup [and hit] is one of the many reasons that I do not like interleague games. The pitchers are being put in situations that they are not familiar with, which can cause injuries; and, presents a major disadvantage to the American League in these games played at the home field of the National League teams. I would much rather see the Yankees play more games against the teams in the AL East, or, at the very least, more games against the other teams in the American League".                                                              ... Jimmy Curran,  "Baseball, The Yankees, and Life"

The above quote is from my mlblog, on June 14, 2008, from the Post: "Joba and Jeter Lead Yankees In 2-1 Win" ...

My concerns about the pitchers hitting and running in these interleague games at the home field of the National League teams, started in the first game of the weekend series against the Houston Astros. Joba Chamberlain was the Yankees starting pitcher, and he did have two at bats in this game. His first time up he struck out. But, in his second at-bat, Joba failed in a sacrifice bunt attempt, which resuled in a force play at second, and Chamberlain standing on first base. Thoughts quickly filled my mind about Joba running the bases: What if he gets injured while on the base paths?

Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to Chien-Ming Wang in Sunday's, 13-0, shutout win against the Houston Astros, which completed a three-game sweep of the Astros by the Yankees.

In the middle of the Yankees eight-run, sixth-inning rally, Wang reached first on a bunt that was turned into a fielders choice at second. Then, with Damon up, Wang was safe at second on a ball dropped by an Astros infieder on an attempted force play. "On this play" it looked like Wang injured himself, as he arrived at second base - standing up - and, he kind of stepped on the bag with a twisting motion. I think this play was more revealing regarding the lack of base running experience that Wang [and probably all American League pitchers] have. It was very clear, on a simple base running play from "first to second", an injury can happen in a variety of ways because the pitchers are [maybe] called upon to engage in these activities once or twice throughout the whole baseball season; and, maybe, even throughout the pitchers whole careers, they will only be on the base paths a handful of times.

Like Mike Mussina said after the game, "We [the pitchers] don't hit, or run the bases. We maybe get four or five at-bats at most, and if you happen to get on base once or twice you never know. We run in straight lines most of the time, but turning corners - we really don't do that".

And, to consider the danger of pitchers running around the bases, Joe Girardi summed it up best when he said, "It's a manager's worst nightmare when a pitcher is on the basepaths".

Well, Wang didn't injure himself on the play at second, but was injured as he rounded third base on a single by Derek Jeter. Somewhere between third and home Wang sprained his foot, and started to limp as he crossed the plate, scoring the run.

Chien-Ming Wang will be on crutches and wear a protective boot for at least 6-8 weeks, and is expected to be out of action until at least September. In my view, though, I would be very surprised if Wang pitches again this year. I hope for the best, and maybe he will be back to help the Yankees down the stretch, and in the playoffs.

Some changes need to take place regarding pitchers hitting in interleague games. One pitcher injured, is one pitcher too many.

This is the reason I totally agree with the statements made by Yankees owner, Hank Steinbrenner.

Mr. Steinbrenner expressed his concern when he said, "It is always a concern of American League teams when their pitchers have to run the bases, and they're not used to doing it. And, it's not just us, it's everybody. It should be a concern for all teams from both the American and National Leagues".

Hank Steinbrenner also said he will discuss the matter with Commissioner Bud Selig, and at least try to get the DH in all interleague games. Hopefully, this rule change takes place soon, before any more pitchers are injured.      

Mike Mussina, (10-4), continued on his way to being selected as the starting pitcher for the American League All-Star team; and, also, having his first 20-win season, as he earned his 10th victory in the Yankees 8-4 win against the Houston Astros.

The Yankees quickly fell behind in this game, 3-0, when Mike Mussina gave up a three-run homerun to Carlos Lee (3 for 4), in the first inning. Mussina settled down after giving up the homer, as he allowed the Astros no runs over the next five innings.

In the top of the 2nd, Alex Rodriguez [who was 2 for 3, with 3 runs, and 2 walks], hit a leadoff homer, which was followed by back-to-back doubles by Jason Giambi and Melky Cabrera, to cut Houston's lead to, 3-2.

The Yankees added three more runs in the 3rd inning, which moved the Yanks ahead for good in this game.

Johnny Damon (3 for 5) led off the inning with a single, and then stole second base. Jeter and Abreu both made outs which set up a situation that had a runner at second, first base open, with two outs. At this point, A-Rod was intentionally walked.

Well, this move didn't work out as expected, as Astros starter, Wandy Rodriguez, gave up back-to-back walks to the next two Yankee batters, Jason Giambi, and Melky Cabrera, [who was 2 for 2, with 3 walks, and 2 RBI's], to force home the tying run of the game.Then, Jose Molina, doubled, driving home two more runs, giving the Yankees the, 5-3, lead.

Mike Mussina lasted six innings, throwing 89 pitches, while allowing three runs [in the first inning], on 6 hits, no walks, and 4 strikeouts.

A trio of Yankee relievers - Ohlendorf, Farnsworth and, Ramirez - held the Yankees lead over the last three innings, to preserve Mike Mussina's 4th straight win, and 10th of the season. [only Ohlendorf was ineffective, as he allowed two hits, and the Astros 4th run, in his one inning of work].

The Yankees scored their 6th run on a pinch-hit, RBI single by Robinson Cano, in the 8th inning; and, their final two runs were driven home on a RBI double by Wilson Betemit [a defensive replacement for Giambi at first], in the top of the 9th, which finished off the scoring in this very impressive, 8-4, Yankees victory.     

This win was Mike Mussina's 260th of his career, which tied him with Ted Lyons for 38th on the all-time wins list. Also, this win [as with every win Mussina adds to his career total], adds more fuel to the great "Mike Mussina, Hall of Fame" debate. The closer Mussina gets to 300 career wins, the better his chances of being voted into the Hall of Fame.

The Yankees have won 8 of their last 11 games, and for the first time this season, are now three games over .500, at 36-33. 

In the first game of a three-game series against the Astros, in Houston, Texas, Joba Chamberlain had his best pitching performance since moving into the starting rotation.

Joba threw 88 pitches, over 6 solid innings of work, giving up only one earned run, on 6 hits, 2 strikeouts, and 4 walks (two intentional). Chamberlain would have pitched one more inning, but was lifted for pinch hitter, Wilson Betemit, in the top of the 7th inning.

Playing in a National League ballpark, Joba did have two at-bats in this game. He struck-out his first time up; and, reached first base on a force play at second, on a failed bunt attempt, during his second time up at the plate.

Requiring the AL pitchers to be part of the lineup [and hit] is one of many reasons that I do not like these interleague games. The pitchers are being put in situations that they are not familiar with, which can cause an injury; and, presents a major disadvantage to the American League in games played at the home field of the National League teams. I would much rather see the Yankees play more games against the teams in the AL East, or, at the very least, more games against the other teams in the American League.

So, with the score tied at, 1-1, Chamberlain was removed for a pinch-hitter in the 7th inning. This move removed any chance of Joba getting the win in this game, as the Yankees did not score the go-ahead run in this inning.

The Yankees staked Joba to an early, 1-0, lead, in the first inning, as Bobby Abreu reached first base on a fielder's choice; stole second; and, advanced to third on a bad throw into centerfield, by catcher, Brad Ausmus. Alex Rodriguez then stroked a RBI single to left, that drove home Abreu with the Yankees first run.

Chamberlain allowed the Astros "only run" of the game, in the 4th inning, on a walk to Carlos Lee, who then stole second, and scored on a single by Ty Wigginton.

The great pitching effort by Joba kept the Yankees in this game, setting the stage for the bullpen, and Derek Jeter, to seal this Yankee victory in the final three innings of the game.

The Astros starter, ex-Yankee, Shawn Chacon, also pitched a great game, giving up only one run, while throwing 106 pitches throughout 6 1/3 solid innings, allowing the Yankees only three hits, and four walks, and striking out two. Reliever Wright finished out the 7th inning, as the score remained tied at, 1-1.

Jose Veras replaced Joba Chamberlain, and pitched a scoreless bottom of the 7th inning. 

Houston brought in reliever, Doug Brocail to pitch the top of the 8th. Derek Jeter was the first batter up, and greeted Brocail by hitting a dramatic homerun into the right-centerfield stands, to give the Yankees the lead, 2-1. It was now up to the bullpen to close out this win.

Veras pitched another scoreless inning in the bottom of the 8th, to cap off a great performance that included giving up no hits or walks, while striking out three. So, we would now look for Mariano Rivera to get the save in the 9th; or, did Joe Girardi have another reliever in mind, as Kyle Farnsworth was warming up in the bullpen.

The Yankees did not score in the top of the 9th, as they maintained a one-run lead going into the bottom of the inning.

Well, because Mariano pitched in 5 of the last 6 games, Girardi called Farnsworth into this game to close it out. 

In my view, this move by Joe Girardi is a direct result of "the pitch count" in the last game against the Oakland A's. In that game on Thursday, June 12th, the Yankees were leading, 4-1, [on the grand slam by Hideki Matsui], as the game entered the bottom of the 9th. Up to this point in the game, Andy Pettitte retired the last 12 [A's] batters he faced, and he still looked strong, even though he had thrown 113 pitches in the first 8 innings of the game.

This would have been the perfect opportunity to rest Mariano Rivera, and allow Andy Pettitte to complete the game by pitching the 9th inning. Mariano would have received the rest he needed, and "would have been available to close out the 2-1 game vs. the Astros" !!!

In the 4-1 win against the A's, there was no reason to bring Mariano into that game, unless Pettitte got into trouble in the 9th. And, it looked like Girardi was going to leave Pettitte in the game when Andy did go to the mound, and took his warm-up throws. But, then, after he finished, Girardi walked from the dugout to bring Rivera in the game for the save situation.

Girardi said after the game, on Thursday, that he let Pettitte warm-up on the mound, so Mariano could throw a few extra warm-up pitches in the bullpen, before entering the game.

Mariano Rivera coming into the A's game for the save, made him unavailable to close out last night's 2-1 win vs. the Astros.

Bringing Kyle Farnsworth into the 9th inning was "very risky", but he did get the final three outs of the game for his first save of the year. It would have been very devastating if Farnsworth blew the lead, but the Yankees did win the game. The winning pitcher was Jose Veras (1-0).

The Yankees are now two games over .500, with a record of, 35-33, this season. 

"On the road again - Just can't wait to get on the road again ... Goin' places that I've never been ... Seein' things that I may never see again ... I can't wait to get on the road again".    ... Willie Nelson

The past home stand by the New York Yankees was very eventful in many ways, but my week may have been even more eventful. I spent most of my time this past week, "on the road", following the Lakeland Hornet's [girl's H.S. varsity softball team], as my niece, Brittany, who is the star starting pitcher on the team, and her teammates, played two very exciting extra inning playoff games.

I also attended other family and Church related activities this past week, as my travels took me back and forth throughout the Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland counties, in New York; and, also, into New Jersey, for a High School graduation party, for my oldest niece, Christina.

Other than my most recent post, detailing the Yankees great, 4-1, victory over the Oakland A's, on the "birthday blast" grand slam by Hideki Matsui, and the great pitching performance by Andy Pettitte - the last post I entered on my blog, was an account of Joba Chamberlain's first major league start.

So, the following is a recap of the past week in the Yankees Universe; and, also, a recap of the many interesting activities that I experienced in my personal and family life, that made this past week a very exciting one, indeed...

Tuesday, June 3, 2008 - Shrub Oak, Putnam County, NY -   On a night when the big sports stories in New York were: Joba Chamberlain's first start for the Yankees; and, Pedro Martinez returning from the disabled list, to make his first start in two-months, for the New York Mets - the most exciting game of the day took place on a softball field, at Lakeland High School, in Shrub Oak, NY. It started out as a pitching duel [throughout the first five innings] between two great "fast-pitch" pitchers, my niece, Brittany, on the Lakeland Hornets, and, Niki, of the Hudson Sailors. But, the game took a way different turn in the top of the 6th, when Hudson scored first on a three-run homerun, to take a 3-0 lead. The Hornets tied the game, 3-3, with three runs in the bottom of the 7th, to send the game into extra innings. In the top of the 8th, Hudson had a couple of opportunties to once again take the lead, but two great fielding plays by Lakeland, that resulted in two runners being thrown out at third, put a dent in their rally. But, the Sailors still had a chance to score the go-ahead run, as they loaded the bases with two outs. This is when my niece, Brittany, shined, by striking-out the next batter on three pitches to hold the score at, 3-3. In the bottom of the 8th, Lakeland scored the dramatic game winning run, that capped this awesome comeback, 4-3, victory. The great pitching effort, and the outstanding fielding plays in the top of the 8th, were the main reasons for this very exciting playoff win.

Joba Chamberlain's first start didn't go as planned, as he lasted only 2 1/3 innings, throwing 62 pitches. But, Joba did leave the game with a 2-1 lead, and Giese pitched 3 2/3 good innings, in relief, after replacing Joba. But, the rest of the bullpen that night was terrible, which resulted in a, 9-3, Yankees loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees record fell to, 28-30, after this loss.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008 - Bronx, New York   -   Yankees 5, Blue Jays 1 ... Mike Mussina (9-4) threw 103 pitches over 6 innings, giving up 5 hits, and one earned run, while walking one and stiking out six, to earn his 9th win of the year. The other big story was Derek Jeter getting his 2,416th career hit, passing Mickey Mantle to move into third place on the all-time Yankees hit list. Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth are one and two on the list. Jeter continues his Hall-of Fame career by passing the great Mickey Mantle in total hits; and, now sets his sight on becoming the first Yankee to reach 3,000 hits. 

Thursday, June 5, 2008 - Pearl River, Rockland County, NY -   The Lakeland Hornets went onto the next playoff round, with a game against the Pearl River Pirates. Again, a very exciting extra inning game, in which the Pirates jumped out to an early,1-0, lead on a homerun in the bottom of the 2nd inning. The Hornets tied the game on an RBI double, by my niece, Brittany, in the top of the 6th inning. Also, a great diving catch by Lakeland's centerfield, with a runner at third was a big play in the game. The centerfielder, after making the catch, quickly got up from the ground, and made a perfect throw to the plate, completing the double play, as the catcher placed the tag on the runner. The score remained tied, 1-1, going into the bottom of the 8th inning, when the Pirates loaded the bases with no outs. On a 3-2 pitch, Brittany walked the next batter, that scored the winning run for Pearl River, giving the Pirates a well deserved, 2-1 victory. The Lakeland team played two great games, and obviously were very upset after this heart-breaking playoff loss. The winning pitcher for Pearl River, pitched an awesome game, striking out 15 batters.

Side Note: It was the birthday of one of my brothers, Joey. So, we had dinner together, and talked about our niece's very tough loss, of course. We had a very enjoyable time celebrating his birthday, but it would have been more enjoyable if my niece's team would have won their playoff game. It was a great run, though, for the Lakeland Hornets. The team had a great year, and played excellent in both playoff games. My niece, Brittany, pitched two very good games in these playoffs, and, also, was awesome, pitching during the regular season. So, I congratulate, Brittany, and her team, the Lakeland Hornets, for their great 2008 softball season. Also, I offer congratulations and best wishes to the Pearl River Pirates, as they continue their great season, and playoff run, as they go on to play in the next round in the playoffs.        

The Yankees had a great come-from-behind victory, on Jason Giambi's pinch-hit, two-out, two-on, walk-off homerun, in the bottom of the 9th, that gave the Yankees a dramatic, 9-8, win against the Blue Jays. This win brought the Yankees back to the .500 mark, at 30-30. Also, Jorge Posada returned to action for the first time since April 26th. He was 1 for 3, during this afternoon game, and said he felt no pain in his shoulder. Chien-Ming Wang started the game for the Yankees, and did not pitch a good game, giving up 7 runs (6 unearned), in 4 1/3 innings of work.

Friday, June 6, 2008 - Bronx, New York -   KC Royals 2, Yankees 1 ... Darrell Rasner pitched a great game, throwing 118 pitches, over 8 innings. He gave up 9 hits, 2 earned runs, while striking out 4, and walking none. Very tough loss for the Yankees and Darrell Rasner, (3-3). The loss dropped the Yankees below .500 again, to: 30-31.

Saturday, June 7, 2008 - Westwood, Bergen County, NJ -   I attended "A High School Graduation Party" for my oldest niece, Christina, at my brother Joey's house. A beautiful event with many family members and friends attending. The constant buzz throughout the crowd that day was the back and forth game played by the Yankees and Royals at the Stadium. I didn't get a chance to watch any of the game on T.V., but received updates throughout the day, at the party. First, I heard the Yankees were winning, 6-5, after 5 innings. Then, was disappointed to hear that the Royals jumped back to take the lead, 10-6, going into the bottom of the 7th. The next score I heard was that the Yankees tied it up, 10-10, in the bottom of the 8th. And, was very happy to hear the final outcome, from a friend [Don] on a cell phone call to him. At first I was shocked [like everyone else] to hear that Mariano Rivera gave up a homerun in the top of the 9th, to give the Royals a 11-10 lead. Then, great news, the Yankees won, 12-11,  by scoring two runs in the bottom of the 9th, including a homerun by Jorge Posada. That was a very exciting win, which moved the Yankees back to .500 (31-31). Oh, and special mention must be made about the great game Johnny Damon had, going 6 for 6, to raise his average to .326. Consideration has to be given to a possible all-star selection by Damon on the AL team.

The other shocking buzz on Saturday, was the "big loss" by "Big Brown" in the Belmont. To see him run out of the money was a surprise to all. So, again, no Triple Crown winner in Horse Racing, in 2008. It's been 30 years now since the last Triple Crown winner, Affirmed, in 1978. 

Sunday, June 8, 2008 - Bronx, New York -   After a long day on Saturday [I returned home at about 1:00 a.m.], I had three Church events [scheduled] to attend this Sunday. Starting with an early 7:00 a.m. Mass at my Parish Church, St. Clare's; then a Holy Name Society, Communion Breakfast Mass at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, in the "Little Italy" section of the Bronx, not too far from Fordham University, the College my niece, Christina, is going to attend, starting in the Fall of 2008; and, then, I returned back to my Church, St. Clare's, for a special Mass in honor of St. Anthony, followed by a procession throughout the streets of the Parish, which ended back at the Church, for a family picnic in the Parish school yard. It was a very spiritual day, and also a fun day that was enjoyed by all. Also, for the record, it was probably the hottest day of the year with temperatures in the high 90's.

Oh, yeah, there also was a Yankee game today. Joba Chamberlain started his second game, and pitched a lot better than his first start. Joba threw 78 pitches over 4 1/3 innings of work, giving up 5 hits, 3 runs (2 unearned), while walking one, and striking out five. The Yankees won the game, 6-3, and improved their season record to, 32-31.

Monday, June 9, 2008 - Bronx, New York -   The final game of this home stand. Mike Mussina pitched a beautiful game, going a solid 8 innings, giving up 7 hits, 2 earned runs, no walks, and striking-out three. But, when Mussina left the game after 8 innings, the score was still tied, 2-2. Mariano Rivera was called into pitch the 9th; and,  another shocking event took place. Mariano Rivera gave up another homerun. Final score: Royals 3, Yankees 2. Very tough loss in a game that Mike Mussina pitched well enough to get his 10th win. But, it was not meant to be, on this day. The Yankees ended the home stand, at 32-32, for the season. The Bronx Bombers then went "on the road", traveling to Oakland for the start of a three-game series against the A's.

So, how was your week ???                 

The Yankees won the rubber game of this three-game series against the Oakland A's, 4-1, on a "grand slam" by "birthday boy" Hideki Matsui, in the 6th inning, off A's starter, Joe Blanton. The four runs were all that Andy Pettitte needed to earn his 6th win of the season.

Pettitte struggled early, but got stronger as the game moved on. Andy pitched a solid 8 innings, throwing 113 pitches, allowing one run, on 5 hits, one walk, and 6 strikeouts, to move his record to, 6-5. The victory was Pettitte's 170 career Yankee win, tying him with Ron Guidry for fourth place on the all-time Yankee win list. Whitey Ford is number one on the list with 236 career wins.

The 6th inning rally started with an infield single by Derek Jeter. Then both Bobby Abreu and Alex Rodriguez walked, to load the bases with no outs. This set-up the "birthday blast" by Matsui, which turned a 1-0 Oakland lead into a 4-1 Yankees victory. 

At the start of the bottom of the 9th, it looked like we would see a very rare occurrence in baseball these days: the complete game. Andy Pettitte came out of the dugout, and threw his warm-up pitches, as if he was going to pitch the final inning for the complete game win. But, after Andy finished warming-up, Joe Girardi approached the mound, and made the call to the bullpen for closer, Mariano Rivera.

Even though he had already thrown 113 pitches, I'm sure Pettitte wanted to pitch the 9th inning. It would have been very refreshing to see the "rare" complete game. But, as Girardi said, he wanted to give Mariano a little more time to warm up before enterning the game. So, I guess the starting pitcher would have to be pitching at least a shutout, no-hitter, or perfect game for any chance at getting a complete game. Even then, I'm not so sure a shutout or a no-hitter would totally guarantee the pitcher staying in the game.

The "Great Mariano" was awesome as usual, closing out the 4-1 win, for his 18th save. Mariano is now a perfect 18 for 18 in save opportunties.

This was a big win for the Yankees! [aren't they all big wins, though?] ...

After winning the first game in this series, 3-1, led by a beautiful pitching performance by Chien-Ming Wang; and, losing the second game, 8-4, in a game that Darrell Rasner had his worst start since joining the starting rotation; this 4-1 win by Andy Pettitte, moved the Yankees back over the .500 mark to 34-33. 

The Yankees now head to Houston, to play a three-game weekend series against the Astros.

Joba Chamberlain is the Yankees starting pitcher in the first game of this series on Friday night, June 13th. 

"It was the first step, that's all"  ...  Hank Steinbrenner

New York, June 3, 2008 ... Yankee Stadium had the feel of a Playoff or World Series game last night, as Joba Chamberlain made his first major league start against the Toronto Blue Jays. This was a major event that had the attention of the whole baseball world, and it was fitting that the pitching mound was once again "center stage" for another historic moment at the most famous and historic venue in the history of all sports, Yankee Stadium.

There was a buzz in the crowd, and the air was electric as Joba ran to the pitchers mound to take his warm-up pitches before the start of this game. The overflowing crowd was standing and cheering with the excitement of hope, and the energy of the moment could be felt from everywhere this event was being viewed. 

Joba Chamberlain was ready, as the cheering of the crowd grew louder, bringing the engery level to its peak. Shannon Stewart stepped-up to the plate, as Joba set himself on the mound to deliver his first pitch. Outside for a ball. Chamberlain's first pitch as a starter was now in the books; and, the process continues. 

This start didn't totally turn out as expected, though, as it took Joba 38 pitches to get out of the first inning.

Stewart walked [on 8 pitches] leading off the inning. Chamberlain then struck-out Marco Scutaro [swinging] on a high, hanging slider, Joba's 14th pitch of the inning. Alex Rios was the next batter, and on a pick-off attempt to first, Joba balked Stewart to second. On the third pitch of his at bat, Rios swung and missed at a ball, down and in, which deflected off catcher, Jose Molina's glove, for a passed ball, that advanced Stewart to third. Rios then grounded out to second on the next pitch [18th of the inning], driving home the first run of the game.

That was the second out, and Joba had a chance to complete his first inning as a starter without any further damage. After a ball to clean-up hitter, Scott Rolen, Joba got Rolen to swing and miss at the next two pitches, to bring the count to (1-2). On the 22th pitch of the inning, Rolen singled on a ball that was not hit very hard, but found its way through the right side of the infield.

So, the inning continued ... 

Chamberlain then walked Matt Stairs on a (3-2) pitch; and, also, Lyle Overbay on a (3-2) pitch, to load the bases. More importantly, Joba threw six pitches to each batter, upping his total to [34].

The extreme pitch total up to this point was one thing, but a base hit by the next batter could have really put this game out of reach. This is when Joba showed his brilliance as the dominate pitcher he is. 

Chamberlain threw a strike, on the first pitch, to 7th place hitter, Rod Barajas. Next pitch, strike two. The crowd was really into this at bat, standing and cheering, as Barajas fouled-off the third pitch to keep the count at (0-2). The runners on all three bases took a lead, as the cheering of the Yankee Stadium crowd grew louder and louder. Joba poised himself on the mound, and reared back to make his next pitch. A [99 mph] fastball exploded from the valuable right arm of Joba Chamberlain, and Rod Barajas swung and missed, "strike-three" !!! 

Joba walked to the dugout, as the Stadium crowd roared with its approval. The final pitch of the strikeout was the 38th pitch thrown by Chamberlain in the first inning. But, getting out of the base-loaded jam without allowing any more runs to score was a major victory for Joba; and, regardless of what anyone may think of Chamberlain's performance, this was Joba's shining moment of the game. He battled hard in that first inning, and worked himself out of a very tough situation.

The Yankees scored two runs in the bottom of the first, on a lead-off triple by Johnny Damon; Alex Rodriguez getting on base after being hit-by-a-pitch by Blue Jays starter, Roy Halladay; and, then, two, nice, opposite field singles by Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi, to give the Yanks a 2-1 lead.

In the top of the second, Chamberlain retired the side in order, getting Brad Wilkerson to fly out to left [on 6 pitches]; A [5 pitch] strikeout of David Eckstein, for the second out of the inning; and, then, after getting behind Shannon Stewart, (3-1), Joba got Stewart to fly out to right field, on the 5th pitch of the at-bat.

Joba threw 16 pitches in the second inning, bringing his total up to 54.

The score remained 2-1, as Joba came out to pitch the 3th inning.

The first batter up, Marco Scutaro, hit a long fly ball to right field [on a 2-1 pitch], and Bobby Abreu drifted back to the wall, as the wind was carrying the ball towards the right field stands. Abreu waited until the last minute, and then leaped up to make a spectacular catch, robbing Scutaro of at least a double. Bobby had a big smile on his face, after he threw the ball into the infield; and, Joba pumped his arm up in the air, as he looked in Abreu's direction, to give his approval of the great play that recorded the first out of the inning.

The pitch count was now up to 58, as Chamberlain faced the next batter, Alex Rios. Joba walked Rios on four pitches, which would finish his night, as Manager Joe Girardi walked to the mound to take Joba out of the game. Number 62 completed his task, throwing 62 pitches on this special night.

Joba Chamberlain entered the dugout to a standing ovation from the crowd. It was a show of appreciation for the awesome effort Joba gave on the mound tonight. It wasn't the kind of performance everyone expected from Joba, as the plan called for him to pitch at least four innings; maybe five. But, this start was part of the "process" of building Chamberlain's arm strength, and increasing his innings. 

There will be many more starts in Joba Chamberlain's career; and, in the future, the focus will not be on his pitch count. The focus will be on his "win" total, and when the word "ace" will be used to describe his status on the Yankees pitching staff.              

The Yankees got off to a quick start last night as Derek Jeter singled, and Alex Rodriguez hit a two run homerun off Twins starter, Livan Hernandez, in the top of the first, giving the Yanks an early 2-0 lead. The game could have been broken wide open when Hideki Matsui and Jason Giambi followed A-Rod's homer with back to back singles. But, Hernandez got Robinson Cano to hit an easy fly ball to left for the final out of the inning.

Runners left on base by the Yankees, would be their theme for the night, as they were 3-for-16 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 men on base. And to make matters worse, they left at least one runner on base in each inning, except in the 8th, when Jeter was thrown out [on a perfect throw by rightfielder, Michael Cuddyer], trying to stretch a single into a double; and, in the 9th, when Matsui hit into a 4-6-3 double play after a leadoff single by A-Rod; then, Jason Giambi lined out to centerfield for the final out of the game. 

Even with all the runners left on base, the Yankees should have won this game, period.

But, credit has to be given to the Minnesota Twins, as they kept coming back against Yankees starter, Andy Pettitte. A single by Cuddyer (3-for-4), and an RBI double by, Delmon Young, cut he Yankees lead in half, 2-1, in the second inning.

In the bottom of the third, after one out, Gomez singled. Andy Petitte, who has one of the best pick-off moves in baseball, threw the ball past Jason Giambi at first, as he attempted to keep Gomez close to the bag. The ball rolled to the front of the stands, half way between right and first, advancing the speedy Gomez to third. The next batter, Casilla, pushed a beautiful bunt towards first base, for a perfect safety squeeze, scoring Gomez to tie the game at 2-2. The bunt was so perfect that Casilla beat it out for a single. So, this was the first lead given up, by Pettitte.

The Yankees had another chance to score in the 4th inning when Cano and Melky each singled. But, with one out, Johnny Damon ended the inning by hitting into a (6-6-3) double play.

In the top of the 6th, the Yankees finally capitalized on the many hits Livan Hernandez allowed them. Giambi led off the inning with a single. Cano was up next, and reached on a force play at second base. Chad Moeller then hit a grounds-rule double, that prevented Cano from scoring.  But, the Yankees plated the runs on singles by Cabrera and Damon, to take the lead again, 4-2.

Hernandez was finished for the night after 6 innings. He threw 107 pitches, and allowed 13 hits, one walk, 5 earned runs, and only struck-out one batter. With numbers like that, the Yankees should have scored twice as many runs than they did. Going into the bottom of the 6th, the Bronx Bombers were in the lead, though.

Pettitte gave the runs right back, giving up singles to Mauer and Cuddyer, setting up a RBI single by Monroe, and a second RBI double by Delmon Young that tied he score, 4-4. The Twins had a rally going, but with two runners on, and one out, Andy got out of the jam by striking-out Harris, and getting Macri to fly-out to centerfield. A second lead was lost.

The Yankees battled back once again, scoring a run in the 7th, on a double by A-Rod (3-for-4), who then crossed the plate with the Yankees 5th run, on fielders choice with Giambi at bat.

It loked like Andy Pettitte would hold this lead, as he quickly got the first two Minnesota batters out in the bottom of the 7th. But, as "they" say, things happen in "three's". Pettitte threw a high, inside pitch to Twins catcher, Mauer, who blasted a long homerun [his first of the year] deep off the facing of the rightfield upper deck. This dramatic homerun tied the game [again], Yankees 5, Twins 5. Andy retired Morneau, on a ground ball to short, for the final out of the inning, but Pettitte's night was over.

This was a very disappointing start by Andy Pettitte. He failed to hold "three" leads, and in his 7 innings of work, gave up 5 runs (4 unearned), on 10 hits, and only two strikeouts. A positive stat, was the fact that Andy did not walk any batters.

The way the game was going up to this point had to give anyone who was watching a feeling that the Yankees may not have enough in them to comeback one more time to win this game. To have any chance of winning this game, the Yankees would have to depend on a very undependable bridge to Mariano. Could the bullpen hold the Twins long enough for the Yanks to score the go ahead run, and hand the game over to Rivera for the save?

As soon as Kyle Farnsworth entered the game in the bottom of the 8th, I think all Yankees fans knew what the answer would be. I don't think the sky is high enough to write the letters "NO" for all in the Yankees Universe to see !!!  

Farnsworth delivered what all Yankees fans have come to expect. Cuddyer led off the inning with a double. He was moved to third on a sac bunt by pinch hitter, Nick Punto. And, in a game that Andy Pettitte blew three leads, the number three would again be a charm for the Twins, as Delmon Young stroked his third RBI double of the game, to drive home Michael Cuddyer with the go-ahead run, giving the Twins the lead, 6-5, for the first time in the game.

Kyle Farnsworth (0-2), who was the losing pitcher, capped off his usual performance by giving up another hit, and a walk. Only Delmon Young getting caught stealing third, prevented a few more possible runs from scoring.

Joe Nathan closed out the Twins 6-5 victory, in the 9th, recording his 15th save.

The Yankees return back to the Bronx for the start of a three game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, tonight [Tuesday, June 3rd].

Joba Chamberlain will make his first major league start in this game, and Yankee Stadium will be rocking. This is a major event, and the atmosphere at the Stadium will be electric. It will be like a playoff game, as the time for Joba has arrived.

Go Joba, Go !!!         

After wins in the first two games of this four-game series against the Minnesota Twins, the Yankees lost Sunday's game, 5-1. This was Darrell Rasner's worse start since being called-up from AAA-SWB, but Rasner did manage to throw 111 pitches over 5 1/3 innings, as his won-loss record dropped to 3-2.

As it turned out, the Twins scored all the runs they would need in the bottom of the first, when their first three batters got on base, and then two runs were driven home on a single by rightfielder, Michael Cuddyer. Rasner did get out of the inning without any further damage, and set down the Twins 1-2-3 in the following two innings.

With the score 2-0, Darrell Rasner got into trouble in the 4th inning by loading the bases with no outs, but showed some toughness by getting out of the inning by allowing only one run to score, on a sac fly by third baseman, Mike Lamb.

Derek Jeter hit a lead-off homer in the top of the 5th, for the Yankees only run of the day, reducing the Twins lead to 3-1.

Bobby Abreu was the next batter, and he hit a bullet line drive that hit Twins starter, Nick Blackburn squarely in his face. He fell to the ground as if he had passed out, as Abreu looked on in horror while running to first to complete his single.

Thank God, Blackburn was able to walk off the field, with the help of the Twins trainer, as blood flowed from his nose. It was revealed later on in the game that x-rays were negative, and Blackburn would be okay. He is listed as day-to-day, and may even pitch in his next scheduled start.

Bobby Abreu was visibly affected by this very scary event, and at one point was shown being consoled by manager Joe Girardi in the Yankees dugout. I'm sure Abreu was relieved [like all of us] that Blackburn was not seriously injured.

Minnesota scored two more runs [one in the 6th and 7th] to finish the scoring in the game. That would be the final score: Twins 5, Yankees 1.

The run in the 6th came on a wired play in which a ball hit to right-centerfield by Justin Morneau, rolled to the wall, and as Melky Cabrera went to pick it up - he slipped. Melky was on the ground when he did pick-up the ball, and trying to make a relay to Bobby Abreu, threw the ball over Abreu's head. Bobby chased after the ball, but it was too late. Morneau already rounded third and scored on what was first scored an inside the park homerun, but later changed to a triple and an error on Melky Cabrera. This is a play that will forever be shown on "blooper" highlight videos. 

The Yankees only real chance to score some runs came in the top of the third inning, when they loaded the bases [against Blackburn] with one out. This gave them an opportunity to have a big inning, but Alex Rodriguez struck-out for out number two; and, Hideki Matsui made the third out on a weak grounder to second base. Inning over. Rally stopped. Great pitching by Nick Blackburn.

Because Nick Blackburn was hit by the batted ball by Abreu, with one out in the 4th inning, he could not get the win in this game. Brian Bass replaced Blackburn, and was the winning pitcher, throwing  1 2/3 scoreless innings. Then, Jesse Crain pitched two scoreless innings [in the 7th and 8th]; and, Joe Nathan threw a scoreless 9th, to close out the win for the Twins.

The Yankees made a roster move before the game, calling-up, righthanded reliever,  Scott Patterson from AAA-SWB. To make room for Patterson on the 25-man roster, the Yankees placed Morgan Ensberg on the "designated for assignment" list.

Scott Patterson relieved Rasner with one out in the 6th inning, which was his major league debut. His first performance in the majors was only okay, as Patterson allowed one earned run, while giving up one hit, and two walks, and striking out two, in his 1 1/3 innings of work.

This loss moves the Yankees back down to the .500 mark, at 28-28; and, they also drop one more game behind both the first place Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox, who both won their games today.

So, the Yankees won the first game of this series, 6-5, with Mike Mussina pitching a solid 6 innings for the win. Mussina is now 8-4, and well on his way to an All-Star selection, and, a possible 20 win season. Mariano Rivera closed-out the game, recording his 14th save.

The Yankees won a big extra innings game [12 innings], 7-6, in game number two of this series, on Saturday. Wang didn't pitch well at all in this game. Ross Ohlendorf (1-1) was the winning pitcher. Another save by Mariano, #15. Rivera lowered his ERA to: 0.36.

Andy Pettitte starts for the Yankees in the final game of this series, Monday, June 2nd. Hopefully, Andy pitches a great game, leading the way for the Yankees to win this series, vs. the Twins, three games to one.

Then, it's back to the Bronx for Joba Chamberlain's first major league start on Tuesday, June 3rd against the Toronto Blue Jays. Very Exciting !!!  I can't wait !!!

Joba's time has arrived, and he will be part of another great moment at Yankee Stadium !!!