The Yankees’ offense was tossed a much-needed softball Friday evening in struggling starter Henry Owens and they failed to take advantage, falling 4-2 to the rival Red Sox. New York certainly wasn’t short on opportunities. Double plays shut down promising rallies in four of the first five innings. There were plenty of baserunners, but the big […]
Tag: Recap
Game 1 Recap: ‘Do it. Throw it into the runner’s back’
Masahiro Tanaka warmed up a sellout crowd in the frigid Bronx for a short while, but 47,000-plus ultimately left the ballpark with their arms outstretched and their heaviest insults directed toward the day’s umpiring crew. Tanaka lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out four, but he was once again out-dueled by […]
Yankee Purgatory
NEW YORK — That’s why the Yankees wanted, and needed, the AL East so badly. At times, home plate umpire Eric Cooper’s strike zone was forgiving to Dallas Keuchel. Other times, the Astros’ defense was menacing; in the fourth, George Springer ranged to his left to rob Alex Rodriguez of a double, and in the […]
AL Wild Card Game Recap: Astros 3 Yankees 0 – Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Booing
The joy of baseball lies in its unpredictability. The g**damn frustrating joy of baseball lies in its predictability. In 2015, when opposing batters swung at the first pitch off Masahiro Tanaka, they slugged .508 with four home runs. In September/October, the Yankees offense ranked last or second-to-last in the AL in batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS. […]
Both optimism and uncertainty surround Yankees’ playoff berth
Considering the tumultuous nature of the Yankees’ 2015 season, it’s only fitting that their playoff-clinching win was wrapped in both buoyancy and anxiety. On the one hand, here were the Yankees, who the masses counted out back in April, cracking beer cans and submerging their teammates in alcohol. Here was Alex Rodriguez, who wasn’t even expected to […]
Yankees take Subway Series, look like a playoff team
NEW YORK — Anxiety. Conflict. Noise. Remove all context from Yankees-Mets on Sunday night and you would have thought you were witnessing playoff baseball at Citi Field. This felt different. This was the culmination of a season-long journey the Mets and their supporters have navigated through for months on end. Under the lights. A nation […]
Recap: Yankees 3 Rays 6
One night after an unlikely source delivered perhaps the biggest Yankees hit of the season, New York came up short against the Rays in Tampa. There was some excitement when a two-base error brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning with two outs, but Brett Gardner flied out to left field […]
Recap: Yankees 2, Red Sox 1
Top Play (WPA): Eduardo Rodriguez had been cruising for Boston, pitching six innings of one-run ball. The young righty just punched out Brendan Ryan, leading him to face the struggling Jacoby Ellsbury. The speedster launched the ball into the second deck beyond the right field wall, giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead to increase their chances […]
Recap: Yankees 2, Mariners 1
A few years ago, it was an event anytime CC Sabathia and Felix Hernandez would square off with one another. Sunday the pair of hurlers delivered without much fanfare as each allowed one run over six innings before giving way to the bullpen. Hernandez was one out away from shutting out the Yankees through six […]
Recap: Yankees 3, Mariners 4
Top Play (WPA): Down 2-0, it looked as if New York would be held scoreless for the fourth straight inning by the cruising Hisashi Iwakuma. Mark Teixeira delivered the Yankees’ second hit of the game with two outs in the fourth. Brian McCann made Iwakuma pay, knocking a two-run, game tying shot, increasing New York’s chances […]