2009 Yankees Game Thread

[yankees228]

Maybe because he doesn't want to be critical of a former team mate. Maybe he's expressing his opinion while trying to be diplomatic. I think you need to read between the lines. He's not the only Met on that team that feels that he should have charged the mound. They just don't want to be publicly critical. The fact that Leiter said as much as he did speaks volumes.

 

That's a lot of assumptions, but OK. I guess the possibility exists.

[yankees228]

What happened in the Red Sox game just completely took away from my excitement over the walk off win.

[jacksonianmarch]

Good win anytime you pull one out when Gaudin or Mitre pitch. Magic number now 11

[RWTP24]

What happened in the Red Sox game just completely took away from my excitement over the walk off win.

 

If you the Yankees win, it should not matter what the Sox do.

 

Why are you so bent?

 

That is how the cookie crumbles every now and then. I am sure you guys got a win taken from you as well as you guys have won a game that way. I can think of one or two that has happened to the sox. That is life.

 

That pitch was very close either way. Sometime you swing because it is so close and you aren’t sure. And sometime you get the call in your favor if you don’t. Umps are not perfect.

[26 to 6]

Crazy game tonight...I didn't get there until the top of the 8th inning lol, but at least I got to see the action. Let's keep it rolling out on the road.

 

Bed time...

[yankees228]

If you the Yankees win, it should not matter what the Sox do.

 

Why are you so bent?

 

That is how the cookie crumbles every now and then. I am sure you guys got a win taken from you as well as you guys have won a game that way. I can think of one or two that has happened to the sox. That is life.

 

That pitch was very close either way. Sometime you swing because it is so close and you aren’t sure. And sometime you get the call in your favor if you don’t. Umps are not perfect.

 

At this point a Yankee win and a Red Sox loss mean absolutely the same thing to me. They are on completely equal. The magic number for the Yankees is 11, and a Yankee win or a Red Sox loss means the exact thing.

 

As for the call, lets not use the "it could have gone either way excuse". It was not borderline. It was a strike.

http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfx/numlocation.php?xml=http://gd2.mlb.com/components/game/mlb/year_2009/month_09/day_16/gid_2009_09_16_anamlb_bosmlb_1//pbp/pitchers/150118.xml&batterX=090916_231149&innings=yyyyyyyyy&s_type=3&sp_type=1&h_size=700&v_size=500

This shows the baseball to be more than three tenths of a foot above the bottom of the strike zone. It was not right down the middle, but it was definitely a strike. Bad calls happen all the time, but it is extremely frustrating for one to happen in that spot.

[yankees228]

While I'm excited about the walk off, I'm really puzzled by a decision (or lack thereof) that the front office made. They knew Posada was going to be suspended, and that he would serve it right away (so he could play against LAA and BOS). Why, knowing that, would they not call up a third catcher? I know Cervelli came through last night, but it should have been Hinske up there.

 

Does it have something to do with the 40 man roster?

[RedRuffing15]

Last nights win was good. I would have perfered it to be on Tuesday because I was at that game and aside from a brawl there wasn't much I got from it. I'm actually happy Posada got suspended, I think it's a rest he could use and it will also give more time to see Cervelli and get Molina ready for any potential playoff action he might see.

 

I'm really hoping we can do good on this upcoming road trip so that the Sox series won't nessisarily be important. Being 5 or 6 games up going into that and I'd be fine, 4 ok. But who knows becuase even if the Sox lose today, their still playing really good so even if the Division/WC are locked up, I have a feeling those will be hard-fought games just because playoffs will be 2 weeks away.

[yankees228]

Apparently the Mariners flipped Hernandez and Fister. I preferred the match-ups of Burnett vs. Fister and Sabathia vs. Hernandez. That would have given them a reasonable chance to win both games. Now, although their chances for Saturday have improved, winning on Friday seems doubtful.

[yankees228]

Another opportunity tonight for A.J. to turn it around. Seattle's offense is not very good, but he is facing a heck of a pitcher.

[yankees228]

Nice to see A.J. pitch well, even if it was against the Mariners. His stuff looked good, and he gave up very few hard hit balls.

[yankees228]

One of the worst losses of the year.

 

However, it's pretty ridiculous to pitch to Suzuki there.

[yankees228]

Considering the Yankees schedule for the next week and the Red Sox schedule for the next week I maintain that the division is not over.

[TheKilo]

ICHIROOOOOO

[yankees228]

Kilo, I don't want to antagonistic, but do you really still think the Red Sox magic number is 9? Are you actually going to think they're officially in the playoffs after 9 games are shaved off the magic number?

[yankees228]

I think too many managers fall into the "I'll never put the go ahead run on" way of thinking. However, some situations do call for it. Is it the right move because of the possibility that Ichiro wins the game? Of course not. However, Ichiro is the MLB hit leader. He has a better chance than anyone else in the entire game to get a single in that spot. He is their one good hitter, and, if I'm the Yankees, he's the guy I don't want to beat me.

 

On top of that, if the game goes to extra innings, the Yankees are in trouble anyway. They would have already used Rivera and Hughes, and would have to turn to the worse part of bullpen. Do your best to win the game right there, instead of being so concerned about losing the game.

[bsox0407]

Kilo' date=' I don't want to antagonistic, but do you really still think the Red Sox magic number is 9? Are you actually going to think they're officially in the playoffs after 9 games are shaved off the magic number?[/quote']

 

i tried to tell him. i was the one who brought it up. he just doesnt wanna hear it. but w/e what ever floats his boat.

[yankees228]

i tried to tell him. i was the one who brought it up. he just doesnt wanna hear it. but w/e what ever floats his boat.

 

Initially I did think that Kilo was correct, because he explanation did make sense. However, I mapped out some other possibilities afterwards, and the Red Sox current magic number to clinch a playoff berth is definitely 10 (and the Yankees is 3).

 

Also, playing a one game playoff is not making it to the postseason. A one game playoff, according to the standings, counts as a regular season game. So even if you want to try using technical argument to say that clinching a tie is clinching a playoff berth, it's not.

 

On top of that, there is no reason to celebrate clinching a tie? Why would you want to do that? Celebrate when you are actually assured of being in the postseason.

 

EDIT: Believe me, I would love to be wrong on this issue. I would gladly accept being wrong for the Yankees' magic number to drop another game. However, to the best of my knowledge, that's not happening.

[RWTP24]

Rivera's look on his face after he gave up that homerun was priceless. I think he said "are you kidding me?" I am thinking he did not think he was going to give up a bomb Suzuki.

[yankees228]

Another run left off the board. Fister looked awful.

[yankees228]

This is really getting ridiculous with the bunting.

[yankees228]

Another man on third with less than two outs stranded. This team is playing beneath themselves.

 

EDIT: Unbelievable.

[yankees228]

Ugh, bad call.

[yankees228]

Thank you for not bunting there Joe.

[Youk Of The Nation]

Damn. I think the Yankees might win this one.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Another run left off the board. Fister looked awful.

 

Wait, what?

[yankees228]

It was important for the Yankees' to win the only game that CC started on this road trip.

[yankees228]

Wait' date=' what?[/quote']

 

Lol. Starting pitcher for the Mariners tonight...Doug Fister.

[26 to 6]

I think too many managers fall into the "I'll never put the go ahead run on" way of thinking. However, some situations do call for it. Is it the right move because of the possibility that Ichiro wins the game? Of course not. However, Ichiro is the MLB hit leader. He has a better chance than anyone else in the entire game to get a single in that spot. He is their one good hitter, and, if I'm the Yankees, he's the guy I don't want to beat me.

 

On top of that, if the game goes to extra innings, the Yankees are in trouble anyway. They would have already used Rivera and Hughes, and would have to turn to the worse part of bullpen. Do your best to win the game right there, instead of being so concerned about losing the game.

Hindsight is 20/20, eh? I can't disagree with what Girardi did. Ichiro isn't known for hitting bombs, although he is their best hitter and the most likely to get a hit, which would have only tied the game. If you put him on and the next guy hits a gap single or something Ichiro scores and wins the game anyway. why not take your chances with Rivera and his cutter on the mound against the lefty-hitting Ichiro?

 

On the subject of Ichiro, I looked up his NPB stats because they were talking about how his numbers would look if you combined both his Japanese and MLB numbers on last night's telecast, and in doing so I learned Ichiro has well over 3000 hits already. Actually he has 3293 when you add his 1278 hits in NPB. Also I came across this video of Ichiro pitching in the 1996 NPB All Star Game. I knew he had pitched, but dont think I ever saw him doing it in action (only on a baseball card or something). Looks like Matsui was on deck while Ichiro was warming up, but I guess they pinch-hit for him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoOnzwJOAFM&feature=player_embedded

 

Dude can really do ANYTHING!

[yankees228]

It's really not fair to say that I'm using hindsight. How do you know that I wasn't sitting there watching the game, hoping they'd walk Ichiro?

 

I wasn't worried about Ichiro hitting a HR. However, I was worried about a single, and a tie game. Remember, the Yankees are on the road and would have already used Hughes and Rivera. Not to mention Robertson is unavailable. If they tie the game there, they likely lose anyway. If I'm Girardi I'm playing for the win, and my best chance to accomplish that is to pitch to Franklin Guitterez instead of Ichiro.