Thank You Sir May I Have Another: Yanks-Jays Gamer IV

Emma Span wrote a great piece today on Bronx Banter in which she said, about stealing home, "It’s rare, and it’s gutsy, and it’s something that you’d think would never work."

It is one of the greatest things in all of sports, as many have said, the stealing of home. It doesn't make me feel any better about the Yankees, but it made me feel better about baseball and it made me glad I watched the game just to see that magical play.

Tonight, New York tries to do something, anything other than lose, as they face the Jays in the final game of this set at the SkyDome. The Yankees send Tyler Clippard, perhaps the most surprising rookie of the season outside of Hughes' tragically compromised bid for a no hitter. Clippard, who some thought was the victim of a short hook in his loss to the Angels last week, is 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA in ten innings, with seven strikeouts along with three walks. Toronto counters with a surprising rookie of their own, Jesse Litsch (1-1, 4.24). Lineups in the extended; comment away.

New York Yankees
Damon, CF	.260
Jeter, SS	.350
Matsui, LF	.277
Rodriguez, 3B	.293
Posada, C	.360
Giambi, DH	.262
Phelps, 1B	.278
Cano, 2B	.249
Cabrera, RF	.215
Clippard	3.60
Toronto Blue Jays
Rios, RF	.302
Overbay, 1B	.265
Wells, CF	.263
Stairs, LF	.305
Thomas, DH	.225
Hill, 2B	.283
Phillips, C	.237
Clark, 3B	.000
McDonald, SS	.265
Litsch	4.24

Comments

[Lar]

Wow, this place is barren. Just checking in, and wow, it's 5-0. That's one way to try to get out of a slump..

[Josh SF (D1)]

5-0...that's good news.

Of course, LOHUD just reported that Hughes has a Grade 3 ankle sprain and will need another 4-6 weeks of rehab. Pete says he won't be back until mid-August at the earliest. That's bad news. (Well, not for me...)

[Michael T]

desturbd-

Don't you have a game to watch rather than trolling and gloating about a talented 21 year-old kid getting injured and derailing the promising start to his career? Another classy Bosox fan.

[attackgerbil]

I'm still at work. :/

Won't be able to watch the game until the l
ater innings.

[Rob SF]

Rios homer has cut the lead to 5-2

[Rob SF]

Clippard has 68 pitches through 3, Litsch was knocked out of the game after 2/3 of an Inning. Tallet now in for the Jays.

[Michael T]

Clippard and DeSalvo will never be big league starters for a contending team.

[Michael T]

Shorter term bold prediction. If the Yankees stay stuck on 5 they will lose this game by a field goal.

[LocklandSF]

Wow, real quiet in here tonight.

[AngelsFan]

So did A-Rod really call for it? If so, that's unsporting but most awesome.

[Anna Maria Horseford]

couldn't tell if a-rod called for it, but he did have a satisfied smirk on his face afterwards. fuck it, we need the wins.

[AndrewYF]

He didn't call for it, he made a noise. Most he could've said was "Ha". Idiot third baseman turns around before catching the ball to see what was happening. Then Gibbons continues to be an asshat and the umps tell the Jays to shut up.

Eh, it'll be another thing for Sox fans to take out of proportion and 'proves' A-Rod's some huge pussy or something. Especially if he continues to hit well against them.

I haven't been around these parts recently because the Yankees have been wholly uninteresting. But since they're playing the Sox next, which better site to come to.

They showed an interesting graphic, in each of the past 3 years there has been a team that, while down 12.5 games or more during the year, came back to either win the division or get to the playoffs. I believe it was Houston in 2004 (they traded for Beltran and went gangbusters on everyone), 2005 I completely forget, and 2006 it was the Twins (so-called MVP starts hitting, Twins start winning in bunches). So maybe, hopefully, the Yankees will be that team this year. But some move has to be made to make it happen. Maybe Clemens will finally give them that magic spark.

[Lar]

Someone just told me about the play - I must say it's probably unsportsmanlike, but totally fun/funny. When you're 13 1/2 out, I give him credit for at least doing something, even if it's kind of assholey. =)

[Josh SF (D1)]

1. Michael, whoever you are...either my tone upset you or you're unclear on what, exactly, constitutes "trolling." I wasn't trying to gloat...nobody'd commented on what I thought a pretty significant development, as the story didn't break until around 7. If my comment on Hughes sounded jovial, that was not my intention; it sucks that he's hurt even worse, and I was just...surprised by the development. I meant to express it as a, "Well, this game's going well. Really well, maybe things are looking up--Oh, look, Hughes is hurt even worse then we thought. This is absurd..."

2. If A-Rod did what the Jays say he did, he was cheating; a runner's not allowed to yell anything to throw off a fielder. I do think it's a dick move, but ultimately not that big a deal...seems like it might be one of those poorly-enforced things, somewhat akin to a questionable takeout slide on a DP or most other interference calls. But I don't know. The Jays' reaction makes it seem like this isn't accepted as your normal gamesmanship...

3. I forget what happened with the 'Stros, but the rise of the 06 Twins came in conjunction with a cataclysmic Detroit collapse. (Could 2005 have been the Yanks?) Not saying it can't happen this year with NY/Boston--it certainly could--I just think at this point New York's destiny, at least as far as the division is concerned, is mostly in Boston's hands. The Central last year was Detroit's to lose, too...and lose it they did.

[AndrewYF]

"If A-Rod did what the Jays say he did, he was cheating; a runner's not allowed to yell anything to throw off a fielder."

Oh, bullshit. Runners on second aren't supposed to steal signs. Guys sliding into second aren't supposed to aim for the fielder. Guys going into first aren't supposed to go out of their way to collide with the first baseman (like Jason Phillips did the night before, yet you don't hear anyone complain about that). Outfielders aren't supposed to try and put the ball back into a diving fielder's glove. The only reason this is a big deal - and the only reason the Jays are upset - is because this actually worked. You can bet Clark is embarrassed, I would be too. He didn't even have a good read on the popup, then he turns around because he hears a noise and this is suddenly cheating? Puh-leeze. Talk about bitter herbs.

"Could 2005 have been the Yanks?"

No, definitely not, the most they were behind was 9 games that year. No, 2005 was actually the Astros (who ended up 13 games behind (but got the wild card) and ended up losing to in the NLCS the 102-win Cardinals). So I guess that's not such a good example, unless every non-division leading team in the AL is going to end up with less than 90 wins. I wish I could see the graphic again, I'm pretty sure all the other ones other than Minnesota were just wild-card wins.

Of course, last year, Detroit had the 'perfect' untouchable team. Everything was clicking all over the place, their pitching was amazing, everyone in their lineup was performing...but then they just stopped. The lineup, I mean. The pitching was still pretty great.

I could definitely see it happen with Boston. Maybe not the lineup, once Youk slows down a bit and Lowell starts his annual decline, Manny and Ortiz are sure to pick it up. No, but I could see the pitching go down in a big hurry. If Dice-K continues to give his best Wakefield imitation - great game/bad game/great game/horrible game - all year, and the soft underbelly of the bullpen continues to get exposed, they could definitely go the way of Detroit. Not that it's likely, just that it's entirely possible. Hell, they could also be like the '98 Yankees and just not stop winning too. This upcoming series is a million times more important for the Yankees than it is for the Red Sox. But since the Sox pitching (sans Taveraz) is the only pitching the Yanks can seemingly consistently hit, I remain hopeful.

[dc]

the arod incident is a non-event...a bit childish, but the anger, as andrewyf points out, is over the fact that it worked...i'm not so sure it is cheating, unless someone can find it in the rulebook...poor sportsmanship, maybe...

d-1, i didn't think you were celebrating hughes setback, any more than a yf would hope that dice-k continues to have bouts of the "hotel-floor flu" for the rest of the season, or beckett finally realizes he's a blistering .500 pitcher and loses his next 8 games...no harm buddy...

the yanks appear to be cooked, and i am ready to congratulate my sox friends for a monster comeback year...i know it's possible for the yanks to make a race out of it, but i don't think it's probable...the sox are winning with great pitching, decent defense, and just the right amount of hitting, which has been freakishly timely...they've also won some improbable games...this just looks and feels like their year to me...

[Josh SF (D1)]

"Oh, bullshit. Runners on second aren't supposed to steal signs. Guys sliding into second aren't supposed to aim for the fielder. Guys going into first aren't supposed to go out of their way to collide with the first baseman (like Jason Phillips did the night before, yet you don't hear anyone complain about that)."

Actually the Jason Phillips thing is all anyone on LOHUD et al could talk about after last night's incident. Two wrongs don't make a right...right? Anyway, as I said...I feel like this is one of those rules, like sliding into the 2B or stealing signs, that doesn't get enforced. Maybe. The way everyone involved reacted, it doesn't sound like this is something baserunners are supposed to do; how people can't understand why this is different then guys on the bench shouting at a foul popup is beyond me. The two scenarios aren't even remotely close. (That said, I think it's possible this is just the 3B trying to cover his own ass...except why the hell would someone jogging to 3B get "excited" and yell "Ha!" for no reason? That's just a complete load).

So, still cheating...(there's a link on the baseball musings post, something about baserunners not being allowed to distract fielders verbally).