The stage is set and the stars are perfectly aligned. The stage where Yankee greats become Yankee legends or untouchables creating moments etched in Yankee eternity. The same stage once dominated by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Reggie Jackson. Alex Rodriguez is in full pursuit to join this elite list of Yankee untouchables. A-Rod is en route to a postseason performance for the ages as he recorded an RBI 8 games in a row tying the record held by Lou Gehrig, hit an astounding .429, and posted a mind-boggling .567 on base percentage in the ALCS. He has pulverized three dramatic late/extra inning game tying home runs becoming the first player to accomplish this in postseason history. A-Rod was twice walked intentionally with nobody on base, which is the greatest sign of respect and esteem. While many of the Yankee sluggers have struggled to find consistency at the plate, A-Rod has been an unstoppable force. Should Alex continue his momentous tear in the World Series he will forever be revered as a Yankee great or untouchable.
Should A-Rod charge the Yankees to their 27th championship he will assuredly become an untouchable.
Andy Pettitte charged the Yankees to a 4-1 victory as he pitched 7 remarkable innings, yielding only one run on three hits.Pettitte pitched effectively and economically returning to vintage form and he would most likely be a number two or three pitcher on most other teams, displaying the depth and prestige of the Yankees starting rotation.Brian Bruney tossed a scoreless 8th inning while striking out two and he has the stuff to emerge as Mariano Rivera’s setup man.Rivera notched his first save of the season and the bullpen has surrendered only one hit in the last 10 innings.The offense has scored 16 runs the last two games behind the blistering hot bats of Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano.Cano is batting .571 while riding a 15 game hit streak dating back to last season and Swisher has 6 RBI in the last two games.Jorge Posada provided the team with a big two out, two-run single, as he continues to rebound stoutly from shoulder surgery.Starting pitching is the key ingredient to winning games and the much-hyped starting rotation is beginning to come to fruition.Tomorrow CC Sabathia looks to rebound from his dismal season opening performance as he duels Horacio Ramirez.
Andy Pettitte has the chance to win an overabundance of games matching up against other clubs number four starters.
The Orioles prevailed over the Yankees 7-5, as the Yankees starting pitchers continue to struggle.Chien-Ming Wang struggled tremendously in his first start since injuring his right foot last season, surrendering 7 runs on 9 hits in only 3.2 innings of work.Wang was not able to get his signature sinking pitch to function properly and most of his pitches were elevating to high in the strike zone, as he failed to locate his pitches.Wang may have been slightly jittery in making his first start in nearly 8 months and he will assuredly improve.The bullpen was forced to begin relieve work in the 3rd inning and they were up for the task, as Edwar Ramirez, Jonathan Albaladejo, and Jose Veras combined for 4.1 hitless innings.For the second consecutive game the offense was facing a large deficit, but showed scrap.Derek Jeter belted a two-run homerun in the 9th inning and Mark Teixeira followed up by recording his first Yankee hit driving in Jonny Damon.The offense has struggled with runners in scoring position in the young season going 3-for-19 in these scenarios and this will be an area the team will improve in as Mark Teixeira settles in and the offense finds it beat.Despite starting the season 0-and-2 the 2009 Yankees team has a glut of promise.Once the starting rotation realizes its potential the team will be an absolute force.Its quite difficult win games when the starting pitching is in disarray and AJ Burnett looks to reverse the trend tomorrow when he faces Alfredo Simon.
Chine-Ming Wang failed to locate his pitches and his sinker was ineffective, but he will find his rhythm along with the rest of starting rotation.
The Yankees dropped their season opener vs. the Orioles 10-5, as CC Sabathia provided the Yanks with an extremely ineffective start in his much-anticipated debut.CC pitched a measly 4.1 innings surrendering six runs and 8 eights while walking 5.Sabathia did not record a single strikeout and his last start in which he did not log a strikeout was July 25th, 2005 vs. Oakland.CC looked uncomfortable on the mound and had no command of his fastball making his secondary pitches ineffective.The Yankees bullpen kept the offense in the game until the 8th inning when Phil Coke and Brian Bruney yielded two runs apiece allowing the Orioles a contented lead.Despite nearly climbing back from a 6-1 deficit the offense left 11 men on base and Mark Teixeira accounted for nearly half the men left on base, as he faltered alongside CC Sabathia in his Yankee debut going 0-for-4.The team played scantily overall, but many signs of a transformed 2009 roster were present. Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui each launched a home run and if they can stay healthy the duo will bring stability and equilibrium to the lineup.Also, Joe Girardi showcased the much and improved bench as Nick Swisher delivered a pinch-hit double in the 8th inning only to be replaced by pinch-runner Ramiro Pena, displaying the Yankees will have more versatility through the bench than seasons past.There are 162 games in the season and the Yankees will improve vastly through their dynamic bench and bolstered starting rotation.Tomorrow Chien-Ming Wang gets his first start since injuring his right foot June 15th, 2008 as he squares off against Koji Uehara.
CC Sabathia had one of his worst outings since July 2005 failing to strikeout a hitter, but he will significantly improve as he finds his comfort zone.
Brett Gardner has triumphed over Melky Cabrera claiming the Yankees 2009 center field position.Gardner demonstrated his excellent speed and defensive skills throughout spring training, while batting at an outstanding .418 clip with a .468 on-base percentage. The 25-year-old lefty adds a new element to the Yankees lineup through his scorching speed and if he can post an average on-base percentage expect him to steal a minimum of 30 bases.Gardner also vastly improves the Yankees outfield defense through his exceptional range, which will benefit the aging Jonny Damon and average defender in Xavier Nady.The Yankees have not had a consistent base stealer in the everyday lineup since Alfonso Soriano and Gardner presents himself as a threat every occasion he is on base putting pressure on the opposing defense.The scrappy center fielder is certainly Joe Girardi’s type of player, as he approaches the game with grit and grind.Selecting Gardner as the centerfielder implements the hustle style of play in the Yankees culture, which will complement players such as Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira.The Yankee teams of recent years have exhibited a lackadaisical style of play and Gardner provides the lineup with a fresh injection of youth and hustle.
The gritty Brett Gardner immensely improves the Yankees defense and speed, which are two key elements for a winning team.
In a time of scrutiny and uncertainty clouding the Yankees primetime offensive producer, one player has the chance to rise above the turmoil and bring solidity and reliability to the Yankees clubhouse and lineup.Mark Teixiera has the leadership, defensive skills, offensive burst, and intangibles to improve the flow of the Yankees lineup and bring immovability to the clubhouse.Teixiera boasts a career .290 batting average and has drilled over 25 homers in each of his six seasons, while only producing under 100 RBI his rookie season.The slugger has won two gold gloves and owns .996 fielding percentage making mind-boggling defensive plays year after year.The incredibly talented player thrives under change, as he crushed a home run in each of his first three games as an Atlanta Brave and hit .358 after being traded to the Angles last season in helping them achieve their first 100 win season in franchise history. Despite being an incredibly unswerving offensive and defensive threat, Teixeira has always been a dependable teammate and had a positive influence on the clubhouse, even in situations where he knew a trade was inevitable, such as his tenure with the Rangers and Braves.Teixiera has never been part of a lineup that offers him protection the 2009 Yankees lineup does, and the pieces are in place for him to don the pinstripes in dominant fashion.While many Yankee free agent signings have disenchanted in recent years, Mark Teixiera will assuredly do just the opposite.
Mark Teixiera plays with passion and intensity, but more importantly he prides himself on camaraderie. He has the intangibles similar to those of Tino Martinez, Paul O’Neil, and many of the great contributors of the dynasty years.
In this series I will analyze the spring training battle for open bullpen roster spots.Currently only Mariano Rivera and Damaso Marte are guaranteed bullpen spots leaving numerous mid and long relief roles wide open for a spring training skirmish.The Yankees have amassed a glut of relief type pitchers in their minor league system and a variety of them have experienced success in the majors.In this part of “Battle for the Bullpen” I will analyze the long relieve candidates:
Phil Coke emerged on the scene last September pitching 14.2 innings and he shined, recording an outstanding 0.68 ERA while yielding only one earned run.Last season the 26 year-old lefty went 11-6 with a 2.79 ERA in 21 starts and 16 relief appearances between Double-A and Triple-A, making use of his solid fastball and above average slider.Additionally, he should have a slight advantage given he is a lefty in a right-arm dominant pool of candidates.
Dan Giese is an intriguing candidate to man a long relieve role as he sported a 3.53 ERA in 49 innings last season.The 31 year-old righty never truly had an opportunity in the big leagues until last season and he made a lasting impression, pitching spectacularly for a majority of the season.After making a spot start vs. the Cincinnati Reds Giese went to the 15-day disabled list with rotator cuff tendinitis and he didn’t look like the same effective pitcher upon his return.Giese has a chance to make the team, but he is going up against some outstanding talent.
Some baseball experts are considering Phil Hughes as a bullpen candidate, but this is a highly unlikely scenario, as the Yankees want to avoid hindering his development in becoming an effective starter.Hughes will most likely make spot starts throughout the season and I envision him making many positive contributions to the team.
Phil Coke has an edge over his competition due to the fact he is a lefty and has two effective pitches in his fastball and slider.
I wanted to inform you, the reader, I will be running in the ING New York City Marathon November 1st with team Hole in Wall. Team Hole in the Wall is a grassroots, web-based approach to generating funds in support of the mission of Hole in the Wall Camps, the world’s largest family of camps for children with life-threatening diseases. As a member of Team Hole in the Wall, I am using my participation in the ING New York City Marathon as a way to raise funds for and bring awareness to Hole in the Wall Camps. I am 100% committed to raising a minimum of $3,000 for the great organization and you can help me reach that goal by donating here. I am extremely excited about the challenge of fundraising and tackling the 26.2 mile course! I greatly appreciate your help and support!
The course I plan on attacking to the best of my capabilities with Team Hole in the Wall. I will be giving the fundraising process and the race my blood, sweat, and tears.
Also, the blog has picked up tremendously over the last few months. If any readers are participating in the race let me know by emailing me at zachirsch@aol.com.
As I mentioned when I launched this blog last February I will not comment or write about the use of performance enhancing drugs in baseball. In light of the newly released allegations against Alex Rodriguez this is important to mention. Those who use performance enhancing drugs do not deserve a plethora of media coverage due to the fact this has a negative impact on younger fans who look up to these players as role models. It is vital to move forward from the performance enhancing drug era of baseball and understand the negative effects these drugs have on the human body. In regards to athletes and professionals who look to take shortcuts I will leave you with this quote:
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently. ” – Warren Buffett
Andy Pettitte and the Yankees agreed to a one-year incentive based $5.5 million contract.Pettitte will need to toss 210 innings to earn the full $12 million value of the contract.The southpaw experienced a coarse 2008 season going 14-14 posting an unimpressive 4.54 ERA.Pettitte may be on the decline, but he has recorded over 200 innings in 10 of his 14 years of MLB service.Pettitte pitching a significant amount of innings is imperative simply because the Yankees starting rotation has many handicaps as A.J. Burnett has only reached 200 innings pitched 3 times in his 10 year career, Chien-Ming Wang is coming of a serious lisfranc injury, and Joba Chamberlain will have an innings pitched limit.The back-end of a successful starting rotation is designed to log innings and keep their offense within striking distance of the opposition, and Pettitte is undoubtedly capable of fulfilling this type of role.Additionally, Pettitte provides the starting rotation with depth as Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Alfredo Alceves can fill the void for a disabled-list bound starter.The Pettitte signing may not seem glamorous in association with the lavish free agent signings this offseason, but due to the innings and depth he provides it is a tremendous move.
Andy Pettitte has potential to provide the Yankees with a substantial amount strength in the back-end of the rotation through his durability and big game experience.
Posted by zachirsch 
Posted by zachirsch 
Posted by zachirsch 
