Yankee4Life

A no-hitter was pitched by a rookie making his first major league start and not a word was said in here about it. This is the best baseball forum around but sometimes I wonder. This is not a private thread to complain about the many faults of the Yankees or to cheer them on when they win a game or two. It’s about all of baseball and not just them and a few tidbits about the Phils. Moving on. Hot dog Fernando Tatis Jr. was activated today and inserted into the lineup in right field.

I never once thought this guy would be back this year. He's a gutless quitter. And at the same time I would love to be proven wrong. But it seems that he is in no hurry at all to get back to the Bronx. Each time he gets close he comes up with something new to keep him out. And yes in case anyone is wondering I will come right out and say it. I think this guy is faking it. Same for Frazier. He gets dizzy easier than a kid on a Tilt-a-Whirl.

Mariano Rivera The call on January 22, 2019, came from Jack O’Connell of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Everyone surrounding Mariano Rivera at his home in New Rochelle, New York, knew the call was coming. Rivera picked up the phone. As Nathan Macorbiski recounted in Yankees Magazine, “Rivera’s reaction was barely detectable to the naked eye. As a player, he stood on baseball’s grandest stage, performing solo under the most intense pressure possible, and, win or lose, was always in complete control. His demeanor as the phone rang was no different; if his heart were racing, only he and God knew it.” But upon hearing that his selection to the Hall of Fame was unanimous, even the normally stoic Yankee closer let down his guard and broke into the biggest of smiles. Rivera, in 19 major league seasons, became the all-time leader in saves. He recorded 652 in the regular season plus another 42 in postseason action — converting a superior 89% of his save opportunities at both levels of competition. And he did it essentially relying on one pitch. In 1997, he had been promoted to the closer role after being a dominant setup man when the Yankees won the World Series in 1996. On Monday, June 23, 1997, Yankee reliever Ramiro Mendoza halted a pregame catch with Rivera in Detroit out of anxiety, because he had to constantly move his glove to catch practice tosses. When Rivera began warming up in the bullpen that evening, coach Mike Borzello was receiving his tosses. Like Mendoza, he could not anticipate the location of the pitch. He even thought that the ball may have been scuffed, but when he used another ball, the action was the same. That evening, Rivera entered the game in the ninth inning and recorded his 23rd save of the season. Over the coming days and weeks, Rivera worked with pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre and the result was a refinement of the cutting action on the ball. As Rivera wrote in The Closer, “As we tinker, I continue to pitch in games (he saved each of the three games in the Detroit series), and the more I throw this new pitch, the more I begin to get command of it. I am starting to throw it for strikes. And this is how my cut fastball, or cutter, is born. It is as if it dropped straight from the heavens.” Acclaimed Yankee historian Marty Appel added that Rivera’s work was defined by “fielding his position with precision, and calmly walking off after the final out. Hitters knew what to expect, with his (two-seam) fastball setting up his rising cutter, leaving them, lefty or righty, flailing away or making weak contact. He turned games into eight-inning affairs for Yankee opponents.” His effectiveness, dependability, and longevity amply demonstrated Rivera to be one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. He spent his full 19-year career in Yankee pinstripes, always doing his job with businesslike efficiency. He shattered the major league records for games finished (952) as well as total number of regular season and postseason saves. He was named to 13 All-Star teams and was a five-time World Series champion. And not only that, few players would be as respected by opponents as the humble Rivera. Rivera struck out 1,173 opponents during regular season competition. He holds the all-time record for relief appearances by a Yankee with 1,105. He ranks fourth in major-league pitching appearances with 1,115, a record for right-handed pitchers. In seven World Series between 1996 and 2009, Rivera collected 11 saves and sported a 0.99 ERA. He recorded 42 saves in postseason play with an ERA of 0.70—both major league records. His 141 postseason innings are the equivalent of two seasons of work for a reliever. In postseason play, Rivera allowed only two homers, surrendered 21 walks (1.3 per nine innings), of which four were intentional, and struck out 110 batters (7.0 per nine innings). Rivera’s 2.209 ERA at the 1,000-inning threshold ranks him 13th all-time. Of the 12 men ahead of him, only Walter Johnson pitched as recently as 90 years prior to Rivera’s last pitch. He pitched more than one full inning in 199 out of his 652 career saves to rank 11th in career “long saves.” 31 of his 42 postseason saves were long saves, putting him atop the list in this category as well. In 19 seasons, Rivera posted a record 652 saves with a win-loss mark of 82-60. His career ERA of 2.21 ranks No. 1 among all pitchers who started their careers in the Live Ball Era (post 1919), and his 952 games finished also rank first all time. On January 22, 2019, Mariano Rivera was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first appearance on the ballot. Quite in keeping with his peerless career, and as the pitcher who forever defined the role as “closer,” he became the first member of the HOF to be elected unanimously. He received votes on all 425 ballots cast by members of the BBWAA.

Look at this crap from MLB.com: Luis Severino (right groin strain) "didn't feel right" and was held out of his scheduled rehab start with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday as a precaution. This worthless piece of **** doesn't want to play baseball. He just wants to be paid.

When Montgomery and Cole get back and pretty soon with Severino I imagine he will. And we knew about Gallo's strikeouts coming in.

You got a point. Britton has been struggling so bad that he is making Chapman look good. 🙂

It sure did Jim! Kind of makes you wonder where they got their inspiration from.

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis announced his retirement from baseball. Baltimore released a statement thanking Davis and showering praise on him but privately they must be popping over the champagne.

Well, I hope not.

Guess what? You won't believe it. Or maybe you will. It's another day and today the Yankees put right-hander Clay Holmes on the the COVID IL. Something's going on. I don't know what. Every day someone new gets this? What the hell? Unlike the Yankees who just buy players.

From the All-Star break on, alone, the Yankees have lost fifteen players either to the IL or the COVID list, and the hits keep coming. Monday they put shortstop Gleyber Torres — who’d finally begun to swing a hot bat — on the injured list with a sprained thumb. Today’s a new day. Who’s next? Last night’s 8 - 6 win was impressive.

They are a snake bitten team Jim.

Wait for it...wait for it...another day has come and another Yankee injury: The Yankees have placed closer Aroldis Chapman on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation. And not that you want it to happen to anybody but it finally happened to Boston. They put J.D. Martinez on the COVID-19-related injured list Saturday.

Everybody gets hot at one time. Look at Brett Gardner. Last night was the first time he did something right all season. But Harper's been hot and it's hard to say anything bad about him right now. Hitting his career 250th home run the other day an another one last night to beat the sinking Mets. Six straight wins. Girardi must be proud. Now how is Girardi going to screw this up? Padres in a little slump right now at the wrong time. But is there a right time to have one? What happens when you put up a big inning against the Red Sox? They start a fight. Andrew Heaney pitching today for the pinstripers. Let's hope he does better.

What a dominant pitcher he was. I remember that I was always so happy that he was in the other league so he wouldn't have to go up against the Yankees. He was that good. For his own sake Sanchez should sit out the rest of this year and the next two seasons just to be sure he doesn't catch this again.

Yes you did. You weren't wrong there.

They did fine tonight and we both should give them credit.

I don't get that. The guy's got a hell of an arm, can throw hard and did what was needed. But Heaney does deserve another shot. We need everyone at this point.

Of course he has! It's another day and something had to happen. Who's next? What's next? Whatever!!!

Let's see....Gerrit Cole will be out for awhile. He has Covid 19 and Gio Urshela will be out for about eight days with a hamstring issue. Every God damn day something happens with this team. They're not snake bitten, they're beyond that.

42 years today for Thurman Munson. I think that says it all.