If I had access to my bookie last night around 5 pm Pacific coast time, I would have lost my ass.
Lucky for me, my I-phone found its way into a pitcher of freshly stirred manhattans. Old age fingers, I guess.
I would have bet the farm on Heaney going down in flames. I would have taken the over on four home runs and seven runs.
Now I know what it is to be stunned. To admit; "I don't know shit" ( it won't keep me from bitching, mind you ).
But Heaney was amazing.
When I saw him come out to pitch the seventh, I said " this guy has grit." Often, in my life, I would " take the money and run." Meaning; if I did something unexpectedly well, I would cut short my time in the limelight and gracefully take accolades.
Heaney said, " I'm still good, Aaron. Let me go another round. " And it was another a strong inning after an exceptional game. He could have lost it all in taking on those last three outs.
All season, we have had ( count them on your fingers ) few starts as good. Seven innings, one run, 2 hits, and against Boston, no less, in front of 40,000 fans ready to hang the guy.
Thank God for manhattans.
Holy Heaney.
I don’t know about this.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Homer Hanky was good, but let’s face it: he faced a Sux team heading south which is the equivalent right now of pitching against Baltimore. It was a setup for success. Good for him.
OTOH, it wasn’t like Boooooone had a choice. The Yankees have been wearing out the bullpen. It’s amazing no ones arm hasn’t fallen off - we may have to wait until September to witness that horror show. They can’t keep dropping innings on these arms at this rate without consequences. Homer Hanky pitched yesterday because there was no one else available. And thank the juju gods he came through. Good on him. But I remain skeptical.
The Red Sox are definitely spiraling, but they've scored 611 runs (6th most in MLB) this year and have outscored the Yankees 147-143 since the All Star break. Meanwhile, the O's are 27th in runs scored this year.
ReplyDeleteThink you're selling Heaney a bit short.
That’s not even a differential worth talking about. Stats lie. You can make a case either way with numbers. For instance:
ReplyDeleteBaltimore, in the last ten days, have actually been out scoring the Sux.
However good the Sux have been with the bat, their team ERA is nearly a run per game worse. THAT is a significant difference.
And I still think the jury is out in Homer Hanky. One game does not a pitcher make.
I gotta say it out loud: this is getting weird. There's a sort of 1996 vibe about this year and this team.
ReplyDeleteAnd I will take the jinx off by saying I don't know how the hell they win a series with Machine Gun Chapman trying to close games. But it is weird.
Most amazing thing about Mr. Haney's start: ICS behind the plate.
ReplyDeleteNo way will I denigrate what Heaney did last night. Boston has a number of dangerous hitters in their lineup, and any one of them can tee off at any time. The team is fading, yes, but Heaney completely dominated them. That ain't hay. They aren't Baltimore by a long shot.
ReplyDeleteHere's the thing about the Yankees right now. Every move Boone makes is working. That's not a reflection on Boone any more than Torre's moves in the late 90s were a reflection on his ability. When every player performs when asked, you can't go wrong. And every player is currently doing that.
Yes, kind of like 1996. Amazing.
And RIP Bill Freehan. Hell of a catcher.
ReplyDeleteWill someone please give this kid a FUCKING KIDNEY already?
ReplyDeleteSo sick of that goddamn commercial.
Either give him a kidney or kill him already
ReplyDeleteKyle. Nice throw.
ReplyDeleteRIP Bill Freehan.
ReplyDeletefucking mlb internet is screwed up. It's the 'free' game today, so I think their servers are overloaded. Get the audio after a struggle, then try to add video. Just get women's softball ad. EVERY FUCKING TIME.
ReplyDeleteI PAY to watch the Yankees. Not the WNBA.
Is there no better picture of Gleyber? They just did the injury report and he looks like a guy you wouldn't want back.
ReplyDeleteDoug K.
You gotta love velaquez!
ReplyDeleteAll the talk about the big boys 1-5, and it's Velazquez and Higgy with extra base hits and a run.
ReplyDeleteI like that brand of baseball.
Maybe Voit should keep hitting like that. He won't have to keep flapping his mouth.
ReplyDeleteBoogie Down native at short, "Midnight Cowboy"'s leading men platooning at first...this is a New York team like no other.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna steal the Midnight Cowboy line.
ReplyDeleteHe's better defensively, he's faster, he's more exciting, he exudes more energy....
ReplyDeleteGleyber who?
And Kyle!!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteLet’s not get carried away. It’s the Twins.
Our bitches.
Sing it DA.
ReplyDeleteTaillon lost it fast.
ReplyDeleteDidn't appear to have an out left in him.
ReplyDeleteHe should've gone 7 or so. Six run lead, cruising...and couldn't do it.
ReplyDeleteThat's not good. The Twins lineup is pretty bad.
Refsnyder grounds out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Max
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees having a laugher?
ReplyDeleteDon’t make me laugh.
And hey: do you think Booooooone would be stupid enough to let the Sweatshop pitch the ninth?
He's more than stupid enough. I think it's obvious by now he was hired for his imbecility.
ReplyDeleteAlso, that's Stanton 20th HR? How could he have that many?
Suzyn says Stanton's HR hit a kid in the forehead. THAT BASTARD!!!
ReplyDeleteJust saw the replay. Kid in the first row puts his glove up but missed it. Line drive goes straight into his noggin. Ball bounced up and like 15 rows back. That is going to leave a mark.
ReplyDeleteI pity the kid when his peers get a hold of him.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Gleybor, I really liked him when he came up. Then his punk twin brother killed him. He plays like Gary Sheffield sulking over his contract or some other perceived reason. The infield play is crisp (and Rizzo, shows, once again that the analytics still under value first basemen defense).
Is this a team of Destiny?
ReplyDeleteDon’t go there Kevin! You’ll only get your heart broken.
Kevin -- analytics do not undervalue first-base defense. Analytics have helped to hone the understanding of the importance of all defense--for example, infield shifts are the fruit of analytics. As usual, no source, no citation, just some lame-ass fiction that you pull out of your ass.
ReplyDeleteWhere/when have YOU ever sourced your thoughts? Laddie, I have books on analytics going back forty years. You want sources? OK, let me source off the top of my head, gleaned from decades of reading and watching. First basemen are on the politely deemed "right side of the defensive spectrum". Or put another way are very easily replaced.
ReplyDeleteDefensive analytics have the upper hand, for now. For too many years hitting coaches taught the " swing for the fences and get rich" tune. When the trend became ridiculous, someone at the 'hell, what have we got to lose' Rays dared to try the shift, they didn't invent the shift, you know. But let me get back to the hitters. Analysts (physicists actually) determined the perfect launch angles for home runs. This has resulted in a bunch of guys who have temporarily lost the neuromuscular ability to cover the hitting zone which makes most hitters easier to pitch too. So the new "inefficiency" is batter vulnerability to many pitching tunnels. Soon, real soon, new hitting coaches will be brought in to teach "old-fashioned" hitting, no doubt with a fancy moniker. And the game will gravitate to historical norms, a few perturbations aside.
Sorry I didn't clean this draft up, I'm half asleep as I write.
@ DickAllen, you've got that right. It only works for teams that have broken our hearts!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of Gleyber, my brain switches on thoughts of Miggy.
I "fell in love" -- baseball-wise -- with those 2 guys. Not long ago. I thought (what right do I have thinking?) that I'd be watching them for a lot of years . . . perhaps until I reach my "sell-by" date.
Ha!
I don't see a future in the Bronx for Miggy, do you? I fell in love with the guy when his 2018 total doubles tied Dimag. BUT: Joey Gallo is 27 years old; Andujar is 26. Maybe the NYYs do not re-sign Gallo? BUT: He's got an arbitration year left (2022) on his deal. So . . . would you keep Miggy around to fill the Brett G spot? I'd like to have a better outfielder in that slot, wouldn't you?
I'm not sure where Gleyber fits in the future, either. They've got another 5 years on the contract with General Lemay. Assuming (and we do not know this) that the NYYs chase Rizzo -- who is making $16.5 million this year -- you've got LeMay at 2B, maybe Velazquez at SS, and Odor or Ursh at 3B. Ursh seems capable of backing up SS, and Odor has shown us he can play 3B. Maybe they carry another infielder (Wade? Someone better?) -- but not Gleyber. He is, at this point -- at best -- a back-up second baseman.
If Rizzo walks away (Hal is cheap, and one assumes they ARE going to chase Judge) -- you don't necessarily move LeMay to first base -- you've got Luke Of The Big Mouth. So Rizzo disappearing probably doesn't improve things for Gleyber.
My analysis might be Off. However, what this has taught me (at age 67, for pete's sake) is -- don't fall in love.
General Lemay, lol! No Snowflake here, or there. Moving LeMay to second is a waste of fielding talent. I'd move Torres and Miggy on down the road.
ReplyDelete* I meant to write that moving LeMay From second base was a waste of fielding talent.
ReplyDelete