So, tonight, with the ventilator still rattling, the Barge will seek one more win, one more chartered flight to LA, one more chance to save democracy - damn, it's supposed to hit 80 today in Gotham - and one more golden night of summer.
Ten ponderings of the unponderable...
1. Last night's five-run, 9th inning saved Luke Weaver from a three-inning save, seriously undermining his chances of pitching tonight. Weaver is a unicorn, a captured chunk of starlight, a gift from God. Donno how he does it. Most relievers are hulking, gorilla-bodied golem who should play OT for the Steelers. Then there's Weaver. Donno how long he will last, or what deal he made with Mephistopheles, but here he is. I hope the Yankees next year make him a starter, a la Michael King. And I hope they tear up his contract and write a new one. I love this guy.
2. Because of Gleyber's 9th inning HR, the Yankees tonight have a relatively fresh bullpen, including Weaver and the unbaked: Jake Cousins, Tommy Kahnle and the mysterious master of illusion, Marcus Stroman, whose appearance shall signify the Rise of the Beast and Boonian End of Times. Seriously, I wonder why Boone hasn't tried Stroman, because - hey, Mark Leiter Jr.? - you never know. But I don't think it will happen now, unless a game goes into the 12th.
3. Had to imagine how the Yankees scored 11 runs with the meat men - Soto, Judge, Chisolm, Stanton - going 3 for 15 with one RBI. Against KC and Cleve, the bottom of the lineup was a coffee grinder, stretching pitch counts and sphincters. Last night, it finally awakened against LA. The Fox team is obsessed with Aaron Judge's slump. It was our last five hitters who'd been killing us.
4. Didja see Austin Wells postgame interview? They asked how he prepared for the game, and he said, "Just screw it." Advice from the juju gods?
5. Big chasm between how the world sees Gerrit Cole - and how Yank fans do. Yeah, we love him, cherish him - he's like our pet collie - but all season, you never knew which Gerrit would show up. Tonight, he could be lights-out - or get booed. We all know this. And we all understand that tonight, his time in NY will be defined.
6. Damn. We finally beat Dave Roberts. Once.
7. Joyous moment for Anthony Volpe. He's had it rough, constantly being compared to the guy at the Fox Sports podium, even as the announcers lament how unfair it is. (But they do it anyway.) Next year, I predict Volpe won't suffer such treatment. Not that Fox or YES will have changed: Instead, they'll just fixate on how The Martian isn't Mickey.
8. Tonight is the Yankee finale for Soto, Gleyber, Verdugo, Holmes, Kahnle, et al. We've gone through a lot together. This will be surprisingly emotional. Whatever happens, I hope they all get nice sendoffs. (Yes, even Doogie. It won't be the same next year, watching him with a beard.)
9. Add John and Suzyn to that list. I tried to listen last night but couldn't synch their radio feed to the Fox Sports video. Somebody should make an app for that. I realize that Suzyn could return next year, but I don't think it will happen. End of an era. Twilight of the gods. Following the Yankees will never be the same. Years from now, we'll try to describe them to grandchildren, or strangers on subways, and we will never do them justice. A winwarble? What was that?
10. Whatever happens, if we win tonight, the 2024 Yankees can leave with heads high. Delete that Game One gopher ball to Freddie Freeman - a pitch Nestor should not have been called upon to throw - and these teams would be tied. Damn. But if we take it back to LA, they'll know they were in a dogfight.
Small victories. But but BUT... it aint over.
Final note:
As I understand it, when a ball lands in the stands, it's fair game between the player and fans. I accept that an out could be called - though, seriously, that ball was in the stands - but I wonder if the fans deserved to be perp-walked out of the stadium. For now, they rank up there among the greatest IT IS HIGH Yank fans of all time - Number One being the fans who put the nails on Ed Whitson's driveway.
God help us.
ReplyDeleteThere are many religions on this planet, many "Gods" from which to choose.
ReplyDeleteBut no matter your personal preference, it is very difficult to believe that Aaron Boone is the chosen instrument of A Higher Power.
Boone is too fucking witless and tuned-out to represent anything except the Cult of Cashman.
ReplyDeleteVolpe 2-3, 2B, HR, BB, 2 SB, 4 RBI, 3 R
ReplyDeleteWells 2-3, 2B, HR, BB, SB, RBI, 2 R
The kids did alright.
Thanks, Zach—and good to see them running some, too.
DeleteNice piece, Peerless. But I gotta disagree with you about the fans. You saw the up-close, slo-mo replay, right? One of them actually held Betts by the wrist, while the other took the ball out. They could have seriously injured him. We'd be spitting nails if that happened to Soto. I'm glad they threw the bums out.
ReplyDeleteThey should've been arrested. That was assault and battery, forcible touching, unlawful taking of property, you name it.
DeleteGo thus into the bleacher creatures at thine own peril.
ReplyDeleteAnd please win tonight. If only to watch all my Dodger fan friends walk the earth with tightened sphincters and fear in their hearts.
I did see the postgame interview with Austin Wells. I don't know if my advice yesterday trickled out to them, but I'm mighty glad he said "just screw it". I take it he meant they'll just have fun and stop trying too hard and just let "it" happen. That should've been what they were doing from the get-go. Is it too little, too late? Just screw it! It doesn't matter, guys. Be like still water that does nothing until it just automatically reacts to the stone thrown into it. We'll see if they can do it again tonight against a real starter instead of a bullpen game.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought was, "Hey, did Wells read Hammer's advice yesterday?" Whether he did or not, he put it into practice.
DeleteHammer, I think the Yanks owe you a little consulting money.
Thank you. The bill will be forthcoming.
DeleteI just wanna say I’m glad about 2 things; we not being swept, and we’re not playing the Mets; if we lost to them I don’t know if I could take it.
ReplyDelete@ DickAllen, I did notice that, as soon as the Yankees started to have better at-bats, as soon as the Wells double off the top of the wall, the Dodgers batters started to press and the fucking Dodgers started to have some awful, hideous at-bats. And the pendulum swung even further when Volpe hit that grand slam. Hope that was the momentum changer!
ReplyDelete@BTR999, Amen. I'm mighty glad I was wrong about them getting swept. Now that they finally won a game, it's going to be more interesting tonight.
ReplyDeleteRizzo in his first at-bat last night, leading off the inning, took two humungous cuts on the first two pitches up and probably out of the strike zone. Then he ended up getting called out on strikes on a fastball that he should have swung at on the outside corner.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to skewer Rizzo too much because he's hardly been the worst Yankee hitter this series. But that kind of at-bat can't happen. It was an extremely unprofessional at-bat. His job is get on base there, not try to launch a moonshot. Then he's called out on strikes on a fastball on the outside corner. I don't need to tell him that his job with two strikes is to protect the outside corner. So taking strike 3 there in that spot: unprofessional and a totally wasted at-bat.
They're in the position now that they can't waste a single at-bat.
Sadly, that kind of hitting—the kind of hitting we grew up with, protect the plate with two strikes hitting—has been banished by the analytical. Which is a bummer, particularly for the World Series.
DeleteThe difference between Matt Blake Yankee pitching coach and the Dodgers pitching coach: Luis Gil is struggling a bit in the 1st inning. Blake sits on his ass like Buddha, does absolutely nothing. Dodgers' pitcher struggling in the 1st inning. Dodgers' pitching coach goes out and says something to him and he gets out of it with no damage.
ReplyDeleteYankees won the game, but no thanks to Blake. I don't know if Blake does a good job preparing his pitchers for the game, but once the game starts, Blake is a lot like Boone. Clueless and doing nothing.
That's why they get along so well, Hammer. Two of a kind, and a kind we can do without.
DeleteThey tried to rip his glove off. Shame they didn’t take his hand with it. And then Mookie whined about it. He of all people should know better than to reach into the stands in New York.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I saw the guys who were doing that, I disliked them immediately. Don't know why. And, come on, Mookie already caught it. If I was Hal (a horrifying thought in itself, I'll have nightmares now), those two guys would be banned. If the ball wasn't already in the glove, sure, go for it. But this was pointless. Gleyber was already out.
DeleteI thought Judge continued to get better timing. His eye for the strike zone was better. His recognition of off speed was better. His takes were better. His swings were better. Not as far behind on the fastballs and not as out in front of the breaking balls. He launched another fly ball. He got a bingle. He's getting closer.
ReplyDeleteI admit, I've been tough on the big guy, but he did look quite a bit better last night. Besides, reverse juju, if you know what I mean. But keep it quiet.
DeleteEverybody on here seems to hate John Smoltz, but I like him. Gil was struggling, throwing too many off speed pitches, not enough fastballs to keep them honest. Smoltz immediately pointed that out. The guy knows pitching. A damned shame we don't have Smoltz as our pitching coach.
ReplyDeleteGil got burned on a hanging slider to Freddie Freeman. The idea may have been good, but the execution wasn't good enough. But when you can throw 98, 99 mph with a hop on it, I still think that's your bread and butter pitch. Move it around the zone, mix in the off speed as necessary, but know that the off speed is secondary to your fastball. Gil has great stuff. The best stuff on the staff.
I'm just elated I have another night listening to The Master,,,,, and then who knows, if it goes back to LA all the pressure will be on the Dodgers.
ReplyDeleteI think the Dodgers are already feeling the pressure. It started as soon as Wells hit the double off the top of the wall.
DeleteWells had a great night. Almost had a two homer game, if that first shot hadn't clanged off the top of the wall. Damn, I thought that was out when he hit it. Don't know what the hell Volpe was thinking when he went to tag up at 2nd.
ReplyDeleteNow, even though Wells had a great game, I'd like to see him use the whole field. He's too pull happy. That's why he has games where he does nothing but pound the ball into the dirt on the right side. That's why he often swings and misses, even though he has a picture perfect swing. Hit it where it's pitched, says I. Stop trying to launch moonshots. Make every at-bat a professional at-bat.
The Yanks were batting against their tier 2 pitchers. Wont be the same tonight...
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking the same, Ranger. We got the B pitchers yesterday, and ran up the score when the last guy became a sacrificial animal the Yanks could run up the score against.
DeleteA win is a win, but last night--fun as it was--was the game we were "supposed" to win from the start. We won't be facing that caliber of pitching tonight, so cross yer fingers, fans. If Judge gets his act together, we have a shot. Or Soto. Or Stanton. Or everybody.
Gotta start somewhere. And let's not forget, they should've could've would've won Game 1. And this series really should be 2-2.
DeleteDefinitely. Boone's ability to help us lose continues.
Deletetonight's going to be such an incredibly challenging watch . . . my advice to everyone is . . . smoke 'em, drink 'em, snort em, take em', pop em' drop 'em, rub em', dissolve em', chew em' or uh, uhm, you know.....insert em' . . .
ReplyDeleteIF YOU GOT EM' !
The next time a so-called expert tells me that a baseball manager doesn't make much difference, that a pitching coach doesn't make much difference, I'm going to tell that sucker to go fuck himself. In this series, we're seeing how much difference a manager or a pitching coach can make. It's a pretty huge fucking difference. Yankees should be tied 2 games to 2 right now, if not even better.
ReplyDeleteHow's that? How could they be up 3 games to 1? Well, as Hoss astutely pointed out in another thread, Rodon probably should've started a game at Yankee Stadium, not on the road. And they could've used The Martian to pinch hit at the end of Game 2. And I'm not really sure why Trevino started Game 3, as Keefe to the City pointed out. And I still don't understand why they intentionally walked Betts to pitch to Freeman with the bases loaded in the 10th inning of Game 1. And I still don't understand why Matt Blake did not go out to remind Cortes what NOT to do against Freeman in that pivotal at-bat.
Goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, if we get First Game Cole, Cy Young Cole and not Flouncy we might just have a shot. Probably need a roll of duct tape and a closet for Boone though.
ReplyDeleteThat's one side of the coin, the other side being Rodon would have to pitch again.
As far as those fans are concerned: If it were me, I'd have pulled out my in-pants game cleaver and lopped off Mookie's hand and glove, then eaten his fingers, one by one, while he watched.
ReplyDeleteWe'd have no more Dodgers reaching into the stands for balls.
I wouldn't pitch Rodon in LA. In the immortal words of G.W. Bush, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... won't get fooled again.
ReplyDeleteI hear Stroman and Cortes are available. But if we skip Rodent, we really don't have a replacement. So if we do take it back to Californy, I'm not very hopeful.
The two guys that stole the ball (cue Johnny Most) were sitting in the seats my buddy and I were in for game 2 against KC - the rodent loss.
ReplyDeleteKids next to him (ok they're in their 30s but kids to me) are in FULL uniforms and bang the padding all game. That's why one of them looks like he has a cast on. -- it's to make the banging louder. He's getting married in Dubai next month.
If we were in those seats, my buddy woul would have caught the ball before it got close to betts' glove.
and another thing...how many more friggen times are we going to hear Smoltz saying "He's getting closer" about Judge? I understand he still has PTSD from 1996...
ReplyDeleteFrom X:
ReplyDeleteIn 2020, Aaron Judge's girlfriend (now wife), Samantha Bracksieck, was arrested for extreme DUI in Arizona. Administered two breathalyzer tests at the police station, her readings of .169 and .181 were both far higher than Judge's 2024 World Series batting average of .133.