For all their bluster, the Yankees have not beaten a team with a superior record since April 12

It's one thing to cuff around runner-up walking roach motels like Toronto and Tampa, but when will the Yankees start whacking teams with better records? 

They haven't beaten a team above them in the standings since game five - April 12, 2022 - when we topped the BJs, who were 3-1 on the season. 

At the risk of riling the juju gods - the sad, immortal deities who have been relegated to an eternity of fixing scores and tweaking gonads - here are some more hubris-laden cluckings from the Yankiverse:

1. The windsock calculating wonk-site, FiveThirtyEight, now projects the Yankees with a 99 percent chance of making the playoffs, a 95 percent shot of winning the division, and 23 percent at taking the world series. 

Dr. Oz would have already declared victory. 

Here's one for the empiricists: If this team somehow blows the AL East, there is a 99 percent chance I will shoot my TV. 

2. For those of you scoring at home, the Yankees' magic number for winning the division is...  91. For taking the last wild card slot, it is... 69. 

Could we clinch a post-season birth (edited, see comments) berth before the Aug. 1 trade deadline?

3. The Yankees are on pace to win 122 games, six higher than the previous all-time record. They would enter the playoffs carrying on their backs the largest bullseye in history. 

4. If the Yankees go .500 the rest of the season (which would enrage us, of course), they would finish with 97 wins. Last year, only Tampa (100) won more.

5. The Yankees now have a 10-page lead in the NYC tabloids back-cover race. 

Happy Fathers' Day, everybody. Game time is 1:37 p.m. 

Now, let's see if the Yankees can avoid disappointing their dads.

Gallo hits meaningless 9th inning HR, that is - unless it means something

Not sure we should waste any more Ether of Indignation™ on Joey Gallo - (life is too short, right?) - still, here goes...

Joey K homered last night in the ninth, torturing Toronto in a game that was over an hour earlier. But don't get me wrong: No complaints. Against the BJs, I'll take every run we tack on, regardless of circumstance or random sequence. 

So, here is today's essay question: Does a two-hit, HR game by Gallo signify hope for an awakening, or is it another blip in our Ether of Indignation™? 

Short answer: Dunno. To confuse and complicate, here are Gallo's recent game logs. And takeaways...

1. A big night for Gallo means nothing. Now and then, he has one, then he goes knock-kneed for the next few games.

2. "Big nights" aren't what they used to be. He hasn't had a three-hit game all year. Last night, he drove in three runs for only the second time this season. Yeesh. He deserves to bat ninth.

3. Gallo has achieved 12 Golden Sombreros (3Ks per game) this season, including two Platinums (4Ks.) He has 71 strikeouts and only 31 hits. His once-vaunted On Base Percentage remains a miserable .298, and he recently accomplished something rare: In a three-game home sweep of Tampa, he generated boos.

4. The wormhole to hell that Gallo brings to the lineup has been masked by Judge/Rizzo/Stanton/et al. But it's hard to imagine the Yankees sticking with him much longer, especially when the team cools. (Note: One of these days, it will cool.) 

5. The problem is that Aaron Hicks (.224 with 2 HRs) hasn't been much better. Both are so mediocre that Yank fans have resurrected hope for Estevan Florial, who continues to hit (.303, 11th in the International League) despite his own strikeout woes (60 this year.) If the Yankees accept Gallo's strikeouts, why such negativity to Florial's? 

Aww, but we know that answer by heart. It's all in the contracts, right? If a guy earns the big bucks, he gets to play. Nothing new here.

Which brings us back to last night. Gallo homered and doubled. Second time this year, two extra base hits. One came in the ninth, the 11th and 12th runs, with fans driving home. 

Should we bother to care?  

Short answer: Dunno. But I do believe Gallo is running out of rope. These are the biggest games thus far in 2022. He had a good night. Will it lead to something today? (Game time: 3.07 p.m.) The BJs have a tough RH starter. Alek Manoah. Gallo will probably be in the lineup. Can he finally get hot? 

If not, you can hear a train in the distance. One of these days, Gallo will be on it.

A Brigadoon Refsnyder Sighting! Can the End Days Be Upon Us???

Yes, folks, it's happened again! There has been another sighting of Brigadoon Refsnyder, this time in the uniform of our arch nemesis, the Boston Pilgrims.

And what a sighting! In two games, the Reffer went 4-6, with two runs scored and a ribbie, bringing his average this year up to a whopping .412!

Combined with the Yankees' ungodly, 47-16 start, what can this all portend???

Do we see a bad moon a-rising? Do we see trouble on the way? Do we see earthquakes and lightning? Are we...quite prepared to die?

For those of you who may be less than familiar with the American theatre, Brigadoon was a Broadway smash, turned into a technicolor extravaganza starring Gene Kelly, who decides he would rather live in a mystical, mythical Scottish highland village with Cyd Charisse, than in 1947 Manhattan, the greatest place to have been anytime anywhere ever.

(Well, all right: Cyd Charisse.)

Of course, a streak like this would've led to the Refmonster being immediately sent back down if the Sox' GM were Brian Cashman—which is how he became "Brigadoon" in the first place, inexplicably disappearing despite playing quite well in his few appearances for the Bronx team.

What does this all mean? Birds and snakes and aeroplanes? And IS Lenny Bruce unafraid?

Well, for one thing, it's a tribute to Robbie the Resilient who, by my calculations has now played for 6 major-league and 13 minor-league teams, if we count the Cape Cod League (which we sure as hell do!), and is still just 31. 

And why do I have the strange, awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that Refmo will somehow be facing us in a key playoffs at-bat this fall?

And is it MORE than coincidence that "The End of the World As We Know It" includes the line, "Wire in a fire, represent the seven games"?  (I'm not making this up!)

But hey, in tribute, here is Robbie in just some of the many different hats and unis he's worn over the years:

  

"Time I had some time alone, time I had some time alone..."

With Judge's decision, the 2022 Yankees can add another win: The Home Run Derby

The Judge has issued a ruling: Rather than risk injury to chase a plastic trophy and facetime with a drooling Chris Berman, Aaron Judge will ditch the 2022 Home Run Derby.

I believe I speak for the Yankiverse in saying, HOORAY!

The derby has been so inconsequential for so long that I cannot pinpoint when it turned into a cross between the NFL Draft Party and Battle of the Network Stars.

The MLB All-Star game is already lame enough, with fans breathing relief when their players are removed, so they won't get hurt in meaningless farce. This year, Nestor Cortez - with his wide smile and feelgood narrative - will probably be a featured character. Thus, the Yankees will do their part in selling the cornpone. But Judge should not subject himself to the stresses of such a night. Junior Guerrero, she's all yours...

I believe the derby first Fonzied the shark in 2015, when - in a clash of titans - the immortal Todd Frazier topped the eternal Joe Pederson. Did you know that Yoenis Cespedes - aka Humanus Centepedes - won two derbies? I looked it up - not because I'd forgotten it, but because I never fukking cared about it, to begin with; you can't forget what you refused to take in. 

Jogginson Cano won in 2011. Great night for the Yankees? Nope. Missed it. As a Phillie, Bobby "the Wall Flower" Abreu won in 2005 - displaying power he would never show in pinstripes. That night, Abreu blasted 41 HRs, a new derby record! Over three years with the Yankees, he hit 43.

I associate the Derby with two images:

1. Chris Berman's insane attempts to manufacture excitement by wailing "Back, back, back... GONE" 100 times per half-hour. I believe Berman's keepers must lock him in a sensory deprivation tank for 12 months, then taze his balls, give him magic mushrooms and a Vulcan mind-meld with Ryan Seacrest, and set him loose. 

2. Aaron Judge in 2017, egged on by the electrically reanimated Berman, straining his shoulder and suffering a second-half slump. Until now, Judge's brilliant rookie season has never been repeated, and I - for one - don't want him near the derby that night. If he needs air time, do The Masked Singer. 

Last night, Michael Kay suggested Judge's resurgence stems from his ability to lay off curves outside of the strike zone. I'd say it's because of his ability to lay off diversions like the HR derby. 

The Yankees might send six players to the All-Star game: Judge, Cortez, Clay Holmes, Anthony Rizzo, Michael King and Luis Severino. (They'll probably do fewer,  three or four.) Whatever. That's enough. Let our players rest. 

Quick thoughts:

1. We must not sleep on Tampa. Last time we played the Rays, we won the first two, and they stormed back for the final two. We hit Tampa next week. Nothing has been decided here. We'll see.

2. Fourteen home wins in a row: With the final at-bat, you always feel this team will win.

3. I'm starting to feel pathos for Joey Gallo. Guy seems a good person, a fine teammate. But how long does this go on? Even when Gallo's "hitting," he's not hitting. Last night, Marwin Gonzalez made a great catch in RF to save the game. Gallo is competent out there, but would he have caught  it? We'll never know. Boone pinch hit for Gallo, because he's not delivering. It's a gaping hole. 

4. So... how is it that the Yankees had Ryan Weber stashed away in Scranton, for no other purpose than to shut down our nemesis for one night and then get released? (They DFA'ed him after the game?) Let's hope Weber signs with somebody outside the AL East. And let's hope he gets a Yankees world series share for Christmas. Seacrest, out.

Why, Even If The Yankees Keep Winning, We Will Be OK

This AM’s El Duque post about the possibility of the Yankees winning adversely affecting the well being of the world got me to thinkin’ and, despite his misgivings about this time around, I think we will be OK. 

Let's look at it logically:  

Does the fate of the New York Yankees actually effect the well being of America? 

Yes. Yes it does.

1) New York City is the Number One City in America.

2) Many, many, residents of NYC are Yankee fans.

3) When the Yankees win they are happy.

4) Happy people are more productive.

Therefore:  When the Yankees win - the Number One City in America is more productive.

Secondary Conclusion:  The Red Sox suck!

---

As to their current record juxtaposed with current events  I say that despite appearances, the world is actually on the upswing.

1)  Sure, I'm paying very close to $7.00 for a gallon of gas. It's insane.

But... people seem to be driving less so when I do drive there is very little traffic. More importantly, the air in the Sacramento Valley, which by June starts to take on a lovely shade of brown, is actually pretty clear.  

2) Sure, groceries are expensive. 

But... I've lost seven pounds because I'm not putting as much crap in the cart. Haven't bought a $4.29 bag of chips in months.

3) Sure there’s yet ANOTHER Covid variant sweeping the country.

But, I’ve had it, El Duque has had it, Alphonso has had it, and I’m sure others of you have as well and yet here we all are typing away. The next mask I’m wearing is going to be my Joey Gallo rubber head at a Halloween Party (Even though wearing it pretty much guarantees I will strike out with the opposite sex.)  By the way, the Joey Gallo Covid mask shown here is an actual thing. Google it. 

4) Yes, democracy is under assault. 

But I'm liking that even the NY Post and Wall Street Journal are waking up to reality. Or more accurately realizing that what they've been pushing won't fly. (Not to worry - they will find something else to be toxic about soon.)

4)  Sure, “The Radical Right” seems more organized and frightening than ever. 

But, the other day, I think it was fifty-one would-be Brownshirts got busted BEFORE they caused the riot.

5) Yes, The Woke PC police seems to be dictating the focus of the Democratic Party

But San Francisco, a place where some people leave their heart and I left $2,785 in unpaid parking tickets, just booted two members of their idiot school board who wanted to change the names of schools to meet their woke criteria, (Including one with Abraham Lincoln because he didn’t do enough for people of color).  The voters also recalled and tossed their PC DA.

5) And Last, the Red Sox have the best record in baseball over the last month.

But, they only gained 1/2 game on us. 

Also,  here’s a good thing…  Now they won't make mid-season talent dumps and reload their farm system. Much like our Aaron Judge dilemma they are going to have to ride their impending free agents to the finish line. Except their finish line ends in the first round. 

Why? Because they suck. 

What if, gulp, what if... the more the Yankees win, the worse this world gets?

Back in the old millennium, the fun one, it was common knowledge among elite insiders that the NY Yankees functioned as a windsock for world peace and prosperity. 

Throughout recorded history, the Yankees' domination of baseball had been normality, causing mass disruptions when the team failed - such as during World War II, the Vietnam War, the turbulent sixties and Watergate. 

Following the miserable 1990s banking crisis and Iraq War, the franchise was resurrected, bringing hope for a millennium of happiness and Yankee domination.  

The prophets saw it. As Noam Chomsky said, "You wanna know what kills society? I'll tell ya what kills society: Lee Guetterman warming in the pen!" Steve Jobs' first screensaver was a Redsock-capped Satan being trampled by a vengeful Wade Boggs on horseback. Everyone agreed: Yankee wins signified world harmony and a planetary self-pleasurement. 

Then came came The Abyss... 2004, when the magnetic polar caps flipped, reversing time and space. Ever since, the world has watched Boston eat our miserable Happy Meals. Even now, if you listen to Redsock fans, these spiritual snakes think their team will sneak into the 2022 playoffs and whack us. I deal with these unrepentant dwarfs; they remain as disagreeable as ever.

But but BUT... now that the Yankees have baseball's best record - by far - we cannot close our eyes to what is happening in the world. The planet is overheating, plague is rampant, war is exploding, civil unrest is rising, hunger, murder hornets, monkey pox, drunken Giulianis - and we must ask ourselves: 

What if Yankee success is inversely related to the fate of humankind?

What if... the more the Yankees win, the more the planet turns to shit? 

If so, my friends, then Joey Gallo and Aaron Hicks are saving lives. If so, we should all look forward to the return of Aroldis Chapman as closer. If so, we can sleep well knowing the managerial decisions of Aaron Boone will protect our grandchildren.

What should we -as Yankee fans and world citizens - do?

How should we react if Yankee success is, in fact, contributing to the end of the world?

I have given this issue uncountable hours of contemplation and research. My conclusion: We ride this fucking pony. Nobody came to us after the Astros stole the world series and said, "We won't certify the post-season; you're the rightful champs." No fuking way. You know what they said? They said, "Ha ha ha, you fat, garbagy stupids, your team sucks, and here, take Rougned Odor!" 

Well, now, with Yellowstone Park underwater, maybe they won't smartmouth so loudly, eh?  

Yes, the end may be near, and all because of Nasty Nestor. Fukkit. I'm taking these wins and heading for the hills. Right now, we have the best team on the planet, and it's too bad if the asteroid is bearing down, but we gotta win today and shove a Ryan McBroom up these pursed Tampa assholes. They can have the Stanley Cup. I'm building an arc. Who's with me?

The Rays come to NY, bearing gifts and dismaying the huge, global fan base they do not have

Okay, we still fear The Collapse, we're angry about Joey Gallo and edgy over Aaron Judge's contract... but but BUT... close your eyes and imagine being a Tampa Bay Devil Ray fan today...

1. Your team just squandered a quality start by Cory Kluber. How many more can you rightfully expect? Guy's 36 and threw 80 innings last year. He's now at 61.2. Tick-tick-tick...

2. Your DH in right field, Manuel Margot, cost you last night's game by flubbing a Macauley Culkin pop fly. Cue the reverse highlight reel. It landed in the center of his glove and bounced, as if hitting pavement. Wow.

3. You're starting to wonder if your brain trust - known for dealing young stars before their paydays - has kept Randy Arozarena just a tippy tad too long. Two years ago, he was the next Hank Aaron. Now, the next Aaron Hicks?

4. Your bullpen is shot. JP Feyereisen is out. Pete Fairbanks is out. Andrew Kitteridge is out. Your three current healthy closers have saved nine out of 14. 

5. A tweakable quad has sidelined your franchise star, Wander Franco, for the second time this year. He might watch both series against the Yankees from the hot tub. Also, he's hitting .270 with 4 HRs. Four. Your brain trust signed him for 11 years - $182 million. Think he'll stay that long?  

6. Your team is now 10 behind the Yankees. You've been passed by Toronto and - uh oh - you're just three up on Boston. The AL East is a tough neighborhood.

7. For the next two weeks, Tampa will be a hockey town. Then, around July 15, everybody will start drooling over Brady's Bucs. Nobody wants to go outside, and the Covid numbers are rising along with the air conditioning bill. Not many people are going to come to Rays games, especially if the team is dragging.

8. Frankly, not many come now. Tampa ranks 27th in MLB home attendance - a measly 13,739 per game - beating only Pittsburgh, Miami and Oakland, three teams with a combined record of 38 games below .500. Yikes. This is embarrassing. When the Yanks visit next week, their fans will be loud, drowned out only by the brutal and never-stopping sound effects (which caused John Sterling to stay home?) You're starting to wonder... can Tampa keep this franchise?

So, how long before Kluber hits the block? Or Kevin Kiermaier, who makes $9 million per year. Several Rays will approach their first big contracts paydays next winter. Expect them to be around? The business editors don't.

Sorry. Low blow. 

That said, your team is teetering. It just blew a totally winnable game. Your season isn't over - not by a longshot, especially if you win tonight. But, wow... right now, glad to not be you. 

Thirteen Days In Hell!!!

So here we go. With your New York Yankees so set up for failure that we can only hope the next two weeks serve as a great big eephus pitch for the juju gods.

Consider:  Not only are the boys from the Bronx playing that record challenging, 44-16, .733 ball. Baseballreference rates them as currently having a 99.9 chance of making the playoffs, AND...a 21.4 chance of winning the World Series.

That's the highest possibility ranking in baseball right now, ahead of even the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Exactly how the good folks at baseballreference figure this is beyond me, especially considering the number of playoff rounds these days.

And the numbers tend to change with every win or loss.  

Still...you can see the eephus ball analogy. Either the deities down in juju land will knock this one out of the park—a la Higgy the other day, or Ted Williams in the 1946 All-Star Game—or they will be so busy laughing they whiff at the chance.

13 games. Against something the Yanks have rarely encountered this season: teams that are actually going all out to win.

First up is Tampa Bay. Even as we speak, Ji-Man Choi is taking extra batting practice, and sacrificing a ram to the jujubees. 

The Rays have actually looked a bit sluggish of late. Just 9-8 over their last 17 games. And Wander "As I Wonder" Franco, superstar shortstop of the very near future, is out with a tweak, and will miss the first series against us, at least. But TB has three of its top starters lined up, and you know they just live for these games.

Next comes Toronto. The BJs are hot again, after tumbling nearly to .500; on a 14-4 tear with a bird fight coming up against Baltimore, before they face our pinstripers. One never really knows just how much into it our brethren from the north country will be, or how much they will be distracted by inventing elaborate new home-run rituals. But the Team of Bloated Juniors is always scary.

Finally, there's that perennial country-music hit, Yer Cheatin' Astros. Houston has also been off its feed of late, just 3-6 lately. But you know they can't wait to straighten out against us.

13 games. In as many days. Before we can go back to pummeling any palookas again. 

A 7-6 record will be perfectly acceptable, and probably keep us on a glide course. A terrific run—say, 10-3—could open up such a gap that the rest of the division just calls us their daddy and starts planning some new deviltry for the division playoff round.

A total meltdown—maybe 3-10?—and, well, we're just back to an even playing field again. 

13 games.

Amazingly, the Yankees haven't missed their bullpen Big Three; how long can that last?

In another time, another Yankiverse, the sudden disappearance of Aroldis Chapman, Chad Green and Jonathan Loaisiga would have sent Cooperstown Cashman into the hinterlands in search of the next Sidd Finch. Add the loss of Zack Britton, and 2022 would already be another wild card quest.

Last year, around now, we were beholding Luis Cessa, Albert Abreu, Nick Nelson, Darren O'Day and The Great Kriske - names that still hit like tasers to the groin.

This year, who can explain it? We lose El Chapo; Clay Holmes takes over. We lose Green; here's Michael King. Loaisiga? Wandy Peralta. Moreover, all three vanished with ERAs north of the Scott Proctor Institute for Home Plate Bon Fires. Chapman (3.86), Green (3.00) and Loaisiga (7.02) had been cuffed around for weeks before their injuries were found - or revealed. 

It's hard to realize that this Yankee team is barely a year removed from Rougned Odor and Chris Gittens, from Mike Tauchman and Ryan LaMarre. Why has the 2022 bullpen been so enduring? Some theories:

1. Dumb luck. Clay Holmes and Michael King somehow became solid pitchers. Why? Who knows? Sometimes, shit unhappens. A guy learns a new pitch and becomes Mariano. In 2002, Randy Choate was Yankee bullpen kibble, a lost cause, until the day he mastered his curve. Kaboom. Choate lasted 15 years. Go figure.

2. It's a false read. Here I am, proclaiming success on the eve of 13 games against the AL's toughest teams. I should shut my mouf. The bullpen has survived slightly more than one-third of the season. It's a long year, as Dr. Proctor taught us. Let's not celebrate anything. 

3. Yankee coaches. For some time now, the franchise has touted its advanced methods of calculating spin rates, control and speed - and teaching young pitchers. Last year, in a show of hubris, they dubbed their Tampa base "The Gas Station," a place where pitchers found new velocity. We mocked it, as the only gas seemed the ghosts of Billy Conner's broken wind. Well, maybe we were wrong. The Yanks have unveiled a stream of arms - Clarke Schmidt, Ron Maranaccio, JP Sears - with Ken Waldichuck and Hayden Wesneski in Scranton, ready for the stretch.  

If this is true, if the Yankees have built a superior system, we must win now, because other teams will soon clone it. These advantages don't last long.

4. The Rotation. Our starters have been the best in baseball. Thus, in a year without a full spring training, our bullpen has been less stressed than most. 

We saw this last weekend. In one game, the sad Cubs used nine pitchers. Meanwhile, in Saturday's 8-0 win, we used only Marinaccio and Luetge. On Sunday, Castro and Banuelos. Then we take a day off. All systems go. We have a completely rested pen for this 13-game stretch. No excuses.

Supposedly, El Chapo will soon return. Loaisiga, too. Green is gone, but amazingly, Zack Britton claims he'll be back in September. 

I wonder what we'll be thinking 13 games from now?

Congratulations, Pete Alonso!

Those of you who might have been watching assorted ex-Yankees stumble and bumble around the Big A last night against the Mets—his really HAS been Brian Cashman's year—probably noted the proud ascension of The Polar Bear, Pete Alonso, to the Mets' all-time, Top-Ten in home runs.

Zowee, that was fast! I hear you exclaim.  

Indeed it was—and no knock on The Polar Bear, a likable young lad who seems to have come honestly by all his success.

So what number home run did Pete need to hit in order to breach the Mets' loftiest heights???

Uh, 124.

That's right. That's all it take to get you into the all-time top ten of a reputedly major-league baseball team that has now been in existence for over 60 seasons.

Who is the all-time Mets leader in HRs? 

Why it's still old friend, Darryl Strawberry, at 252. 

That's quite an accomplishment. Of course, on the YANKEES, Darryl's 252 would have barely slipped him on to the top ten, just ahead of Graig Nettles' 250. 

But hey. Comparisons are odious. Am I right?

Pete the Polar Bear is now No. 10 on the Mets' all-time list. Huh. That would put him at No. 37 on the Yankees' all-time home run chart, just ahead of Alfonso Soriano, and still 14 dingers behind...Gary Sanchez.

It's fun looking at the Metsies 1-50 list in general, courtesy of baseballreference.com. 

It's like going through a moldy old attic nobody has cleaned out for years and years. Ed Kranepool's still on there (#13). So is Ron Swoboda (#28), Lee Mazzilli (tied for #29), and Jim Hickman (tied for #35). Frank Thomas—no, not The Big Hurt, but a broken down old National League slugger who led the team in HRs their very first year of existence, in the Polo Grounds, with 34. Thomas only hit 18 more for the Metsies, but he's still tied for (#41)—and first in the hearts of Mets fans.

Well, more like last in the hippocampus. But never mind. All it takes is 43 roundtrippers (Eddie Murray) to make the Top 50 for the Queens team. Only the Top 15 have as many as 100.

The Yankees? 

Well, I don't like to brag, but we have some slightly higher numbers.

Our No. 1 hit 659 blasts with us. Betcha can't guess who that is. 

You could field an entire team with Yankees who have hit over 200 homers. (Just make you-know-who pitch.) 

The first 43 have 100 or more, but that will likely change soon, as Stanton (93) and The Gleyber (86) reach the century mark. 

But hey, I didn't mean to make this all about our guys. A very hardy and sincere congratulations to Pete, who only needs one more to tie Lucas Duda, and another eight to get past Michael Conforto. 

He might even catch Dave Kingman this year! We Yankees fans can only wish him Godspeed.

 

 

 

With the best record in baseball, everything is wonderful

 This from Matt Carpenter...

"It feels like the Cubs never even gave Frazier or themselves a chance to find out if he could still be more..." Sound familiar? A Cubs fan laments the fate of one Clint Frazier

 "A lot of this is just me venting, I suppose..."

So it goes. 

Yanks maul Cubs but gain no ground in fiery AL East

It's way too early for Scoreboard ball. But with the cauldron at hand - two weeks facing the AL's best - it would have been nice to add an extra buffer game yesterday. Didn't happen. The whole AL East, even Baltimore, won. 

And here's a withering reality: Come October, we will have to go through Boston, Toronto and Tampa again. 

The Yankees sit at a cartoonish 44-16 - prompting John Sterling to opine that anybody who complains about an underperforming player (re: Gallo) must be "an unbelievable curmudgeon." Shortly thereafter, he wistfully visited the alt-universe where the Yankees didn't lose the final two in Tampa last month. If not for those losses, both close games, the Yankees would have won 17 out of 18. 

Even when bathing in a bathtub full of nipples, The Master rues the ones that got away. 

On that note: 

1. Glad to see Kyle Higashioka hit his first HR. Gladder that it didn't come off a position player's Eephus - which would have been a stain on Higgy's record. 

Yesterday, Ben Rortvedt - the muscular pug we got from Minnesota for Gary - started rehabbing in low single A Tampa. He hits LH, a big advantage, suggesting a platoon with Jose Trevino. When Rotvedt is ready, unless he's started to hit, Higgy might vanish into the Scranton either, if not the waiver wire. 

We glimpsed his perfect "You assholes, I can't believe you're doing this" look, as the team gave him the silent treatment following his first HR. Would hate to see him playing for another team. 

2. Quietly, eternal prospect Estevan Florial has notched it up in Scranton. Over the last 30 days, he's hitting .329 - lifting his season's average to a worthy .293 with 5 HRs. He's 24, bats LH, plays CF and can run. So, what's keeping him on the farm?

Apparently, the brain trust thinks Florial strikes out too often - hilarious considering the alternative is Joey Gallo. Still, as long as they keep winning 7 of 10, it's hard to conjure reasons to shake up this team. 

Also, Florial doesn't walk much - his On Base Percentage is only .379 - and, despite his speed, he's only 8 out of 12 in SBs. He's probably trade bait, unless somebody goes down.

3.  Speaking of the last month, the two most hyped Yankee prospects - Anthony Volpe and Jasson Dominguez have also turned it around - sorta. 

Volpe, in the last 30 days at Double A , is hitting .284 with 2 HRs. Not Ruthian, but it's the highest average on the team. That's not nuthin. Keep in mind that Volpe will turn 22 next April. 

Dominiguez - aka "The Martian" - is also leading the low single A Tampa Tarpons over the last 30 days. He's hitting .272 with 3 HRs - not much, but best on the team. 

Okay - small sample sizes and, overall, nothing spectacular. But if you're gonna be the supermodel, it starts with being the prettiest girl in the office pool. 

4. Tampa has its rotation lined up for us, beginning with turncoat Cory Kluber. Win tomorrow night, we get payback and can listen to the air whistle out of that wretched dome. Also... revenge for the Rangers!

Thanks, Rangers. Thanks for nothin'.

 

So, to "console" us all last night, after yet another New York Rangers season ran out of gas 6 games short of the Cup, a local news channel ran a little segment about how, 'Hey, this rebuilding Rangers team really went MUCH further than ANYONE had predicted, and EVERYONE should be bright and chipper and full of hope for the seasons just ahead, when SURELY a new Rangers dynasty will emerge.'

Blow it out thine ear.

To quote Sir Elton John, you know I seen that movie, too.

More relevant to last night's latest ball-crusher is the fact that the team that beat your New York Rangers— the Tampa Bay Lightning, as generic a hot-weather-state expansion team as has ever existed—will now go on to play for its third straight Stanley Cup.  

The Lightning also won the Cup in 2004 (10 years after the Rangers last did).  If they win the finals, that will give TB 4 in their existence, which dates back to all of 1992.

The Rangers, need I remind anyone here, have captured exactly 1 Cup since 1940. 

For that matter, they have only been in 1 other final since lightning struck in 1994, and only 4 others since the aforementioned 1940. 

In other words, we're talking a final every 16-17 years, a Cup every 82.

By contrast, their hometown rivals, the Islanders—long a traveling caravanserai of a team owned by an array of international bounders, and always on the lookout for another Long Island parking lot in which to pitch their tent—has won 4 Cups in that time, even though the last one was in 1983.

Their cross-river rivals, a team that has existed since 1974, only made it to New Jersey after stops in Kansas City and Denver, and is named after a mythical swamp creature...has been in 5 finals and won 3 Cups.  All after the Rangers' miracle on ice in 1994.

The beginning of a new Rangers dynasty?  When was the last Rangers dynasty?

What happened to the Broadway Blueshirts may or may not presage the fate of our Yankees this season. But it already justifies our world view as Yankees fans.  

Don't tell us about the dynasty that will be, or might be, or celebrate surprising runs that fall two games short of even getting to the final.  Come talk to us when you win. 

Can we freeze dry this team and add water in October?

 

Damn. I'm afraid to say anything, for fear of jinxing them. That said...

1. Nice to see Jordan Montgomery receive some run support. If there was a team charity, it would be titled "Runs for Monty."

2. The Yankees now have four starters in the MLB top 20 for ERA. 

3. The fifth is Gerrit Cole.

4. I'd like Tim Locastro in the dugout against Toronto, Tampa and Houston. They will likely be close games, possibly decided by a stolen base.

5. MLB home run leader Aaron Judge now has seven HRs (24) more than the guy in second, Pete Alonzo. 

6. In the AL, he is second in RBIs and 6th in batting average. But a Triple Crown would mean leapfrogging Boston's big three - Martinez, Devers and Bogaerts.

7. The Yankees have three hitters - Judge, Rizzo and Stanton - in the AL Top 10 homer board. Between them, they have 52 HRs. (The Boston big three has 26.)

8. If you're counting the top 11 in HRs, add Gleyber, with 12.

9. If you're out there, Scottish Yankee Fan, please contact me at hseely@twcny.rr.com. A friend of the blog is coming your way and wants to watch a game with you. 

10. Not only that, but we're starting to worry that you're missing a great season.

Oh, and here's your reward for reading this far.

Observations from the 42-18 catbird seat (correction: 42-16)

 1. Did anybody not expect the Yankees to win last night? I sure didn't. Still, I didn't expect it to take so long. 

Altogether now... Wahhhh, wahhh, wahhh...

2. Every great team has a Victor Cruz - that is, a nobody who comes out of nowhere to be a star. 

Jose Trevino...

3. Last night, the Yankees avenged the Cubs' insult to former teammate, Clint Frazier. Earlier in the day, Chicago waived Red Thunder, who had popped off about his time in NYC, and being forced to shave. 

Oh, well...

4. I watched the Scranton BusRiders last night in Syracuse, a doubleheader sweep, but was dismayed by the lack of prospects in the lineup. Seems like everybody is over 27. 

I get the need to use Triple A as a recycling plant, but it sure would be nice to see a few youngsters. Our MLB success this season has obscured a rather bleak year on the farms.

5. Personal note: This magical Yankee season is threatening my ability to catch up on favored streaming TV shows. I'm currently backlogged on Better Call Saul, The Boys, Russian Doll, The Flight Attendant, Stranger Things - and last night, Netflix broke out Peaky Blinders.  

Yeesh. Who can watch shows when you're at 42-18 (Correction: 42-16)?

6. I better shut up. You know where all this happy talk is headed, right?

At the end of all this, we're going to lose to the Mets.

From ZacharyA: "You can try to convince yourself this guy (Judge) isn't a great player, but that's nonsense."

 Aaron Judge's last 162 games

.293/.372/.579 (.950 OPS) 49 HR, 180 H, 80 BB, 116 R, 118 RBI

Aaron Judge's previous 162 games
.277/.377/.557 (.934 OPS) 46 HR, 163 H, 89 BB, 114 R, 96 RBI

Aaron Judge's previous, previous 162 games
.275/.399/.560 (.959 OPS) 45 HR, 161 H, 122 BB, 121 R, 108 RBI

Judge has always been great. The only thing that has held him back is health.

Recently he's been more aggressive at the plate, trading walks for hits and seeing a drop in strikeouts (30.7 K% in 2017 to 25.3 K% in 2022). Did you know that Judge now strikes out less than Mike Trout?

Since his rookie season in 2017, Judge ranks across all of MLB:

1st in HR
3rd in WAR (behind Trout and Betts)
2nd in OPS+ (min. 1500 PA)

You can try to convince yourself this guy isn't a great player, but that's nonsense.

Now, will Judge receive the Mike Trout contract (12-yr/$426.5M)? Hell no.

He's not as good as Trout was at his peak and Trout was younger.

But in negotiations, you always ask for more than you are going to get and meet in the middle.

All Judge has to do to "win" the negotiations is make more than the Yankees offer of 7-yr/$213.5M. Given his season, I think he'll be able to do that.

By floundering in another key game, Gerrit Cole isn't doing Aaron Judge's contract drive any favors

By now, you know that Gerrit Cole last night threw Home Run Derby to the Twins, giving up five trips to Mars before the good citizens of 'Sota had downed their first 30-ouncers. It looked like a blowout loss, our second in three nights. Fortunately, our lineup scored 10, and we won going away - another sure sign that 2022 will bring us more than another measly wild card? Right? 

I don't mean to rip Cole, whose ERA soared to 3.63 - a serviceable number for, say, Michael Pineda or J.A. Happ, or any of the other walking widgets who briefly occupied the Bronx torchlight since 2009, our last parade. Cole ranks 19th in ERA among AL pitchers. That's not god-awful. And in the dugout, he's always back-slapping teammates. He's a joyful employee, overall. 

But not one worth $36 million per season, and that's a problem. 

Less than one-third of the way into Cole's nine-year contract, it's hard to gauge what the Yankees will get for their eventual $324 million investment. (A ring would be nice.) It's no fun, pondering what he'll be like in 2028, at age 37. Will he be a Verlander? Or a Chien Ming Wang? Already, Cole has twice spit the bit in October, the only games that matter. With the exception of a wondrous shutout over Houston last summer, it's hard to recall a crucial game where he dominated. 

Last night, the Yankees faced the prospect of blowing their first series in a month. Going in, it looked like a big game - and Cole flopped. 

Which brings me to the elaborate mating dance - now through October - between Aaron Judge and Food Stamps Hal Steinbrenner. 

If Judge continues his superhuman, MVP pace, sometime around November, he will demand at least $36 million per season - Gerrit Cole money. And he will surely get it, somewhere, maybe across town.

For all his miserable penny pinching - (and there is nothing lower than a poor-mouthing, born rich billionaire) -Hal will enjoy one huge excuse for holding the line: Gerrit Cole.

Lately, a parlor game among Gammonites is to imagine Judge's future salary. It's like cruising Zillow and putting yourself at poolside, next to a Kardashian. The money he'll get, if he keeps hitting? You might as well count sand fleas in the Mohave. Let's just say, it will be closer to infinity than to zero. 

If he keeps hitting... 

In 2017 - Judge's greatest season, thus far - he was Babe Ruth in the first half, and Babe Dahlgren in the second. Before the Home Run Derby, Judge hit .329 with 30 HRs. After it, .228 with 22. They said he strained something during the derby, an event he has since avoided. (He'll be under enormous pressure to do it this year; let's hope he says no.) There are reasons to believe Judge can stay hot - he's now a savvied veteran, no star-crossed rookie - and, of course, to do what we do best on this blog: To expect the worst.

We all want Judge to be a lifelong Yankee. And there is absolutely no reason why the franchise should be outbid for him. Still, if he wants to go home to California, or if somebody offers absurdist money - that is, another Robbie Cano - Hal will have a golden excuse to let him walk. Gerrit Cole. 

Of course, the loser will be MLB. If the Yankees lose Judge, they will merely raid another team's clubhouse. (Mr. Devers, your pinstripes will be waiting.) And if the Yankees can't keep their stars, who can? 

(Hey, a final note: Scottish Yankee Fan... if you're out there, drop me a note at hseely@twcny.rr.com. A friend of the blog is headed your way. You might get a free beer out of this.)