They led 7-2 heading into the 9th, with Domingo German on the mound and in control. Until he wasn't. He gave up a leadoff single, then a double, and was replaced by Mean Chad Green. Then came the cave in.
A few batters later, Green surrendered a three-run walk-off HR to Jose Aluve - the absolute worst, most horrendous, conceivable outcome for Yank fans, and the absolute worst ending of the first half for the Yankees themselves. A Category 5 fiasco. Defcon 4. The end of times.
The Yankees that year finished second in the AL East and fell quickly in the wild card, losing to Boston.
Today, is there any doubt of this team's October fate?
Insert sigh here.
More than any other contact sport, baseball reflects the constant shifting of molecules, of movements so tiny that we - the bootless and unhorsed, lowly fans - cannot discern them. A pitcher's grip. A batter's swing. An infielder's footwork. A bat meeting the ball.
I suppose we at IT IS HIGH are guilty of seeking too many existential reasons behind these micro-movements of the universe. We seek answers for events that haunt or sustain us. We seek explanations, though none shall ever be given.
But for all my ignorance and magical thinking, today I can assure you of one harsh truth:
The 2024 Yankees are no championship team.
Our year will not end on the Canyon of Heroes. The ends pre-exist in the means, and yesterday, in sunny Baltimore, we glimpsed the finale.
Overall, we enjoyed a nice first-half. But what's coming in August and September will not be pretty.
And come October, the catastrophic events that ruled yesterday will once again seal our fate.
Posts
35 comments:
Ben Rice is real deal, therefore he will be traded for some useless pieces. They don’t want him showing up the other slugs on this team.
[shakes head]
One of your best posts ever 'Duque.
Bonehead puts djl in as defensive substitute for rice, but not one for the dh playing left field. Another great example of his strategerizing skills.
Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
If they don't at least fire Bonehead, the only reason to watch this team is self-punishment.
And why is ca$hole still employed? Don't the Yankees have two geniuses in the front office ready to step in?
Just the other day, El Duque said we still don't have a read on Anthony Volpe. I think the Volpster just gave us the answer, loud and very clear. The message from him was "I AM A FUCKING LOSER".
There are very few times that we get to see the line between winners and losers drawn so distinctly. In that 9th inning, with two outs and two strikes, we saw the line of separation. And Volpe was on the losers side of it.
The stat geeks will tell you that there is no such thing as clutch. That every play is equal in value to any other play. That an error or even a hit is a product of mathematical probability. That's BULLSHIT X INFINITY.
I know for sure that some guys will make that play every time and some guys won't (some of the time). It was a pretty routine grounder, but Volpe let the ball play him. He needed to be more aggressive on a weakly hit ball and charge towards it more, rather than wait for it on the lip of the outfield grass. Oh Anthony, you can't make that mistake at that time!
It's the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, to quote the ABC Olympic guys from a bygone era. Volpe snatched Defeat from the jaws of Victory.
Derek Jeter makes that play in that situation, every time. So would Luis Sojo. I think even Oswaldo Cabrera would make that play every single time with 9th inning, two outs.
It ain't the first time that Volpe has made this kind of mistake in the 9th inning, if memory serves. He's not a keeper. They should trade him at some point.
@ Rufus, "Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory."
I thought the same thing! Them bums at it again. The Yankees have become The New Bums of New York.
This is why I wanted Spencer Jones up here playing every day, every inning. Can he do any worse? What the hell do we have to lose?
Would Spencer Jones have caught that ball in left field? I say, hell Yeah!
It's like that asthma commercial they used to run on tv. When you can't breathe, nothing else matters.
In baseball, when you can't throw strikes, nothing else matters.
When you can't field groundballs in the infield, nothing else matters.
When you can't catch routine fly balls or liners, nothing else matters.
3 run homers in the 9th inning don't matter when your pitching/defense have to get three more outs. And you can't even throw strikes or make routine plays under pressure. Some guys live for pressure moments and always want the ball. Others, you can see them cringing as the ball heads their way. Uh oh....
That was the worst Yankee loss that I can remember, ever. This was worse than that ASS-stros game that Duque brought up. This was worse than the bottom 9th inning of Game 7 World Series 2001 in Arizona. It was worse than all of those because they had this one in the bag and just threw it away. At least those other losses, you could (arguably) say that the other teams earned it. This one? Orioles were dead to rights mucho many times in that one inning. Hope the Orioles send the Yanks some chocolate this Christmas.
I was listening to the radio broadcast, Emmanuel Berbari called the plays. I couldn't believe what I was hearing on those last two plays. I thought something was wrong with my hearing.
I can't even remember the last time I was so angry after a Yankee loss.
The last time(s) that I was so shocked and disappointed after brutally stoopid Yankee mistakes both involved Bobby Meachum. One time, Meachum hit a home run, but he ran past the guy who was on first base. The home run was nullified and Meachum was called out. I don't remember if they let the guy on first base score. Probably not.
Then there was the time that two Yankees got thrown out at home plate on the same play. I think this also involved Meachum. (Sensing a pattern here?) On a play at the plate, one Yankee runner is tagged out, and then less than a quarter second later, here comes another Yankee runner to get tagged out!
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
John "Fast Johnny" Donne (of Bay Ridge)
Vertigo has been playing the outfield lately like he has ... vertigo.
As promised, second Yankee funeral 2024, courtesy Deep Purple, U2, Judas Priest:
'Lil Tony Volpe, you'll see the line
The line that's drawn between good and bad
See Anthony Volpe flubbing ground balls
In the 9th innings of big games
If you've been bad, Lord, I bet you have
And you've not been burnt by a terrible error
You'd better close your eyes
Oh, bow your head
Wait for the Judgment Day
(Take it away, Ian): Ooooooooooh Ooooooooooh
And:
I have waited fif-teen long years
I have watched many losses
Only to be with you
Only to be with you
I have questioned, I have pondered
I have pounded my head on brick walls
These red brick walls
Only to be with you
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
(Wow, that funeral dirge by U2 had some great lyrics, didn't even have to change 'em much for us Yankee fans, eh?)
And finally, Rob Halford, take us to the end:
We'd had enough, we couldn't take anymore
Another blown save, another infield error
No matter how they tried, they couldn't beat the O's
They threw one down the toilet, and flushed
Yeah! The Yanks are out of 1st
Cashman is still safe here, in my mind
He is free to speak with, HAL's behind
This is the New York Yankees,
And they'll blow it all again
Keep the Yanks with all their shit
They're not fit for wiping it
I love The Commentariat.
Man oh man, would've been nice to have Hader there in the 9th inning, eh?
From the Great Ray Davies:
Don't know why I'm even bothering.
(Predictable)
Yeah, that's the mood I'm in.
Go out for a walk then I come back in.
(Predictable)
Yeah, the mood that I'm in.
(Predictable)
Every day of my life
Can't even communicate with my wife
(Predictable)
That's the word of the year
(Predictable)
All I see, all I hear.
Once we (once we) had so many options
Once we (once we) had dignity and grace
Now we (now we) have got nothing but our own time to waste.
Yeah, that's the word of the year
(Predictable)
All I see, all I hear
Why can't it be like never before?
(Predictable)
(Predictable)
Cashman is going to be safe here FOREVER. As long as he can keep hitting Hal's G-Spot, there are no worries.
We are stuck with both of them. One day, Bonnie will have to take the fall for Brian but, incredibly, that day has not come yet.
I love you all.
"Since June 1, Wells’ 137 wRC+ trails only Judge, Soto and Giancarlo Stanton. Grisham’s 117 wRC+ is fifth behind Rice. These five should be their top five in the order when they return to play Friday against Tampa Bay."
From the blink and you missed him dept.
The team has sent Jorbit Vivas back to the Moosic Motor Lodge. He didn’t even get to sniff the diamond this weekend with luminaries such as Torres, Cabrera, and LeMahieu blocking him.
Before his call up, he was hitting .333 with a 1.113 OPS over his last 19 games @SWB.
We certainly have no need of that!
Hammer……worse than losing the WS in 2001 to a bloop single off of Rivera?
Nothing can ever beat that. Even yesterday……
The Yankees elite scouting team strikes again!
MLB analyst says the New York Yankees had one of the draft's worst picks:
Andrew Peters of Bleacher Report believes the Yankees had one of the worst picks in the draft.
He called the selection of Hess in the first round the third-worst pick in the draft.
Ben Hess clearly has plenty of upside after three impressive seasons at Alabama, but he showed concerns in his final year in Tuscaloosa that make the Yankees choosing him so early questionable.
Incredible. Hammer, I gotta say, right as you are about so many things, no loss could ever be worse than:
—Game Seven, ninth inning, 2001, against Arizona, just weeks after 9/11.
—Game Four, 2004, against Boston, when a sure sweep was squandered because Joe Torre would not call a pitchout. The world turned on that play.
Also, Hammer, just wanted to say that I think you are completely right about bringing up young players early, and throwing them into tougher competition. That's how it has to go, and I think that nearly all Yankees farmhands suffer from spending too much time on the SWB shuttle...
...It would seem that Volpe is a victim of coming up too soon—but I think that's false.
Look at how many different personas as a player, that Volpe has taken on in just 1 1/2 years as a player:
—Surprising power hitter with poor batting average, but could field and steal bases.
—Contact hitter able to get on base a lot, with less power, but still field and stealing bases.
—Contact hitter who can't make contact, has no power, can't field anymore, and won't or can't steal bases.
Huh? This shows, once again, the complete ineffectuality/schizophrenia of the Yankees' instructional methods. They ruin one player like this after another. It has to stop.
Let me add Hoss obviously they do not receive the proper coaching/instuction/ fundamentals while in the minors.
Volpe’s error yesterday coming on top of his horrendous mental lapse against the Sox illustrates this. Boone making excuses and refusing to allow players to take responsibility for their actions compounds it.
Hoss - to your last point - you are absolutely spot on with Volpe.
I have also noticed over the past couple of months he appears to be wound tighter and tighter. His body language and facial expressions is that of someone that is very tense and not living in the moment.
( could be that Gleyber syndrome can be passed between human hosts )
Hard to play the game when you're not loose.
Boy 'o' Boy was this past weekend really bizarre and weird and strange.
Also, after hitting .220 in June, Volpe batting .128 in July
He needs some kind of intervention, which the Yankee staff is clearly not able to provide
Meanwhile, in SWB Peraza has failed to “carpe diem” and has booked a ticket for the long ride to Florialida
Everyone gets hurt, no one gets better.
They should inscribe THAT over the Yankees' clubhouse exit, instead of the DiMaggio quote about thanking God for making him a Yankee.
JM, I'm old and old school, too, and I know what you mean about showboats.
But...almost everybody showboats in the game today. Soto at least brings a much much much much much needed touch of excitement and engagement to this otherwise slipshod, distracted team.
He is, above all, YOUNG.
Yes, Hammer, signing him as a free agent would have been best. OR, I still insist, trading for him in 2022, when he might have put the team over the top. But that wasn't going to happen with Cheapskate and The Brain in charge.
We have him now, and we should be doing everything we can to get him to sign a huge contract, as soon as possible.
We won't, though—which, as Hammer says, is baseball malpractice. Giving up four players for a one-year rental (used to be) something other clubs do.
Perhaps Hal will sell the team over the All Star Break - effective immediately - no need for any MLB committees to approve - just done.
Alternatively - IIHIIFIIC can start that GO FUND ME we've all been dreaming about to raise the billions necessary to purchase the team ourselves.
Short of that - - - we can wait the summer out and see if the world finally becomes a bad Roland Emmerich movie that it appears to be inching daily towards anyway . . . .
Everyone needs to take a long pull off their favorite bottle. The problem with following a team so closely is that you forget that other teams' players rarely improve in a linear fashion. Volpe is considered a legit Gold Glover this year. Verdugo has played left field, by all accounts brilliantly. Things happen in a long season, time will tell. Right? Personally I think that injuries in the minor leagues may turn out to be our downfall. The Martian was lined-up to take Stanton's place when "The Injury" happened. Until he wasn't. We've had a number of bullpen pieces go down, but possibly Schmidt's injury has hurt the club more than people would guess. More pressure on the bullpen. Maybe Rodon would have already been knocked out of the rotation. Who knows? The loss yesterday was a true kick in the nuts. But worse than 2001? Come on! As far as the opinion of draftniks, BFD! I think I'll go and hit the peach schnapps now.
So does that mean you don't want to have an ownership share in the Yankees, Kevin?
And which Roland Emmerich film do you think we're all living in?
The Yankees totally lack any guts. The teams with a few exceptions resembles its cheapskate Owner and arrogant Geek GM, The Genius.
AA, I would totally reject any shares of the Yankees. Well, I changed my mind. A bit. I'm not a huge fan of Roland Emmerich, but I could get behind "Stargate" as being our "reality". Maybe. How about, especially as a Yankee fan "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"? It DOES seem to be that the Grail will be found before another Ring appears in the Yankeeverse.
there is a very powerful brain inside your head, Kevin.
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