Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Mr. Freeze was at it again today--making it look easy at the end of a long afternoon that included a rain delay. The Yankees did their part against Johan Santana (7-7) who was good, not great, giving up three runs in six innings. Good enough to lose. The home plate ump didn't help him any, either. Andy Pettitte (9-5) was better, allowing two runs over six, solo shots to David Wright and Ramon Castro respectively.
Jose Reyes got himself picked off of second base with another runner on first and David Wright at the plate in the fifth. It was the play of the game. Yesterday, Emma wrote that the Yankees left runners on base like it was going out of style. Today, the Mets had plenty of Girbaud's sagging around the bases. Carlos Beltran whiffed four times. Veras and Farnsworth held the Mets in check in the seventh and eighth and then came Rivera, who has been as automatic as he's ever been in his long career.
Carlos Delgado was first and Rivera fed him string of cutters. Delgado got good wood on one of them but it was a pitch designed to be hit foul. With two strikes, Rivera showed no mercy; instead of trying to freeze Delgado with a fastball on the outsider corner, he buried another cutter in on the hands. It looked like a wicked, late-breaking slider and Delgado had no chance, swinging over it and catching nothing but a breeze. Fernando Tatis was next, he took the first two pitches, and found himself ahead 2-0. But Rivera evened the count and then got Tatis to hit a soft fly ball to Abreu for the second out. Trot Nixon was last and he went quickly--swinging at two inside cutters and then looking at a fastball on the outside corner.
It wasn't fair but it was swift. Twelve pitches, ten strikes, 0.74 ERA. When he's on his game, Rivera truly is The Unfair One.
Andy and Mo are a good combination, you could look it up.
In other news, Jered Weaver lost a no hit game Andy Hawkins style.
What are we going to do when Mariano and Andy go gently into that good night?
We're truly blessed to have these guys.
I almost want to start weeping thinking about the fact we won't have them forever.
Can we keep Andy for next year?
Actually, I think this is petty cool. The goal is to win games, not worry about no hitters (as interesting and rare as they may be). Scoscia actually had to make a tough managerial call, he had the balls to pull a pitcher because he valued winning (team goal) over a no-hitter (individual achievement). A nice lesson in that.
Read the debate about whether this is true to the spirit of baseball scoring, over at Dodger Thoughts.
...Just think, if the media/blog coverage of today was present in 1990, Jim Leyritz would have been run out of town with torches and pitch forks. Then who would have hit that home run in Atlanta in 1996???
Girbaud's hanging baggy
Tommy Hilfiger top gear
Take no shorts
I'm doin lovely in all sports
man alex, girbauds.
i have seen the highlight of andy picking off reyes a half a dozen or so times this morning - and robbie played a big part in getting that out
Insanity
He watches
Lurking beneath the sea
Timeless sleep
Has been upset
He awakens
Hunter of the shadows is rising
Immortal
In madness you dwell
Not dead which eternal lie
Stranger eons death may die
Drain you of your sanity
Face the thing that should not be
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Shadow_over_innsmouth.JPG
Damon LF
Jeter SS
Rodriguez 3B
Posada 1B
Betemit 2B
Cabrera CF
Molina C
Christian RF
Rasner RHP
now there's a new look lineup
sometimes i think joey joe joe overthinks these things ...
:)
Is Robby sick or something?
He's hitting these days, is he not?
Jorgie at first? Wtf?
Has Joe done this this year?
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