NYCurve Yankees Blog

Yankees season update

Just some recent Yankees news:

• Jorge Posada’s MRI yesterday showed that he has a hairline fracture in his foot that could keep him out for three to four weeks. Posada insists that it won’t take that long for him to return. While there has been some speculation about a call up for Montero or another minor league catcher, Girardi has said that Fransisco Cervelli will see most of the opened playing time. Looking at Cervelli’s stats thus far this year, we might just be fine.
• The Yankees suffered a 10-6 loss to the hot Rays last night, now falling back four games behind Tampa in the AL East with a 25-15 record. The Yanks still hold second in the AL (and the MLB.)
• The Yankees filed a protest to the 7-6 loss against the Red Sox a couple days ago as there was no indication of an injury to Beckett, which the Red Sox claimed there was and took the extra time to bring a reliever out.
• A recent poll by the Wall Street Journal shows that the Yankees are the more popular team, but Manhattan is split down the middle. The poll also showed that Mets fan are bigger drinkers than Yankee fans.
• A recent Forbes list shows that the Yankees have the most valuable brand in all of sports.

Hughes in, Gaudin Gone: Yankees Rotation is Set

Spring training is not only a time to fine tune your team before the regular season begins, but also a time to finalize your starting pitching rotation before opening day.  The Yankees recently did just that when Joe Girardi named Phil Hughes their number 5 starter.  That makes the final rotation C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, and Hughes.

Hughes was previously locked in a battle with Joba Chamberlain, Sergio Mitre Chad Gaudin, and Alfredo Aceves to see who would earn the fifth and final spot in the starting rotation.  Girardi had previously been shuffling the five pitchers around like he was playing texas hold em poker in an effort to find the fifth starter.  In the end, the development of Phil Hughes’ changeup proved to be a big difference maker.

Girardi touched upon Hughes’ much-improved changeup by saying, “We evaluated the whole spring and we were very excited with the improvement in his changeup.  To me, that made a big difference in who he is.”  Girardi continued by talking about the tough decision he had to make and said, “You try to talk about every scenario possible and cover yourself in every scenario.  When we walked out, Phil Hughes was our guy.”

Hughes, who made several starts last season while Chien-Ming Wang was injured, is definitely prepared for the role.  He said, “I grew up a starter in high school, minor leagues, even my first couple partial seasons in the big leagues.  It was something that I really wanted and I feel like I’m ready for the challenge and ready for the season that lies ahead.”

After naming Hughes the starter, Girardi and the Yankees management decided to let Chad Gaudin go.  Gaudin was acquired from San Diego last August in the midst of their title run and he went 2-0 with a 3.43 ERA in six starts.  The decision to let Gaudin go will save the Yankees some money since they’ll pay him $725,410 for an early termination rather than the $2.95 million salary he commanded.

As far as Chamberlain goes, he will look to earn the 8^th inning relief role while Aceves should also have a spot in the bullpen.  Mitre definitely has some work to do in spring training to see if he’ll make the team.

2010 Yankees Season Preview

With spring training in full progression, the MLB regular season is just around the corner. The Yankees come back with some new faces in addition to the champions that went down in history as the 2010 World Series winners. Among the additions are outfielder Curtis Granderson and the second-comings of starter Javier Vasquez and DH Nick Johnson. Among those who have left the Pinstripes are Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Chien-Ming Wang, and Melky Cabrera.

While it certainly seems like our outfield will improve drastically, some have raised questions on where the lost runs from Damon, Matsui, and Cabrera will come from. Granderson is bound to do well at the plate, but Gardner (who looks to be Damon’s replacement) hasn’t had much success at bat in the majors and some don’t see Swisher coming through again. Either way though, as long as the big guys can stay off IR and remain healthy, there shouldn’t be much to worry about. Plus, with some younger guys in the outfield with a new team, we may just see some changes in their stats as well.

In the rotation, things look even better this year with the addition of Javier Vasquez. The loss of Wang won’t be felt much as he missed most of last season any way, although he is a good pitcher either way. Rivera is expected to be Rivera and hopefully the rest of the pen can stay at it.

It will be an interesting season as the Yankees pursue a repeat title. We still have a dangerous team, but with some big changes in Boston and elsewhere around the league, nothing can be guaranteed. As a Yankee fan, I still place all my faith in our Pinstripes and will be eagerly awaiting October.

The New York Yankees are your 2009 World Series Champions

And there you have it- we’ve waited nine years and it has finally happened! The New York Yankees have won there 27th World Series! Certainly a great postseason and an amazing way to kick off our new stadium.

Yankees win in stunning fashion through 13 innings

It was another spectacular postseason performance that featured a clutch Alex Rodriguez and a team that would not give up. The Yankees won in 13 innings against the Angels in game two of the ALCS today after A. Rod. tied up the game in the bottom of the ninth and a misthrow by the Angels in the bottom of the 13th lead to a run driven in by Hairston Jr. It was a great game as the Yanks continue to look forward to what has been the goal for so long: winning that 27th championship.

Yankees looking great half way through August

It is half way through August and almost two-thirds through the regular season and the Yankees are in stellar position. With a record of 74-43, the Yankees are currently leading the entire league with the best record in baseball. The AL East’s second place Red Sox are eight games behind and things are looking great. The team is on fire, with a record of 12-2 so far in August, which includes a 4-game sweep of the BoSox. The pitching has been solid, including relief thanks to Phil Hughes stepping up as a solid eighth inning guy as well as of course the revered Rivera. The offense hasn’t been shy either, with the some even comparing it to the 1998 team, one of the best in Yankee and baseball history. Everything really seems in place right now and hopefully the Yankees can continue dominating all the way through October and to that coveted 27th ring.