Talk Bronx New York

For the Yankees to win the World Series, they need A.J. Burnett to perform nearly as well as ace CC Sabathia.

The weather cooperated to allow a baseball game on Saturday night in the Bronx. But son of a gun if it didn’t feel like a football game, with temperatures in the 40s, winds making it feel worse and two hardened teams going into overtime as the clock turned to Sunday.

Weather watch: It was 47 degrees at gametime on Saturday night, 2 degrees warmer than on Friday, but it was again blustery, with a 15 mph wind from the north-northeast and gusts up to 23 mph that made the ceremonial red-white-and-blue bunting flap.

Pretty, pretty, pretty amazing.

And then it was over, 5 hours, 10 minutes after it began, with Jerry Hairston Jr. racing home at 1:07 in the morning, Game 2 of the ALCS to the Yanks, 4-3 in 13 innings.

Read more..

(No Ratings Yet)
 Loading ...
 Email This Post

In the end, all that mattered to the Red Sox [team stats] was that rookie right-hander Junichi Tazawa pitched his team to a 14-1 victory over the Yankees on a furnace-hot afternoon at Fenway.

The bonus, for connoisseurs of baseball, is that the kid happened also to provide an endless amount of entertainment, with Yankees batters hitting his best stuff so hard and so often that the whole thing began to look and sound and feel like one of those Rocky Balboa [trailer] fights.

There was, for instance, that shot off the Monster by Robinson Cano in the second inning. Alas for the Yankees, left fielder Jason Bay gunned down Cano trying to stretch it into a double.

There was that vicious line drive by the next batter, Eric Hinske. That was hit right smack into the glove of first baseman Victor Martinez.

The Yanks had two on and one out in the first . . . didn’t score a run. A walk and the Cano single in the second . . . no runs. Single by Nick Swisher in the third? Wasted. First and second, one down, in the fourth? No problem: Tazawa struck out Hinske and then got Melky Cabrera on a bouncer to first.

In the fifth, with two out, Mark Teixeira singled to center and Alex Rodriguez followed with a single to left. This brought up Hideki Matsui, who swung so hard and missed so hard at Tazawa first offering, screwing himself into the ground in the process, that the whole endeavor had Reggie Jackson stamped all over it. The showdown lasted six pitches, Matsui seemingly setting up Tazawa for a cannon shot somewhere, and then it ended, just like that, with a harmless pop fly to third.

“There was some pretty solid contact,” Red Sox manager Terry Francona said of Tazawa outing. “But he executed pitches, especially when they had runners on base, and had a way of dialing up that fastball a bit, locating it with a little extra on it.” Read more..

(No Ratings Yet)
 Loading ...
 Email This Post

Righty Chad Gaudin won his Yankee debut Wednesday, throwing two scoreless innings against the Blue Jays in an experience he said “words can’t explain.

“That’s what this game is about, finding what’s inside you,” said Gaudin, who allowed one hit and one walk while striking out three. The Yankees were prepared to let Gaudin throw as many as 85 pitches in extra innings, but were also happy he tossed only 44 because he is likely to start Sunday in Seattle.

“I knew I hadn’t pitched in a week, so I knew I could be stretched out there. I was ready to go the distance,” Gaudin said. “It’s big. Your first outing, first impression is usually pretty big. Everybody wishes for the same opportunity, and I got it, and it all worked out.”

BRONX CHEERS: Randy Ruiz says the homer he hit at the old Yankee Stadium doesn’t count since the Bronx product hit it while in high school at James Monroe. However, the two home runs Toronto’s infielder hit Tuesday and Wednesday at the new Yankee Stadium, however, certainly counted.

Playing in his hometown and in front of his friends and family after being called up Tuesday from Triple-A to replace Alex Rios, the 31-year-old smacked two home runs for the Blue Jays and went 3-for-9 over the two days. Ruiz’s two home runs were only the second and third of his career, which has involved bouncing around minor-league teams and two failed steroids tests.

“It feels great (to hit the home runs) especially in front of the family,” Ruiz said. “Unfortunately we lost the game, but hopefully I can contribute more for the team and maybe when I get an opportunity with runners in scoring position I can drive them in next time.” Read more..

(No Ratings Yet)
 Loading ...
 Email This Post

 Muhammad Ali waves to cheering crowd in the Bronx, site of his 1976 title defense against Ken Norton

  “The Greatest” was back at Yankee Stadium Thursday night, and we’re not talking about the 1927 Yankees or the even the ‘98 team.

Muhammad Ali, who defended his heavyweight title at the old Yankee Stadium by beating Ken Norton in 1976, presented two hospitality awards to Hal Steinbrenner and the Yanks in a ceremony before their series- opening victory against Boston.

The 67-year-old former champ, wearing a blue shirt and sporting sunglasses, also posed for pictures flanked by Yankee players and rode around the field in a golf cart, waving to cheering fans as music blared and highlights of his fights played on the scoreboard. A cluster of fans chanted, “Ali, Ali” and he smiled and waved. Near home plate, Ali, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, sat on a stool.

“It doesn’t get much better than that,” Steinbrenner said of meeting Ali. “His legacy just transcends generations and that was proof. It’s great to have him here, an honor. The man was a legend in so many ways, in and out of the ring.”

Read more..

(No Ratings Yet)
 Loading ...
 Email This Post

Jonathan Papelbon struck out Robinson Cano with the bases loaded to finish a game that featured five homers and a shouting match

Story Highlights
The usual amount of intensity and bad blood was present at new Yankee Stadium
Jon Lester frustrated the Yankees, while Phil Hughes pitched himself into trouble
The Red Sox (16-10) have won all four meetings with the Yankees (13-12) in ‘09

NEW YORK — On Monday evening, Red Sox slugger David Ortiz stood in the visitor’s dugout at new Yankee Stadium wearing short sleeves and a big smile, seemingly oblivious to both the cold rain that had cancelled batting practice and would delay the start of the game and the .208 batting average he lugged with him to the Bronx. “You know why I came out here?” Ortiz asked. “Because I got lost in the clubhouse like three times and I said, ‘I’m done.’” Read more..

(No Ratings Yet)
 Loading ...
 Email This Post