Remember when the New York Yankees made the deal almost two years ago to land Pedro Feliciano from the Mets?It seemed like a great move at the time, signing the then-34-year-old to a two-year, $8 million deal with an option for 2013.Unfortunately, Feliciano got shut down in spring training before ever throwing a pitch in the regular season for the Yankees in 2011.Later on, it was found out that Feliciano had a torn capsule and rotator cuff, which required surgery and not only forced Feliciano out for the 2011 season, ...
The New York Yankees are 63-46 and four-and-a-half games up on the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. One-third of the season remains (53 games), and it would take a monumental collapse for the Yankees to squander their lead in the division, much less miss the postseason altogether. Then why is there such a sense of urgency that this team needs to right the ship, and quickly? The Yankees are 6-12 since July 19th and are looking a bit wobbly entering the dog days of summer. The Yankees have ...
Remember last year, when Ivan Nova didn't lose in the second half of the season?That seems like a long time ago, because right now, the Yankees would do anything to have that same pitcher back on the mound.Instead, Nova has been downright awful for the Yankees, pitching with an 8.36 ERA since the All-Star break, and has not won a game since July 8.We're talking a full month now since Nova picked up a win.Since then, he's 0-3 and his ERA has sky-rocketed from 3.92 to 4.81, which is terrible.In ...
We all know the Yankees are a very high-profile team, full of big-name players. We also all know that a lot of those players have some pretty hefty contracts, a lot of which can only be described as "absurd".However, for all the lucrative contracts the Yankees have on the books, they also have a bunch of young players earning much more reasonable salaries, mostly due to the inexperience and lack of service time in the big leagues for those players.So, in the grand scheme of things, which Yankees players are ...
The voting criteria for Manager of the Year appears to go along these lines: "What team had the most surprising season? Who managed that team? Give that manager the award."From Bud Black and Kirk Gibson to Eric Wedge and Joe Maddon, small-revenue teams that have seasons as surprise contenders have the prime position for the award.Evidently, this means that a team with deep pockets does not need much skill to manage. It's as if having a huge payroll and a roster of stars allows the manager to fill out the ...
It was summer, 1994. At an antique shop in some rural area near Michigan’s thumb, I experienced an event that sticks with me to this day.An avid baseball card collector at the time, I used to tag along with family to these shops now and then with hopes of finding something unique to add to my collection. It seemed for every story I heard about old baseball cards being tossed away, I had also heard an equal number of stories about old baseball cards discovered by accident at antique ...
Before last night's 14-strikeout blowout by Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander, the New York Yankees took two of three games from the Seattle Mariners in the Bronx last weekend. The Tigers' 7-2 smacking marks the Yankees' 11th loss in their last 17 games, and the Bombers are now four games deep into a 20-game stretch that continues with three more versus the Tigers. The Yankees head into Comerica Park tonight maintaining a 5.5-game lead in the AL East, but like the great Yogi Berra said, “It ain't over until it's ...
With CC Sabathia as the ace, Hideki Kuroda as a strong No. 2 and Andy Pettitte set to come back in September, do the New York Yankees have a starting rotation good enough to make it to the World Series? Are the Yankees too dependent on Pettitte's comeback? If he doesn't return, is Freddy Garcia a suitable replacement? Should general manager Brian Cashman have traded for a starting pitcher at the July 31 trade deadline? Bleacher Report's MLB Lead Blogger Ian Casselberry and Pop Culture Lead Blogger Gabe Zaldival discuss ...
Here is one thing we can all agree on: CC Sabathia cannot pitch every day.Thankfully for the New York Yankees, neither can Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers or Jared Weaver of the Los Angeles Angels. The burning question, however, is whether the other Yankees starters can measure up to the rotations they might face during the postseason.The Yankees failed to acquire a starting pitcher at the trade deadline either because they felt the price was too high or because the anticipated return of Andy Pettitte, the winningest pitcher in postseason history, ...
“They’re hitting everything. It’s not one pitch in particular. They’re hitting everything.”The words of Ivan Nova after another battering, frustrating loss last night. The Yankees fell in Detroit 7-2. Nova was rocked for seven runs on 11 hits, routinely leaving two-seam fastballs over the middle of the plate. Ivan Nova hasn't been the same pitcher since the All-Star break one month ago.How bad has he been? Chad Jennings of The Journal News explains: "Nova’s ERA is above 8.00 since the All-Star break, and he’s won once since June 17. He has allowed ...