When Alex Rodriguez struck out to end the game, and the Yankee season, it was only fitting.Rodriguez hit .111 in the division series against the Tigers, and struck out with the bases loaded in the seventh inning in the decisive Game 5 that sent the New York Yankees home early once again in 2011.Rodriguez's poor postseason play is one of several reasons the Yankees have fallen short of reaching the World Series yet again.A franchise that won four world championships in five years during the 1990s has won just one ...
Well, like most Yankees fans last night I stared at the television for a good 20 to 30 minutes after Jose Valverde struck out Alex Rodriguez to advance the Tigers into the ALCS. But unlike many of my Yankee fan brethren, I wasn't looking for that one scapegoat to blame the ALDS five-game series loss on.The thought of blaming Freddy Garcia for his Game 2 performance never crossed my mind. The thought of blaming Rafael Soriano for giving up the Delmon Young home run in the Game 3 loss never ...
Major League Baseball's two most followed teams are the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. It wasn't that long ago that the Yankees' fans were laughing at the late-season collapse and subsequent panic of the Boston Red Sox.Now, turnabout is fair play, as the Yankees have now had two straight seasons without winning a World Series, which is an eternity for them.All of a sudden, their vaunted lineup looks very old. Derek Jeter is 37, Alex Rodriguez is 36, Curtis Granderson is 30 and Mark Teixeria is 31.But with ...
New York's Alex Rodriguez swung and missed, Detroit's Jose Valverde danced and the Yankees' quest for World Series No. 28 was officially postponed to 2012 as the Tigers captured Game 5 in the Bronx.After performing well enough down the stretch to earn a spot on the postseason roster, Jorge Posada hit .429 in the ALDS. You certainly can't pin the series loss on him—other than his base-running blunder in Game 1, which the Yankees won anyway, Posada was fantastic.So if Posada, whose disappointing season made him a prime target for ...
For the second straight season, the New York Yankees failed in their pursuit of a 28th World Series title.This time around though, the blame falls on manager Joe Girardi and his questionable choices.While execution on the part of the players is essential, Girardi's job is equally important. His responsibility is to put the best personnel on the field and make decisions that work to their strengths.Here are four managerial mistakes that doomed the Yankees in the American League Division Series.Begin Slideshow
It’s very hard to describe a team that has a payroll of over $202 million as a group of overachievers, but that word properly sums up the 2011 New York Yankees.After they were defeated by the Detroit Tigers (who, let’s face it, were the all-around better team), the Yankees suddenly have to answer some major questions.Here are several things the Yankees need to address before the 2012 season starts.Begin Slideshow
How ironic that a film extolling the virtues of using a statistical approach to winning baseball games was released at about the same time as the 2011 New York Yankees-Detroit Tigers playoff series started. Billy Beane’s philosophy is based on the premise that on-base percentage and slugging average are two of the most vital statistics. In the Yankees-Tigers playoff series, the Yankees did better in both categories. They also had much better pitching numbers. Joe Girardi should ask for a do-over. During the regular season, the Yankees outscored the Tigers ...
The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers will resume their American League Division Series Saturday night at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. A heavy rain halted the much-anticipated pitching matchup between the Yankees' CC Sabathia and the Tigers' Justin Verlander, so for the rest of Game 1, Yankees fans will be treated to Ivan Nova and Doug Fister.Although fans will not get the pitching duel they were hoping for when this series kicked off, it is not the only thing to discuss as the series starts up again. Here are ...
Mother Nature handed the Yankees a gift on Friday night when torrential rains ended Game 1 in the middle of the second inning. Now they have to capitalize on this gift by getting to Doug Fister.This is no easy task but one they must accomplish. Otherwise, they will be staring at the possibility of having to win three out of four games, with one of those games coming against the nearly invincible Justin Verlander.A loss in this game will put a tremendous amount of pressure on their lineup and turn ...
All season long, Yankee followers have been bombarded by story after story bemoaning the lack of starting depth behind C.C. Sabathia. The reason? Well, the Yankees don't really have that much starting depth behind C.C. Sabathia. With that said, though, they do have a potential wild card in Ivan Nova, the young righty who passed a number of more high-profile Yankee pitching prospects, and a few veterans as well, on his way to the second slot in the Yankees rotation.Nova was, of course, slated to pitch Game 2 today, but ...