In most situations with runners on base and less than two outs, hitting into a double play is the worst result for the offensive team. Most batters who hit the ball sharply hit into the most double plays even if they possess great speed. In 2011, Adrien Gonzalez, who does not have great speed, has hit into 25 double plays to lead the American League, while Albert Pujols has equaled Gonzalez to lead the National League. Cal Ripken Jr. holds the career record by grounding into 350 double plays, followed ...
The feeding frenzy that is the MLB off-season often brings blockbuster drama and expectations for teams and newly acquired players. The New York Yankees are usually in the middle of this calamity, always looking to pick up new pieces to an always-tricky puzzle as they reload for a new season. This winter will likely be no different, but who should they go after to bolster their line-up? Should it be a front-line starter, or maybe a top-end reliever to help out a solid bullpen led by Mariano Rivera? It could be a bat; they ...
To me, the decision for Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman of the New York Yankees has to be easy. Allow Phil Hughes to remain in the rotation and show what he's got. On the other hand is AJ Burnett.AJ Burnett has failed to record a win since June 28. Over a month and this guy still can't get a win with one of the most prolific offenses in the MLB. It's a lineup that just never seems to end. Brett Gardner is a scrappy hitter who will foul pitches off ...
These past few days have been interesting for the New York Yankees. Alex Rodriguez is starting his return to the team, hitting a home run in his first at-bat. Jorge Posada had a stellar performance as the starting DH today against Jeremy Hellickson of the Tampa Bay Rays, collecting three hits (including a grand slam) and six RBIs.What are the New York Yankees going to do with the DH position, though?It seems very likely that Jorge Posada and Alex Rodriguez will be evaluated as the primary DHs. Posada has been ...
Jorge Posada came back in a big way for the Yankees tonight. He went 3-5, had six RBI, and hit a grand slam.Phil Hughes posted six solid innings, giving up only two earned runs and four hits.This outing all but secured his spot in the rotation. A.J. Burnett was supposed to be C.C. Sabathia's No. 2 pitcher this season, but now it appears he's heading for the bench. Sabathia wants a five-man rotation, and the Yankees have to keep their main guy happy. He has already expressed his dislike for the six-man rotation, and Joe ...
Sometimes, Babe Ruth had to become serious. It wasn't always fun and games.The issue of the Adolph Hitler massacres of tens of thousands of Jewish civilians was so compelling that Ruth had to act. The killings were not random events. On Dec. 17, 1942 the U.S. and British governments confirmed that fact, but that was all. There was no talk of any other planned response to the slaughters. As still happens today, the mass murders started to fade into the background, but Dorothy Thompson, the first American journalist to be ...
Brian Cashman is in the final year of his current contract as General Manager of the New York Yankees.Some hope he will resign.Quite possibly, more are praying to whatever Gods they believe in that he does not. No matter what side you are on when it comes to Cashman, one cannot easily dispute that during his tenure, which started in 1998, the Yankees have won the A.L Pennant five times and the World Series three, making Cashman the most successful GM in baseball over that particular period of time.Regardless of ...
Following the 1921 World Series, New York Yankees slugger Babe Ruth formed a team of major league all-stars that would barnstorm around America. Ruth and the players needed the money. Before free agency, most players worked during the off-season because they needed the money. Baseball players earned only slightly more than most Americans and some, as difficult as it might be to believe today, even used public transportation to get to work. Jobs included selling cars or insurance (Bob Feller and Al Rosen), teaching (Joe Black) and grave digging (Richie ...
If you listen to the propaganda spewed by the New York Yankees, Jesus Montero is a catcher who is constantly improving defensively and who will be some combination of Mike Piazza and Albert Pujols with a bat in his hands.That’s if you listen to what they say. But actions speak louder than words, and if you follow their actions (and the reactions of numerous other teams/scouts), you come up with a far different story on Montero.Start with Montero’s defense. The Yankees have insisted repeatedly over the past few years that ...
It’s no secret that A.J. Burnett isn't the best pitcher on the Yankees.He is 8-9 this season with a 4.60 ERA.He hasn't won a game for the Yankees since June 29th (that’s seven starts without a win). He's given up at least three runs in his last seven starts, and in four of those he was pulled before the sixth inning. Not to mention AJ has not had one start this season where he has not given up a run.But is he the worst on the Yankees rotation and not ...