The site’s new layout is now fully functional and, from this point on, I’ll only be posting at www.i-yankees.com. I hope that you’ll meet me over there as the Yankees continue their postseason trek. Also, please, feel free to provide me with some feedback on the site via Twitter, Facebook, email or comment.
RIP THEBRONXZOO.WORDPRESS.COM (this site will remain as an archive).
From Alden Gonzalez (MLB):
The Yankees announced on Sunday that they will open the Stadium Field Level and Great Hall to the public to watch the Yankees face the Angels in Anaheim as New York tries to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the ALCS.
“We wanted to provide a place for our fans to come together to cheer for our team, even if the game itself is taking place across the country,” Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said in a news release. “This is a way of saying ‘Thank you’ for their continued support.”
Turnstiles between Gates 4 and 6 will open at 3:30 p.m. ET for the 4:13 p.m. game — broadcast on FOX — and fans can watch it in the Great Hall or in the open sections of the Field Level. Food and concession stands, as well as NYY Steak and Hard Rock Café, will be open and available to fans.
Awesome stuff by the Yankees. I think they’ll get a nice group of fans, as the weather looks to be pretty favorable. Opening up the park should be good for the surrounding community, as well.
Via Marc Carig (props to RAB), we learn that the Yankees will start CC Sabathia on short rest for Game 4 of the ALCS.
From Jon Heyman (SI):
A.J. Burnett threw another nice game with favored catcher Jose Molina behind the plate, allowing three hits and two earned runs in 6 1/3 innings. So look for Molina to remain his personal catcher thoughout the postseason. Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Burnett have suggested it was Girardi’s call to employ Molina. But of course it comes with Burnett’s unspoken (at least publicly unspoken) approval.
A couple of the Yankees’ more finicky star pitchers have had issues with Posada before, most notably Randy Johnson, who was eventually caught every game by backup John Flaherty. Others see the benefits of Molina but understand that the team is better off with Posada in the lineup. According to people in the Yankees’ clubhouse, the two biggest reasons Molina may be favored by pitchers are 1) game calling (and more specifically, the speed of his game calling), and 2) framing pitches.
Word is that Molina is much quicker than Posada at calling for pitches when there’s a baserunner at second base, enabling the pitcher to stay in rhythm, and also much more likely to accept a pitcher’s wishes. Posada is seen as slightly stubborn about his opinion of what pitch should be called. Molina is also viewed as one of the best in the league framing pitches, and thus stealing strikes. One pitcher said Molina may steal up to three or four strikes an inning when he’s at his best.
Heyman isn’t necessarily providing us with any new information here, as it’s common knowledge that Molina is a better game-caller than Posada and that he can frame pitches as if they were photographs. However, I did not know that Molina was more likely to accept a pitcher’s wishes, which explains why he’s able to an induce such a rhythmic tempo when he’s behind the plate. I’ve always thought that he took the lead and made good calls, making it easier for the pitcher to simply trust him and throw whatever it was that he asked for. That doesn’t appear to be the case, however, according to Heyman.
This, then, explains why A.J. Burnett and Joba Chamberlain seem to have such a good rapport with Molina. It’s a lot easier for a stubborn power pitcher to work with a fairly submissive catcher who accepts the pitcher’s pitch selection over his own, as this allows one to steer clear of a potentially harmful egotistical struggle. This intimate relationship between a pitcher and his catcher is a tremendously complex issue. There are a lot of psychological nuances involved, it seems. Too bad there isn’t any real statistic that I know of which probes the matter further (maybe the complexity prevents that, though).
From Ken Davidoff (Newsday):
A quick recap: According to a person in the loop, Matt Holliday’s top choices in free agency are: 1) Yankees; and 2) Mets. The Oklahoma native is apparently not intimidated by New York.As of now, I’d say the Yankees don’t want to make another large purchase like that, in the wake of last winter’s shopping spree – and if they win it all, then the pressure from the yakosphere (trademark Neil Best) to get Holliday should alleviate.
Matt Holliday, like Mark Teixeira, really is a good fit for the Yankees. Whereas the Jason Bay’s offense has likely peaked this season (he’ll be 32 next season), Matt Holliday, at 29, has yet to reach that mark.
This year, his numbers in Oakland were very good (.286/.378/.454) despite a miserable April (.240/.288/.360)—he was probably getting used to AL baseball and his new team—and once he returned to the NL, where the pitching was once again familiar, his stats were off the charts. He hit .353/.419/.604 in 63 games with St. Louis. That doesn’t mean he’s just an NL player, rather, it proves what “knowing pitchers” can do for your overall numbers.
Add Holliday’s exceptional defense—he’s 7.4 runs above average, range-wise—to his offensive talent and, on the season, you have a complete player, one that’s worth 5.6 WAR. If he were on the Yankees this year, he would be the 3rd best player on the team, behind only Derek Jeter and CC Sabathia (according to WAR). Furthermore, given his mixture of speed (14 SB), power and patience, he would be an excellent number 2 hitter for the Yankees (sorry, Johnny).
If Cashman and co. intend on adding another player to man left field for them, Matt Holliday is certainly the best choice. Whether he’s the most viable option, financially, though, has yet to be seen. Scott Boras is Holliday’s agent and is always looking for a massive payday. But, the Holliday family really seems to like the idea of their son in pinstripes, so perhaps that will factor into the negotiations and allow the Yankees to reel in another prized free agent this winter.
Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
From Jon Heyman (SI):
In each of two different playoff games already, Yankees manager Joe Girardi has used eight different pitchers. Perhaps he’d use even more if he wasn’t running out of them.
Girardi’s playoff style is part Joe Torre and part Tony La Russa, which makes sense since he played for Torre during three victorious World Series and calls La Russa the best tactician he ever played for. La Russa was practically the inventor of the pitching change. And Torre learned early to manage with great urgency in the postseason from Don Zimmer, who’s also a mentor of Girardi.
But Girardi has taken the urgency to a whole new level.
Girardi used Joba Chamberlain for only one out in the seventh inning, and he used vaunted closer Mariano Rivera in the eighth inning of a tie game (plus the next two innings, as well). Rivera’s 2 1/3-inning outing was the longest of his season.
In the five games, Giarardi has made 19 pitching changes to cover 17 2/3 innings. That’s a lot of calls, but a vast majority of Girardi’s relief calls have worked.
As Steve over at WW points out, Girardi has managed the only 2 games in postseason history where a team has employed 8 or more pitchers in a contest that was 13-innings or less and where the team actually won (there are 7 instances where a team lost after using 8 or more pitchers in a 13-inning or less affair). One of those games was Game 2 of the ‘09 ALDS against the Twins and the second was Game 2 of the ‘09 ALCS (last night). Essentially, Girardi is going to his pen quite a bit, but the results are definitely positive. The Yankees are winning games on the backs of his decisions (the bullpen itself deserves credit, too, of course) and he appears to be pushing all of the right buttons.
Some folks may argue with Girardi’s use of Joba Chamberlain, specifically — he was in for 1/3 of an inning last night — however, thus far Joba hasn’t looked particularly sharp in his bullpen stint (he was off last night). For this reason, and taking into account the regular season, as well, I like that Girardi is willing to go batter-to-batter with him. It’s better to take a reliever out early (prior to an implosion), I think, than it is to take him out when it’s already too late (after an implosion).
Though I’ve been an outspoken critic of Girardi’s managerial decisions throughout the season, I have to say, he’s really winning me over in October.
Form Ben Reiter (SI):
On Fuentes’ third pitch, a 90 mile-an-hour fastball, Rodriguez took an inside-out uppercut swing and sent the ball soaring the other way. It landed just over the right field wall, giving Rodriguez an RBI for the sixth straight postseason game and making him just the third player ever, according to the website baseball-reference.com, to hit a game-tying home run in extra innings of a postseason game. “When Al hit that game-tying home run,” Hairston said later, “We knew something special was happening.”
No one is really sure what has happened to Rodriguez, who once upon a time struggled in the postseason. “I know you guys are probably looking for something profound,” he said to reporters after the game. “I’m just in a good place. I’m seeing the ball and I’m hitting it.” Later he said, “I think [it goes] back to spring training. It was a rough one this spring. I thought making things simple was the best thing for me … the fact that I’m out there playing baseball is a miracle.”
Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images
Here are the lineups, via LoHud:
YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Nick Swisher RF
Robinson Cano 2B
Melky Cabrera CF
Jose Molina CPitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (0-0, 1.50 ERA)
ANGELS
Chone Figgins 3B
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Kendry Morales 1B
Juan Rivera LF
Maicer Izturis 2B
Mike Napoli C
Erick Aybar SSPitching: LHP Joe Saunders (0-0, 0.00)
TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX
If the game starts on time, then they’ll do everything in their power to make sure it finishes at some point tonight (tonight is relative here, as the game could go beyond 12 am if there’s a rain delay). Either way, I don’t think they’ll postpone, regardless of the rain. Too bad it wasn’t a day game. The weather was fine earlier.
Here are Burnett’s numbers against the Angels, lifetime.
Here are Saunders’ numbers against the Yankees, lifetime.
I’ll call an A-Rod homer in advance. Over 14 AB’s, Alex is hitting .500/.533/1.071 against Saunders, with 2 HR, 2 2B, and 4 RBI. This is a good matchup for him. In fact, I expect to see Kate Hudson shown at least twice.
Based on the data provided above via Weather.com, it looks like there will be light ran and perhaps no rain prior to 10 pm. If we assume that this illustration is accurate (ha!), then the game should be able to start on time (7:57 pm), although delays could very well occur throughout the course of the night. I’ll provide updates as they become available to me, so stay tuned.
Here are three quick notes, assuming the game goes on as planned:
Before CC Sabathia completed his eight-inning gem and before Mariano Rivera threw his his 122nd inning of postseason baseball, a strange situation unfolded during last night’s ballgame in the Bronx. The Yankees had announced the attendance for the ALCS home opener and, remarkably, the recorded crowd of 49,688—while rather large—was not a sell-out audience. Given that the new Stadium seats a grand total of 52,325 fans, nearly 2,700 seats went unfilled despite the fact that October baseball had once again fully captivated the city.
Pete Abraham tweeted such while the game was in progress and, about 2 hours later, like clockwork, the Yankees announced that the game had, indeed, sold out, though not everyone—apparently close to 2,700 fans—who purchased tickets had shown up. The turnstiles, according to the Yankees, were simply not spinning in the Bronx.
To be honest, I find it hard to believe that such a large contingency of fans would fail to attend Game 1 of the ALCS. Yes, it was a frigid and damp night with more rain in the forecast, but it was also a night that featured CC Sabathia versus John Lackey—a marquee matchup. Still, 49,688 was the best that we—the pinstriped faithful—could manage. Is this at all believable?
I really don’t think so. In fact, I would not put it past the Yankees to actually embellish their ticket sales or purchase their own available tickets, last minute, in order to avoid a possible PR nightmare. Record companies engage in similar practices in order to inflate underwhelming album sales, especially when an album’s sales fail to meet high expectations. Is it really that far fetched to assume that the Yankees are involved in a similar system of self-promotion? Again, I think it’s naive to rule this out entirely. The discrepancy between 49,688 and 52,325 is too large to accept without at least some level of even the most cursory questioning. Remember, this wasn’t a Royals-Yankees game—this was the team’s most important game of the year, thus far.
However, though these ticket dilemmas are, indeed, problematic, this is not the central issue at hand. The central issue is that the Yankees are essentially saying, “It’s not our fault. We sold the tickets—all of them—the fans just didn’t materialize.” The blame for this seating situation is not necessarily projected on to the fans—that’s not what I’m saying, really—rather, it is deflected from the Yankees and their organization. They fail to hold themselves accountable for creating a contemporary caste system within a ballpark. Instead of purchasing their own tickets or merely fudging the numbers in order to avoid embarrassing headlines, perhaps they should further examine the culture they have created in regards to the new Yankee Stadium.
As Jeff Passan noted earlier today, ever since the beginning of the season, “the message was obvious to every proletariat Yankees fan: The new stadium was the domain of kings, and peasants need not bother.” Even the most average Yankee fans, Passan continues, despite their undying dedication for CC Sabathia and Derek Jeter, “are now conditioned to believe they can’t afford a ticket.” For proof of this, Passan points to $101 tickets that are still available for today’s game. Instead of blaming the team’s fans for this absurd availability, which I’ve seen occur, perhaps the Yankees are the ones who should shoulder the blame. It is ultimately their fault if the fans, under the impression that the Stadium will not accommodate those with lighter wallets, have simply stopped trying to purchase tickets for the ALCS—the Yankees most important series of the year.
In the end, last night’s victory was a beautiful one for the Yankees, the city, and their followers. Sadly, witnessing such an event continues to be fairly limited and, although I can watch the games from the privacy of my home and at relatively no cost, I’m still forced to see dozens of empty blue seats behind Mark Teixeira as he robs Torii Hunter of a single. Each empty seat serves as a very public reminder that this is an expensive affair, one that many simply cannot afford access to regardless of their fandom. So, even though the Yankees claim to have sold every available ticket at Yankee Stadium—a claim that I cannot bring myself to fully believe—those empty seats showcased on FOX loom large and will continue to do so throughout October (and into November).
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
From George King III (NY Post):
Members of MLB’s drug testing team might want to rent a room at Yankee Stadium.
For the second time in a week the testing team was at the Stadium last night collecting urine samples from two members of the Yankees and Angels after the Yankees’ 4-1 victory in Game 1 of the ALCS.
Last Friday the testers hauled five members of the Yankees and Twins into the back rooms of the clubhouses for tests.
The MLB probably tested Alex Rodriguez after his uncharacteristically productive performance during the ALDS. “A-Rod hit what? A home run to tie the ballgame? When? In the late innings? Go grab the Dixie Cups!”
Prior to last night’s game, I discussed the Yankees-Angels series from a defensive viewpoint, noting that the Angels were an effective group of fielders, especially when compared to the mediocre Yankee defense. “Squeezing liners through this group will be a tough task,” I claimed, only to see the Angels commit 3 errors — 4 should have been recorded — in last night’s 4-1 victory. Juan Rivera’s arm produced an errant throw, Chone Figgins and Erick Aybar allowed an infield pop-up to fall for an RBI single (the scorer’s decision was equally perplexing), John Lackey briefly transformed into Chuck Knoblauch on a throw to first, and in center field, Torii Hunter misplayed a ball off his glove as he rushed to hold Derek Jeter to a single (Jeter would advance on Hunter’s mistake).
Angel defense this was not.
With the Angels conceding their only clear advantage — their gloves — at least for one game, the Yankees ultimately profited from LA’s ironic misfortune, as 2 of the team’s 4 runs were the subsequent byproducts of 3 defensive miscues (Damon advanced after the Rivera throw and then scored on the pop-up “single,” Melky scored after advancing on the failed pickoff attempt by Lackey). Though the Yankees scored two other runs on an A-Rod sac-fly and a Hideki Matsui double which would plate Johnny Damon — he was 2-for-5 with 2 runs scored and is apparently over whatever ailed him during the ALDS — the 2 runs the Angels were seemingly eager to cough up ended up being all the Yankees really needed to take Game 1. CC dominated for 8 and Mariano shut the door in the 9th. It was textbook stuff.
Later today, in the second chapter of this 7-game set, A.J. Burnett will seek to further the Yankees’ good fortune by providing another win before journeying to California. He’ll likely be joined by his battery mate Jose Molina, although that has yet to be confirmed (for whatever absurd reason).
Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images
Yanks win Game 1 thanks to Sabathia’s 8 inning performance (4 H 1 ER 1 BB 7 K).
Here are the lineups, via LoHud:
YANKEES
Derek Jeter SS
Johnny Damon LF
Mark Teixeira 1B
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Robinson Cano 2B
Nick Swisher RF
Melky Cabrera CFPitching: LHP CC Sabathia (1-0, 1.37 ERA)
ANGELS
Chone Figgins 3B
Bobby Abreu RF
Torii Hunter CF
Vladimir Guerrero DH
Juan Rivera LF
Kendry Morales 1B
Howie Kendrick 2B
Jeff Mathis C
Erick Aybar SSPitching: RHP John Lackey (1-0, 0.00)
TIME/TV: 7:57 p.m., FOX
Joe Girardi expects his team to very patient tonight against John Lackey (so, basically, stick to what has worked all season). Should be a fun matchup. If I had to offer a prediction, I’d say the Yankees — of course — in 5 games.
Here are two quick news items as we await a perfect game from CC Sabathia.
That’s that. I’ll be posting lineups shortly.
Here’s a quick starting pitcher breakdown:
The gray highlights indicate the perceived advantage. This advantage is based on the pitcher’s regular season numbers, although I have factored in oppositional history, as well, albeit marginally. Therefore, CC is better than Lackey (he can dominate any lineup, regardless of his season numbers against LA), Burnett is better than Saunders, Weaver is better than Pettitte though both have struggled against their respective opponents, and, if the Yankees are forced to trot out Chad Gaudin or Joba Chamberlain in Game 4, then Scott Kazmir would definitely have the advantage in that particular outing (note—the Gaudin and Kazmir numbers featured above are based solely on the innings with their current teams).
If Saunders has a good game in him, which we know he does, then the series will be pretty even. The Yankees’ starters have better stuff and strike out more opponents, but the Angels walk fewer hitters. Plus, they have a better defense behind them. If the Yankees can start CC on 3 days rest for game 4, it will likely tip the series in their favor. That, of course, is contingent upon the weather.
Here are 3 quick items on the day:
Stay tuned for more breakdowns and analysis…
Let’s take a look at the Yankees-Angels matchup from a defensive standpoint. I’ve compiled data regarding outfield arm runs (ARM), double play runs for infielders (DPR), range runs (RngR), error runs (ErrR), ultimate zone rating (UZR), and ultimate zone rating per 150 defensive game (UZR/150). Each figure represents runs above or below (-) average. For a more detailed definition of each value, feel free to check out FanGraphs, which provided the data.
Now, onto the actual breakdown:
For the Yankees, it’s not a particularly encouraging comparison. I’ll go through each analytical unit — ARM, DPR, RngR, and ErrR — one by one, as these elements, in tandem, constitute the UZR numbers.
ARM – The Yankees’ outfield consists of Johnny Damon, Nick Swisher, and Melky Cabrera, with sparing production from Brett Gardner (who is not featured in the table above but is a very good defender). Of Damon, Swisher and Melky, only Melky has had a decent year with his arm (-0.9 is essentially average). Damon and Swisher, together, are -8.8 runs below average, arm-wise. Both have trouble holding runners and throwing out runners (Swisher’s negative number can be attributed to mental lapses, as well as general arm strength). The Angels, who like to run, will certainly take advantage of this weakness during the ALCS.
For the Yankee offense, it will be a different story on the base paths. Juan Rivera’s arm has been good this season whereas Abreu’s is the best in the league for his position (it’s his only redeeming defensive quality). The Yankees will have trouble advancing on the two corner Angels, but they should take what they can against Torii Hunter’s noodle-like limb.
DPR – Double play runs are an interesting measure. According to FanGraphs, DPR signifies the “number of runs above or below average a fielder is, based on the number double plays versus the number forces at second they get, as compared to an average fielder at that position, given the speed and location of the ball and the handedness of the batter.” In this regard, the Yankees are basically average (the negatives figures aren’t far from 0.0) while the Angels are (slightly) above average.
The most likely double play duo for the Yanks — Jeter and Cano — is a statistical wash given Jeter’s DPR score and Cano’s DPR score, whereas Kendrick and Aybar are an impressive double play combination (5.9 runs above average). To counter, Joe Girardi could employ a few more hit and runs and perhaps the added speed on the bench in the form of Guzman and Gardner will work towards disrupting what is a very solid defensive infield.
RngR – This is where it gets especially ugly for the Yankee defense. The team doesn’t have much range outside of Jeter, Swisher (very good range), and Melky (Gardner injects some in LF when he replaces Damon in the later innings). In fact, A-Rod, Teixeira, Damon, and Cano are rated as poor defenders, range-wise. For LA, with regards to ground covered, outside of Bobby Abreu, who is just an awful defender, the Angels are either average fielders or above average fielders (Rivera, Morales, Figgins). Squeezing liners through this bunch will be a tough task, indeed.
ErrR – Collectively, the Yankees are pretty good at converting outs and not committing errors. For the most part, they’re average or, in Derek Jeter’s case, above average. The same can be said for the Angels, who have Bobby Abreu at one end of the ErrR spectrum (-2.9) and Erick Aybar at the other end (5.5). The rest of the players are average in this particular area.
UZR and UZR/150 – UZR and UZR/150 are basically built upon the smaller defensive units discussed above. None of the Yankees have above average ratings outside of Jeter and Cabrera (Swisher is average) while Hunter and Abreu are the only noticeable weak spots for Mike Scioscia’s Halo-wearing crew. Bottom line—compared to the Yankees, the Angels are a very good defensive team. Their range at 3B, 1B and LF is extremely effective and their corner outfielders have very good arms. These are the distinct defensive differences that will separate the two groups throughout the ALCS.
The best way for the Yankees to beat the defensive prowess exhibited by LA is to hit the ball out of the park where the Angels can’t catch it. The Yankees have the ability to do that, though it’s easier said than done. Or, maybe they could direct every ball they hit at Bobby Abreu. That would probably lead to about 20 runs scored.
From the Daily News:
Irish tenor Ronan Tynan sings a first-rate “God Bless America,” at Yankee Stadium, but his attempt at telling a joke offended a Jewish doctor who found it to be anti-Semitic.
Tynan apologized, telling WNBC, “I would never want to hurt anybody’s feelings. It was stupid of me to be so callous.”
But the Yankees still canceled his appearance at the stadium Friday night.
The trouble started when Tynan, 49, bumped into a real estate agent showing an apartment in his East Side apartment building to a doctor from NYU Medical Center.
The agent told Tynan, “Don’t worry, they are not Red Sox fans,” according to apartment-hunter Gabrielle Gold-von Simson.
“I don’t care about that, as long as they are not Jewish,” was Tynan’s reply.
What an idiot. Maybe now the Yankees can actually bring in an attractive singer to do “God Bless America.” What’s Beyonce up to? Jay-Z is always at Yankee Stadium, so it makes sense. Please, let it happen.
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