First off – I apologize for not posting sooner – I have not had internet for the past 2 days. I just got it back today at 2pm. But a congrat’s goes out to our boys in pinstripes who managed to win the first series of the season 2-1.
Last Home Opener in the Stadium (4/1/08)
After a ton of trade talks in the off season – the Yankees opted to keep Alex Rodriguez, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Melky Cabrera. All of which were a great idea. But who shined on Tuesday night’s 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays? None other than center fielder himself, Melky Cabrera. Although he didn’t bring the win home completely on his own, he contributed to the win both at bat and in the field.
“Cabrera raced to right-center to track a drive by Lyle Overbay, and reached over his head to catch the ball on the warning track while slamming into the fence. The next hitter, Aaron Hill, sent Cabrera racing in the other direction with a shot toward the gap in left-center. On his horse Cabrera went again, and he made a mid-air grab before flopping on his belly.”
In his first game as the Yankees manager, Joe Girardi said in a post-game interview that “Melky is an exciting player.He brings some dimensions in the outfield to us, and obviously he has improved with the bat. He brings a lot of energy every day, and he’s just pleasant to be around. You see the smile on his face every day when he goes out to the field. He really loves what he’s doing.”
But a smile wasn’t all Melky brought to the game on Opening Night, he also got a rare curtain call after his 2-run home run in the 6th from the sell out crowd of 55,112.
Captain Derek Jeter went on to say, “Melky can hit, and he’s still learning. He’s still young. He’s going to get better. When he first came up, he swung at a lot of pitches. Now he’s becoming more patient. You could see that in his at-bat against Halladay, who is one of the toughest pitchers I’ve ever seen.”
I’d put money on the fact that Jeter, Girardi, or the entire Yankees organization for that matter was extremely happy that Melky was on their team Opening Day and not on somebody else’s.
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First Loss of the Season (4/2/08)
Mike Mussina gave his all to keep his teams head above the water into the 5th inning. Moose allowed 4 runs in 5 and 2/3 innings – 3 of which were earned.
“Now in his final year under contract and facing an uncertain future, Mussina has taken on more of a leadership role, helping to mentor some of the club’s young pitchers and providing a sounding board for their inquiries.”
“Happy to have him as half-mentor, half-hurler, the Yankees are still curious as to what Mussina will provide for them, one year after he temporarily lost his spot in the rotation after a string of subpar outings.”
“The 39-year-old right-hander used his curveball as a go-to pitch for most of the evening, but he lost it on occasion as well, such as one flat sixth-inning offering that skimmed Frank Thomas’ jersey.”
Alex Rodriguez blasted a 2-run shot against Burnett, making it his first home run since his MVP season last year and his 519th in total. it should also be noted that his homer was the final pitch of the night for Burnett.
“I hit that ball as good as I can hit it. I was fortunate. You never know with this weather. … [Burnett was] very impressive. A guy that’s throwing up in the mid-90s and is able to throw his curveball for strikes at will, that’s a handful right there.”
“Mussina allowed eight hits, walking two and striking out two before yielding to reliever LaTroy Hawkins, who allowed a run in the seventh in his Yankees debut.”
Moose also said in a post-game interview that “you can’t have it the way it was last night every night; it’s not possible.”
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Yankees Take First Series of the Season (4/3/08)
“Two bunts and a bloop were the winning recipe for Joe Girardi’s second victory as Yankees manager. Bobby Abreu’s eighth-inning single to shallow center moved across the go-ahead run in New York’s 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays on Thursday.”
Phil Hughes made his first start of the season at the age of 21. He retired the first nine batters, until “David Eckstein dropped a double down the left-field line leading off the fourth. After a groundout, Alex Rios extended his hitting streak to 23 consecutive games against the Yankees with a run-scoring single to left. Toronto pieced together a second run off Hughes in the fifth inning, as Marco Scutaro walked and moved to third on a Gregg Zaun double. Eckstein followed with a hot shot to third base that Alex Rodriguez deflected but threw too late to get the runner, allowing Scutaro to score. Hughes scattered four hits and threw 87 pitches over six innings, walking one and striking out four.”
It should be noted that Jays’ player Frank Thomas was ejected in the fourth for arguing a called third strike. I actually missed it but my grandfather told me he started jogging to first until the home plate umpire punched him out. Apparently, he argued briefly and then headed to the dugout – and soon after that the clubhouse.
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I should also mention that Joba’s reaction to his strike out of Frank Thomas in the 8th inning on Opening Night made for some good talk-radio hosts on Wednesday morning. Apparently they didn’t like his fist pump – which Derek Jeter is famous for – or his scream of excitement. I think Yankees manager Joe Girardi said it best, “You want emotion in this game. Sometimes people take the emotion the wrong way, that we’re supposed to be just kind of playing. I think emotion is good in this game as long as you’re not showing anyone up.”
Joba himself also made it clear that pitching in the big leagues has not changed him and that if people want to talk about him, so be it.
“I’m Joba Chamberlain, and I pitch for the New York Yankees. I’m going to be me. There’s no getting around it.” That’s his story – and he’s sticking to it.
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Thats all for tonight folks. I will be at the game on Saturday so stay tuned for pictures! Until then…
Peace, Love, & Baseball,
Carli
