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Written by Cecilia Tan
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Wednesday, 12 September 2007 |
 Not only does A-Rod lead the majors this season with 21 homers that
either tied the game or gave his team the lead. It's no stretch to call
it a 'historic' season. And all this with a banged up shoulder which
his teammates mock every time he hits a dinger and a bad ankle that
recently required an MRI.
Alexander the Great
All those praises that were sung to Alex Rodriguez when he got his season off to a hot start came with a caveat: but can he keep it up? Well folks, he has. His epic season is gradually edging him into some very exclusive clubs. For example, the only Yankees to ever hit more than 50 homers in a season were Ruth, Mantle, and Maris (Gehrig topped out at 49). A-rod has 138 RBIs already and is on pace for 156. That would push his season into the top ten in that category as well, where all the slots are currently filled by three men: Gehrig, Ruth, and DiMaggio. He now holds the record for most homers by a Yankee right-handed batter, as well as the major league record for homers in a season by a third baseman. Not only that, he leads the majors this season with 21 homers that either tied the game or gave his team the lead. It's no stretch to call it a 'historic' season. And all this with a banged up shoulder which his teammates mock every time he hits a dinger and a bad ankle that recently required an MRI.
Good Move
The courtship and re-signing of Andy Pettitte is starting to look better and better. Pettitte was named 'Pitcher of the Month' for August for going 6-0 with a 2.36 ERA. It was the most victories he's ever tallied in one month and is reminiscent of how Catfish Hunter went 6-0 in 1978 when the Yankees had a historic comeback from 14 games back in the standings. Will it be déjà vu all over again? Ed Figueroa then went 7-0 in September of that year, and, as everyone well knows, the Yankees beat the Red Sox in the one-game playoff. The last Yankees pitcher to win six games in a month was Roger Clemens, who went 6-0 in June of 2001. Boy, the Yankees could really use an arm like his right now...
Ouchies
Clemens is suffering soreness in his right (pitching) elbow. He had a cortisone shot and has been working on the side with the goal of making back onto the mound when the Yankees face the Red Sox at Fenway on Sunday. Derek Jeter has a sore knee and Torre held him out of the lineup in the finale against Kansas City with the plan to get him back into the game on Tuesday at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, either as DH or playing shortstop.
Un-Slumping
Johnny Damon broke his recent mini-slide by choosing not to wear batting gloves in a game in Kansas City. He tallied three hits that day.
Farm Bankruptcy
One doesn't hear the criticisms about the Yankees' "bankrupt" farm system much anymore, partly because winning players keep emerging from it both with the Yankees (Cano, Melky, Joba, et al.) and other teams (Juan Rivera, Marcus Thames, Wily Mo Pena). Technically speaking, though, the worst major league teams ought to have the hottest prospects since they have the draft advantage, while the Yankees always pick behind them. If that's so, then how do you explain that the entire Yankees minor league system has a regular season record of 484-350 (.579), the best in all of baseball? Four Yankee farm clubs made their postseasons, including Triple-A Scranton (bounced in the first round), Double-A Trenton (beat Boston's Portland Sea Dogs 3-1), Single-A Staten Island (won the wild card and face rival Brooklyn), and the Gulf Coast Yankees (won the GCL championship).
Coming Up
The Yankees are on a five-game winning streak as they head into a three-game set in Toronto. The three starters slated to go for New York are Phil Hughes, Mike Mussina, and Ian Kennedy, the three who have the most to prove. Rookie Hughes has been inconsistent of late, making some excellent pitches in tough situations but sometimes making some terrible ones, too. Mussina--same thing, which is how he lost his spot in the rotation. He regains it now because of Clemens' elbow soreness. Rookie call-up Kennedy will be making his third major league start and possibly his best bid for inclusion on the postseason roster.
Cecilia Tan is the author of The 50 Greatest Yankee Games and editor of the annual Bombers Broadside, due every spring from Maple Street Press.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 12 September 2007 )
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