By Mike Whiteman June 9, 2024 Born on this day in 1931 was Bill Virdon. Virdon had two connections with the Yankees. First, he was a centerfield prospect for the team in the 1950s when someone named Mickey Mantle had a hold on the position. Virdon was dealt away to St. Louis in a trade for Enos Slaughter and went on to play for 12 years with the Cardinals and Pirates.
In 1974, he became the Yankees' manager and piloted the team to a surprising second place finish in the American League East, just behind Baltimore. The Yanks struggled in 1975, and Virdon was replaced in August by Billy Martin, who had recently been fired by the Texas Rangers.
Quick Stats: The Yankees are 45-21, in first place in the American League East, two and a half games ahead of Baltimore.
Big Story: After Friday's crushing loss, the Yanks fell behind early on Teoscar Hernandez's solo home run in the second inning. They came back to tie it in the bottom of the frame and again in the third when the Dodgers added another run. The rest of the game was all Los Angeles, as they poured on nine more runs, highlighted by a grand slam by Hernandez in the eighth.
The Yankee lineup couldn't get untracked, and the glaring hole was the four/five hitters Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo, who were hitless in a combined nine plate appearances. In the ultimate embarrassment, infielder Oswaldo Cabrera was brought in to pitch in the ninth, walking two batters - one with the bases loaded - in a third of an inning. Dodgers 11, Yankees 3. Ugly, ugly loss. Player of the Game: Hernandez opened the scoring with his home run, and closed the door with his slam, six RBI on the day. Notable Performances: Aaron Judge smacked his 22nd and 23rd home runs of the season, leading all of MLB.
Better to Forget: Nestor Cortes allowed seven hits and four runs in five-plus innings, taking the loss...Tommy Kahnle served up Hernandez's grand slam...Before the slam, Gleyber Torres booted a possible double play grounder - he leads all second basemen across MLB in errors. They Said It: "I know today, he felt really good - noticeably better" - Aaron Boone on Juan Soto. My Take: Back in 1977, Reggie Jackson famously proclaimed himself as "the straw that stirs the drink", and that the team "flows from me." These marks rippled throughout the baseball world, and the Yankee rightfielder was vilified for his remarks. Fast forward almost 50 years, we have a true "straw" in Juan Soto. Aaron Judge not withstanding, the Yankee lineup looks very ordinary without Soto. Obviously, the drop in skill and production between Soto (189 OPS+) and Trent Grisham (25 OPS+), who is basically taking his place in the lineup, is huge. Soto also brings a swagger and confidence to the team that has looked shaken the past two games without him, both losses. Soto's absence has taken some of the luster off of what looked to be an exciting (for June) Yankee-Dodger series. Thankfully, he seems to have a solvable problem, and should be back in the lineup soon. And it can't be soon enough! There are certainly other concerns in the lineup and the bullpen, but these two missed games have revealed the Yankees' most indispensable player. Next Up: This should be a good one - Luis Gil (8-1, 1.82) takes the mound facing Tyler Glasnow (6-4, 2.93). Game time is 7:10 and the game is on ESPN.
