By Ethan Semendinger
August 10th, 2023
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This morning's game summary is in part a story about a life. In other parts, a story about a franchise with no life in it anymore.
Quick Stats -
Winning Pitcher: Mike Clevinger (5-5, 3.55 ERA)
Losing Pitcher: Luis Severino (2-7, 8.06 ERA)
Save: Gregory Santos (3)
Home Runs (New York): Giancarlo Stanton (18)
Home Runs (Chicago): Oscar Colas (3)
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Big Story - Before last night's game it came out in a report from Bob Klapish that Hal Steinbrenner is not likely to fire Brian Cashman after this catastrophe of season.
At best, Aaron Boone will be fired...if the Yankees finish the year at the bottom of the AL East.
In his reporting, Bob Klapish specifically wrote the following, "The owner's wish [is] to avoid tough choices and stay out of the spotlight." Later in the article (which you can find here), he also wrote, "Firing people is not in Hal's nature."
There are so many things I can say from those two quotes. There are so many emotions that I went through when I read that, many more when I discussed it with my father, and even more right now as I'm writing this tonight. It's a very difficult thing to know where the line is in terms of what's right for publication, and for this paragraph alone I've written myself 5 different scripts.
Instead of propelling my most intense emotions, I'm going to be conservative tonight. Let me share just one:
I feel pity for Hal Steinbrenner.
Image yourself being put in his shoes. The youngest child of the global sporting icon, George Steinbrenner, a man who seemed to always get what he wants and who never bowed down to anybody else. To be raised in that environment would seem to teach a budding businessman a lot. And yet, Hal was the only one of his siblings who was personally tasked to run a venture outside of sports: Steinbrenner Hotel Properties.
Hank, his oldest brother, was a co-chairman with his father for the New York Yankees.
Jessica, his oldest sister was in charge of raising thoroughbred horses under the Steinbrenner name to compete for the highest honor in that sport: the Kentucky Derby.
Jennifer, his second oldest sister, was not given a chance in the Yankees business due to George's own chauvinistic belief and instead, she pursued her own philanthropy. However, her husband- Steve Swindal- became a general partner with the Yankees and was named the eventual heir to the Yankees throne.
Hal was tasked with running hotels until 2007/2008, when he had to assume the role as a chairman for the Yankees as his father was falling ill. If it weren't for a divorce between his sister Jennifer and her then-husband Steve Swindal that was finalized in 2007, Hal would've never been tasked with the job. Steve Swindal would've taken over. Hal would've been (mostly) left alone.
Hal knows that. Hal knows that his fathers wishes for the most important business venture in his life were to go to somebody outside of his family before him. Hal knows that his father didn't want this line of work for him. Hal must be crippled by those feelings as a human being.
Imagine knowing that every one of your mistakes isn't just going to be highlighted and elevated by the largest voices and in the biggest media market, but that your mistakes also directly go against your fathers wishes. It must cripple a man emotionally. In a way, I can understand why Hal feels so powerless.
George Steinbrenner died in 2010. At the time, Hal was still learning the ropes of the Yankees organization and no longer had his dad to rely on as his consigliere. Around him at the time were his brother Hank and a long-time friend and partner of the New York Yankees in Brian Cashman.
Hank Steinbrenner died in 2020. Brian Cashman was there again for Hal to lean on.
Brian Cashman has been with Hal through his toughest times and is the closest man he has left to his late father. To imagine he'd fire him as a personal decision is to believe that the earth is flat.
Hal is already a quiet and shy personality. His circumstances to becoming the primary owner of the Yankees only heightened that. His losing his father and brother have paralyzed his voice further and he'd never betray those who were close to him during his trying times.
I feel pity for Hal.
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Now, all that aside, that doesn't mean that I feel bad for him. He has more wealth than some small nations and could quite literally do or have anything he could ever dream of. His life experiences are human, but so are mine. He's in a class I'll never get to experience and his inability to take charge is what has ruined the good Yankee name.
Hal needs to understand that business is not personal. It's business. And when voices in that business start to rot, it's time to bring in fresh produce.
Until that happens, things will not get better.
Firing Aaron Boone is not a step in the right direction if it does not also include Brian Cashman. Instead, it is a further step away from the Yankee fan as Cashman will again be allowed to hire another person to take the blame.
Hopefully someday Brian Cashman's mediocre track record catches up to him and Hal Steinbrenner realizes his days are over. That day cannot come soon enough.
And things won't get better until that day comes.
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And they weren't better last night either.
This was the line-up:
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Player(s) of the Game - The honorary "opener" and a friend
Ian Hamilton: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
Wandy Peralta: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K's
Notable Performances - "Notable" in quotation marks
Giancarlo Stanton: 1-4, Home Run, 2 RBI's, Run, 1 K
Aaron Judge: 1-3, Run, BB
Gleyber Torres: 1-3, BB
IKF: 1-3, BB
Better to Forget -
Luis Severino: 2.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R (4 ER), 1 BB, 2 K's
Albert Abreu: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 0 K's
Oswaldo Cabrera: 0-3, BB, 2 K's
Kyle Higashioka: 0-3, K, 3 Stolen Bases Allowed
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My Take - If Luis Severino pitches another game as a starter for the New York Yankees, it's clear that they do not care to win those games. While the Yankees lack any true starting pitching depth (Cole and Schimdt are the only ones healthy), it is clear that Luis Severino is not an option anymore.
This is a major problem with the roster construction of the team.
Nestor Cortes is (or at least should be) being monitored closely after recently coming off a 2-month IL stint for a rotator cuff strain to his throwing arm. Carlos Rodon was just recently shut down (again) for another 15 days after being off the IL for one month. Frankie Montas is not expected to pitch at all this season.
The hope is that Cortes can provide stability from here on out while building a pitch count and Rodon will not be out for too long, but the Yankees are going to be in desperate need to bring up multiple rookies to fill-in for the back-end of the rotation through the rest of the season.
What a disaster.
Hopefully Randy Vazquez and Jhony Brito will be exciting.
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The Yankees tried to save Luis Severino from his first inning struggles this season by using Ian Hamilton as an opener and putting in Severino for the 2nd inning. That didn't work at all as Severino gave up 3 runs in the 2nd and another run in the 3rd. He was given a chance in the 4th and was removed after allowing a lead-off walk.
The bullpen was decent between newly acquired Keynan Middleton and Wandy Peralta, but fell apart in the 8th when Albert Abreu and Nick Ramirez combined to let in 4 more runs in an already lopsided game.
A game where the Yankees had a nice thing going in the 4th (2 on, nobody out, runners on 2nd and 3rd) while only getting to plate one run (via a RBI groundout) to try and claw back on what was a 4-0 White Sox lead.
In the 7th (before the wheels fell off), Giancarlo Stanton added another RBI via a lead-off solo home run before two singles and walk gave the Yankees a no-outs, bases loaded opportunity.
...which was squandered via an Oswaldo Cabrera strikeout looking and then a Kyle Higashioka double-play ground out. It was the 2nd game this series that the Yankees were unable to score a run in a bases loaded and 0 out situation.
An embarrassing loss last night.
That's all I have to say on that too.
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Next Up - The Yankees are off tonight before they begin a three-game road trip to Miami to face off against the Marlins on Friday. The Yankees have yet to announce their starting pitcher for the game. The Marlins are planning for Jesus Luzardo (8-6, 3.52 ERA) to take the mound. The game will be at 6:40 PM (EST) on the YES Network.
(No highlight video today. Instead, enjoy all 27 outs of Michael Lorenzen's no-hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies.)
