About Yesterday: The Yankees Were Tamed by the Tigers 4-3 in 10 Innings
By Tim Kabel
September 1, 2023
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The last-place Yankees completed the four-game series against the Detroit Tigers yesterday. They lost the game in extra innings on a throwing error by Gleyber Torres. Had the Yankees won yesterday, it would have been the first time they swept a four-game series in Detroit since 1926. My friend Roger said the last game in that series was a real nail-biter
The Yankees are now 65-69 on the season. They are firmly in last place in the American League East and are completely out of the playoff picture. At this point, wins and losses are secondary. It truly doesn't matter how many games the Yankees win this season. They are shifting their focus to 2024 and player development. I have to give them credit for that. To continue on in futility, trotting the same tired old veterans out, would have been counterproductive. At least, we will have an opportunity to see if the young players truly are the future of this team.
Hal Steinbrenner went on record to say that he was excited about seeing the new young players. Hal does not seem to exude a great deal of excitement. He comes across as rather buttoned-down, and sort of reminds me of Calvin Coolidge, who was known for being very taciturn and stiff. After President Coolidge passed away, a member of his staff went down and informed several reporters who were gathered in a room. Upon hearing the news of the President’s passing, one of the reporters said, “how could you tell?” If Hal is excited, then this really must be quite a group of young players.
Quick Stats:
Clarke Schmidt has had eight starts in which the Yankees scored no runs while he was pitching. According to my calculations, it is hard to win games that way.
Anthony Volpe became the first Yankees’ player to have 20 home runs and 20 steals in his rookie season. I would have guessed Steve Balboni did it.
At least the Yankees won a series. They haven't done that since President Nixon was in office.
The Tigers actually have a player named Zack Short playing shortstop. I think Abbott and Costello would approve.
The Yankees still have Matt Bowman, Anthony Misiewicz, (who is he?) Nick Ramirez, and Franchy Cordero on the 40-man roster. Why? As Yul Brynner said in The King and I, “is a puzzlement."
Giancarlo Stanton has hit 20 or more home runs 12 times in his career. He is the only player to do that since 2010. He has 398 career home runs. Any day now, he should hit number 400. Only 57 players in Major League history have hit 400 home runs. He has a good chance to hit at least 500 in his career. Among active players, only Miguel Cabrera and Nelson Cruz have more home runs than Stanton. Nelson isn't very active these days, and Cabrera will be retiring at the end of the season. Therefore, it is quite likely that Stanton will be the next player to hit 500 career home runs. Yet, despite all that, his Yankees’ career feels like a disappointment.
The Milwaukee Brewers have signed Josh Donaldson. Is today September 1st, or April 1st? Perhaps they need someone to be Bernie Brewer.
On August 31st, 1995, Paul O'Neill hit three home runs in an 11-6 victory over the Angels. One of those home runs was off future Yankees’ bullpen coach Mike Harkey. I wonder if Aaron Boone likes to tell O'Neill about the times he hit three home runs in a game.
Big Story:
The Yankees have 28 games left this season. I do not agree with the decision to retain Aaron Boone as manager for the remainder of this season. I think he should definitely not be the manager next year. Therefore, it makes little to no sense to have him in charge of the youth movement. He has not demonstrated an ability to develop young players in his six years as manager. Furthermore, if he’s not going to be there next year, he shouldn’t work with these players now.
Bringing Boone back would be a major mistake. The only possible explanation for keeping him for the remainder of the season is that the Yankees will be bringing in someone from outside of the organization and don't want to further confuse matters by having Boone, an interim manager, and an as- yet unnamed manager for next year all working with the young players. The Yankees will have to intensify the efforts of Boone-proofing the youngsters to ensure their development is not hindered by the chief bubble-blower in the dugout.
Player of the Day:
Anthony Volpe hit a three-run game-tying home run and has 20 home runs for the season.
Notable Performance:
Oswaldo Cabrera, who has emerged from the Witness Protection Program, was on base twice and dropped down the bunt in the 9th inning that led to Volpe's heroics.
Better to Forget:
Gleyber Torres was hitless and made an errant throw in the tenth inning, costing the Yankees the game.
My Take:
I love cooking. I love all aspects of it, whether it is preparing a soup or baking a cake. Cooking is one of my forms of relaxation. That, and watching baseball. Needless to say, I have leaned more heavily on cooking this year.
Sometimes, when you are creating the meal, something will go wrong. You as the cook, may have omitted an ingredient or misjudged how different ingredients would work together. Or you may have dropped a cake on the floor. It happens. For some people it happens more often than with others. Luckily when I cook, I usually don't have major catastrophes. However, they do occur.
When you are cooking, and something goes wrong and the meal is spoiled, it is disappointing and upsetting. You can sit there and be upset and disappointed all night long but a meal still needs to be served. It's at this point that you turn to your pantry and your refrigerator and pull out new ingredients. You just make something else. For example, if your roast burns, you may select some tuna steaks and make blackened tuna as your entrée. If you have a well-stocked pantry and refrigerator, and you know what to do, sometimes you can turn a disaster into a success.
This Yankees’ season has rightfully been described as a disaster. It is. However, as we enter September, we are turning the corner to something new. It's quite likely that tonight's lineup will contain at least five young players. Jasson Dominguez and Austin Wells will be making their Major League debuts. Oswald Peraza and Everson Pereira should be in the lineup as well. Anthony Volpe has been in the lineup every day but one this year. Oswaldo Cabrera might even play. This is very exciting. Yankees’ fans have been hearing about Dominguez, Wells, and the others for quite some time. Now, we will start to see what they can do. They are on the menu starting tonight.
Tonight could be one of the most exciting games of the year. It will be like trying a new menu in your favorite restaurant. Change can be very good. Like it or not, we are about to enter an era of change. These last four weeks of the season could be very enlightening and should be a lot of fun. Enjoy. As Julia Child would say, “Bon Appetit”.
Next Up:
Tonight, the Yankees open a three-game series against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park at 8:10 PM. Carlos Rodon (1-4 5.97 ERA) will face Houston’s Justin Verlander (10-6 3.07 ERA).
