Summer Sizzle: Yanks Open 2nd Half with a 6-5 Rally Win over the Angels

(New York, NY) – The Bronx Bombers (53-33) started their second half run to the playoffs in dramatic fashion with an exciting 6-5 come from behind win over the visiting Angels in the first of a 3 game set in The Bronx.  It was a game that had everything:

• Solid starting pitching to begin from Kuroda and CJ Wilson
• great defensive plays with both Texiera and Swisher making great plays to save run(s).
• 4 homers from the two teams (2 each)
• Russell Martin throwing out 3 base runners in addition to his big game winning RBI in the bottom of the 8th
• another big save out of the bullpen for Soriano

Tex was huge with a 2-run homer to post an early 2-1 lead followed by a 3-run blast in the 8th to tie it.  It was a warm night, a festive atmosphere and the team did not disappoint.

It was the 2nd game of the year for Tom/John/Brendan and their record improved to 2-0.

See Yanks-Angels box score here.

Good Baseball: Yanks Defeat Jays 3-2

Nova Shines, Gardner Rises

(New York, NY) – After a taking solid 2 out of 3 in Boston, The Yanks (83-53) continued their winning ways with a tight 3-2 victory over the vistin Blue Jays.  Ivan Nova (15-4) continues his push for Rookie of The Year award with a 7 inning, 2 run, 3 hit effort.  Nova was shaky early but 2 fine catches but Gardner in left got him out of the first inning with only a few runs against and he then settled down for 6 more impressive innings. Speedy Brett had a big night at the plate getting the Yanks even with a 2-run blast in the 3rd and Robbie Cano would get the go-ahead RBI in the 5th.  Soriano completed the 8th in relief setting up the door for Mariano (S, 37) to finish the 9th off for his 596th lifetime save.  Mo moves to within 4 of the magic 600 and within 5 of tying the MLB career record.

On the night there were several other fine defensive plays by the outfield with Granderson and Andruw Jones making nice catches on the warning track a few times.

Notes:  Only the 3rd Friday night win of the year.  With Boston losing to Texas the Yanks are now in first by a game.

See Yanks-Toronto box score here.

Fog To Forget: Yanks Downed by Rockies 4-2

2011 Friday Curse Continues

(New York, NY) –  The Yanks (43-31) continue to struggle on Friday nights at home, this time falling to the visiting Rockies 4-2.  They got on the board early with a double down the line by A-Rod to score Granderson but Tex got held at 3rd and then Cano lined into a double-play as A-Rod got picked off of second and killed a promising beginning.  Jason Giambi led off the 2nd inning with a long blast for his 8th homer of the year and on the night went 3-4.  Not bad for a part-time player who loved returning to a DH role in an AL park.  A-J Burnett (7-6) took the loss and while not horrible he was not great and gave up solo runs in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th innings to put the Yanks behind.  Meanwhile Ubaldo Jimenez, who has been struggling so far this year, put together a strong effort for Colorado (38-37).

It seems Fridays are not their day (or rather night) this season.  The game was played under a threat of rain all night and fog filled the upper deck of the stadium from the 4th inning on.

Notes:  For the FNY team, John, Brendan, Tom and Emmett (and Michelle) were present with Brendan’s guest Mike.

See Yanks-Rockies box score here.

Fun Friday (Finally) – Yanks Clip Cleveland 11-7

Win First Friday Home Game of the Season

(Bronx, NY) – Well the FNY team finally had something to cheer about as the Bombers (34-27) scored early and often enroute to a 11-7 victory over the Indians to open up a 4-game series.  it stopped the 3-game losing streak to the Red Sox as well and the team needed that.  With 15 hits and 11 runs there were plenty of offense and heroes all around but of special note was Ivan Nova’s (5-4) stopper performance of 7 innings, 2 earned runs and only 4 hits while notching 6 k’s.

A-Rod (12) and Granderson (19) dingers were nice to see while Cano and Posada picked up 3 hits apiece to pace the offense.  Unfortunately the depleted bullpen imploded over the last 2 innings as Whelan, Sanit and Pendleton could not finish things and gave up 5 runs to make it a lot closer than it looked.  In the end Mariano had to come in to get the final two outs to register the team win.

It was a fun night for the FNY team although Emmett and James could not make it so Paul and Jamie brought dates.  Tom, John and Brendan had a great time visiting Hard Rock and then the Yankee Museum with pictures to follow soon.

Notes:  Jeter picked up one hit to move to 2,991 in his career.  It was Jorge Posada figurine night and a festive time.  Tom, John and Brendan ran into the Marlboro Man and reminisced his famous fall down the stairs in the upper deck vs. Boston in 2008.

See Yanks-Indians box score here.

O-For-Friday: Yanks Fall to Mets 2-1

FNY Package Sees 4th Straight Friday Night Loss

(Bronx, NY) – In the end the game was fairly quick since there was not so much action!  Tex got the Yanks (23-20) on the board with a solo shot in the 3rd that just cleared the fence but the Mets countered right back with back-back doubles in the 4th inning to tie the game.  The turning point of the game was in the bottom of the 5th when A-Rod hit a smash up the middle but Jose Reyes made a great diving stop and jumped to his feet to nail Alex at first.  That saved the run and the Yanks from taking a 2-1 lead.  The next play was the top of the 6th and Daniel Murphy lifted a Freddie Garcia pitch down the line and into the seats for the eventual game winner.

On the night the Yanks managed only 4 hits and RA Dickey’s knuckleball was highly effective against the big Bronx bats.  The Mets bullpen did the job as well.

In FNY news, James was able to make his first game of the year and the crew was all there except John who had a medical excuse.

See Yanks-Mets box score here.

Notes:  The Yanks would take the series with two outbursts (7-3 and 9-3) on Saturday and Sunday.  They just don’t play well on Fridays!

Friday Fizzle: Yanks Rally Is Short, Drop 5-4 Affair to Boston

Situational Hitting Not Very Good

(Bronx, NY) – The Friday Night Yanks are off to a poor start with the 3rd consecutive Friday loss at home, this time the Bombers (20-16) dropping to the rival Red Sox.  Clay Bucholz was able to check the bats and battled Colon.  Both pitchers were in control early but eventually Colon (2-2) would yield a solo dinger to Adrian Gonzalez and then after striking out Youkilis he reached base on a passed ball and eventually scored for a 2-0 lead.  But Russell Martin would tie it up with his 7th blast of the season that just cleared the left center wall.  But Colon’s walk to Saltalamacchia, a .197 hitter, to lead off the 7th proved costly as his runner would come on to score and then Joba gave up a 2-run homer to Youkilis that would prove to be the difference.  Grandy would triple and score on a passed ball in the 8th and he was also able to single in Jeter in the 9th to cut the lead to 5-4 but Tex ended it with another pop-up.

The Yanks just do a poor job of getting runs advanced or in from 3rd with less than 2 outs.  The reliance on the long ball has caught up with them.  The starting pitching has been much better than expected and unless the hitting improves it will be a very long season

See Yanks-Boston box score here.

Notes:  For the FNY team it was the first game this season where all 8 members could be together and they had a pre and post-game meet at the Dugout.  John gave up his coat to charity and leads the team in countdowns.

Frustrating Friday: Yanks Fall to Toronto 5-3

Offense Fails to Convert Several Chances, Garcia Takes First Loss

(Bronx, NY) – The Bombers got their usual long ball but the two solo shots by Robinson Cano were not enough to combat the Blue Jays.  Garcia was not sharp but still left the team in position to pull it out after he left after 5 innings.  But David Robertson turned a pickoff play into a rally for Toronto when he sailed a throw to 2nd base into the outfield and the Jays posted 2 runs in the sixth inning that proved to be the difference.  The Yanks had the bases loaded several times but could not get the run in from 3rd and that was it.  Solid relief from Joba, Caryle and Logan was a good sign but the Yanks only put together 7 scattered hits and fell to 14-9 on the season.  

For the Friday Night Yanks, Tom and Brendan made their first appearance of the season to join Emmett while visitors from WCSU’s Soccer team (Kate, Lindsey, Felicia and Jamie) joined them.    We also got to see Michelle’s engagement ring (from Emmett).  Congrats to them!

See Yanks-Toronto box score here.

Oct 25 – Friday Nite Yanks: Playoff Memories Re-visited

(Garnerville, NY) – After 5 years for the original crew to the current Section 430 crew (Jamie, Brendan, John, Emmett, Tom, James K. and Paul plus the mixed seat), a playoff game from the package came to be.  Emmett worked very hard and secured Home Game 2 of the ALDS, which tom won in the lottery but never occurred.  He also got Home Game 3 of the ALCS, which John won in the lottery and got to go to!  He took Peg and saw the Yanks final win of the 2010 season.  Here are some pictures to re-visit the last happy moment of the year for Yanks fans.

Sep 24 – FNY Finale: Yanks Lose to Red Sox 10-8 in Slugfest

Bombers Bang out 6 Homers, Andy Struggles

(Bronx, NY) – The Friday Night Yanks Section 430 crew ended their 2010 ticket package with a bunch of fireworks (9 homers in the game) and a fizzle and thud to end the game.  Pettitte struggled from the onset and gave up 7 runs while Albaladejo also served up a big dinger and before you know it the Bombers were in a 10-1 hole.  But they battled back with the long ball and ended up with 4 solos shots (Granderson, A-Rod, and two from Tex) along with two 2-run shots from Swisher and A-Rod before Cano struck out as the tying run at the plate in the bottom of the 9th.

For A-Rod, it was historic as he moved to 6th place all-time in homers, passing Sammy Sosa with his 609 and 610th lifetime home runs.  For the FNY team it was a great season and ended up 8-5 on the year on Fridays and 9-6 overall as Section 430 just enjoyed their time together.

The Yanks fell to 92-62 on the year and 5-9 over their last 14 games and are 1/2 game back of Tampa for the AL East.

See Yanks-Boston box score here.

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Sep 3 – Earl(y) Afternoon: Yanks Top Blue Jays 7-3

All Around Team Win for 7th in a Row

(Bronx, NY) – With the threat of Hurricane Earl approaching, the Yanks scored early and often to take a 5-1 lead over the Blue Jays and went on to win 7-3 in a full 9 inning game.  The threat of a rain out never materialized but the Yanks got timely hits and solid pitching all around.   Ivan Nova made his first Stadium start and fell behind 1-0 in the first when Snider went long against the swirling winds. But the Yanks responded with 2 to strike back as Tex went deep into right center for an RBI double to knock in 1 and set things up.

Nova would settle down and go 4.2 innings, giving up 3 and got in trouble and could not finish the 5th.  Still it was another decent start for the rookie.  On the day Granderson (3 RBI’s), Gardner, Pena and Nunez got big hits with Nunez making some nice plays.  The Yanks knocked out 11 hits to the Jays 6.  All in all the team defense was strong, with the bullpen doing the job again as Logan, Robertson and Kerry Wood (3-4) all held the line before letting Mo wrap things up in the 9th with a handful of pitches.

For the FNY team it was a great day with all there but Jamie but James made his first game of the season and Jim C. returned.  Fans from New Mexico spiced up the Section, Jeff had a crew there from Sayreville and the Dugout was the choice for post game review.  the FNY Package sits at 9-5 on the season with one game left.

New Mexico Yanks were in the House

Yankee Service is 2nd to None

See Yanks-Toronto Box score here.