Forever The Kid: Gary Carter Loses His Battle With Cancer

A True Competitor, NY Remembers Him and ’86

(New York, NY) – The sad news finally came.  Gary Carter lost his cancer fight and passed away today at the young age of 57.  A former champion and 2003 Hall of Fame inductee, he will always be remembered for his love of life and his love of the game.

Overall, Carter hit .262 with 324 home runs and 1,225 RBIs with the Expos, Mets, San Francisco and the Los Angeles Dodgers. He set the major league record for putouts by a catcher, a testament to his durability despite nine knee operations

Carter stayed in baseball after his playing days ended. He became a broadcaster for the Florida Marlins, coached and managed for the Mets in the minors, managed two independent minor league teams and coached in college.

A great player, a great family man.  May he rest in peace.

Hip Hip Jorge! Posada Retires, A Yankee Forever

A Yankee Catcher for the Ages

(New York, NY) – After 17 years, 4 World Series titles, many divisional titles  and countless innings squatted behind home plate, #20 hangs up his cleats.  He was a five-time All-Star and retires with a .273 batting average, 1,065 runs batted in and 275 home runs in 1,829 games.  He was an integral part of the ‘Core Four’ alongside of Jeter, Mariano and Andy Pettitte, who retired last year.  His passion will be sorely missed.

Milestone Mo: Yanks Top Twins 6-4, Rivera Sets All-Time Career Save Mark at 602

#600, #601, #602 Mo gets 3 in a Row!

(New York, NY) – In the end it was a vintage Mariano inning, with the last out coming on a classic cutter for strike 3 and the greatest closer in the history of the game made it even more official as he picked up the career save mark.  In a week of setting milestones, this was the one he wanted as he past Trevor Hoffman and got #602 in less attempts than the venerable Hoffman as well.

For the Yanks (92-60), they started out well with Granderson popping #41 on the year with Jeter on board and the Yanks got an early 2-0 lead.  They would build that to 5-0 before AJ started to give it back and by the 5th things unraveled, as is now common for Burnett, and the lead dwindle to 5-4.  A-Rod with single in an insurance run in the 6th and Soriano and Robertson did their thing and bridge to the historic moment for Mo.

Notes: With Boston continuing its slide the Yanks magic number has dropped to 5 with 10 to play.  A big series with the Rays and then Boston follows during the Yanks last home stand.  Jeter was 3-4 and sits at .295 BA on the year, a remarkable turnaround.

See Yanks-Twins box score here.
Photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports.

Mariano Finally Set the MLB Saves Record - #602 and counting

Stadium Slamfest: Yanks Hit 3 Grand Slams vs Oakland, Win 22-9

First team in MLB History to Accomplish Feat in One Game

(New York, NY) – Given their rich history it seems only fitting that the Yanks (78-50) would add another historical fact to the books.  With Cano, Martin and Granderson all going deep with the bases loaded the Bombers are now the only team in almost 200,000 major league games to ever do so in one.  And it came at Yankee Stadium on a day when they trailed 7-1 early.    All told there were 21 hits, Jeter moved into 21st place all time for career hits (passing Rickey Henderson) and Jorge Posada finished the game at 2nd base.  The Yanks took 2-3 from the A’s.  Boone Logan (4-2) got the win.

Notes:  A-Rod returned to action from the DL with 2 hits.  Phil Hughes was not sharp and was knocked out early.  The Yanks move on for 5-game set in Baltimore and have major rains to battle with Hurricane Irene scheduled to hit the area on Saturday night and Sunday.

See Yanks-Oakland box score here.
Photo Courtesy of Yahoo Sports.

The 3 Grand Slams in 1 game will likely stand a long time

History! Jeter Homers for His 3,000th Hit

First Yankee to Achieve the Milestone

(New York, NY) – Well fortunately DJ ended the drama early with a single in his first at bat and a towering homer into the left field stands his next time up to reach the famous 3,000 hit plateau.  His 3rd homer of the season tied the game at 1-1 and the answer to the trivia question is:  Tampa’s David Price was the pitcher.  For those that like numbers:  No. 2 got his 2nd hit of the day and he did it at 2 PM.

The FNY team was ready to see it last night but the rain changed that.  That being said congrats to the Captain from Section 430 on a well deserved feat and his career to date.

Post Note:  Jeter would end the day 5-5 with the game winning RBI in the 8th as the Yanks went on to take the game 5-4 over Tampa.  Mariano got his 22nd save while David Robertson (2-0) picked up the win.  It was an instant Yankee Classic for the YES network.

See Yanks-Tampa box score here

See historic hit here.

Photo Courtesy of Yahoo Sports

Milestone Mania: Early Single By Jeter Brings Him to Need 1 More

2,999th Hit is a Single Between Short and Third

(New York, NY) – Well the FNY Blog is not usually doing live posts and actually has been light on stories of late but this special milestone of the first player in Yankee history to collect 3,000 hits is upon us.  Jeter drove a 3-2 pitch in the hole between 3rd and short to lead of the bottom of the first and stands on the brink.  With 3-4 more at bats today and a full game tomorrow it could very well happen at home.  10 other players got their 3,000 hits for one team and Derek stands to be #11 in that category and 28th overall in MLB history.  Over 16, 200 players have played the game.

see 2,999 hit here. 

 

 

 

 

Historic Walls: Yankee Museum at the Stadium

A Must See for All Fans

(New York, NY) – So some of the FNY Sec 430 team got to swing through the museum.  Given that we’ve been going to the new stadium since the opening in 2009 it was high time to actually see all the history grouped nicely in a small space.  See pictures below.  It is highly recommended for all fans to see.

Legends Look: Phil Rizzuto, #10

(New York, NY) – Philip Francis Rizzuto (September 25, 1917 – August 13, 2007), nicknamed “The Scooter”, was an American shortstop in Major League Baseball who spent his entire career from 1941 to 1956 with the New York Yankees.

He was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1950 after leading the team to its second consecutive pennant with a .324 batting average; he had been MVP runnerup the previous year.  Rizzuto led the AL in double plays three times and in putouts and fielding percentage twice each. His 1,217 career double plays ranked second in major league history when he retired, trailing only Luke Appling’s total of 1,424, and his .968 career fielding average trailed only Lou Boudreau’s mark of .973 among AL shortstops. He also ranked fifth in AL history in games at shortstop (1,647), eighth in putouts (3,219) and total chances (8,148), and ninth in assists (4,666).

A popular figure on a team dynasty which captured 10 AL titles in his 13 seasons, Rizzuto played in nine World Series, winning seven. At the time of his last game, he had appeared in the most World Series games ever (52), a record soon surpassed by five of his Yankees teammates. Rizzuto still holds numerous World Series records for shortstops, including the most career games played, singles, walks, times on base, stolen bases, at-bats, putouts, assists and double plays.^[1]

Rizzuto later enjoyed a 40-year career as a radio and television sports announcer for the Yankees, becoming known for his popular but idiosyncratic style. He was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994, having been selected by a Veterans Committee vote.

Rizzuto’s rookie season ended in the World Series, and though he hit poorly, the Yankees beat the Dodgers. The following year, Rizzuto led all hitters, for both the Yankees and the opposing St. Louis Cardinals, with 8 hits and a .381 average in the 1942 World Series; the light-hitting shortstop even added a home run after hitting just 4 in the regular season. Like many players of the era, his career was interrupted by a stint in the United States Navy during World War II. From 1943 through 1945, he played on a Navy baseball team alongside Dodgers shortstop Reese; the team was managed by Yankees catcher Bill Dickey.

In 1947 Rizzuto recorded a .969 fielding average, breaking Crosetti’s 1939 team record for shortstops of .968. He broke his own record the following year with a .973 mark.

Rizzuto’s peak as a player was 1949-50, when he was moved into the leadoff spot. In 1950, his MVP season, he hit .324 with 92 walks, and scored 125 runs. Rizzuto also handled 238 consecutive chances without an error that season, setting the record for shortstops. From September 18, 1949 through June 7, 1950, he played 58 games at shortstop without an error, breaking the AL record of 46 set by Eddie Joost in 1947-1948; the record stood until Ed Brinkman played error-free for 72 games in 1972. Rizzuto recorded 123 double plays in 1950, three more than Crosetti’s total from 1938; it remains the Yankee record. Rizzuto’s 1950 fielding percentage of .9817 led the league, and came within less than a point of Lou Boudreau’s league record of .9824, set in 1947. Rizzuto’s mark was a franchise record until 1976, when Yankees shortstop Fred Stanley posted a mark of .983.

Rizzuto was voted the American League’s Most Valuable Player by a large margin in 1950, after having been the runner-up for the award behind Ted Williams in 1949. He became the only MVP in history who lead the league in sacrifice bunts. Rizzuto played in five All-Star Games, in 1942 and each year from 1950 to 1953. In 1950, he also won the Hickok Belt, awarded to the top professional athlete of the year, and was named Major League Player of the Year by The Sporting News. He was voted top major league shortstop by The Sporting News four consecutive years (1949-1952).

Source: Wikipedia

Why K is used for a strikeout in Baseball

(New York, NY) – Section 430’s very own James K. has come up with some baseball trivia that all will find interesting.

The use of the last letter of Struck instead of the first to denote a strikeout dates back to when Henry Chadwick developed the box score in the late 1850’s. Chadwick often used the last letter instead of the first, especially if he considered that letter to be the more prominent one in the word. Chadwick said “the letter K in struck is easier to remember in connection with the word, than S.” He also used L for Foul and D for Catch on Bound. Only the K survived into the 20th Century.

Source: Paul Dickson’s The New Dickson Baseball Dictionary and Alan Schwarz’s The Numbers Game.

The common view that the K was used because the S was taken (by Sacrifice, Stolen Base, or Single) appears to be erroneous.

Read more at this link here.

Source:  Wiki Answers.

Feb 4 – A Legend Rests: Thanks for the Memories, Andy

Number 46 Chooses to Retire

(New York, NY) – It has been a tough winter in New York this year.  The snow and storms have set records, and the Yanks have not been all that active in the marketplace and many teams around them have improved.  We lost the Cliff lee sweepstakes and deep down inside many Bomber fans quietly hoped and speculated that Andy would pitch sometime this season, even if he started in June.

And then the worst possible news to cap it all off.  Andy has chosen to retire.   One of the clutch Yankee performers in the playoffs of all time, and one of the classiest on and off the field, has decided to call it a career.   The rest of the post calls out his facts and figures and there is some short but great video clips as well.  As a fan, I say, thanks for the memories, starting in the 1996 playoffs and culminating in that 5th ring in 2009.  Andy was a Dandy.

Click this Link to see the top 9 Post Season Wins in his career per MLB.COM

And from Yankees.Com here are some career info and stats:
Pettitte, 38, finishes his career with a 240-138 (.635) record and 3.88 ERA (3,055.1 IP, 1,317 ER) in 479 starts over 16 Major League seasons with the Yankees (1995-2003 and ’07-10) and Houston Astros (2004-06). He is one of just 26 pitchers all-time to complete his career 100-or-more games over .500. Of the 19 Hall of Fame-eligible pitchers who have reached that plateau, only “Parisian” Bob Caruthers, who went 218-99 from 1884-92, is not enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Originally selected by the Yankees in the 22nd round of the 1990 First-Year Player Draft, Pettitte played 13 seasons with the club, going 203-112 with a 3.98 ERA (2,535,2 IP, 1,122 ER) and 1,823 strikeouts in 405 games (396 starts). In franchise history, he ranks second in strikeouts and starts, third in wins, fourth in innings pitched and eighth in appearances (405). He appeared in eight career World Series (seven as a Yankee), winning championships with the club in 1996, ’98, ’99, 2000 and ’09.

Pettitte is the all-time winningest pitcher in postseason history, going 19-10 with a 3.83 ERA in 42 career starts. He also ranks first all time in postseason starts and innings pitched (263.0), and is tied for second with 173 strikeouts. His personal career postseason win total is more than that of nine other franchises (Kansas City-18; Arizona-15, Seattle-15, San Diego-12, Tampa Bay-10, Colorado-9, Milwaukee-9, Texas-9, and Montreal/Washingon-5). As a Yankee in the postseason, he went 18-9 with a 3.79 ERA (237.2 IP, 100 ER) in 38 career starts. While winning his final World Series with the Yankees in 2009, he became the first pitcher in Baseball history to start and win the clinching game of three series in a single postseason (ALDS vs. Minnesota, ALCS vs. Los Angeles-AL and WS vs. Philadelphia).