Tanaka Terminates Toronto

Tanaka Terminates Toronto

Raises Mark to 11-1 as Yanks Top Blue Jays

(Photos by Gary Quintal)

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 18- Masahiro Tanaka continued his sensational pitching as he earned his 11^th win of the year. 

The 3-2 win of the Yanks over the Toronto Blue Jays was the 14^th consecutive victory of the Yanks over their Canadian rivals in games played in the Bronx. The victory cut the deficit for the second place Yankees to 3.5 games behind the American League East leading Blue Jays. 

Yankees skipper Joe Girardi commented, “You want to close as much ground as you can.”

As has happened in each of Tanaka’s 14 games this season, the major story of the game is his performance on the mound. The 25 year-old has thrown a “quality start” in each of his 14 appearances in the majors. He is only the second pitcher to pitch at least six innings and give up three runs or less in each of his first 14 major league starts in more than a century. Steve Rogers of the Montreal Expos achieved that feat in 1973.

Former Met shortstop Jose Reyes hit the first pitch of the game into the stands in right for a home run. After the game Tanaka, recalled, “I think it was the first time in my career that I gave up a first pitch home run. It threw me off my rhythm.” After two batters were retired, two Blue Jays batters hit singles in the inning. 

Girardi described the first pitch in the following manner, “He [Tanaka] just threw a pitch right down the middle and Reyes knows this park very well.”

Although Tanaka expressed disappointment with his performance after the game, he only yielded two additional hits in the five other innings he pitched. He walked two, yielded five hits and fanned 10, double figures for the fifth time this year. His 113 strikeouts in his first 14 starts in the big leagues is third in history. His season ERA dropped after the contest to a minuscule 1.99.

Most importantly for the Yankees, the Japanese native did not yield a run after his first pitch. He was removed after six because of his pitch count of 104. 

Girardi was profuse in his praise of Tanaka throughout the season, “His stuff is pretty good and he knows how to use it and make adjustments. It’s hard not to say that his start is as good as anyone I know. I don’t think it’s fair to expect that from anyone. It’s just remarkable.”

Another experienced eye, that of the Yankees veteran captain, Derek Jeter, saw very similar to what the Yankee manager did in watching Tanaka, “He’s pretty much done that every time out. His ability to make adjustments from hitter to hitter is probably the most impressive thing. He makes adjustments throughout the game.” 

The self-critical rookie disagreed with the assessments of Jeter and Girardi, “I don’t feel I was making adjustments tonight. I was just trying to keep the ball down.” 

However he performed as he has done this season, it should be noted that Tanaka leads the American League in wins, winning percentage and ERA. 

The Yankee relievers, Dellin Betances in two innings and David Robertson in the ninth, did not give up a run.

Rookie Chase Whitley and veteran Mark Buehrle will be the starting pitchers in the second game of the three game set on Wednesday night.

Bronx News Sports: Bronx Science Loses PSAL Championship

Bronx News Sports: Bronx Science Loses PSAL Championship: Bronx Science Loses PSAL Championship By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 13 - Two very unlikely public high school baseball te...

Bronx Science Loses PSAL Championship

Bronx Science Loses PSAL Championship

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 13- Two very unlikely public high school baseball teams met in the PSAL “B” Baseball Championship on Thursday afternoon. Bronx Science (17-4)  is one of this nation’s most prestigious academic high schools. It is far more known for winning scholastic awards than sports contests. 

Beach Channel (19-2) was severely damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Its students and their families suffered in many ways by the devastating storm. Unbelievably, its baseball team carried a roster of only 12 players this season.

Despite expectations, each team won its conference and defeated each of its opponents in the playoffs to reach the championship encounter. Strangely, each team’s last loss occurred on May 17 and to a similarly named opponent. The Bronx Science Wolverines were defeated by American Studies, 3-2, and the Beach Channel Dolphins lost to the Academy of American Studies, 6-1.

Yankee Stadium, the venue for the championship, was extremely appropriate as it is the site that has flown the most World Series flags in MLB history. 

The game was interesting and competitive but was played somewhat sloppily. Although 12 runs were scored in the game, there were only 12 hits. More than three dozen batters ended their at bats without hitting the ball in fair territory, 23 batters struck out, 14 walked and one was hit by a pitch. There were also a number of errors, wild pitches and passed balls.

A run was not scored in the first three frames, and David Polanco, the right fielder of the Dolphins, had the only hit.

Both teams pushed runs across the plate in the fourth. Science hurler Glenn Price created his own problem by walking the first five batters of the inning. Catcher josph Colandra and centerfielder Antonio Moccia received RBIs for their bases loaded walks. The final two runs were driven in on a single by pitcher Kelly Aponte.

The Wolverines cut the lead in half with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Consecutive single by Benjamin Kravitz, Daniel Bomfiglia and Glenn Price aided by two Beach Channel errors led to the runs.

Each team scored a single run in the sixth to keep the Dolphins advantage at two, 5-3.

In the seventh, three Science hits and two walks tied the score and filled the bases with one out. A fly to Moccia in center was caught and Moccia’s throw nailed Kravitz at the plate for an inning ending double play. The coach of the Dolphins, John Mangieri, described the play as “a big league play and a big league throw.” 

Moccia tried to deflect the praise to Colandra, the catcher by saying, “You couldn’t ask for a better catcher.”

A diverse but effective ninth inning for the Dolphins, error, hit batsman, walk and two singles produced two runs and a 7-5 victory and a first city championship for Beach Channel.

Mangieri saluted his entire team, “I’m proud of my boys and what we’ve overcome. They’ve been fearless from the beginning. I used everyone [all 12 players]. I tried to do the right thing. They were excited [to be at Yankee Stadium] but pretty relaxed during the game.”

Bronx News Sports: Tanaka is Only Bright Spot for Yanks

Bronx News Sports: Tanaka is Only Bright Spot for Yanks: Tanaka is Only Bright Spot for Yanks By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 6- The Yankees ended their most recent homestand on Thu...

Tanaka is Only Bright Spot for Yanks

Tanaka is Only Bright Spot for Yanks

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 6- The Yankees ended their most recent homestand on Thursday afternoon with a 2-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics. The Yankees have achieved a victory in 10 of the 12 games Masahiro Tanaka has started. The win ended a four-game losing streak for the club.

Tanaka is continuing in the month of June what he accomplished during May. Tanaka excelled during his six starts in May. He compiled a record of 5-1 with a miniscule ERA of 1.88. The 25 year-old kept his pinpoint control throughout the previous month by averaging one walk per appearance yet fanning one per inning. His achievements on the mound earned him the award as Pitcher of the Month in the American League. He is the first Yankee rookie hurler to achieve that distinction.

With one out in the first inning on Thursday, Oakland’s catcher John Jaso took the first pitch from Tanaka into the rightfield stands. The home run was the first yielded by the right-hander in more than one month (May 3).

The four bagger did not disturb the Japanese native as he retired the next 10 batters he faced.

With two out in the fourth, he gave up successive singles, but retired the last batter with a strikeout. The first Oakland batter in the next frame singled. With two out, Tanaka walked his only batter of the game. The inning ended with a pop out. In the sixth, Tanaka’s final inning, one batter singled but never reached second.

Tanaka was removed after six. Yankee manager Joe Girardi explained the reasoning, “I think he threw 50 pitches in the last two innings. We felt fatigue had set in and it was time to take him out.”

Although it was his shortest performance in number of innings, Girardi expressed great admiration for how well he pitched, “He never let up and got the big outs he needed. It was a gritty performance on his part. [it was] maybe his biggest performance for us.”

Although Girardi did not want to call Tanaka the ace of the staff, he did so in other words, “He stepped up and kind of assumed that role. He’s going to give you distance, shut down the other team and give you a chance to win.”

Catcher Brian McCann took no credit for the starter’s excellence, “Stuffwise it was all there. He pitched great.”

An example of how Tanaka impressed the opposing batters follows. Rightfielder Stephen Voigt commented, “He stays on the corners. He keeps us off balance. His stuff is so good. “ [Despite Tanaka’s talent] I thought we had good at bats all day.”

Tanka admitted the team he faced for the first time was very difficult, “It was a tough game. They [Athletics] were resilient. They don’t give in.”

The rookie pitcher remained with Steve Rogers of the Montreal Expos as the only two pitchers in more than a century to pitch at least six innings and give up three or fewer runs in their first 12 major league starts.

All Yankees fans eagerly await Tanaka’s next start.

Bronx News Sports: Yankees SOS!

Bronx News Sports: Yankees SOS!: Yankees SOS! Ellsbury Can’t Save Yanks Yankees Home Woes Continue; Lose Fourth Straight By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE...

Yankees SOS!

Yankees SOS!

Ellsbury Can’t Save Yanks

Yankees Home Woes Continue; Lose Fourth Straight

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 5- The Yankees continue to falter at their home ballpark. The 7-4 loss to Oakland on Wednesday night was their fourth straight defeat at home. They have lost 12 of their last 16 games in the Bronx. The combination of poor hitting, especially in the clutch, and lack of dependability from the relief corps has resulted in many recent defeats.

A base on balls to Ichiro Suzuki and three consecutive hits, a single by Brett Gardner, an infield single by Derek Jeter, and a three-run homer by Jacoby Ellsbury provided the Yanks with a four-run inning and a 4-0 lead at the end of three innings.

Unfortunately for the home team, the third was the only inning in which the Yankees scored. During their final five frames, the Yankees only managed two singles. To make matters worse for them, the Athletics scored seven unanswered runs to achieve a victory.

The versatility of Oakland is shown by the variety of ways their runs on Wednesday were driven in. Three were scored on solo home runs. Cuban native Yoenis Cespedes blasted his 11^th of the season in the fourth and his 12^th two innings later. Third sacker Josh Donaldson lifted his 16^th into the stands in the seventh. 

Three other runs did not need base hits to move an Oakland runner across the plate. Sacrifice flies by Jed Lowrie in the third, Alberto Callaspo in the sixth and Kyle Blanks in the ninth were as meaningful as the four baggers. 

Another strange manner of scoring occurred in the ninth as Brandon Moss was hit by a pitch of Wade LeBlanc in his first game as a Yankee. 

Yankee starter Vidal Nuño gave up two runs in 4.2 innings, but the relievers gave up five in 4.1. Matt Daley gave up two, Leblanc surrendered two, and in his major league debut, Jose Ramirez yielded a home run to Donaldson in the seventh, which earned him the loss. 

Yankee skipper Joe Girardi said, “It’s a product of not having your bullpen set up the way you want it.” 

The passing of Don Zimmer was of far more importance than the loss of a single ballgame. The feisty, colorful, knowledgeable and fun loving individual was a fixture in MLB for 66 years. He was remembered with much emotion by those who knew him well for his time as a Yankee coach. 

After the game, Girardi recalled, “I was with him in 10 of my first 11 years. Wherever he went, I went. He was a close friend. I’m going to miss him. Our relationship was always close. He gave me my first opportunity. It’s going to be really strange not to see him.”

Another scene of the evening at Yankee Stadium that had greater meaning than the final score was the thoughtful treatment received by 12-year-old Matthew Miller of Queens and his family by CC Sabathia. Miller was severely injured and his 7 year-old brother Chris killed in a house fire at the start of 2014. Sabathia tried to provide some happy memories for the family who came as his guests for on-the-field activities.