Tarp Gate

Tarp Gate

Who's to blame when Mother Nature was the story in #Yankees rain-shortened win over Texas

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 24- Brett Gardner was ready to take his turn at bat in the New York Yankees fifth inning. And then Mother Nature went to work. But the umpires were fooled as the deluge and winds had a field day with the tarp and Yankees grounds crew in the Bronx. From there it was a bizarre hour and 49 minutes of good theatre at Yankee Stadium Wednesday night.

The umpires could not play with Mother Nature, and in the end there is no telling as to who made the bad call about not getting a tarp on the field in time. There was the ugly forecast of heavy storms approaching. The umpires and grounds crew have sophisticated radar in place, as good as the pitching coaches have radars on opposing hitters.

And for 13 minutes, the grounds crew could not keep up with the winds and torrential rains that resulted in an infield that resembled “Noah’s Arch.” No way, the game could be resumed with the Yankees leading the Texas Rangers 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning.

The Yankee Stadium infield was not a “Field of Dreams.” The warning track areas, as good as the drainage system is, not playable. So, what do you do?

This is where it got interesting, and in the end, who is to blame for a rain shortened Yankees win? Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Rangers’ manager Ron Washington had more concern about the infield track and how unplayable it was. The worst case scenario was seeing one of their players go down with a hamstring injury because the infield was still not playable.

After all, this is not sandlot baseball that is played daily across the street at Legends Field. This is Major League Baseball, and with advanced technology to prepare on time for an upcoming storm, the tarp should have been on the field and the issue here would be about the game and not who was to blame.

And the Yankees grounds crew, they get the accolades for battling a stubborn tarp. They deserve the applause trying to get the infield back to playing shape, earning their money and spending over 45-minutes using every ounce of that sophisticated drying agent to make the field playable.

However, all the manicuring and water absorbing was not good enough. The managers huddled around home plate, up the first base line, and so did the umpires.

"Ron Washington said he thought a hamstring would be blown and I said ‘I question if this is safe for our players. Is there anything you could do to firm it up?'," Girardi said. "There were spots in the infield that you could see this much dirt would come up very easily."

They waited, and most of the 37,585 had more common sense and left the ballpark. There may have been that proverbial “Window”they talk about in baseball, the rain letting up and the game will resume. But the radar showed more rain was on the way as they played the waiting game with hopes the drying agent would sink in and dry the field.

The umpires called headquarters in New York for a decision. The Yankees have more to play for as the Rangers are looking at next year, but every game as Major League Baseball mandates, should try to be completed. The areas where turns are made were unplayable and the tarp was on the field again as light rain resumed.

With the tarp covering an infield needing attention, it became that more difficult to be a playable field that turned into mud.

Dale Scott the umpire crew chief had this to say:"Both managers had concerns about injuries, hamstrings, that kind of stuff. It would be really bad if we started playing and somebody blew out a knee or a hamstring or whatever because of that."

“Been through a lot of crazy things over the years,” Washington said. He did not put the blame on the umpire’s possible late call for the tarp. And certainly the grounds crew could not be faulted because too much water on the tarp made it impossible to move..

Alex Rios, who got one of five Rangers’ hits off Yankees starter and winner David Phelps said it was one of the most unusual rain delays he has encountered in his career, but the decision to no longer play was the right move. When the tarp was first removed, and as the grounds crew did their best, Rios and most of his teammates huddled by the dugout as starting pitcher Yu Darvish took some warm up tosses and hoped for the best.

The outfielder commented, “When I went through the infield it was very wet, guess the outfield was just as wet. You don’t want to get the players injured.”

In the end though, Mother Nature helped the Yankees this time. The last game before the all-star break at Baltimore, the Yankees waited two hours as the game was called in the fifth inning because of rain and they got a loss.

“Always if it’s a win," Girardi said about the rain helloing his team this time. But, as always he was logical about a bizarre evening in the Bronx. "Neither one of us can really afford anyone else to go on the DL because of conditions that players shouldn’t be on.”

THE GAME: Gardner hit a fastball off Darvich into the right-field seats in the third inning, his 10th of the season that gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead… Chase Headley acquired Tuesday from San Diego got one of four Yankees hits with a two-out double to the right-center gap in the second inning, his second hit in five at bats as a Yankee…

Phelps (5-4) recorded his first complete game of the year and Yankees starters have allowed four or fewer runs in each of their last nine games…. The Rangers have lost 15 of their last 18 road games…. Yankees trail first place Orioles by three games in the Al east with the finale of the four-game series Thursday afternoon and looking to take the series.

Comment Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso www.newyorksportsexaminer.com

Bronx News Sports: Fordham alum

Bronx News Sports: Fordham alum: Former Fordham Ram Martinez returned to the pitching mound in the Bronx By Rich Mancuso BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 23- Three ...

Fordham alum

Former Fordham Ram Martinez returned to the pitching mound in the Bronx

By Rich Mancuso

BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 23- Three years ago Nick Martinez was spending time as a second baseman and came out of the bullpen up at Rose Hill for Fordham University. Then the Texas Rangers gave him a call as their 18th round pick in the June amateur draft. Tuesday night he was on the mound at Yankee Stadium getting the start for the Texas Rangers.

It was a homecoming of sorts. The 23-year old right-hander from Hialeah Florida visited the new Yankee Stadium in his senior year at Fordham. Scouts said he could fit in the plans for the Rangers, and at the time the organization was loaded with good pitching.

So, a little past 7:20pm, and three years after coming out of the pen up at Rose Hill, Martinez threw his first pitch as a professional in the Bronx. It was low sinker and outside to Brett Gardner that went for a single to left. Derek Jeter followed hitting into a ground ball double-play and Jacoby Ellsbury lashed a 92-mile fastball to left for a single.

Then the curveball was thrown, one that helped Martinez get to this point, and Carlos Beltran ended the inning with a force that went second to short. After that hit to Ellsbury, Martinez retired 12 consecutive Yankees, and that was impressive being this was his first start coming off the 15-day disabled list because of discomfort on his left side.

“Going out and sat on the bench a little bit it just sank it in,” Martinez said, hours after he was lifted from a game that almost lasted five hours and went 14-innings in a game the Yankees won 2-1.

Martinez, 1-6, with a 5.10 ERA, held the Yankees for 5 1/3 innings on three hits and a walk. Manager Ron Washington made the pitching change after a walk to Gardner and after throwing 68 pitches, and of course he did not fair in the decision.

“His mechanics started to break down,” was the explanation from Washington about removing Martinez with a low pitch count. But, there was more of a concern that his pitches did not further aggravate his left side.

Martinez has a future and that was the reason the Rangers grabbed him after a successful scholastic and playing career at Fordham. He had allowed 10 earned runs in his previous 7 1/3 innings over two starts and retired 14 of the last 16 Yankees he faced in the game.

It resulted in his first career start without allowing an earned run, and the first by a Texas pitcher this season not allowing an earned run since Yu Darvich against the Twins on June 28th.   

He said, “I thought my fastball was elevated a bit. I got away with that….things to expect first time out in three weeks. I understand. I did have to tighten up and focus. I didn’t feel tired and exhausted. Again, I haven’t pitched in three weeks so you have to play it safe.”

Comment Rich Mancuso: Ring786@aol.com

Bronx News Sports: New Guy Wins it for Yankees

Bronx News Sports: New Guy Wins it for Yankees: New Guy Wins it for Yankees Walk-Off Single by Chase Headley in First Game as a Yankee By Howard Goldin BRONX, N...

New Guy Wins it for Yankees

New Guy Wins it for Yankees

Walk-Off Single by Chase Headley in First Game as a Yankee

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 23- A beautiful pitching duel between two rookie starters, Nick Martinez of the Texas Rangers and Chase Whitley of the New York Yankees and continued by a phalanx of relief pitchers by both teams kept runs off the board for 12 innings.

After the pitchers stifled every rally before a run could be scored, a run for each club was scored in the 13th frame. There was no rally in the top of the inning. One swing by first sacker J. P. Arencibia lifted the ball into the left-centerfield stands to put the first run on the board and emotionally deflate the excited fans still in their seats.

The base hit by Arencibia was the first by the Rangers since Adrian Beltre’s lead-off single in the seventh inning.

Brett Gardner led off the bottom of the inning with a double. With one out, the man who can do no wrong, Jacoby Ellsbury, drove in the run that tied the score. The run batted in was Ellsbury’s fifth in the first five games of the current home stand.

Two newcomers who were appearing in their first games as Yankees were the heroes.

In the 14th, Jeff Francis, the seventh and final reliever of the game for the Yankees, entered the contest. Francis had been acquired Oakland on July 11. The veteran of 11 major league seasons was appearing in his first game in pinstripes. He had last pitched in a game on July 2. Twenty days later, he kept the Rangers scoreless for the inning and earned the win. Despite the 20 days between games, Francis told reporters he felt in shape to play, “I did what I needed to do to stay sharp. I don’t feel I’m behind.”

The Yankees bullpen did everything possible to give the Yanks an opportunity to obtain the victory. The seven relievers pitched eight innings and gave up only one run and four hits.

The Yankees put together their final and winning rally after the second seven inning stretch of the conterst. Brian Roberts hit a grounds rule double into the stands in right. Francisco Cervelli singled, moving Roberts to third. Chase Headley, who had been acquired earlier in the day from the San Diego Padres for fellow third sacker Yangervis Solarte, singled to end the game and put the Yankees in the winning column.

Yankee skipper Joe Girardi described Headley’s arrival during the game, “Chase came into the dugout at 7:30 or 7:40 and introduced himself.”

Headley’s first game as a Yankee was his 909th as  major leaguer. He explained his emotions, “I’m just trying to do my job and become a part of this franchise. It’s great to be a part of a pennant race.”

The game that seemed it would never end, saw 37 players used and took 4:51 until it was over.

Bronx News Sports: Yanks Sweep Series

Bronx News Sports: Yanks Sweep Series: Yanks Sweep Series with a Walk-Off Win on Sunday over Reds By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 21- The Yanks won their third straig...

Yanks Sweep Series

Yanks Sweep Series with a Walk-Off Win on Sunday over Reds



By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 21- The Yanks won their third straight over the Cincinnati Reds in an exciting manner as they obtained a walk-off win on Sunday.

Hiroki Kuroda, the only original starting pitcher of this season to still be in the rotation, picked up the slack of those missing by going deep into the game and only yielding one unearned run.

For his second straight start, the veteran hurler only gave up three hits. He walked two while fanning six in 6.2 innings.

Zack Cozart, who was safe on an error by second sacker Brain Roberts to start the fifth, scored the only run off Kuroda when he was plated by a grounds-rule double by Skip Schumaker.

The Yankee skipper Joe Girardi was obviously pleased by the performance of the 39-year-old pitcher, “He did a wonderful job today. He’s been extremely consistent.”

The score was 2-1 in favor the Yankees when he was removed from the game. He was denied a chance to get the winning decision when Todd Frazier hit a solo home run off reliever Dellin Betances in the eighth to tie the score at 2.

The Japanese pitcher viewed the experience with a very mature attitude, “As a pitcher, you always want to get a win yourself, [but] the biggest thing, obviously, is for the team to get a win.”

Betances, a rookie, accepted the blame for the home run, “The pitch to Frazier was up and in. It was a bad pitch for me. I think he just guessed and took a good swing. He’s a good hitter. I felt bad not to help us get a win. I was definitely frustrated.”

The Yankees gained the victory in the bottom of the ninth in surprising fashion as fireballer Aroldis Chapman threw nearly every one of his 18 pitches for at least 100 miles per hour.
In the ninth, Jacoby Ellsbury capped off a perfect day in which he was 4 for 4 with a walk at the plate, stole two bases and made a spectacular catch in center off Frazier in the third.
He led off with a single to left. He then stole second. A wild pitch moved him to third. With one out McCann popped the ball up but three Cincinnati fielders led it drop and Ellsbury scored for the win.

Girardi explained why the opposing fielders had a problem with the ball, “It [the sun] can be very difficult if you’ve never played here.”

McCann, who had his fifth career walk-off hit, gave full credit to Ellsbury, “He runs the table. He can do anything on a baseball field. He showed all his tools today.”

The homestand for the Yankees continues as the Texas Rangers visit for games from Monday through Thursday.”