GERRIT COLE THROWS 2000

On Tuesday night, the Yankees embarked on an important three game series against their division rival Baltimore Orioles. Those Orioles are always muckrakers against the Yankees. And they certainly had Gerrit Cole's number last night in the early innings. But Cole did something great despite giving up two home runs and a two run double, quickly giving the O's a 4-0 lead. But it wasn't enough to beat the Yankees as they walked off with a 6-5 win in extras. Making the night even more special. 

"Gerrit Cole fanned former Yankees prospect Jorge Mateo in the second inning and became the 87th pitcher with 2,000 career strikeouts. He got there in 1,714 2/3 innings, third fastest all-time. Only Chris Sale (1,626 innings) and Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez (1,711 1/3 innings) beat Cole to the milestone," reported CBS Sports. Good for him. He has been a different person, a different pitcher this season. Though he earned a no-decision in Tuesday night's game, he made history.

"In terms of games pitched, Cole is also the third fastest to 2,000 strikeouts. He got there in 278 games, behind only Hall of Famer Randy Johnson (262 games) and the great Clayton Kershaw (277 games)," reported CBS Sports. Anytime I get to mention Kershaw in a piece, it is a good piece!

Recall that last season Cole set the Yankees franchise single-season strikeout record, moving passed Ron Guidry's 248 strikeouts which he threw during his historic Cy Young season in 1978. Anytime I mention Guidry in a piece, it is a good piece! Cole has the opportunity to do much more as long as he stays healthy. He will be with the Yankees through 2028 given his current contract.

"He’s one of eight pitchers to achieve the milestone while wearing a Yankees uniform, joining the likes of Andy Pettitte, C.C. Sabathia, Catfish Hunter, David Cone, Mike Mussina, Bobo Newman, and Dwight Gooden," reported Sports Illustrated. Okay, I am a Pettitte and Catfish fan, so anytime I mention them...you get the point. 

Cole has shown tremendous growth and leadership as well this season. Often he is seen talking with young pitchers, reviewing their performance on the dugout iPad and even providing some much-needed humor when the team was down. His presence is invaluable to this team. Congratulations, Gerrit Cole on this well-earned accomplishment. And let's go Yankees, beat them O's!

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

THE BUM

 

I never wanted Frankie Montas.  There's something about being in Oakland and coming to the Bronx that changes players.  We've seen it over the years. Most recent memory is Sonny Gray, but diving in you can find more.  Guys like Rickey Henderson, Catfish and Nick Swisher are probably the exception. It's smaller market to big market and the constant microscope for New York Yankee fans that are looking for anything to watch you fail.  

Frankie Montas being a big time pitcher that the Yankees needed to have was a media driven story that everyone in Yankeeland fell for.  Think about it, the Yankees needed a pitcher and we were headed to the trade deadline. Add in the New York Media and it's the perfect storm for getting clicks and buying papers. They tricked you. I didn't fall for it. I thought it was ridiculous, but Cashman did not. He fell for it too  And now the new Carl Pavano has entered the Yankees ballpark... hurt.  That's right, Frankie needs surgery... and it should surprise no one.

MLB Trade Rumors writes:

"Yankees right-hander Frankie Montas will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder on Feb. 21, manager Aaron Boone announced (Twitter links via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com and Joel Sherman of the New York Post). The best-case scenario for a return would be late in the 2023 season.

Montas was already known to be behind schedule heading into spring training, thanks to inflammation in his right shoulder that slowed his offseason progression. General manager Brian Cashman said three weeks ago, however, that the damage didn’t appear to be structural in nature. The GM added that more information would be gained once Montas began his throwing program. That was scheduled for late January, and it now seems clear that things didn’t go as smoothly as hoped."

Let's do what Suzie Pinstripe said a few weeks ago. LET'S GO WITH FOUR & SEE WHAT THE SPRING BRINGS!

LESSONS FROM THE ZOO

It seems that the argument has been around since humans were able to verbally communicate. Were times tougher then or now? Were people stronger then compared to now? Is that generation tough, while this one is weak?

The questions get posed and the answers come rapid fire…but who is actually right?

Could an overweight, orphan kid from Baltimore who became the SULTAN OF SWAT hit a dead, red heater from a guy known as THE CUBAN MISSILE (who once touched 105mph)?  The truth is we don’t really know…we guess. Short of Doc Brown showing up with McFly and the Delorean, that’s all we can do.

In this awful crisis I continue to put life squarely in the spectrum of baseball. This pandemic feels like slump we can’t shake. I mean sure, we got an “oops excuse me” knock yesterday, and seem to be seeing the ball better, but we want that 4 for 4 game with a dinger and 5 RBIs…it’ll happen.

The back of our baseball card will show up. I was lucky enough to experience a bit of the infamous Bronx Zoo years. Yes, I was a little kid, but I remember those guys so vividly. They embodied New York in the 70s. They were a snapshot of the city decked out in Pinstripes…and they were straight up animals.

When I think about Boonie telling that ump last season, “MY GUYS ARE SAVAGES IN THE BOX!” I chuckle a bit.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Aaron. His guys are tough customers in the box…but they ain’t savages like the Yanks from the Zoo. That's the truth! With all their quirky disfunction and infighting, the Yankees of the late 1970s were a magical team. They just wanted to fight for every single win.

They gutted it out day after day and night after night. Thurman, Reggie, Mick the Quick, Catfish, Goose, Nettles, Lou, Gator…they were just what we need today. Guys that didn’t win pretty. They weren’t manicured like ARod. They didn’t have personalized spikes…hell, even the field at the stadium was in rough shape…but they played through it all with fire.

THEY WERE TOUGHER Than our current generation of players.

Image Tex walking into the clubhouse to tell Billy, “Hey, this hangnail is really messing with my swing from the left side. I’m gonna sit tonight.” Martin would have bitten his finger off…not to mention his head.

We are in a spot now where we need that gritty Bronx Zoo head space. It sucks, but we play to win. We’re hurt, but there’s a game to win. We’re down…but we never stay that way. America IS the Bronx Zoo.

We don’t get along all the time. We believe that we are the individual that “Stirs the coffee”. We look to drill Jimmy Rice between the numbers just so Nettles and Bucky can bust Yaz and Pudge in the mouth when the benches clear.

We ain’t perfect, but damn are we great when we want to be. We can learn from the Zoo and we will win it all again.

Be safe, stay well…and KNOW that the streak is coming…and we will see a scrawny shortstop with caked on eye black send one “DEEP TO LEFT!” soon.

Here’s a little throwback from the Zoo to you!

A HIT FROM 1978! "HIS HAIR WAS PERFECT....DIP!"

--Mike O'Hara
BYB Contributor
Twitter: @mikeyoh21

JOHNNY LASAGNA COULD HAVE WHAT IT TAKES

Source: Twitter

If you haven't heard enough about the Yankee 23-year-old minor league now major league Jonathan Loaisiga, we are going to give you some more things to love about him. Besides stepping into some incredible shoes on a Friday night at Yankee Stadium and not even blinking, the starter likes lasagna and welcomes the nickname 'Johnny Lasagna' that his peers coined back in 2012.  He threw five scoreless innings besting the Tampa Bay Rays 5-0 and turned some collective heads in both baseball and the media.

"I think it confirmed what we thought and a big reason why he's here," Boone said of Loaisiga's poise. "Everyone got a look at the stuff that this kid has and the arm he has and the easy delivery he has, and I felt confident in just the little I got to see him in spring training and watching him on video and talking to people within our organization and I felt like mentally (and) emotionally, he's equipped to handle this," reported NJ.com. And the kid served a whole tray of the Italian favorite in front of thousands of fans on this Father's Day Weekend.

When you think about baseball nicknames across the decades of the National Pastime, names like Yogi, Joltin' Joe and The Mick come to mind.  You may also remember Louisiana Lightning, Donnie Baseball and Goose Gossage.  Scooter, Bucky and Catfish, the nicknames keep coming.  Even Giancarlo Stanton has a couple of names he goes by, including his two middle names Mike and Cruz.  He actually went by Mike Stanton into the start of his major league career.

Source: Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America

 "Stanton's full name is Giancarlo Cruz Michael Stanton, and to add another layer to this already complicated name story, his mother actually calls him Cruz. He has said that he started going by Mike when he was younger because his classmates had difficulty pronouncing Giancarlo," reported Sports Illustrated back in February.  So if guys can't pronounce Loaisiga then why not Lasagna and let's see if both his name and his pitching stays.

Something even bigger than is nickname is his comparison to another guy whose nickname stuck, 'The Sandman'. "Loaisiga had something else to process while he was meeting with reporters before Saturday's game. That's when he was told that Rays manager Kevin Cash said that he "looks like a young Mariano Rivera" on the mound. "That's a big compliment right there," Loaisiga said. "Mariano was one of the best all-time in this sport. It's humbling for (Cash) to say like that," reported NJ.com.

Source: NJ.com

Why not fill the void of pitching from within?  Why not Lasagna instead of fishing across MLB for something else?  Johnny Lasagna it is and maybe that's all we need.

--Suzie Pinstripes
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

RON GUIDRY: HIS INFLUENCE ACROSS GENERATIONS

When my son was about two-years-old, we started batting practice in our small driveway in Staten Island, NY.  As I pitched to him, and gave him some very basic pointers, I always bantered about my two favorite players: Bucky Dent and Ron Guidry.  Guidry, in particular, had a special place in my heart because it was Guidry, unbeknownst to Guidry himself, who helped me as a struggling reader and learner.  Often I would visually compare him within the list of vocabulary words that plagued my homework tasks.  Words like agile and fierce were great comparative words and saunter and lackadaisical were terrific antonyms.  My son took the visual comparison one step further, by sketching a portrait of my forever favorite pitcher, #49, one Mother's Day.  The picture hangs prominently in my living room today.

Source: Chris Carbonaro

Through the years, Guidry influenced my grandparents, parents, siblings, and now my children through his passionate, focused game play and resilient competitiveness.  His influence is impactful across generations and his new book spotlights everything we loved about Guidry both on and off the field.

Guidry, affectionately known as Gator and Louisiana Lightning, penned his first memoir, Gator: My Life In Pinstripes, which is available this upcoming Tuesday, March 20th.  Through his account, Guidry talks about his relationships with his teammates and the game of baseball himself, which includes advice to young players, particularly pitchers who seek success in the major leagues.

"In 1978, Guidry, or ‘Gator’, won the Cy Young Award as the best pitcher in baseball, and his many further credentials include being a four-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner. In Gator, Guidry recounts his ascent to prominence and discloses rare insight into the dynamics of his life both on and off the field," according publisher previews.

Source: ESPN

Beyond the statistics, there is Ron Guidry, the rock, the leader, the person who told his dugout mates how many runs he needed in order to pitch a winning game.  There's Guidry who would sprint off the mound after a strike out, closing out an incredible inning. And he is noted as the pitcher who "invented" the two-out, two-strike standing ovation. In fact he would relish the second to third strike thunderous applause, a tradition carried out across baseball even today.

If Reggie Jackson is the straw that stirred the drink then Guidry is the bartender; he created the environment, set the stage and elevated his teammates into the successful players they became in the championship years of 1977 and 1978.

As we enter the 40th anniversary season of the 1978 team, it seems fitting that Gator's book would hit the stands on the heels of what could be an equally incredible year for the Yankees. As a young pitcher just entering the scene, Guidry talks about the importance of mentorship and credits his mentors Sparky Lyle, Jim "Catfish" Hunter, Dick Tidrow and Thurman Munson as guiding him toward a career that served him well. "You put all of that together and you get me," said Guidry in an interview about his book.

If you are a Guidry fan you've already told the kids in your life about him.  Maybe you still have your glove adorned with his mimeographed signature in the pocket, like I do. And maybe this text is another way to reminisce and share what you have always loved about Guidry.  That's the way I am approaching this read...and I can't wait to dig in.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof

BOOED OFF THE MOUND!

Source: Paul J. Bereswill

I have never seen anything like it.  Seriously, Tyler Clippard has to be the sorriest looking pitcher on the hill right now.  And when he said that the fans have a right to be angry, he is right.  He absolutely choked on Saturday after being placed in the 9th inning hole by Joe Girardi who was hoping to snap his funk.

Source: Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America

"He coughed up four runs in the ninth inning to kill any chances the Yankees had in an 8-1 loss to the Rangers. Granted, Clippard came into the game already down 4-1, with Girardi looking for opportunities to get the 32-year-old back on track," reported the NY Post.

Source: Al Bello/Getty Images North America

But this seems to be Clippard's MO, at least of late.  He has more than doubled his ERA over his last three outings from 2.22 to 4.85.  These kinds of performances are not acceptable for a team who is battling for first place and who has the charisma of a championship team from yesteryear.

Source: Reuters 

With Old Timers Day upon us, the Yankees 71st of its kind, I hope that the legends that take the field bring some much needed champion magic back to this year's team and back to Clippard who wears Catfish Hunter's number across his back.

Source: Al Bello/Getty Images North America

“They have a right,” Clippard said. “They have a right to boo me. I’m pitching terrible right now. It is what it is. This is a city that demands excellence. I realize that. It is what it is.”

Source: Al Bello/Getty Images North America

I think what gets me is that confused look on Clippard's face every time he makes a mistake.  He looks shocked, almost like he got busted with his fingers in the cookie jar and now has to face the consequences.  “I know I’ve been through some trouble in my career . . . I’ve had some bad times and I’ve had a lot of good times. It can’t get any worse. Hopefully, there’s some good times to come," reported Newsday.

And if Clippard doesn't have good times in his near future, I hope the team and media stop babying the guy and they send him down for the next guy in who can help us win ball games, not lose them. Honestly, I have seen enough and we, the fans, deserve a much needed break.  Besides, I am eating way too much ice cream over this guy.  For health's sake...Clippard, please take a vacation and get your head on straight.  Yanks lose a big one at home 8-1 with the rubber game later today following Old Timers' Day.

--Suzie Pinstripe

BYB Managing Editor
Follow me on Twitter: @suzieprof

JIM ABBOTT MADE ME A YANKEE FAN!

I want to introduce my BYB Audience to Valerie Snow...a reader and strong woman who reached out to me with a terrific story about hope, determination and the New York Yankees. I was truly touched by it, and so I asked her to share it with all of you. She agreed... and here it is. Enjoy this, I certainly did.  

Val, thank you, we really appreciate it here at BYB!  -Casey

This might not be all that interesting, but you know we are passionate about our teams. Growing up, there was no better team than the Oakland A's.  As the sixth child of a pretty much single mom, I'm surprised how many games we got to at Oakland County Coliseum, but we did!

My first memories are from probably 1968. I was enthralled by guys like Rollie Fingers, Vida Blue, Catfish Hunter, Sal Bando, Gene Tenace, and Bert Campaneris.

Of course we all loved Reggie! Born in Oakland, raised in Fremont, for us, it was all about the A's. I have been a baseball fan for as long as I can remember, and I never expected to love another team like I loved my A's.  Even after we left California, my team was still the A's.

We left California in early 1972, but how loudly and proudly I cheered for them in 1972, 1973 and 1974!  Yep, I was cocky.

Nothing changed for me baseball-wise over the next 5 to 6 years.  I would ALWAYS be an A's fan... or so I thought.  I remember when Billy Martin defected back to the Yankees in 1983.

We felt like our family had been punched!  It would have been okay for him to manage any other team, but the Yankees?  Now, I know Billy loved baseball as much as we do, and he was blessed to do it for a living, so I hated him a little less for that.  My mother never got over her hatred of the Yankees though...or Billy Martin.  Ironically, because both Bobby Murcer and Mickey Mantle were from her home town, and she loved them, yet, she hated that they played for the New York Yankees.

As young adult, I continued to cheer for my A's.  I never thought anything would change that.  In 1983, I had my son Leo.  Still an A's fan, but his birth would change my life. 

Significantly disabled, we didn't know if he would "catch up" developmentally, or just see the gap between where he was, and where boys his age were just widen.  It widened, and significantly.  It never mattered to us, but issues of disability became more important to us as we raised Leo.  

In the early 90's when Milwaukee was still in the American League, we went to see them play the Yankees at Old County Stadium in Milwaukee. I was living in Iowa at the time, so it was a short road trip.  I wasn't a Brewers fan, but I was, and remain to this day, a fan of baseball!  Of course, as a life-long A's fan, I had come to hate the Yankees, so I was cheering for the Brewers.  But all that changed when we got in our amazing seats, and I thought something was wrong with my glasses.  I asked my husband "Is their pitcher missing part of his arm?"  

I was shocked, but also very touched that a Major League Baseball would take a chance on a guy with an obvious disadvantage, let alone a team like the New York Yankees, who, at the time, I was sure were the Satans of baseball.  It was after that game, and when it had all sunk in well that I began to love the Yankees, and that has never changed since.  Yes, I know Jim Abbott didn't have the long career of many pitchers, but he was, and continues to be a great role model for any kid with a disability who has goals.

I live in the middle of nowhere right now.  A year ago, I lived in Iowa, and were kind of central to Minneapolis, Chicago, and Kansas City, so we could go see the Yankees whenever they were close.  I forced my family to take me to New York City in 2008 for our family vacation because I had to see old Yankee Stadium before it closed.  It was surreal for me and I really could not believe I was there! It didn't matter that the Yankees lost to the then last place Orioles.  I sat about 18 rows up, just between home plate and the Yankees dugout, and watched it all happen.  It made me entire trip! I watch every game still to this day, including pre-season.

I can't hate the A's, and as long as their play doesn't impact my Yankees standings, I wish them well.  But in the end?  I want my Yankees to be the AL team in the World Series... all because of Jim Abbott!

--Valerie Snow, Guest BYB Writer