WHY THE HELL IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT A NATHAN EOVALDI REUNION?

Ah, Nathan Eovaldi—the one-time Yankee who got away and, just to twist the knife, became a better pitcher after leaving the Bronx. Now, as the Yankees look at their perpetually shaky rotation, wouldn’t it be something if Eovaldi came back to save the day? Spoiler alert: Yankee fans would welcome him back faster than you can say, “Another Domingo Germán suspension” in my opinion.

Let’s talk numbers because they don’t lie—unlike that time the Yankees tried to sell us on Marcus Stroman as the answer to their pitching woes. In 2024, Eovaldi logged 170.2 innings over 29 starts for the Rangers, posting a 3.80 ERA, 3.83 FIP, 1.11 WHIP, and holding hitters to a .227 batting average. For context, those are the kinds of numbers that could’ve spared Yankee fans from countless bullpen meltdowns last season.

This wasn’t some fluke year, either. Eovaldi’s been on a consistent roll. Five straight seasons with a sub-4.00 ERA. Four consecutive years of at least 20 starts. Three seasons in his last four with 140+ innings pitched. Durable it seems, reliable, and still throwing flames into his mid-30s, Eovaldi’s résumé screams “exactly what the Yankees need.”

Look, right now, the Yankees have Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón, trying to hold the fort.  Imagine dropping Eovaldi into this mix. He’s the durable workhorse who balances the rotation and saves the bullpen from overuse. He’d be the anti-Stroman—the guy who shows up in October instead of disappearing into the postseason void. (Looking at you, Marcus. Thanks for nothing.)

Yes, the Rangers want Eovaldi back. The Braves, Red Sox, and Orioles are also lurking. But let’s be honest: the Yankees are the romantic reunion we all want. Eovaldi’s history in New York wasn’t perfect, but he’s come back stronger, sharper, and more dependable than ever. Why the hell is no one talking about this?

And if we’re being petty (and we are), there’s something poetic about Eovaldi shoving against the Red Sox in pinstripes—because who doesn’t love a revenge arc?

So, Brian Cashman, here’s the pitch: bring Eovaldi home. Not only would it give the Yankees a reliable arm, but it’d also heal the collective trauma of letting him go in the first place. Plus, with a two-time World Series champ in the rotation, maybe—just maybe—we’ll see some October magic again. But act fast. Because if he ends up in Baltimore and dominates the Yankees 19 times next season, we’re coming for you, Brian.

In the meantime, we’ll be here, refreshing Twitter for the reunion announcement.

TOUGH LESSONS AND SECOND CHANCES

"Life's not fair and neither is baseball. Only the strong persevere."

This is what one of my colleagues told me at the coffee machine. I have a usual 7:30am routine two days a week at work. I get in, make myself a strong cup of coffee and talk baseball with PJ. Our teams have been chasing the same need...pitching.

I like to pick his brain; he has a different perspective than what you read online so our conversations are refreshing. So yesterday, we were talking about Domingo German and Trevor Bauer. Both pitchers have had a rocky past, but one seems to be closer to a second chance in Major League Baseball.

According to the New York Post HERE, German is talking to six teams about a return, two teams are AL East foes. The Mets are also in the mix although, are believed to be the last team on German's wish list. German has some options, but what about Bauer? He's selling himself as "one of the best pitchers in the world" but no teams are biting yet. Why are we hearing more demand for German right now?

Is baseball going to give German a second chance but not Bauer? Both of these guys have sticky pasts. German literally we saw that in May last season, but he also missed time in the 2019 and 2020 seasons after violating MLB's domestic violence policy. Last season German's season ended after an incident happened in the Yankees clubhouse that led him to seek help for alcohol abuse. He's had a rocky past and sources close to him say he is in a better place and have eliminated some of the distractions that were affecting him. I believe in second chances, and I am happy that German is in a better place now. Hopefully that continues if he gets another MLB job... but why German but not Bauer?

We all know the situation with Bauer. If you don't know, the google machine will tell you everything you need to know. I'm not here to talk about the details or why he is in the situation he is in. I'm not here to give an opinion on his past either. At the end of the day allegations were made, but he was not convicted of a crime. He lost his reputation, and opportunities in MLB. Shouldn't he get a second chance if he isn't guilty?

I know it's not that simple. We live in a much different world now and optics are everything. At the end of the day though.....how do you justify not giving Bauer a chance to come back to the show? What does he have to do to earn an opportunity to prove himself? This is what PJ and I talked about.

Neither of these guys are perfect, but seriously.... show me who is. I know I am not perfect. If someone is willing to put in the work and own their mistakes and change, why not give someone another chance? Even if Bauer isn't interested in a "one year and prove it" type of deal, give him the opportunity to turn it down. A one-year deal is nothing, low risk but high potential reward. The guy knows how to pitch, and he did well in Japan, too. I may not agree that he is "one of the best pitchers in the world" but he can definitely help a starting rotation.

So, have we stopped giving second chances now? If so, when? That's just a hard concept for me to grasp. If baseball can look past German's imperfections and struggles, why not Bauer? Forget about any personal feelings you have about him. Only look at the facts used to determine his outcome and his pitching abilities and ask yourself if he should get another shot on a big-league mound.

So, after 20 minutes at the coffee machine yesterday, PJ and I left it with a shrug and a "life's not fair and neither is baseball," especially if your name is Trevor Bauer. Maybe MLB will prove us both wrong in this case. I guess we wait and see. In the meantime, I hope German makes the most of his second chance. It would be a happy ending, and we need to see that now more than ever.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj 

SORRY SEVERINO, IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON!

It's the end of a journey for Yankees fans. The early years of Luis Severino were exciting to watch but those times faded fast, and the last few years have been hard to watch. It's all come to an end, and sadly it needed to happen.

I'm glad Severino's days in pinstripes are over. I'm not trying to be mean but, I couldn't watch it anymore. He's headed to that other New York team now, and I do wish him well. I want to see him succeed when he isn't pitching against us. In a strange way, I feel like the Yankees are finally going in the right direction when it comes to the starting rotation. The Yankees are finally showing that they are looking for stability in the rotation by moving on. It's progression. Or a weird addition by subtraction if you will. Honestly, the same can be said for Domingo German. It's time to move on.

What comes next, no one knows especially since Brian Cashman is washed up and fails too often with his reclamation projects. At least now there are new possibilities on the horizon, and I am not mad at that. The Yankees have been on the same path of failure for a while now so the idea of "new" anything right now doesn't bother me.....may the baseball gods help us and not let Cashman screw it up again.

I have no problems watching Steve Cohen spend money on Severino. At the end of the day, $13 million is a drop in the bucket for him and I hope Severino succeeds. I'd like to see him prove me wrong, but I just don't see Severino as a starter anymore. His mechanics don't bode well for a long or productive future as a starter. Matt Blake tried to fix that, and he couldn't. I can't say I have any sort of faith in Blake at all, because I think he contributed to Severino's failure. I don't know how Severino comes back from that now, and in the end, Cohen is spending a nice chunk of change to try and make a miracle happen. I'll eat my words if I am wrong, but I don't think I am.

So Sevy....thanks for 2017 and 2018. I think the Yankees mishandled you and now you get a fresh start and hopefully we do too. See you in the Subway Series and Sayonara!  

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

YANKEES DROP THE AXE!

Feeling pressure from the Yankee fan base and really with no idea how to restructure a team, the Yankees made their first moves... cutting guys.  Sadly, they were players and not the analytics department.

On Twitter ( I will never call it X because it's ridiculous), Joel Sherman tweeted the following:

Hearing the Yankees have outrighted Domingo German. Also Matt Bowman, Franchy Cordero, Jimmy Cordero, Billy McKinney and Ryan Weber. All can be claimed now or elect free agency.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 2, 2023

Now, call it what it is... NOT THE FIX WE NEED. 

Sure, we can get rid of the tier 2 and tier 3 guys, but whatever happened to rewarding guys that stepped up when the team was in hell?  Billy McKinney, call him average all you want, he really gave everything he had and proved he belongs on a major league roster. He got the Yanks wins when we need it most.  

They had to ditch Domingo... too many personal issues made him a problem. And yes, the others I can see as being cut.  

But the Yankees have plenty of highly paid players that have done much worse than guys like Billy McKinney and if you're gonna restructure a team, I think they need to look much deeper into that than cutting the low hanging fruit.  In other words, a restructure is exactly what it is... and this feels like any other end of the year move the Yankees would make.

But hey, the off season is here! Look for a whole lot of this kind of stuff... almost like last year when Hal said we weren't done, and we got Carlos Rodon and an ulcer.  God, I hope it's not gonna be that kind of off-season.  Horrible.

THE YANKEES HAVE THEIR EYE ON THIS STARTING STUD PITCHER THAT EVERYONE WANTS!

The Yankees better start thinking about next season, because the Yankees have some big holes and not a lot of top end talent available. Hal Steinbrenner has promised to take a "deep dive" and really study how the Yankees operate. IF he plans to use new resources to spend money, he won't have the cream of the crop to choose from.

The Yankees have been awful offensively for a long time. They definitely need to balance out their lineup and that means adding some left-handed hitters in the lineup for sure. That has to get done for sure but.... what about the pitching?

The Yankees have at least two starters they need to replace. The writing is on the wall, Luis Severino isn't coming back and neither is Domingo German. It's time to move on but there isn't a lot of great free agents out there, assuming Hal wants to trust Brian Cashman to just throw more money into a free agent and hope it magically fixes the problem.

Every team is going to be checking in on Shohei Ohtani, regardless of the fact that he won't be pitching in 2024. The Yankees will check in because we check in on every big-name free agent, but I feel confident saying Ohtani will not be wearing pinstripes. That is the motherload of all longshots. It's out there.... he doesn't want to play for the Yankees, and he prefers to stay on the west coast. Mark this off the list.

So who is available? The other names on the list aren't super exciting, check it out HERE. Some of the biggest names out there are Blake Snell, Aaron Nola and Sonny Gray. Let's just cross Gray off the list (been there done that) and I'm not excited about Snell. Nola has finished top five in Cy Young voting twice in his career, so that top end starter potential the Yankees need is there. He was a big reason why the Phillies were able to make it to the World Series, and he could be an instant upgrade to our rotation. 2023 hasn't been a great season for him, but he is still a workhorse and should get plenty of attention this winter. The Yankees will check in on Nola too but....is this it?

No, there's another option. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the new Japanese superstar that is on every MLB team's radar right now. The Orix Buffaloes will reportedly post their ace this off-season, and several teams are getting ready to pounce, read more HERE. There's a lot to like about Yamamoto's resume: 

"He was Japan’s Pacific League MVP in 2021 with a 1.39 ERA, including 206 strikeouts in 193.2 innings. In 2022, Yamamoto lowered his ERA to 1.65. And this year, his ERA is down to a ridiculous 1.26 as of last week, while averaging a strikeout an inning."

He could be the game changer in the rotation that the Yankees are looking for. Sure, the Yankees signed Carlos Rodon last winter thinking he would fill that role, but he hasn't yet. Maybe Yamamoto can and maybe he will. Oh and, considering that Cashman and advisor Omar Manaya flew to Japan to watch him pitch a no-hitter on September 9th, the Yankees may decide the other free agents are Plan B and go all in on Yamamoto.

Will the Yankees take another splash on a Japanese pitcher? Maybe, and maybe their success with Masahiro Tanaka could help steer Yamamoto to wear pinstripes. I hope that could be an advantage, but the Red Sox are also interested, and they have their own Japanese success stories to brag about.

I don't know what the Yankees are going to do.... but the Yankees need pitching depth and Yamamoto looks pretty enticing. Now the challenge is, can the Yankees persuade him to land here after this disastrous season? That's a real and scary question.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

MONTY'S REVENGE CONTINUES & BOONE GETS TOSSED AGAIN!

The Yankees are limping back home to the Bronx. Call me crazy, but a road trip where the Yankees faced the Oakland A's and St. Louis Cardinals SHOULD have resulted in a record better than 3-3, but it didn't. The Yankees shouldn't struggle against these last place teams....but then again, the 2023 Yankees are no where near what fans expect.

The road trip would've been a little easier to stomach if the Yankees had played better against the Cardinals. I was hoping for a better ending yesterday, but let's face it Jordan Montgomery is the ultimate revenge seeker. We could've been no hit yesterday. He's beaten the Yankees twice now since we traded him. He may have been caught off guard by the move and says "it was their decision to get rid of me," but he's only thriving now, read more HERE. Thank goodness before this series we witnessed Domingo German's perfect game because without that, this road trip was a complete disaster.

Nothing against Harrison Bader, because I love his energy and what he brings to this team when he is healthy, but I miss Montgomery. I was never a fan of trading Monty, and let's face it this season we could use him more than ever. Our pitching outside of Gerrit Cole just hasn't delivered like we had anticipated, and Monty has been reliable and consistent. At least it could be a brighter spot even though our offense is nowhere to be found. I'd say Monty had his revenge, twice now and that makes it harder to swallow.

Aside from Monty's stellar pitching performance how about that horrific changeup thrown to DJ LeMahieu that was called for a strike? HOLY COW that was so far above the strike zone it wasn't even funny. I understand why Aaron Boone lost his temper and let umpire Dan Merzel have it. That was a terrible call. So Boone got his fifth ejection of the season and for once I am not mad at him. I'm glad he stood up for DJ. I just wish all of this anger would result in some more hitting and some wins.

So now it is back to the Bronx....and hopefully the Yankees will have a new spark ignited now that Carlos Rodon will make his season debut. This team desperately needs a spark. July is here, and the Yankees are still a disappointment. I bet Hal Steinbrenner is still "confused" about why fans are so unhappy.

We are 9.5 games back and the calendar has flipped to July. I am desperately waiting for something to feel good about.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj

DAVID CONE NAILS IT WHEN IT COMES TO DOMINGO GERMAN!

I always find David Cone great to listen to. There are plenty that don't. That's their opinion and there's nothing wrong with it. As far as I'm concerned, it's subjective. For me, Coney speaks his mind, very honest and says it like it is.  

Now we all know that he, David Wells and Don Larsen were the only Yankees to have Perfect Games before Domingo German joined the club late last night.  Now we have 4. As a Yankee fan, be proud. That's a huge achievement.

Well, Cone spoke about German and what comes with pitching a Perfect Game.  Clutchpoints writes:

"Cone said that German’s life and potentially his career will be altered for the better after the accomplishment...

"...this could really help springboard him to bigger and better things. It did for Boomer in ’98, he became a different pitcher after that day. He really gained a lot of confidence and possibly that could work for Domingo as well."

It is slightly similar to what I was talking about this morning when I wrote  GERMAN FINALLY TURNS THE PAGE TOWARD GROWTH & WHAT ROLE MODELS NEED TO BE, but I was speaking about German's shortcomings of the past and overcoming those disappointments with achievement and moving forward.  The point is, a spark like this Perfect Game could be a huge boost for German, yes on the field for sure, but definitely in life too.  You feel better about yourself, you want to do better.  We're in the realm of a confident pitcher and positive role model as well. 

Clutchpoints continued with an important nugget that many of us have heard but forgot about last night when we were blinded with the Perfect Game:

"There were murmurs that the Yankees were considering taking him out of the rotation. Now it seems that Domingo German will stick around for a little while longer and could turn out to be an important piece for the Yankees as they trudge through the season without Aaron Judge."

German was about to be removed. I believe that! I'm really hoping Boone doesn't man-handle this guy and remove him from the rotation.  German did something great, but the best part of that is not rest, but to keep going.  If Boone was smart, he'd leave German alone and see what other special stuff can happen with this guy.

But there's no question Cone is onto something.  He's got a great baseball mind, and his point of potential future success rings true.  But at the end of the day, it comes down to German.  Can he stay focused and gain confidence? I believe it's in him, but we shall see.

GERMAN FINALLY TURNS THE PAGE TOWARD GROWTH & WHAT ROLE MODELS NEED TO BE

The Story of the day is of course, Domingo German's Perfect Game.

Look, you cannot ignore a great moment in sports.  Last night, German did something that only 3 other Yankees have done before him. Don Larsen, David Wells and David Cone now are part of the Perfect Game club with German. A monster achievement, and definitely catapults him into a more glamourous, elite club in baseball.  It is something special.  With this moment comes maturity, comes being what a role model should be.  I know what you're thinking, and you're right... there's a life lesson here when it comes to German.

I saw it with my own eyes and when it happened, I had weird emotions about it.  Clearly the Yankees won. Clearly the A's were terrible.  But it felt weird to me because it was Domingo German. It wasn't jealousy. It wasn't hate. It was about integrity and character and maturity for me.  For me, my emotions weren't as large as I wanted them to be.  But when I see this man and the journey he took to get here, I was happy for him. Not as an athlete, but as a person. Does that make sense? 

Look, in sports we root for our teams... we root for our guys.  There's nothing better in sports. But something was off with this guy throughout his journey to get here. Yup, I look like I'm raining on this guy's parade. I should shut up, right? Maybe.  Last night when it happened my buddy texted me when it happened. My bud is a Phillies fan. He had no business watching German dominate, but that's the sweetness of sports. He found it, watched it, texted me because I'm the Yankee fan.  I was already falling asleep, so I went to bed with happiness for the Yankees, but fell right to sleep. This morning I wrote the first feeling I had about it.

Sporadic. That's how I've always seen German.  I always feel like this guy is trying to find his way.  The struggles, the accusation of beating his wife, the punishment, the getting caught cheating with substance on his hands... the nights of him getting shelled, the #0 which to him is a way of being provocative, but to me is subliminal for loser.  That's Sporadic to me. I almost feel like most people in sports haven't had a ride that turbulent.   Last night however, I saw a changed man, a long journey and a man that figured it out.

The 24th Perfect Game in MLB History

It Belongs to Domingo German pic.twitter.com/bPQtb9gbmf

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) June 29, 2023

As the day goes on today, I will watch the highlights a lot, because over all I will be happy for the Yankees. And yes, to me it symbolizes that sporadic Domingo German turning the page of chaos and uncertainty. Today he looks more mature... more of a role model. Sure, maybe I'm over analyzing it. But that's why you come to BYB right?  

Domingo German deserves congratulations.  He's now in an elite group and because of that more will be expected of him.  He will need to be good the next time out. He will need to now show his own maturity... his own swagger and step up and lead by example.  Maybe that's what will be the difference for me being a true fan of German. Can he carry himself with poise?  Can he grow from this? Can he become a better pitcher and a better person?

I was watching and thinking about it this way. Second chances and redeeming ones self are important in everyone.  We judge people that make mistakes, but what if the person that was making the mistake was you own son or daughter. Would you judge, or would you root for them?

Hypothetical. What if German was my son and he beat his wife and was suspended from the MLB for a while? What would I do? I'd probably rip him behind closed doors, but I'd give him another chance.

What if my son was German and he was caught with substance on his hand and kicked out of a game because of it? Well, I'd rip him behind closed doors and then I'd give him another chance.  And so, as I write this here, I think ultimately, last night's Perfect Game for German was about second chances, wasn't it? It was about him finding his way, not only as a professional athlete, but in life too.

I am not a perfect person, no doubt about that. No one is.  But looking at it that way allows me to enjoy this Perfect Game more for German even more.  And when I think about it that way, he deserves all the praise in the world.  German is even closer to the top of his game, more mature (we hope) and able to stand tall through all the crap and say "Hey, I did this."  For me as a Yankee fan and father... those emotions blend at this moment, and I see that this is a good thing. A good thing for the Yankees, and definitely German.

I leave you with this. I saw this on Twitter and thought it made sense, especially in this situation.

In the case of German, in the case in how I emotionally processed this... it just makes sense. Learn from mistakes, move forward. 

Congrats to Domingo German.  Soak it in, you deserve this moment.  

TENSIONS IN TORONTO ARE FIERCE

 

I felt like I was watching a Red Sox - Yankees game from years ago. The atmosphere, the game play, the energy, the dislike for one another and even the announcers getting into the mix, the games in Toronto this week are fiery. I know we are only in the first month and a half of the season but the last two games had the feel of playoff baseball. And the tensions between the personalities on both teams are fierce.

Source: YES Network

"Domingo Germán was ejected from Tuesday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays after being checked for foreign substances. Germán retired the first nine batters he faced, then was checked when he came out to start the fourth inning. All four umpires were part of the inspection," reported CBS Sports. Recall that earlier this spring German escaped ejection for likely using the same sticky substance but this time, he not only was ejected but now faces a 10-game suspension for using a foreign substance. He will likely appeal. 

Source: Sportsnet

This drama comes after the Blue Jay announcers called out Aaron Judge for his shifting eyes before hitting his second home run of the evening on Monday night. "The reigning AL MVP’s darting eyeballs during his at-bat in the eighth inning Monday night — which ended with him crushing a 462-foot home run — caught the attention of the Blue Jays’ TV broadcast and eventually the team’s clubhouse, which wondered what Judge could have been looking at," reported The New York Post. 

Seriously. I mean Judge does not need to do anything to be great. He just is. And if he is trying to pay attention to coaches and block out unnecessary chirping from his home dugout as well as fans in the stadium then he is in his right to do so. Recall that his manager just got thrown out of the game moments before and there was increased tensions as result. Yet the broadcasters claimed on. 

"The implication was that Judge may have been glancing at the Yankees’ dugout or first-base coach Travis Chapman to pick up a late sign on a pitch type or location, which is within the rules if technology is not being used," clarified the Post. 

And to tie this all up in a bow, the Yankees are vying for lift in the standings and have been playing very well, taking two games in the series against the Rays and kicking off a strong beginning of another rough four game series against the Jays. 

It is certainly not uncommon for two teams to have bad blood for one another. It is part of the competitive nature of the sport. And this toxicity has been building between these two teams for the last year or two. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has gestured his dislike for the Yankees time and time again, sometimes very distastefully. And Aaron Judge, certainly was not having it, voicing his distaste for the announcers calling him out for having "darting eyeballs" and possibly cheating.

“I got some choice words about that, but better just to keep that off the record,” Judge said Tuesday afternoon when asked about the insinuation that he was cheating. “Especially with the things that have happened in this game with cheating stuff and to get that thrown out, I’m not happy about it,” Judge said. “But people can say what they want. I still got a game to play, I got things I gotta do. I told you guys what happened and everybody else can make their own story about it,” reported The Post. 

The tensions in Toronto are fierce and likely will not subside over the next two days or even through the rest of their games this season. But one thing is for sure—the Yankees are a team of champions. They have tradition, they have grit and they have one of the best players in the game today. That stand up guy is Aaron Judge and he is leading a group of fiercely competitive guys who play hard despite the odds. And you know what, I will take that everyday of the week. So take that Toronto- and your broadcasters can just shut it. And, oh, Judge broke your maple leaf in the outfield with a smashing homerun so take that too. Sorry not sorry. 

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

JUST TO SUM IT UP... CARRABIS IS A NOBODY WHO HATES THE YANKEES

If we're talking about cheating, we should talk about the Houston Astros.  If you watch Domingo German today being examined by the umpire staff during the Yankee/Twins game, you came away wondering what was actually said, but know that German was clean and the game continued.  Sure, it looks bad, but everything always looks bad if you're the Yankees because assholes like Jared Carrabis is the biggest twerp of them all loving to try and stick it to the Yanks because Alex Cora is an absolute turd and the Red Sox suck, plain and simple. Remember, Cora was suspended for a year for ACTUALLY cheating.

Carrabis sucks off the Red Sox every chance he gets and wondering from Barstool to Draft Kings seemed like a prick move all because he wasn't in the Barstool Documentary, I guess. I remember Portnoy's podcast talking about this creep leaving. It's HERE, Portnoy one year ago:

"I am under the impression that Jared is going to be leaving...he got a big offer from a competitor and we could have kepy Jared at less money then the competitor is paying him. He would have taken a hometown discount. But good for him..."

"Good for him" is like "F You dick, you're nobody without me" speak, but Portnoy is too much of a professional to say it.

The point is, Carrabis loves to point out when the Yankees "CHEAT".

If you're gonna be a total twit like Carrabis and tweet that the Yankees cheated today, remember how Bud Selig obsessed over PEDs champ David Ortiz after the Red Sox won the series in 2013 even though we all knew Ortiz wasn't REALLY baseball's darling and just a pawn for change in the MLB. Yet, Ortiz was a cheater in 2003 for using PEDs and it was swept under the rug because Selig loved the guy.  Double Standard, absolute BS.

Hell yes Rocco Baldelli! Domingo German is cheating, not putting up with that Yankee Bullshit #mntwins glad he called out the umps pic.twitter.com/EF6z8dJXlu

— Alex Micheletti (@AlexMicheletti) April 15, 2023

Rocco Baldelli was pissed today, Jared Carrabis was pissed (and no one cares), but to think for a second that the MLB and the Yankees were "IN ON IT" and the Twins and toolbox Carrabis wasn't is just pure BS.

Let's be clear, the Yankees have been screwed plenty a time in many years of Major League Baseball decisions. To accuse every Yankee and umpire of collusion and cheating today when there is no real proof of anything is outrageous.  

There is an expression that says "perception is everything". That means that what is seen can be construed as something bad (or good). In this case, bad because the haters have come out of the woodwork.  But I truly believe that this is nothing more than a misunderstanding.  Trolls have appeared. Collusion was NOT a thing and accusation or not, does this game between the Twins and Yankees really define the championship in 2023? 

What I mean is, are we all gonna focus on a meaningless game against the Twins in April where nothing actually happened?  After all, the MLB did nothing to the Houston Astros who cheated to a championship in 2017 and nothing to PEDs user David Ortiz. Why in the hell is a guess on cheating important in April 2023 really important?  Oh yea, I know why... it's because it's the Yankees... and Jared Carribas thinks he's important.

F off dude. You're nothing without Barstool. Way to try and stay relevant.

Yankees beat the Twins today: 6-1.

I'M AS BAFFLED AS THIS GUY WHEN IT COMES TO GERMAN & SCHMIDT

 

There's no doubt about it. The Yankee rotation is not doing great and when we all watched Domingo German pitch last night, it was even more amplified after I watched Clarke Schmidt just a few days before in his appearances.  We have alot of trouble with some guys, don't we?

Last night German just couldn't get it done. The New York Post writes:

"The Yankees kept on offering free passes to the Guardians, and eventually it made for just enough kindling to burn them.

Domingo German was the main culprit, walking five batters in a rough three-inning start, but the bullpen added four more, one of which came around as the winning run in the Guardians’ 3-2 victory Monday night in the series opener at Progressive Field.

German walked the leadoff batter in three of the four innings he started and matched a career-high with five walks overall.

He did not record any strikeouts and threw 87 pitches (only 49 strikes) by the time he was mercifully removed with no outs and two men on in the fourth inning of a 2-2 game."

This can't happen. I understand it's the beginning of the season and kinks are still being worked out, but this is a guy that the Yankees trust. He laid an egg. 

And then you have Clarke Schmidt who currently owns a 9.45 ERA in 2 games. I'm not sure how that happens, but it's happening. Not impressive. The Yankees have been wanting Schmidt to be part of the starting rotation. Hell, even I have written about it, but the guy is just not cutting it at all.

Empire Sports Media says they may be putting this guy in the pen, 'cause they need to build his confidence somehow:

"Schmidt hosts a 9.45 ERA, 5.22 xFIP, 10.80 strikeouts per nine, and a 31.8% ground ball rate across 6.2 innings. His velocity is around his career averages, but he’s had a difficult time shaping his pitches and dotting the corners, leaving sliders over the middle of the plate and failing to locate his fastballs efficiently.

In fact, Schmidt’s cutter, which he’s thrown 30% of the time this season, has produced a .667 batting average with one homer and six hits allowed. Opposing batters are hitting .400 against his sinker, failing to produce a strikeout with the pitch up to this point. His sweeper has done the most damage, producing a .182 batting average, but his fastballs have been inefficient. Schmidt added the cutter this past off-season to his repertoire, but it is still a developing pitch he’s had trouble locating."

Alot of nerd stuff here, and it's important talking about pitching, but the eye test alone will tell you these 2 guys have trouble.

I'm not sure if the Yanks are concerned about this yet or not, but something needs to be done with these 2. The Yankees have to start winning and I'm talking consistently. Hell the Rays are 10-0, pretty impressive. Can we please get there Yanks?