Derek Jeter's 3000 Storybook Day

Derek Jeter is a private person to the rest of the world. Buttoned up in interviews. Quietly lives his life off the field, even when dating the most beautiful starlets. But when Derek Jeter is on a baseball field there is nothing quiet about what he does. The "Flip Play", "Mr. November", the dive into the stands, are all part of Jeter's very public baseball persona. We all knew Jeter would get his 3,000th hit any day now, but only Jeter puts on the type of show he did on Saturday.

Jeter became just the second player (Wade Boggs the other) to hit a home run for his 3,000th hit. He got it in his second at-bat (3rd inning) after he singled through the left side his first time up. It tied the game at 1-1 against David Price and the Tampa Bay Rays. But Jeter was far from through.

He ripped a double to left in the 5th and scored on a Curtis Granderson single.

One inning later he singled to right with a very Jeterian swing, the one you would have expected on #3000, and then stole second on the back end of a double steal with Brett Gardner.

With the game tied 4-4 in the 8th (after a rare David Robertson bad inning) he singled back through the middle, past the drawn in infield to score Eduardo Nunez from third with the go ahead/winning run.


A 5-5 day, the first player to perform such a feat on the day he got his 3,000th (Craig Biggio also had a five hit days, in six at-bats when he got his 3,000 hit in an 11 inning game). He became the 28th player to reach the 3K total. He beat Pete Rose by nine days to become the fourth youngest player to achieve the milestone. With his third hit of the day he passed the great Roberto Clemente for 27th place on the all-time hits list. He needs just four hits to catch Al Kaline, seven to catch his former teammate Boggs, 17 to reel in Rafael Palmeiro, and 20 to chase down the speedy Lou Brock. He could conceivably move into the top 20 by season's end.

Back to the hit itself. Jorge Posada, Jeter's best friend on the team, said he would be the first to greet the Yankees captain when he got his 3,000th hit and he was right. Posada was first in line to hug Jeter as he crossed home plate. Mariano Rivera was right behind him with his arms outstretched. All of Jeter's teammates, manager, and coaches followed suit. And the fans, who were standing throughout his entire at-bat, roared on and on.

And no one left when the game ended. YES' Kim Jones interviewed a very humbled Jeter on the field ("Hitting a home run was the last thing I was thinking about") after Rivera recorded the save. The interview was interrupted near it's end when the fans en masse changed "Der-ek Je-ter". The captain raised his cap in acknowledgement for a group that just could not shower enough love on their long-time player and icon, and one of them in particular displayed a very Jeterian quality.

Christian Lopez caught Jeter's home run in the left field bleachers. He could have, as John Flaherty said, sold it to the highest bidder. But Lopez, who was brought into the YES broadcast booth during the game, would have none of it. He didn't want anything other than to give Jeter the ball. He was at the game because his girlfriend had bought seats as a birthday gift for him. His Dad, wearing a DiMaggio jersey put a bear hug around his son to keep others from trying to grab the ball away from him. (the ball actually hit his hands first.)

While he may not have gotten money, Lopez had a day he won't soon forget. The recent college grad with a degree in government has been working at a Verizon Wireless store to "get by". It wouldn't be suprising if his fling with fame got him a job more to his liking and interests. What it did get him was a load of "DJ 3K" merchandise and a set of suite tickets for every home game, playoffs included, for the rest of the season. And the very excited young man ("You're the voice of the Yankees" he excitedly exclaimed to Michael Kay.) got his best gift after the game. He got to meet the man himself and had pictures taken with him.

The only thing missing from the day was his Jeter's mom Dorothy and his sister Sharlee who were at a christening, but Jeter's dad Charles kept them appraised by phone. He did an interview with Kim Jones shortly after his son's big hit and you could tell where Derek got his values from. The first thing papa Jeter said was, "We really need a win today".

Jeter got the hit, the win, and a day he'll never forget. Neither will any of the rest of us.

A-Rod Has Torn Meniscus

Not good news from Yankeeland this morning. The team revealed that Alex Rodriguez has a slight meniscus tear in his right knee and may need in-season surgery. As someone who has had a torn meniscus in their right knee for the last eight years, let me tell it can really hurt sometimes. I've just had no reason to mess with it since most of the time it doesn't bother me.

My good buddy @YankeesInk is covering today's game and tweeted that Joe Girardi is waiting to make a decision as to whether or not A-Rod will play in today's game. If so, he'll be the DH.

Jeter Has 2 For 2

With last night's rainout between the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays, Derek Jeter's chances of getting hit #3,000 at home diminished by one. The Yankees asked Tampa to play a day-night twinbill today, but the Rays said no, preferring to make the game up in September. Anyone who is angry at Tampa for doing that is bananas. They have to think about winning not about DJ.

Also bananas is Buster Olney, who tweeted this gem on Twitter this morning.

Obviously if not for his pursuit of 3,000 and the chance to reach the milestone at home, Jeter would not have been playing every day since returning from the DL. Joe Girardi is much more cautious than that when it comes to injuries. I will agree with Olney though that Jeter could still attend the game to thank the fans who voted him as the starter in a year that he didn't deserve to start (my words not Olney's). Back to the other side of the coin, this is the first time that Jeter has backed out of a game while playing. Olney later ridiculously brought up Manny Ramirez, who constantly backed out of games, as if there was some comparison.

More bananas- people calling into WFAN or 1050ESPN to criticize Jeter for just about anything. For the Yankees losing four of five since his return as if no one else on the team should shoulder blame. Of course there have also been Mets fans pointing out how well the Mets have done since Reyes has been out of the lineup. There really are a lot of idiots out there. Like someone on 1050 this morning who brought up Jeter not attending Bob Shephard's funeral. Water under the bridge people.

As for 3,000, no one wants to get this out of the way more than Jeter. It's a distraction to him and certainly the fans, just as home run #600 was for A-Rod last year. But it is not a distraction to the team and hasn't affected the way they have played. Injuries, poor pitching, and no timely hitting is responsible for this skid. Seasons are about streaks and this is one of the bad ones. (Boston and Tampa Bay have gone through the same ups and downs too, that is why the race is so close.)

In addition to Jeter, Mariano Rivera (elbow) and Alex Rodriguez (knee) will both miss the All-Star game as well. A-Rod's knee is of major concern as he has not been driving the ball at all. The three days off and maybe today and tomorrow as well will do him good.

Speaking of All-Stars not able to play- Shane Victorino was voted in by the fans in the NL "Final Vote" and immediately went on the DL.

Bad job by NL Home Run Derby captain Prince Fielder for not selecting Justin Upton to compete in front of his home fans in Phoenix.

Back to the insane radio callers..."Nick from Manhattan" I can understand your mistrust of ball players, but to suggest that Bartolo Colon is on HGH because he is "like 40 pounds heavier" and in light of Roger Clemens upcoming trial...is idiotic. Colon has 40 pounds of hamburgers, fries, and chalupas.

Good luck to Brian Gordon. The feel-good-story pitcher - released by the Phillies - starting pitcher for the Yankees the next day - was remarkable. That the converted outfielder even got his first big league at-bats in interleague play makes the story even better. But with the return of Colon and Phil Hughes there was no room for Gordon and the Yankees sent him down. Now they have released him and sold his contract to a team in Korea. Long way to go, but if you love the game...

In non-Yankees news, another big time prospect made his debut last night. With centerfielder Peter Bourjos sidelined by a bad hamstring, the Angels recalled 19-yr old uber-prospect Mike Trout from Double-A. Though he went 0-3, it was exciting to see him out there. Trout joined Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Dustin Ackley, Michael Pineda, Freddie Freeman, Brandon Belt, and Lonnie Chisenhall in making their Major League debuts this season. All were among the top 25 prospects (Baseball America) in baseball prior to the season. Pineda (Sea) and Freeman (Atl) have been with their teams since day one and are among the leading contenders for Rookie of the Year.

Colon, Nunez Dominate Mets

A little after 4 p.m. on Saturday Bartolo Colon picked up right where he left off when he injured his hamstring on June 11. Colon improved to 6-3 with six shutout innings in the Yankees 5-2 win over the Mets. It was the Yankees seventh straight victory and clinched their seventh straight series victory. Colon scattered five hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out six.

Eduardo Nunez continued his red hot hitting with three hits (seven in the last two innings), including his first Major League home run. Mets starter Dillon Gee was solid through five innings, but ran into the Yankees hot bats in the 6th.

Gee retired Brett Gardner to start the 6th, but Curtis Granderson homered for the first time since June 14 (#22) to break the scoreless tie. Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez followed with singles and Robinson Cano brought them home with a two-run triple into the right field corner. Nick Swisher's sac fly made it a 4-0 game.

The Mets offense got humstrung both figuratively and literally when Jose Reyes had to leave the game with a tweaked hamstring. The injury occurred in the first inning as Reyes raced to first base with a single. The Mets posed no threat to Colon until the 5th inning when they loaded the bases with one out on singles by Jason Bay, Lucas Duda, and Josh Thole. But pitcher Dillon Gee bounced a ball to Alex Rodriguez, who stepped on third and threw across the diamond for an easy inning ending double play.

Nunez's first blast came off of Tim Byrdak in the 9th and he was greeted in the dugout by the silent treatment. He laughed about it afterwards with Fox's Ken Rosenthal.

The Mets finally broke through in the 9th with a pair of runs off of Sergio Mitre in the 9th.

1st Inning, Umps Do In Mets

The Yankees-Mets Subway Series is not what it once was. The media tries to create a buzz and the fans still want to see the opponent beaten to a pulp, but there's not the tension there was earlier in the decade.

That doesn't mean there can't be a tightly contested game that is not without it's controversy. Case in point, last night's meeting between the two teams that resulted in a 5-1 Yankees win. It was just a 3-1 Yankees lead in the 7th inning when Alex Rodriguez pulled off an Oscar worthy performance and umpire Jerry Layne possibly changed the course of events. Mets shortsop Jose Reyes singled off Corey Wade to start the inning and advanced to second on a deep fly out by Justin Turner. When the ball got away from relay man Eduardo Nunez, Reyes broke for third and appeared to beat Nunez's throw to Rodriguez.

But Layne, who had run up the line from home plate, was blocked out by Rodriguez on the play. The Yankees third baseman made a swipe tag and sold it to Layne, who called Reyes out. The only problem was Rodriguez's tag attempt never reached Reyes. The Mets shortstop and third base coach Chip Hale immediately went after Layne, and manager Terry Collins was ejected as he joined the fray.

Instead of a man on third and less than two outs, the Mets had two out and none on and were done. Josh Thole reached on a one out single off Hector Noesi in the 9th prompting Joe Girardi to immediately call on (translation-overreact) Mariano Rivera in a non-save situation to close things out for the Yankees 16th win in 20 games.

As has been customary of late, the Yankees put runs together in the 1st inning. Nick Swisher and Curtis Granderson started the game with back to back singles against starter Jon Niese, and both scored on Mark Teixeira's double to right. Niese finally retired Rodriguez for the first out, but Robinson Cano drilled a double to left for a 3-0 Yankes lead.

Ivan Nova wasn't particulary sharp, but made some big pitches when he needed to. Reyes and Turner began the bottom of the 1st with singles, but Nova got Carlos Beltran to pop out and Dan Murphy to bounce into an inning ending DP. The Mets did get their lone run an inning later on three straight singles by Jason Bay, Ronny Paulino, and Ruben Tejada, but stranded two runners when Niese struck out and Reyes bounced out.

In Nova's 5th and final inning, he retired the first two hitters, but gave up back to back singles to Beltran and Turner and walked Murphy to load the bases. But the right-hander, who won his 8th game, struck out Angel Pagan to escape the threat.

Notes

Alex Rodriguez made a spectacular throw, Jeterian like, when he backhanded a well hit ball and leapt to throw the runner out at first. But he thanked Mark Teixeira after the game for saving him from throwing errors on scoops made my the Gold Glove 1st baseman.

As expected, Derek Jeter will play tonight and tomorrow for the Trenton Thunder. GM Brian Cashman said Jeter will not play the full nine innings this evening.

Bartolo Colon will be activated to start this afternoon's game with Hector Noesi the likely candidate to be sent to the minors. UPDATE 3:40 pm: so much for rumors..Brian Gordon, not Noesi, was sent to Scranton to make room for Colon.

CC Abuses and Brewses Milwaukee

The first game of the three game series between the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees was a how-to, or more aptly, a how-to-not play baseball. It started in the first inning when Zack Greinke plunked the lead off batter Brett Gardner and centerfielder Nyjer Morgan then did his impression of Bambi on ice and turned a routine Curtis Granderson fly ball into a face plant RBI triple.

A.J. Burnett out pitched Shaun Marcum in game 2 in a do it by the book 5-2 win. David Robertson and Mariano Rivera did their 8th and 9th inning things and the Yankees won their fourth straight.

The finale of the series Thursday afternoon was all about domination in winning their fifth straight. CC Sabathia tied a career high with 13 strikeouts and the Yankees completed a sweep of the Brewers by a final score of 5-0. Sabathia went 7.2 innings on 118 pitches; he scattered six hits (half of them by Ryan Braun) and walked a pair. It was a game in which Sabathia had a lot of strikeouts early but also had his pitch count into the sixties in the 3rd inning. He was much more efficient and deadly from then on. YES' Jack Curry reported that seven of Sabathia's K's came on his slider, which was biting hard on Thursday.

As has been the case of late, the Yankees gave their starting pitcher immediate run support. Randy Wolf walked the first two batters of the game, Gardner (who stole second) and Nick Swisher, and then watched as the Yankees pulled off a double steal. Wolf struck out Mark Teixeira, but Robinson Cano (batting clean up with Alex Rodriguez getting a day off) doubled to left-center for a 2-0 lead.

Teixeira led off the 3rd inning with his Major League leading 25th home run and the 300th of his career. (Yankee Stadium security was able to recover the historic ball from a fan.) Wolf then hit Cano and one batter later Andruw Jones singled. Francisco Cervelli delivered the first of his two RBI singles for a 4-0 Yankees advantage.

Milwaukee threatened when they put two aboard with two out in the 3rd. Sabathia pitched around the right-handed hitting Braun to load the bases, then struck out the left-handed hitting (and good friend of Sabathia) Prince Fielder for the second time in the game.

Fielder nearly got revenge in the 6th when Braun reached on a one out single and Fielder drilled a shot to left that looked like it might go out of the ball park and cut the Yankees lead to 4-2. But Jones caught the ball in front of the wall and the Brewers didn't have a serious threat the rest of the afternoon.

Notes

The Yankees have gone 15-4 in their last 19 games and have won six straight series as they head into Citi Field Friday night to start a three game series with the Mets. They're also now 23-4 in day games compared to 25-27 at night.

Bartolo Colon is expected to be activated from the disabled list to start Saturday's game. Hector Noesi or Brian Gordon are the most likely candidates to be sent to the minors upon Colon's return.

Derek Jeter will have two rehab games in Trenton This weekend and should be activated for the Yankees series with Cleveland beginning on Monday.

Earlier in the day the Yankees reacquired Sergio Mitre, who had been designated for assignment by the Brewers, for cash. He was put in the bullpen and Buddy Carlyle was sent down to make room.

CC Sabathia won for the 8th time in nine starts and won his Major League leading 11th game. (Detroit's Justin Verlander later joined him.)

FullCountPitch - Fans Doing An All-Star Job

In 1957, seven Cincinnati Reds players had been voted to start in the All-Star game. Commissioner Ford Frick responded by taking the vote away from the fans. Things are a little better in 2011.

Halley’s Comet, Steak Tartare, total solar eclipses…all three are less rare than baseball fans voting for the proper starters in the annual Major League All-Star game. But this year the average baseball Joe/Josephine is doing a pretty good job of mixing popularity with the deserving player. There are still mistakes of course, though some would argue that they are not errors since it is who the fans want to see. That being said, it is time to take a look at the current positional leaders for this year’s game, which will be played in Phoenix on July 12. (The statistical numbers indicated are accurate entering Sunday’s play unless otherwise indicated. All-Star vote totals are as of June 20.)

Read the rest of this free article at FullCountPitch.com

Adrian Beltre • Adrian Gonzalez • Albert Pujols • Alex Avila • Alex Rodriguez • Brandon Phillips • Brian McCann • Bruce Bochy • Chipper Jones • Curtis Granderson • David Ortiz • David Wright • Derek Jeter • Dustin Pedroia • Joe Mauer • Joey Votto • Jose Bautista • Jose Reyes • Lance Berkman • Matt Holliday • Matt Kemp • Michael Young • Miguel Montero • Pablo Sandoval • Prince Fielder • Robinson Cano • Ron Washington • Russell Martin • Ryan Braun • Ryan Howard • Ryan Zimmerman • Troy Tulowitzki • Victor Martinez

Mariano Caps Great Day In The Bronx

Is that a smile of "I know you can't hit this?"

Whether you were at Yankee Stadium, sitting at home watching TV, or listening to the ceremonies on the radio, Sunday was a wonderful day in the Bronx. Having watched the 65th annual Old Timers Day prior to the regularly scheduled game, it was only fitting that Mariano Rivera, the oldest player on the Yankees, finished out Sunday's victory over the Colorado Rockies.

Rivera, who is older than Old Timers like Homer Bush and Aaron Small, struck out the side in the 9th to preserve the Yankees 6-4 victory. The Yankees homered three times in the game, including a blast by Jorge Posada, the second oldest Yankee.

The big story of the day though was the OT ceremonies, in particular the honoring of long time head trainer Gene "Geno" Monahan, who back in May announced he would retire at season's end. The 67-yr old has been with the organization for 49 years, including time as a bat boy when he was 17. A cancer scare last year put things in perspective for the man who has been there for Mantle, Murcer, Munson, Mattingly, and Mariano. Monahan was told he would throw out the first pitch before the OT game, which he did (to Jorge Posada who donned full catcher's gear), but he had know idea what was yet to come.

When he held the press conference in May, Monahan mentioned that he dreams a lot and it was time to start living some of those dreams. He mentioned he'd like to have a retriever named Schrader that he could take in his pick up truck to the store to pick up grass seed. All three came true on Sunday. With his fiancee and two grown daughters in attendance, Monahan was showered with gifts from the Yankees organization and sponsors. Among them was a Ford F-150 truck that had a big ol' Golden Retriever named Schrader in it.

There was a trip to the Alpine region in Europe, tickets to see Garth Brooks (and an autographed Cowboy hat from the country music star) in Las Vegas, a painting of the Stadium presented by the Steinbrenner family, a riding mower (and grass seed) presented by the grounds crew, a pair of seats from the old Stadiun, a video tribute, and much much more. It was an emotional capper to an emotional ceremony.

Back for the first time in a Yankees uniform were a couple of former managers, Joe Torre, who didn't leave on such great terms, and Lou Piniella, who was also one of the most popular Yankees players in the 1970's and 1980's. Torre appeared choked up as he received a long and loud ovation from the fans. Piniella hadn't been in a Yankees uniform since 1988 and marked the occassion by taking an at-bat in the game. He visited the broadcast booth during the regular game and joked (for those of you who don't know, Piniella was Paul O'Neill before Paul O'Neill) that he would be upset all night about grounding back to the pitcher.

Bernie Williams also made his return for his first Old Timers Day although he has never officially retired. He also received a very long ovation and then gave the crowd a big thrill with a deep drive to left-center for a double. Tino Martinez also got the fans applauding when he hit a David Cone meatball into the right field seats for a home run. The BamTino said "thank you" to Cone as he rounded third base, and Coney nodded his approval.

There aren't as many of the older Old Timers left; the ones that I used to see at OT Day when I was a kid, but some were still there. Moose Skowron, who announced to Kim Jones and the TV audience that he was battling lung cancer (even though he quit a while ago, Moose smoked for 40 years). Phil Rizzuto's old DP partner and long time baseball broadcaster Jerry Coleman was in attendance along with 86-yr old Charlie Silvera, who came up to the Yankees a catcher in 1948. The Yankees first great reliever, Luis Arroyo, was there. And of course Yogi Berra, who sadly looks very frail these days and the "Chairman of the Board", Whitey Ford were in the house. They, along with Reggie Jackson and Goose Gossage were the Hall of Fame members in attendance.

David Wells, who is in better shape than he was in his playing days, demanded to know why O'Neill wasn't there. But so many players from my youth were- Mel Stottelmyre, Graig Nettles, BrianDolye, and Ron Guidry. There were those who are there every year, Joe Pepitone, Hector Lopez, Rick Cerone, and those that can't possibly be Old Timers like Bush, Kevin Maas, Clay Bellinger, and Brian Boehringer. As well as the playres from the last dynasty- Straw, Doc Gooden, Graeme Lloyd, Jeff Nelson and Charlie Hayes.

The widows of some of the Yankees greats are honored each year as well. This year's group was Kay Murcer, Diane Munson, Helen Hunter, Jill Martin, and Arlene Howard. Being that Bobby Murcer was my favorite player, I love seeing Mrs. Murcer there and I feel both sadness and joy to see Thurman's widow.

The Yankees also did a great job of remembering those who passed during the last year. Many of the names were unrecognizable, which makes think they now included members of the organization that worked behind the scenes. That was new and a nice touch. The last name announced was Cora Rizzuto, who I hadn't remembered had passed away.

The one thing missing was the Yankees captain Derek Jeter, who happened to turn 37 on Sunday. We all know he's rehabbing his injury and he wants to get back as soon as possible, but it was a disappointment that he wasn't there when Geno was honored, "Mr. Torre" and Bernie Williams returned.

One thing to note that was in poor taste. Thankfully it only lasted for about four players announced. Ron Blomberg came out to "Havah Nagila", Lee Mazzilli and Rick Cerone to a tarantella and Pat Kelly to an Irish jig. My wife and I exchanged shocked glances. "Are you really going to play an ethnic song for everyone? Could you stereotype it a little more?" As I said, thankfully that didn't continue or I wasn't paying attention. I hope it was the former.

As the regular game got underway, Michael Kay told John Flaherty that Mariano wanted him to introduce him with the Old Timers. Kay said, "I can't do that, I'll lose my job". Mariano pressed Kay to do it, but the YES broadcaster would not relent and said in a couple more years Mo will be one of them. After the game, Kim Jones asked Mo to verify the story and baseball's greatest reliever was all too happy to. He said "Michael blew it", called him a "big head" and said he was angry at him. It made for a great interview and was extremely funny. Mo concluded by saying, "I love you Michael". No one is greater than Mo.

As for the game itself, Ivan Nova and the Yankees fell behind 3-0 by the end of the 5th inning. Ty Wiggington hit the first of two home runs on the day as Nova had no control of his fastball. The Yankees answered back in the bottom of the 5th though when Nick Swisher hit a 2-run home run off of Rockies starter Juan Nicasio, and Posada followed with a game tying blast.

A Wiggington blast off Nova in the top of the 6th put Colorado back ahead, but Alex Rodriguez answered with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to tie things up at 4-4. It would be broken an inning later when Eduardo Nunez singled home pinch-runner Chris Dickerson. Mark Teixeira then put some icing on the cake with a solo blast in the 8th, his 23rd of the season to gain a share of the AL lead with Toronto's Jose Bautista.

Boone Logan (2-2) and David Robertson then handed things over to Rivera, who cuttered his way through Wiggington, Charlie Blackmon, and Chris Iannetta for his 20th save of the season (579 in his career). A fitting ending to a perfect day.

CC Climbs Over The Rockies For 10th

It's a joy. That's the simplest and easiest way to describe watching a game that CC Sabathia pitches. Saturday was another example of pure pitching ecstasy as Sabathia cruised through eight innings against the Colorado Rockies and the Yankees bats pounded out 15 hits in an 8-3 victory.

When Sabathia pitches, the Yankees score runs and they jump started things for the big guy in the 1st inning against Rockies starter Aaron Cook. Brett Gardner reached on a bunt single and promptly stole second base. Curtis Granderson drove in his 55th run with a single to right and advanced to second when outfielder Eric Young booted the baseball. One batter later Alex Rodriguez singled home Granderson for a 2-0 lead.

The Yankees broke the game open in the 3rd when Granderson, who always seems to be in the middle of things, started the inning off with a single. Mark Teixeira doubled to center and Rodriguez followed a double of his own for a 4-0 Yankees lead. It gave the Yankees third baseman 50 RBI on the season and five runs batted in in the last two games.

The Rockies didn't get a runner to second base until Ryan Spilborghs led off the 5th inning with a double. He moved to third on a ground out, but Sabathia retired Matt Pagnozzi on a shallow fly to center and got Carlos Gonzalez to hit a comebacker to strand the runner on third.

Teixeira added his 22nd home run of the season, a 2-run shot, off of Rafael Betancourt in the 8th inning to regain the team RBI lead with 57.

Sabathia's day was done after his 103rd pitch ended the 8th inning. He allowed one run, scattered seven hits, and struck out nine.

Notes

The Yankees captain, Derek Jeter, turns 37 today. Ironically it is also Old Timer's Day at Yankee Stadium.

Alex Rodriguez was unable to score from second on a two out single by Jorge Posada in the 7th inning. It was the second time in the past week that Rodriguez was unable to score on a two out hit. After the game he admitted that he had tweaked his right knee in the Cubs series.

Giambi Rocks Yankees

I've never hidden my disdain for Jason Giambi. He's a nice guy, the golden thong stuff was funny, but he was/is a miserable first baseman (No matter how many times Michael Kay tried to convince us he was great at scooping throws out of the dirt), his steroid use and subsequent body breakdown hurt the team, he was a mentally soft player (Derek Jeter, one of his biggest supporters was pissed at him during the 2003 playoffs when Giambi begged out of the lineup with a bad knee, but later homered- "if you can hit a home run, you can play"), and his contract was a boondoggle. George Steinbrenner was chiefly to blame for the deal as he just needed to sign "the big star" despite knowing full well that Giambi may have used steroids.

All of the above is the reason I had problem with those who gave Giambi a standing ovation last night when he was announced for his first plate appearance of the game. Also, though I didn't hear it, the Bleacher Creatures gave him a roll call. So all Giambi did his first time up was hit a home run that may have landed in the Rockies (even if they are in the wrong direction). It was the first of the three hits, the now grey bearded Giambi, had on the night. But it was Ty Wiggington's RBI ground out in the 4th and Troy Tulowitzki's home run an inning later that did A.J. Burnett and the Yankees in, 4-2.

Burnett had an up and down, including become the first Yankees pitcher to strikeout four batters an inning. Alex Rodriguez gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning with an RBI double, but Giambi's blast deep into the mass of Bleacher Creatures tied the game in the 2nd inning and started a pick fence as the Rockies scored a single run in four consecutive innings.

Rodriguez had temporarily tied the game with second RBI of the game in the 3rd inning, but as is the custom this season, the Yankees provided no run support for Burnett. Rockies starter Ubaldo Jimenez had control issues early (he eclipsed 60 pitches in the 3rd inning), but settled down to limit the Yankees bats to four of their five hits over seven innings.

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Phil Hughes | Baseball Digest

Baseball Digest Birthdays: Phil Hughes | Baseball Digest

Phil Hughes will celebrate his 25th birthday today by making a rehab start for the Double-A Trenton Thunder against the New Britain Rock Cats. Hughes is attempting to come back from shoulder trouble that zapped him of his fastball earlier this year and led to a 13.94 ERA in three starts. The right-hander is hoping to build off his first rehab start in which he touched 95-mph on the radar gun. Things weren’t always so do difficult for the California native.

Hughes was born in Mission Viejo and was an All-American at Foothill High School in Santa Ana, CA. He capped off his scholastic career with a 9-1, 0.69 mark as a senior and committed to Santa Clara University. But Hughes was selected as the 23rd overall pick in the first round of the 2004 draft by the New York Yankees and found himself making three appearances in the Gulf Coast League that summer. The 19-yr old spent the 2005 season split between Charleston and Tampa, posting a combined 9-1, 2.19 record with 93 strikeouts in 86.1 innings.

Hughes followed it up with a 12-6, 2.16 record with 168 strikeouts in 146 innings at Tampa and Trenton the following season. Expectations in the Bronx were through the roof and Hughes was ranked as the number two prospect in Baseball America prior to the 2007 season. Hughes started the season at Triple-A Scranton, but was called to make his Major League debut on April 26 against the Toronto Blue Jays and current teammate A.J. Burnett.

Hughes was touched up for a pair of runs in the 1st inning before cruising through the next three frames. But Hughes didn’t make it out of the 5th inning and was charged with four runs in 4.1 innings. The much anticipated debut was less than stellar, but his second time out would be a game to remember in more ways than one.

It was May 1st at the Ballpark in Arlington when Hughes took the mound against the Texas Rangers. Hughes walked the lead off hitter Kenny Lofton, but got a quick double play and a strikeout to end the 1st inning. Except for an additional pair of walks, Hughes tossed zeros through the 6th inning and had not allowed a hit. The Yankees offense had handEd Hughes a 9-0 lead as he strode to the mound in the 7th inning. Hughes quickly retired the lead off hitter, Michael Young, and faced future teammate Mark Teixeira. That’s when Hughes’ season turned upside down. Hughes over extended himself in attempt to get more torque on his curve ball and pulled his hamstring. He was done for the night (Hank Blalock broke up the no-hitter with a double off Mike Myers to start the 8th) and would not return to the Major Leagues until August the 4th.

It was a rocky return when Hughes did come back to the Bronx. He was just 1-2, 6.40 in six August starts and struggled with his command. But Hughes once again gave hope for the future with a strong final month of the season (3-0, 2.73 in five starts) and an impressive pair of post-season appearances against the Cleveland Indians, which included a victory in the ALDS. But just when you think things are on the upswing, life can kick you where it hurts.

Hughes would make just eight appearances in 2008 due to a variety of injuries and didn’t win a game. Suddenly many of the expectant fans thought Hughes was done or wouldn’t amount to anything. That he was fragile and another Carl Pavano in the making. It didn’t help matters that fellow rookie Ian Kennedy also struggled and the team didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in a dozen years. But each spring training brings renewal and 2009 would be a re-birth for both Hughes and the Yankees.

With the team in need of bullpen help, the Yankees decided to shift Hughes into a relief role. The now 23-yr old responded with dominance. He struck out 10 batters per nine innings and walked just 2.9 per nine innings. The third year player established himself as the 8th inning man in front of Mariano Rivera and was one of the keys to the Yankees return to the playoffs. Though Hughes personally struggled in the post-season, the Yankees captured their first World Series title in nine years and their 27th overall. Hughes had a magnificent year, but GM Brian Cashman was quick to point out that his former first round pick was still considered a starter and would resume that role in 2010.

Hughes not only returned to a starting role, but had a tremendous first half and made his first All-Star team. He wasn’t as consistent in the second half, perhaps some of his shoulder issues were beginning, but he still finished with an 18-8, 4.19 record and set career highs in innings pitched (176.1) and strikeouts (146). The Yankees makeshift rotation of 2011 has overachieved thus far, but if Hughes can return healthy and throwing hard, the team should be a post-season factor once again.

Also Born On This Date:

Doug Jones (1957 Covina, CA): The pitcher was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Butler University in 1978. He spent 16 seasons in the Major Leagues with all but four of his 846 career appearances coming in relief. Jones career took him to Milwaukee and Cleveland twice, Houston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago (NL), and Oakland. He saved 303 games in his career, currently the 21st highest total in Major League Baseball. Before Jones retired following the 2000 season, he was named to five All-Star games and finished in the top 15 in MVP voting twice.

The Heisey Effect

The Heisenberg Effect states that the "very act of becoming a player changes the game being played". Of course this is in scientific terms. The Heisey Effect states, no shows, that when Chris Heisey hits three home runs in one game the Cincinnati Reds earn a split of a day-night doubleheader with the New York Yankees.

Heisey's heroics helped ruin the second big league start of Brian Gordon and made a rare trainwreck out of Hector Noesi's performance. The Reds 10-2 win avoided a sweep at the hands of the Yankees, who had won the second game of the series earlier in the day, 4-2.

Heisey entered the game with just five home runs on the season, but didn't wait long to hit number six, depositing Gordon's delivery into the left field seats to start the bottom of the 1st inning. Nick Swisher tied the game in the 2nd with an opposite field blast that was just one of the two hits allowed by Johnny Cueto (5-2, 1.63) over seven innings.

Jonny Gomes quickly put the Reds back ahead in the home half of the 2nd with his 9th home runs of the season. In Gordon's fifth and final inning Heisey extended the lead to 4-1 with a 2-run shot. Gordon, whose path to the Majors as a converted outfielder has been well documented, got to bat in a big league game for the first time. He drew a walk in his first appearance, but struck out in his only other at-bat.

Gordon wasn't the only one who had trouble though, as the Yankees managed just four hits on the night, two of them by Alex Rodriguez. Their one chance to get back in the ball game came in the 7th when they were still down three. Rodriguez led off with a single and Swisher followed with a walk. Cueto struck out Russell Martin, but then gave the Yankees a break when he dropped Joey Votto's toss on a Robinson Cano grounder to load the bases.

Cano had pinch-hit for Eduardo Nunez, meaning the Yankees had to let Ramiro Pena bat for himself. The light hitter lightly hit a grounder to Votto, who threw home for the force out. Jorge Posada then pinch-hit for the pitcher's spot, but unlike his heroics earlier in the day, grounded out to end the inning.

The Reds then took Noesi apart with three runs in both the 7th and 8th innings, the latter of which featured Heisey's third blast of the day.

The first game of the day was much different with Freddy Garcia tossing a fairly effortless seven innings to improve to 6-6. With the game tied 2-2 in the 6th, Cano reached on a lead off single against starter Mike Leake and Posada followed with his first home run since April 23, a stretch of 126 at-bats. David Robertson worked the 8th before giving way to Mariano Rivera who picked up his 19th save.

The Yankees had broken a scoreless tie in the 3rd when Brett Gardner and Curtis Granderson stroked back to back one out singles and Swisher provided an RBI ground out. Cano followed with a single for 2-0 lead.

The Reds tied the game up with the help of rare sloppy defensive play from Pena, who was playing third base in the first game. Drew Stubbs reached on a Pena throwing error to start the 5th (Had Mark Teixeira been playing first base instead of Jorge Posada, it's likely the ball would not have been out of reach.) Edgar Renteria then singled to put runners on the corners with no one out. What followed was both a physical and mental error by Pena.

Ryan Hanigan hit a chopper to third that likely was not hit hard enough to turn a double play, but Pena should have gotten the sure out at second. Instead he threw a one hopper home that catcher Francisco Cervelli couldn't handle for Pena's second error of the inning. (He would later pick up a third error when a ball when right between his legs.) Leake sacrificed the runners over and Fred Lewis brought in Renteria with the tying run on a deep play to Granderson in center. Garcia wild pitched Hanigan to third, but got Brandon Phillips to fly out to end the inning.

Notes

The Yankees bad baserunning continued in game one. Eduardo Nunez doubled, but was picked off second and was eventually charged with a caught stealing as he attempted to take third.

Prior to the games, the Yankees placed Jeff Marquez on the DL with a sore shoulder and called up Buddy Carlyle.

Let's Play Two...Far Apart

I hate day-night doubleheaders. As with most things in baseball they are all about greed. The Yankees actually had a choice when Tuesday's game was called- play a split DH today or play on Thursday's off day. The Yankees wisely opted for the twin-bill.

Freddy Garcia will pitch the opener against Mike Leake with Brian Gordon making his second start against Johnny Cueto and his sub-2.00 ERA tonight. Game 1 is on YES and Game 2 is on my9 (I hate that name). The irony in the night game is of course that Gordon, the one time outfielder, will finally get a chance to hit in a Major League game.

W-I-N in Cincinnati

Among the most fun shows in the late 1970's and early 1980's was WKRP in Cincinnati. Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson the boss, the rock Andy Travis, the wild Dr. Johnny Fever, the cool Venus Flytrap, resident jackass Herb Tarlik, the nutty Les Nessman, sweet Bailey Quarters, and the voluptuous Jennifer Marlowe. A great cast of characters. "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly".

Getting back to Tuesday night's game, Ivan Nova pitched his best game of the season, with eight innings of work. After being handed a 4-0 lead, Nova gave one back immediately and looked like he might be on his way to another rough outing. But the rookie righted the ship and took an important step towards trying to stay in the rotation once Phil Hughes and Bartolo Colon return. He'll be battling Garcia and Gordon for that final spot.

The Yankees had their hitting shoes on in the first inning with a lineup that had Nick Swisher in the leadoff spot against left-hander Travis Wood and Andruw Jones starting in left over Brett Gardner...which of course is absurd since Gardner has been red hot and Jones has done nothing.

Jones temporarily staved off the nay sayers with an RBI single in the 1st inning, but later did not run out a grounder and then motioned as if he had tweaked something in his leg. His act was not very convincing.

Boone Logan's failures continued as well. With a 5-1 lead in the 9th, Joe Girardi went to Luis Ayala to start the inning. After yielding a single to Brandon Phillips, Ayala was pulled in favor of Logan to face lefty and reigning NL MVP Joey Votto. The at-bat lasted one pitch as Logan hit Votto to put two men aboard. Girardi wasted no time in going to Mariano Rivera, who may or may not have warmed up enough. Scott Rolen singled in a run and another scored on a Chris Heisey ground out before Rivera notched his 18th save.

Notes

Phil Hughes will make his next rehab start for Trenton on Friday in New Britain. The plan is to increase his pitch count to 75 and then he will have one more start for the Thunder.

Bartolo Colon has begun long tossing and Derek Jeter is hoping to return on June 29 as he continues baseball activities.