The Importance Of Being Melky | Baseball Digest

The Importance Of Being Melky | Baseball Digest

It’s not uncommon these days for baseball fans to “fall in love” with minor league prospects. You can obtain updates on their progress just as easily as you can with Major League players. That was not always the case until recently, specifically this wasn’t the case when Melky Cabrera was a New York Yankees farmhand. I followed his career from the early days and saw the potential he showed as he progressed through the Yankees system.

His initial call up to the Majors was an embarrassment- a little fish in a big pond. He couldn’t hit big league pitching and even worse, he looked like an ant trying to cover Yankee Stadium’s spacious centerfield and the adjacent gaps. He eventually worked his way up to a regular position, but performed miserably in 2008 and was sent to the minors. But Cabrera came into the 2009 season with a different attitude and eventually overtook Brett Gardner as the starting centerfielder. It was then that the Melkman began to deliver.

The Yankees had a number of new players and a new tradition, including pie ala A.J. Burnett in the face of any walk-off winning run producer. It began early in the season, April 22nd against Oakland*- a 14-inning affair was decided when Cabrera hit his second home run of the game for a 9-7 victory. On May 24, the Yankees rallied in the 9th against the Philadelphia Phillies and closer Brad Lidge. Down 4-2 entering the inning, the Yankees tied things up and had the winning run on second base. That’s when Cabrera singled to bring home his best buddy, Robinson Cano, with the winner.

Cabrera wasn’t just a walk-off wizard with the eventual champion Yankees, he excelled at the plate when the innings grew late. There was an 8th inning game-winning home run against Texas in June and an RBI single in the same frame to top the Angels in the first game in May. In late and close games, he hit .304 with 19 RBI and a .754 OPS. Though he wasn’t credited with a walk-off salutation, it was his 13th inning grounder in Game 2 of the ALCS that Maicer Izturis threw away to give the Yankees the win.

But the Yankees were not completely happy with Cabrera, most likely because of his relationship/influence on Cano, as well as his tendency to carry too much weight on his six-foot frame. Cabrera was jettisoned to Atlanta after the season and his offense plummeted. His OPS dropped to .671 and he drove in just 42 runs in 509 plate appearances. But the Melkman still had some late inning deliveries in him. An August 2-run single in the 9th inning toppled the Dodgers at Turner Field. In May, Cabrera’s infield single combined with a David Wright error gave the Braves a last inning 3-2 win over the New York Mets.

Cabrera moved on again for the 2011 season after Atlanta released him in October. This season is on average about 20 games old, but Kansas City has quickly learned the lore of “late inning Melky”. Cabrera provided the game winning, 12th inning hit on April 5th to push the Royals’ record to 4-1. Two weeks later, Cabrera threw out the Indians’ Carlos Santana at the plate in the 8th inning to hold the Royals deficit at two. Then in the 9th, he capped off a three run rally with the game winning single. The Melkman had left his calling card once again.

Though he has had an up and down career with the bat, Cabrera has maintained his late inning heroics. His nine walk-off winners since 2006 are the third highest total in Major League baseball (only Andre Ethier (11), and Ryan Zimmerman (10) have more). He may not have a Hall of Fame career, he may be relegated to the bench at some point, but when the game is on the line, fans know that Melky Cabrera can be counted on to set off a celebration.

Cano Scripts Hollywood Ending

Cano Gives A-Rod The Last Laugh...

FINAL SCENE

A hitter steps into the batter's box. His current manager looks on with confidence. His former manager is concerned. The hitter's team has rallied from four runs down in the 9th to send the game into extra innings. Now the lefty gunslinger strides the mound. He's not as quick on the draw as he used to be.

The gunslinger goes into the delivery and fires. The crack of the bat can be heard for miles. The ball jumps off the hitter's bat and lands deep into the seats in left-center field. Quite a poke for a left-handed hitter. Teammates rejoice. The closer comes out of the dugout for another inning and slams the door shut, reminding his old manager that there is no one better. The good guys win.

THE END

It was a comeback for the ages last night at Dodgers Stadium. The Yankees had their stopper, Andy Pettitte, on the mound against the Dodgers' rising star Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw was as good as advertised, limiting the Yankees to an Alex Rodriguez 2-run home run in seven innings of work. He left with a 5-2 lead and watched as the Yankees rallied in the 9th and won it in the 10th when Robinson Cano homered off lefty George Sherrill for an 8-6 Yankees victory.

Pettitte, on the other hand, was a mess. After watching CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett forget to cover first base recently and Pettitte's two wild throws after fielding bunts last night, you would understand if Joe Girardi wants to run a little PFP (Pitchers Fielding Practice) before this week's games.

It will be interesting to see if some teams try to bunt more against Pettitte after last night's debacle, which was both physical and mental.

Reed Johnson led off the Dodger 3rd with a double to right. Kershaw then bunted to the left side of the infield. Despite Rodriguez imploring Pettitte to throw to first base, the big Texan fired a wild throw to third, well out of Rodriguez's reach. 1-0 Dodgers and the beginning of some "not in the glove" cursing from Pettitte.

Rafael Furcal thought a bunt looked like a good idea and laid one down on the left side as well. Rodriguez charged, bare handed and fire to first, but not in time. Two on, no one out. Yeah, you know what's coming next.

Ronnie Belliard laid down another bunt, which Pettitte fielded cleanly...and threw wide of Cano for another error and another Dodgers run. Cano may have been able to record the putout, but Pettitte's thrown was in the baseline, which caused Cano to get alligator arms. Andre Ethier tacked on another run on a sac fly for a 3-0 LA lead.

The Dodgers added two more runs in the 4th, including a solo home run by Belliard, and things looked bleak. But A-Rod, who spoke briefly with Torre before the game, came up with the first of two very big hits on the night. One would argue his hits were even bigger than Cano's game winning home run.

A-Rod took Kershaw deep with a man aboard in the 6th to get the Yankees on the board. Though down 5-2 it gave the team some life and some spark. After the Dodgers added an insurance run off Joba Chamberlain in the 8th, it was A-Rod once again who got things going in the 9th with a one out single.

After moving to second base on defensive indifference, A-Rod came home when Cano ripped a double past first baseman James Loney. Then the Yankees really started to make closer Jonathan Broxton work.

Jorge Posada's 10 pitch at-bat resulted in a single to right, bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of Curtis Granderson. The Grandy man worked an eight pitch at-bat to draw a walk to load the bases. Chad Huffman got three straight 96 mph fastballs, lining the last one to right for a 2-run single to cut the Dodgers lead to 6-5. Granderson moved to third on the play to set up a big confrontation between Broxton and pinch-hitter Colin Curtis.

Curtis worked another 10 pitch at-bat before grounding to Loney at first. Instead of throwing home immediately, Loney chose to step on first for the second out of the inning and then made an off-balance throw home. The throw was the right side of home plate, allowing Granderson to beat catcher Russell Martin to the plate to tie the game.

After intentionally walking Derek Jeter, Broxton finally retired Francisco Cervelli to end the inning. The Dodgers closer threw a career high 48 pitches in the inning after throwing 19 the day before.

Rivera retired the side in order in the 9th, but Loney reached on a lead off single in the 10th to make things interesting. No problem as Rivera struck out Martin and Johnson, and got Jamey Carroll on a game ending ground out.

Just another day in the Hollywood.


Notes

Garrett Anderson and Russell Martin were both ejected after facing Rivera. Anderson was upset at a strike call in his pinch-hit at-bat in the 9th and said a no-no to home plate ump Chris Guccione on his way back to the dugout. Anderson and Torre pleaded the outfielder's case, but to no avail. Martin then K'ed looking in the 10th and slammed his bat down to garner another ejection from Guccione.

George Sherrill had not allowed a home run to a left-hander entering play last night. Cano was also 0-11 against him lifetime.

Brett Gardner had to leave the game after being hit with a Kershaw pitch in the forearm. Gardner stayed in the game at first, but then the arm began to swell. He'll have it further evaluated today.

photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports

The Pennant Race - 9/10

We're back from vacation, tanned, rested, and ready to get back to full posting. The races in four of the six divisions continue to be exciting. The Angels have a magic number of two to clinch the AL West, and the Cubs aren't losing any ground, because the Brewers are losing as much as the Chi-town team.

Things have really gotten crazy out in the NL West. The Dodgers lost eight straight in August before winning their final two of the month. They've since won seven of their first eight games in September to, remarkably, pick up five games on the Diamondbacks. LA has gone from 2.5 games out to 2.5 in front. Last night they trailed the Padres 2-0 in the sixth inning when Manny Ramirez's solo home run ignited a comeback. Andre Ethier drove in four runs, including a back breaking 3-run double in the ninth inning.

The Diamondbacks meanwhile lost for the 12th time in 15 games. Chris Snyder hit a game tying, 2-run home run in the ninth against Giants closer Brian Wilson, but Eugenio Velez singled in the game winner in the home half of the ninth.

The Blue Jays continue to muck up contending team's plans. Yesterday they out pitched and out hit the White Sox in a doubleheader sweep to extend their winning streak to 10 games. A.J. Burnett won his 17th game in the opener, allowing just one hit over seven innings in a 3-1 Blue Jays win.

The Jays won the nightcap 8-2 behind seven strong innings from Jessie Litsch and three home runs. News also got worse for the White Sox, already without Carlos Quentin, when Paul Konerko went down with a sprained MCL. He'll be further evaluated today.

The Twins took advantage of the White Sox double demise with a 7-2 win over the Royals. The victory moved the Twins back to within one game of the AL Central lead. Justin Morneau continued his run at another MVP award with his 23rd home run and RBI, 118 and 119.

When Jason Bay hit a 2-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning last night, it appeared the Red Sox would overtake Tampa for first place in the AL East, but the Rays had more up their sleeve. Dan Johnson took Jon Papelbon deep for a game tying home run in the ninth. One out later, pinch-hitter Fernando Perez and Dionner Navarro stroked back to back doubles to give the Rays a 5-4.

Troy Percival came on in the ninth and faced a two out challenge when pinch-runner Jacoby Ellsbury stole second base and moved to third base on Navarro's throwing error. But Percival got Coco Crisp to pop out to end the game and push the Rays lead back to 1.5 games.

10-8. Important numbers in the NL East. The Mets blew a 5-2 lead to the Nationals and then had to rally from an 8-7 deficit to beat Washington, 10-8. Carlos Delgado went from first half boos to second half chants of 'MVP' with games like last night's in which he slugged two home runs.

The Phillies trailed the Marlins 9-1 before rallying behind Ryan Howard's 41st home run. They fell short though and the Marlins emerged with a 10-8 win, dropping the Phillies 2.5 games behind the Mets.

The Cubbies struggles continue. They led the Cardinals 3-0 last night before Albert Pujols hit a game tying 3-run home run in the sixth inning. The game would remain tied until the ninth when pinch-runner Bo Ryan came home with the winning run on Caesar Izturis' grounder. The victory moved the Cardinals to within 4.5 games of the Brewers in the NL wildcard race.

The Cubs didn't lose any of their lead though as the Brewers rallied back from a 4-1 deficit, only to lose to the Reds, 5-4, in 11 innings. Ray Durham hit the game tying 3-run blast in the seventh. The Brewers remain 4.5 back of the Cubs in the NL Central, while maintaining their 3.5 game lead over the Phillies in the wildcard.

The Pennant Race - 9/10

We're back from vacation, tanned, rested, and ready to get back to full posting. The races in four of the six divisions continue to be exciting. The Angels have a magic number of two to clinch the AL West, and the Cubs aren't losing any ground, because the Brewers are losing as much as the Chi-town team.

Things have really gotten crazy out in the NL West. The Dodgers lost eight straight in August before winning their final two of the month. They've since won seven of their first eight games in September to, remarkably, pick up five games on the Diamondbacks. LA has gone from 2.5 games out to 2.5 in front. Last night they trailed the Padres 2-0 in the sixth inning when Manny Ramirez's solo home run ignited a comeback. Andre Ethier drove in four runs, including a back breaking 3-run double in the ninth inning.

The Diamondbacks meanwhile lost for the 12th time in 15 games. Chris Snyder hit a game tying, 2-run home run in the ninth against Giants closer Brian Wilson, but Eugenio Velez singled in the game winner in the home half of the ninth.

The Blue Jays continue to muck up contending team's plans. Yesterday they out pitched and out hit the White Sox in a doubleheader sweep to extend their winning streak to 10 games. A.J. Burnett won his 17th game in the opener, allowing just one hit over seven innings in a 3-1 Blue Jays win.

The Jays won the nightcap 8-2 behind seven strong innings from Jessie Litsch and three home runs. News also got worse for the White Sox, already without Carlos Quentin, when Paul Konerko went down with a sprained MCL. He'll be further evaluated today.

The Twins took advantage of the White Sox double demise with a 7-2 win over the Royals. The victory moved the Twins back to within one game of the AL Central lead. Justin Morneau continued his run at another MVP award with his 23rd home run and RBI, 118 and 119.

When Jason Bay hit a 2-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning last night, it appeared the Red Sox would overtake Tampa for first place in the AL East, but the Rays had more up their sleeve. Dan Johnson took Jon Papelbon deep for a game tying home run in the ninth. One out later, pinch-hitter Fernando Perez and Dionner Navarro stroked back to back doubles to give the Rays a 5-4.

Troy Percival came on in the ninth and faced a two out challenge when pinch-runner Jacoby Ellsbury stole second base and moved to third base on Navarro's throwing error. But Percival got Coco Crisp to pop out to end the game and push the Rays lead back to 1.5 games.

10-8. Important numbers in the NL East. The Mets blew a 5-2 lead to the Nationals and then had to rally from an 8-7 deficit to beat Washington, 10-8. Carlos Delgado went from first half boos to second half chants of 'MVP' with games like last night's in which he slugged two home runs.

The Phillies trailed the Marlins 9-1 before rallying behind Ryan Howard's 41st home run. They fell short though and the Marlins emerged with a 10-8 win, dropping the Phillies 2.5 games behind the Mets.

The Cubbies struggles continue. They led the Cardinals 3-0 last night before Albert Pujols hit a game tying 3-run home run in the sixth inning. The game would remain tied until the ninth when pinch-runner Bo Ryan came home with the winning run on Caesar Izturis' grounder. The victory moved the Cardinals to within 4.5 games of the Brewers in the NL wildcard race.

The Cubs didn't lose any of their lead though as the Brewers rallied back from a 4-1 deficit, only to lose to the Reds, 5-4, in 11 innings. Ray Durham hit the game tying 3-run blast in the seventh. The Brewers remain 4.5 back of the Cubs in the NL Central, while maintaining their 3.5 game lead over the Phillies in the wildcard.