Get all kinds of Major League Baseball stories, rumors, game coverage, and Vines of dudes getting hit in the beans in your inbox every day. As of today so far, the Yankees are 3 games behind for the second AL wild card spot, and the AL wild card race is getting tighter, with the Mariners, Tigers, and Astros are also in the mix. Rivera became the 27th former Yankee player honored in Monument Park and the fifth from the 1996 championship team. In this move, the Yankees not only released Rodriguez, but they also called up Tyler Austin and Aaron Judge. You’d think he had a lot left in the tank, right?
Advertisement
Statcast measured that at 446 feet, making it the second longest homer of the season by a Yankee.
As the Major League Baseball non-waiver trade deadline approached, the Bronx Bombers traded away two-thirds of their three-headed bullpen monster (Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs and Andrew Miller to the Indians); starting pitcher Ivan Nova to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later, notwithstanding their most productive hitter (Carlos Beltran to the Rangers). They are the first teammates ever to hit back to back home runs in their first big league at-bat. Nick Franklin capped the offense with a three-run homer off Cessa in a four-run seventh as the last-place Rays stopped a three-game losing streak and won for only the second time in their last seven. The moment didn’t seem to big for either one and they showed pretty good plate discipline. Standing at first base after his single he towered over Rays first baseman Brad Miller.
“I think a clubhouse always changes when different people come in”, Girardi said. (Brian McCann hit one 450 feet.) The Yankees say Judge is the third player to hit a home run off the windows of the restaurant – it looks like the ball hit over the windows though, right? – joining Russell Branyan and Carlos Correa. For an offense that has had trouble scoring runs all year 8 runs is equivalent to an offensive outburst. The pair had previously combined for 32 homers in AAA (Austin 13, Judge 19).
Rookies Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez each hit solo homers for the Yanks (60-57). It might not be worth a Yankeeography just yet – that depends on whether or not the two rookies can keep it up at this level – but it’s absolutely an incredible moment for the Yankees during a time of transition. But this is a team to stick with and root for. However, they were obviously on opposing teams.
It’s been a nightmarish first season in the Bronx for Aaron Hicks, but the Yankee left fielder just may be turning things around. “I haven’t really had any prolonged stretches where I felt like my swing was way out of whack or I wasn’t seeing the ball really well”. The 26-year-old IL native pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings in the Rays’ 5-1 victory over NY on July 29, improving to 4-5 with a 4.23 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) versus the Yankees – 1-1, 1.32 this season. There is still a real chance none of the young prospects that played in today’s game amount to much.
Advertisement
That’s not a bad way to get a demanding fan base to embrace a rebuild. Its an exciting time to watch the Yankees and who knows, maybe in a couple of years they will capture that 28th title.
