Over the years, the New York Yankees have had some magnificent play by their players on a day in which we honor Mothers everywhere.
By Christian Kouroupakis
Instead of the common “Thanks for being the best mom ever!” card or a bouquet of flowers, Yankees (and any athlete for that matter) can give their biggest fan and supporter a memorable performance on the diamond.
After all, a mother’s support on an athlete can go a long way. They’re constantly by your side through anything and everything.
Your Mother is the one who never converses over anything wrong about a rough game you had and is the one who takes you for sundaes after you go 4-for-4 with a homer (thanks, Mom!).
Hearing your Mom singing your name on the sideline and freaking out whenever you touch the ball may distract you at times, but it’s the greatest support you’ll ever endure from any fan.
For professional athletes, it doesn’t change. They were once little leaguers too. Having their Mom take them to every game and sacrifice a lot if not everything to make sure you have the best opportunity to achieve greatness goes a long way. Not just sports, but in life in general.
Today, ESNY takes a look back at the greatest performances by New York Yankees players that gave their Moms a tremendous “thank you” for being their rock in the difficult route to the Major Leagues.
5. Derek Jeter Caps Off Comeback- May 9, 2004
Derek Jeter, who batted .317 in 2003, was experiencing a cataclysmic slump that was unlike the Captain.
Entering play on Mother’s Day of 2004, Jeter was hitting a dreary .181 but helped cap off a Yankees comeback from down six runs.
After Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi helped narrow the deficit to two runs, Jeter stepped up to the plate in the seventh with the intent to do damage.
With a runner on, Jeter cranked a Julio Mateo fastball 412 feet to center field to knot the game up at six apiece. That dinger set up Hideki Matsui’s eventual go-ahead RBI on a sac-fly the next inning.
4. Robinson Cano Powers Yankees’ Offense- May 12, 2013
After the colossal failure in the Home Run Derby at Kauffman Stadium the year before, Robinson Cano got his redemption on Mother’s day in 2013.
In the top of the third inning, Cano’s two-run jack gave New York a two-run lead which would prove to be enough as they won the contest 4-2. Cano’s huge offensive production was done with a pink bat.
“You know what, when you’ve got that pink bat on Mother’s Day, it’s one of the biggest days in baseball,” Cano told Brian Hoch of MLB.com. “All you want is to go up there and just be able to use that bat the whole game.”
3. Francisco Cervelli’s Grand Slam- May 8, 2011
The Yankees fell victim to an early four-run deficit but thanks to a huge day from Francisco Cervelli, it was all good.
The Yankees’ catcher was experiencing a 307 at-bat home run drought and it all came to an end in grand style. That home run was Cervelli’s only second home run of his career but it gave him as many grand slams as Jeter, who also homered that day.
For Cervelli, his Mother has always been by his side and that didn’t change after his demotion in 2013.
After the Yankees acquired Chris Stewart, the “Cisco Kid” was sent down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre where his Mom was there for him.
Cervelli stated that his Mom would watch him from the box seats at the minor league stadium and always keep him going.
“Even if I had three strikeouts, she was happy,” Cervelli told Hoch. “She’s always got something. I’d say, ‘Mom, I got three strikeouts,’ and she’d say, ‘Yeah, but you won the game. You helped this guy to do something.’ Always looking on the positive side. It’s a gift.”
Now a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cervelli owns a .297 batting average in his two years there and is converting one of the best catchers in the game.
2. Johnny Damon Drills Go-Ahead Three-Run Homer- May 10, 2009
Johnny Damon lifted the Yankees to a series victory on Mother’s Day seven years ago thanks to a go-ahead three-run “Johnny Rocket” in Camden Yards against the Baltimore Orioles.
Damon’s homer came on a 3-2 off Orioles’ closer Jim Johnson and it was the team-leading ninth home run and 25th RBI of 2009.
The homer using the famous pink bat was his fifth homer of that week in which he batted .419 (13-for-31). That week, the Yankee left fielder had at least one extra-base hit in every game.
That year, Mother’s day was a little special for him as his Mom was recovering from an infection and a cyst in her lungs suffered in April.
“She’s doing great,” Damon told Hoch. “For the most part, I think moms are in our minds all the time. My mom has meant so much to me and the way that I was raised. I always have a good feeling about her.”
1. Michael Pineda’s 16 Strikeout Game- May 10, 2015
To this day, Michael Pineda’s masterful pitching performance on Mother’s day of last year is his signature Yankee start.
Big Mike struck out 16 Baltimore Oriole batters and didn’t allow a walk over his seven innings of work. He also struck out the side in the second and fifth inning and recorded at least two strikeouts in every inning he pitched.
This line tied him with David Cone and David Wells for second-most strikeouts in a single-game by a Yankee.
Pineda also became the first Yankees pitcher ever to have a 16 strikeout game without allowing a walk and he did it while wearing pink sleeves beneath his Pinstriped jersey. Talk about a present for Mom.
Maybe tonight under the lights of Sunday Night Baseball, someone can deliver a masterful performance to this list, but today is more about baseball.
Although Mothers earned more than just a “thank you” on this day, today I want everybody (not just athletes) and genuinely thank her.
Thank her for being your best cheerleader, most prominent fan, and most harmonious supporter. Face it, you won’t be where you are today without her.