In honor of Starlin Castro’s pivotal walk-off blast in yesterday’s win, let’s run down the most dramatic moments the New York Yankees have displayed since moving to their new stadium.
The New York Yankees have had their fair share of dramatic wins throughout their history. Those thrilling victories have led to the World Series championships which the organization prides itself on.When the franchise decided to tear down the old Yankee Stadium and its rich history, there was a worry that the great moments would not travel across the street.
While the Bronx Bombers certainly have a long way to go to match the feats that the original stadium possessed, there have been some exhilarating moments that have highlighted the seven-plus years at the ‘new’ Yankee Stadium.
With that said, let’s take a look at some of the moments that stick to the minds of fans who have been passionate about the team since the transition.
8/7/2009 – A-Rod’s 15th Inning Exclamation Point
The Yankees were coming off their first win of the season against the Boston Red Sox after starting 0-8 against them. That was the one obstacle that remained between them and American League prominence.
A.J. Burnett and Josh Beckett each turned in masterpieces on the hill and the game hit extra innings with no score involved. After an intense set of frames that had the Yanks knocking on the door, Alex Rodriguez stepped up with a man on in the 15th.
He took advantage of the first mistake he received from Junichi Tazawa, depositing it into the left-center field bullpen for a walk-off two-run homer to cap off a classic that lasted just over five and a half hours.
The Yanks went on to sweep the series at home, bury the Red Sox in the AL East, take nine of their last 10 meetings with Boston, and steamroll through the playoffs.
7/3/2015 – Brian McCann’s Walk Off Three-Run Blast
Kicking off the July 4th weekend, the Yankees were trailing the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 heading into the bottom of the 12th inning.
As Mark Teixeira singled in a run to cut Tampa’s lead to 5-4, fireworks went off beyond right-center field. Perhaps it was a sign of what was to come.
Not only were fireworks to come the next day, but they were to come that night. Brian McCann promptly drilled a three-run walk-off blast to lift the Yanks to an exceptional 7-5 win.
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10/9/2009 – A-Rod Ties It, Tex Wins It
Up 1-0 in the best of five ALDS against the Minnesota Twins, the Yankees had their backs against the wall and were in danger of forfeiting home-field advantage for the rest of the series.
They trailed 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth facing one of the top closers in all of baseball at the time, Joe Nathan.
Alex Rodriguez stepped up as the tying run, incredibly due for a huge postseason hit and, more importantly, a pivotal postseason tear. Up to the task, the revitalized third baseman crushed a two-run shot into the right-center field bleachers to tie the game at four.
9/25/2014 – Derek Jeter’s Yankee Stadium Finale
Derek Jeter was looking to end his legendary career with a bang and capitalize in his final career Yankee Stadium game. Let’s just say he was able to accomplish that.
With a runner at second and one down in the bottom of the ninth, the stage was set for the 40-year-old to break a 5-5 tie and end his stadium career in a magical way. On the first pitch from Evan Meek, he promptly delivered a fairytale ending with a walk-off single to right field.
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Between the expected torrent rain holding off, David Robertson blowing a save in the fashion that he did, and Jeter somehow coming up in the bottom of the ninth with a runner in scoring position, it showed that endings you truly cannot script do still exist.
In front of a packed house in the Bronx, the captain made a stamp on a career that will go down as one of the greatest in Yankee history.
10/10/2012 – Raul Ibanez Single-Handedly Lifts Yanks
With the ALDS tied at a game a piece between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles, the Yanks were up against it in Game 3.
Miguel Gonzalez silenced New York’s bats and the Bombers trailed 2-1 in the ninth inning going up against the league’s best closer in Jim Johnson.
Alex Rodriguez was due up and Joe Girardi made one of the gutsiest and greatest managerial decisions of his Yankee tenure. He sent up Raul Ibanez to pinch-hit for the struggling slugger and he rewarded Girardi and the Yanks, rocketing a game-tying shot to send the game into extra innings.
Fittingly enough, it was Ibanez who stepped up in the 11th inning against lefty Brian Matusz. He turned on a first pitch fastball and hit a towering drive into the second deck in right field to win the ballgame and give the Yankees a 2-1 series advantage.
Coming on as a pinch-hitter, Ibanez put on one of the better displays of postseason hitting while helping lift the Yankees to their eventual 3-2 series win.
Good list, but I would put A-Rod tying and Tex winning in the number one slot.