After a horrific 1-5 road trip coming out of the All-Star break, the Yankees will try to right the ship at home against the Kansas City Royals. It will be their third series with Sean Casey as the team’s new hitting coach. Apparently, that rare midseason coaching change was spurred by old friend Jameson Taillon dominating them.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post shared some local MLB thoughts in his latest notes column. Here’s what he said about Hal Steinbrenner and the Yankees:
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner provided input before GM Brian Cashman engineered his first coach firing in his 26th year.
Word is, Steinbrenner’s tipping point came after seeing Yankees hitters shut down by ex-Yankee Jameson Taillon.
It was Steinbrenner who said he was “confused” about the anger from the fanbase last month as the short-handed Bombers scuffled. While we’ve been wondering when Mets owner Steve Cohen would lose his patience and make changes, Hal got there first.
He’s been so focused on being the anti-George, but I guess watching Taillon — who struggled mightily up to that point — dominate New York was the last straw.
In Taillon’s first 14 starts, Chicago went 2-12. The hurler posted a 6.93 ERA while allowing 77 hits and 20 walks with 59 strikeouts in 63.2 innings. But once he got to the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium (a situation he’s historically thrived in), the right-hander looked like a Cy Young candidate against the Yankees.
Taillon held New York scoreless while allowing just one hit and two walks with four strikeouts in eight innings. This probably hurt a little more as Carlos Rodon struggled through his team debut on the same night. That game took place on July 7th. By July 9th, news dropped that the Yankees were parting ways with hitting coach Dillon Lawson.
Will it eventually make a difference? We’ll find out soon enough. And, hopefully not before it’s too late.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
