The New York Mets opted to begin their offseason with a ripple instead of a splash. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Sunday evening that New York had signed right-hander Frankie Montas to a two-year, $34 million deal. Montas spent last year with the Reds and Brewers and managed a 4.84 ERA over 30 starts (150.1 innings). … Continued
The way the media reports Juan Soto’s free agency, one would think he was a big-time international free agent and not an MLB veteran. Multiple sources have reported Soto meeting with as many as eight teams, with five finalists making offers: the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers, and Blue Jays. Each has the means to … Continued
As expected, New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge won his second American League Most Valuable Player award on Thursday night. The star outfield slugger turned in yet another dream season, batting .322 with 58 home runs and 122 RBI. It’s enough to make the fans forget Judge hit just .207 over the first month of … Continued
The New York Yankees lost the World Series, but can add another accomplishment to the team’s lengthy list thanks to Luis Gil. The rookie right-hander was named the American League Rookie of the Year on Monday, finishing ahead of co-finalists Colton Cowser and Yankees teammate Austin Wells. Gil debuted with the Yankees in 2021 and … Continued
The New York Giants finally bit the bullet and benched quarterback Daniel Jones. Big Blue, at 2-8, are essentially punting on the season and will start backup Tommy DeVito. It’s been a clunker of a season for Jones, whom the Giants selected out of Duke with the No. 6 pick in 2019. He has eight … Continued
John Sterling is officially retired as the radio voice of the New York Yankees, and WFAN is succeeding him with a familiar face. Per an official announcement, former on-air personality Dave Sims will take over in the booth alongside Suzyn Waldman next season. Sims, 71, signed a two-year contract and was the main TV voice … Continued
SNY’s Andy Martino does a great job on the Yankees beat and knows the the team well. So well that he wrote a book called The Yankee Way: The Untold Inside Story of the Brian Cashman Era. It was released last spring, and we actually discussed it at length with him. Well, a season later, the … Continued
Now that we’ve had the weekend and then some to sleep it off, let’s accept it and say it out loud: The New York Yankees got absolutely washed in the World Series courtesy of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Be it awful fundamentals or lack of timely hitting, don’t count on this being an October one-off … Continued
Through four innings, the New York Yankees led 5-0 and seemed destined for Game 6. Home runs from Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Giancarlo Stanton fueled a desperate Bronx crowd. Five unearned runs in the fifth inning later, it all fell apart. Aaron Judge missed an easy catch in center field. Anthony Volpe botched … Continued
The New York Yankees made it known in the first inning: It’s do or die for Game 6. Aaron Judge understood the assignment. On the first pitch after Juan Soto walked, Judge mashed a two-run blast to right field to give the Bronx Bombers an early 2-0 lead. It was a Judgian blast indeed, measuring … Continued
Game 1 of the World Series has not been without drama, and the Los Angeles Dodgers finally broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning when Will Smith’s sac fly scored Kiké Hernandez. The New York Yankees answered back the way they know best: Playoff Giancarlo Stanton. New York started the sixth inning with a … Continued
Imagine, if you will, sitting at your local bar watching the World Series. The beers and appetizers are aplenty. Your favorite team is playing, everyone’s happy, and the place explodes in feral fandom with every home run hit. But there’s a catch. What if for every home run your team hit in the game, you … Continued
For so many years, this was the premiere World Series rivalry. A battle that exploded from one just between cities to one between coasts. And 43 years later, at long last, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are the last teams standing in October. Finally, the navy pinstripes and Dodger Blue square off … Continued
Ring out the bells, pack the Subways a la The Warriors, and shout “Bing Bong” from the rooftops. New York Knicks season is finally back! It’s a brand new Knicks team headed into 2024-25. Karl-Anthony Towns is here as the versatile center New York has craved since Patrick Ewing was shipped to Seattle. It meant sending … Continued
There’s nothing more old school baseball than the relationship between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Keep in mind, this was just one piece of the original three-pronged Subway Series. The Yankees played at majestic Yankee Stadium at East 161st Street and River Avenue. Take a short drive over the Harlem River … Continued
The road through the Fall Classic runs through the Bronx. Juan Soto’s three-run homer in the tenth inning proved the dagger as the New York Yankees won Game 5 of the ALCS 5-2 and clinched the American League Pennant. And, of course, it was a come-from-behind victory. The Cleveland Guardians could only watch. New York … Continued
The scene is Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, October 10, 1998. Cleveland’s beloved then-Indians lead the series 2-1 over the strong, slugging New York Yankees. A win tonight would be a near-coup, what with New York having won 114 regular season games. Plus, Cleveland has the momentum after battering so-called “big game pitcher” … Continued
The New York Yankees trailed the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 for most of Game 3 of the ALCS. That changed with two outs and a man on in the eighth inning. Cleveland star closer Emmanuel Clase entered the game after Hunter Gaddis walked Juan Soto. Judge fouled the first pitch away, swung right through the next … Continued
New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres is in a dream position ahead of his impending free agency. The two-time All-Star continued swinging a hot bat with three hits against Cleveland in Game 2 of the ALCS. Torres is now batting .292 with a .933 OPS in the 2024 playoffs, quite the feat considering he … Continued
It took until the Yankees’ sixth postseason game, but Aaron Judge finally did it. Facing hard-throwing Cleveland righty Hunter Gaddis in the seventh inning, Judge launched a deep drive to center field. Lane Thomas’ leaping attempt proved futile as the ball bounced off of Monument Park’s netting. All Rise for Our Captain 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ZUZLldNegK — … Continued
The New York Yankees have had all the momentum in Game 1 of the ALCS versus the Cleveland Guardians. In the bottom of the 7th inning with New York up 4-1, Giancarlo Stanton again dominated in playoff mode. The former MVP launched lefty Erik Sabrowski’s fastball 439 feet into the visitor’s bullpen. Exit velocity was … Continued
The New York Mets lost Game 1 of the NLCS 9-0, and were sure to put the Los Angeles Dodgers on early notice in Game 2. In the second inning, with the bases loaded and two out, star third baseman Mark Vientos launched a grand slam to center field. It just cleared the fence at … Continued
The American League Championship Series matchup between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians showcases the best baseball rivalry that no one knows exists. Forget that both squads have faced off in the postseason six times since the playoff era began. New York and Cleveland’s history goes back even farther. It started in 1926, when … Continued
You’d never know it, but the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers have had a quiet playoff rivalry for over three decades. Though irregular, each matchup manages to bring something special. It started in 1988, when the powerfully balanced 100-win Mets took on the pitching-dominant Dodgers. Sure enough, it was a battle back and … Continued
The New York Yankees punched their ticket to the ALCS with a gritty 3-1 win in Game 4 of their ALDS series with the Kansas City Royals. Gerrit Cole was in prime ace mode, pitching seven strong innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts. The bullpen handled the rest as both Clay Holmes and Luke … Continued
In just a few hours, the New York Yankees will hand Clarke Schmidt the ball for Game 3 of the American League Division Series. Given how the Kansas City Royals tied the series with one bad inning for Carlos Rodon in Game 2 on Monday, fans are a little nervous. It’s easy to understand why. … Continued
In some ways, Aaron Judge and Alex Rodriguez are uniquely similar to each other. Both are/were once-in-a-generation athletes that took baseball by storm. Each wowed fans with their exploits both at the plate and in the field, and that’s about where it ends. Except for one key area: Much like Alex Rodriguez during his own … Continued
At first glance, the New York Yankees playing the Kansas City Royals seems like any other American League Division series as of late. The Yankees have home field advantage over whichever AL Central squad. But dig a little deeper, and this is a rivalry reborn. In fact, the Yankees’ first-ever experience in the playoff era … Continued
The Major League Baseball playoffs begin today with the newly formatted Wild Card Rounds. Four best-of-three series across the American and National Leagues, with the winners moving on to face the top seed in the Division Series. The 2024 Wild Card tilts are far from mere play-in games. Remember, the “worst” division winners immediately take … Continued
There are plenty of reasons for New York Knicks fans to be excited for Karl-Anthony Towns. Let’s start local, with Towns’ North Jersey roots. He was born in Edison and grew up in Piscataway. No New Yorker will admit it—and I may get in trouble for spilling the tea—but that’s practically the sixth borough (And … Continued
Dear Julius Randle, Writing this is admittedly bittersweet, even if it makes sense for basketball reasons. The Knicks trading for Karl-Anthony Towns is near “But it’s Zava” territory for basketball. He wasn’t going to come cheap. And yet, it’s hard to not feel sad about this trade. You talked about wanting to retire with the … Continued
It took losing yet another series to the rival Baltimore Orioles, but the Yankees avoided the sweep and finally clinched the AL East with a 10-1 victory on Thursday evening. Gerrit Cole tossed 6.2 shutout innings with five strikeouts, and Giancarlo Stanton led the way with a home run and four total RBI. Team captain and … Continued
The New York Yankees pitching staff was dealt a blow ahead of the playoffs on Wednesday morning when Nestor Cortes headed for an MRI on his elbow. Jack Curry at the YES Network was first with the surprising development: Concerning news for the Yankees as Nestor Cortes, tonight’s scheduled starter, is getting an MRI on … Continued
Surprise surprise, New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is out for the start of the season. He’s still recovering from his left foot surgery back in May and is targeting December or January for a return. This means much more playing time for Jericho Sims, the fourth-year center and former second-round pick out of Texas. … Continued
The New York Yankees are heading back to the playoffs. The Bronx Bombers overcame a late comeback by the Seattle Mariners and won Wednesday night’s game in extra innings. Nestor Cortes tossed six shutout innings as the Yankees won 2-1 despite Clay Holmes’ 13th blown save of the year. WE GOT POSTSEASON BASEBALL IN THE … Continued
Yesterday, we discussed how the Yankees very much needed to have a strong road trip out west. An 11-2 win in Seattle later, the team got the memo. New York’s bats dominated the Mariners throughout the game thanks to home runs and hard hits. New York led 4-0 early on thanks to a pair of … Continued
It is Tuesday, September 17, 2024 in the current New York Yankees season. The team is in great position at 87-63, three games ahead of the rival Baltimore Orioles in the AL East. Better yet, the Yankees are the best team in the American League and just took three of four from the hated Boston … Continued
It’s a pretty safe bet that the New York Yankees are making the playoffs. What’s less certain is how much team captain and MVP candidate Aaron Judge will contribute. Not that there needs to be a grand sense of urgency about Judge’s production. He’s batting .319 with an MLB-leading 51 home runs and 126 RBI. … Continued
Don’t worry, Yankees fans. You soon won’t have Clay Holmes to kick around anymore. That’s because the moment the World Series ends, Holmes will join thousands upon thousands of living Yankees ghosts. As in, he’ll hit free agency, sign with a new team, and only leave memories of his New York days. Even if the … Continued
Another day gone, another day where DJ LeMahieu looks like a rare mistake from Yankees general manager Brian Cashman. The veteran infielder hit another bump in his lost season on Monday thanks to a flurry of roster moves. Among them was promoting No. 1 prospect Jasson Dominguez, who hit .314 in the minors while rehabbing … Continued
Make it official: We are done defending Clay Holmes and his inability to consistently close games for the New York Yankees. Tuesday’s 7-4 loss at Texas marked a new low for Holmes and his streaky sinker. Entering the 9th inning with a 4-3 lead, Holmes got one out before completely falling apart. It culminated with … Continued
Yankees fans worldwide have fallen in love with the lineup’s 1-2 power punch of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. Of course, both bats have been as advertised and more. Soto has proved an excellent fit, batting .293 with a career-high 37 home runs and 96 RBI. Soto has also managed a 179 OPS+ and 181 … Continued
“Do your best, or you’re only cheating yourselves.” My parents often said exactly this to us quite often when we were kids, usually the night before a big test. Though we didn’t know it, it was essentially them saying, “Don’t just know the material. Know it your best.” You’d think that for all of the … Continued
New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge has primarily played center field this season to less than average results. His defensive runs saved (DRS) and outs above average (OAA) each stand at -4. You’d never know based on Judge’s latest incredible catch, which occurred against the Washington Nationals in DC on Monday. With New York leading … Continued
The New York Yankees lineup has always been built for power, and it was on full display in Sunday’s 10-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. In the seventh inning, facing Rockies righty Jeff Criswell, the Bronx Bombers lived up to the name and then some. Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton hit back-to-back-to-back home … Continued
All the way back in April, we had some doubts about crafty New York Yankees lefty Nestor Cortes. Understandable, considering Cortes had a good-but-not-great start to the 2024 season. Luis Gil emerging as a reliable starter, plus Clark Schmidt’s shoulder injury, further made Cortes seem the eventual odd man out. All signs pointed to either … Continued
Let’s start the conversation with closers. No, not just Yankees fireman Clay Holmes and his MLB-leading ten blown saves. We’ll get to him in a second. Rather, let’s talk about closers from a pure pitching standpoint. As in, what do they bring to a team on a game-by-game basis? In a nutshell, closers throw anywhere … Continued
Juan Soto was 0 for 2 with three walks in his New York Yankees’ 12-2 loss to the lowly Chicago White Sox on Monday night. On Tuesday, Soto led the way as he and his teammates answered back in a quietly grand fashion. Soto, after grounding out in the first inning, carried the offense the … Continued