Jeter was obviously thrilled by the announcement.
“It’s unbelievable. It was completely unexpected. It came out of the blue,” Jeter told The Associated Press during a break in the photo shoot. “When I heard it, what can you say? It’s one of the greatest honors you can achieve in sports.”
Michael Phelps was last year’s Sportsman, for some perspective.
The issue will hit newsstands on Wednesday.
Gregory Heisler/SI
"I have no plans of coming back," Sheppard said on Wednesday in a telephone interview. "Time has passed me by, I think. I had a good run for it. I enjoyed doing what I did. I don't think, at my age, I'm going to suddenly regain the stamina that is really needed if you do the job and do it well."
The entire article is worth a read. He has words of praise for current public address announcer Paul Olden. Sheppard also said he doubts he’ll return to Yankee Stadium in 2010 to call one game.
Of course, we still hear Sheppard’s voice when Derek Jeter comes to bat.
*****
I’m sure Mr. Sheppard has a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, just like all of us. On that note, I’d like to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!
Congratulations go out to Joe Mauer who won the American League MVP award with 27 of the 28 first place votes.
The one surprise of the voting was that Miguel Cabrera – who finished fourth overall – received the other first place vote. I’d love to see that writer try to defend that vote.
On the Yankees’ front, Mark Teixeira finished second and Derek Jeter rounded out the top three. Alex Rodriguez came in 10th.
There are plenty of fun celebration photos all over the Internet, but the above photo is pretty cool. Who says Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter don’t get along?
NYDN Photo
Derek Jeter’s third inning single down the right field line made history tonight. It was the 2,722nd hit of his career, passing Lou Gehrig for first on the Yankees all-time hits list.
Congratulations, Derek!
Meanwhile, Joba Chamberlain only lasted three innings, throwing 56 pitches and allowing two earned runs and three hits.
The three hits and two runs allowed were recorded in the first inning, meaning the Tampa Bay Rays were no-hit over the final 8 2/3 innings.
Jorge Posada hit a go-ahead pinch-hit three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth to lead the Yankees to victory.
The Yankees were able to avoid using Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera in the ninth. Brian Bruney got the first two outs, while Phil Coke earned the save by striking out the only batter he faced.
New York is now 91-50 and will begin a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday.
(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
(Originally posted for Baseball Digest)
Mark Teixeira drove in four runs and the Yankees bullpen pitched six innings, allowing only one earned run, in the team’s 8-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.
Teixeira hit a sacrifice fly in the first and then hit a three-run home run in the five-run seventh inning to pass 100 RBI on the season. He has now reached 30 home runs and 100 RBI in six straight seasons.
Starter Joba Chamberlain only went three innings, as the Yankees instituted their revised version of the “Joba Rules.” They are essentially simulating spring training and will get him up and around 100 pitches near the end of the season. He threw 35 pitches, allowing four hits and two earned runs.
Alfredo Aceves relieved Chamberlain, pitching three shutout innings, to earn his ninth win of the season. Damaso Marte, David Robertson and Phil Hughes combined to pitch two shutout innings. Phil Coke allowed a solo home run in the ninth.
On the offensive side, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada each had two hits, while Johnny Damon was the other Yankees aside from Teixeira to drive in more than one run (he hit a two-run home run in the third to give the Yankees the lead). The home run, which was his 24th, ties a career-high. Damon left the game in the seventh with cramping in both calves.
With the sweep of the White Sox, the Yankees are now 34 games over .500. They now embark on a seven-game road trip with the first stop being in Baltimore for three games starting tomorrow night.
(Originally written for Baseball Digest)
When Andy Pettitte loaded the bases with Texas Rangers with one out in the top of the first, it didn't look like he would be long for Wednesday night's game at Yankee Stadium. However, he was able to induce a 5-4-3 double play with Ivan Rodriguez at the plate to end the threat. After a Jorge Posada three-run home run against Texas starter Derek Holland in the bottom half of the frame, the Yankees were on their way to a 9-2 victory.
Jerry Hairston Jr. added a solo home run in the fourth, and his 12-pitch at-bat in the seventh inning helped start the Yankees' five-run rally after Robinson Cano led off with a double.
Pettitte went seven strong, allowed two earned runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking three. He threw 103 pitches and was aided by three double plays behind him. The Yankees would turn another with Brian Bruney pitching in relief.
In addition to Posada's three RBI, Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira drove in two runs apiece, while Hideki Matsui and Cano were the only Yankees with multi-hit games.
It wasn't all good news for New York. Posada left the game in the top of the eighth after taking a foul tip off his glove hand. X-rays were negative, and the team's report is that he aggravated his ring finger. The Boston Red Sox also won on David Ortiz's walk-off home run.
The Yankees will look to take this three-game series tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch slated for 1:05. A.J. Burnett will get the start.
(Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
The New York Yankees belted five home runs against Josh Beckett, a career high, Sunday night at Fenway Park in their 8-4 victory, to win the three-game series against their archrivals.
Derek Jeter led off the game with a home run and Hideki Matsui added two home runs to give him a total of four in this series. Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano also hit home runs.
CC Sabathia went 6 2/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) while striking out eight to record his 15th victory of the season.
Beckett allowed eight runs and nine hits over eight innings, throwing 120 pitches. He has now given up 15 earned runs in his last 13 2/3 innings. The eight earned runs also tied a season high, which also came against the Yankees on April 25.
Phil Hughes struck out one and allowed one hit in 1 1/3 relief innings, and Mariano Rivera struck out two and walked one to close out the game in the ninth. Both pitchers hadn't pitched since Aug. 19.
After a day off on Monday, the Yankees will begin a three-game series at home against the Texas Rangers.
AP Photo
Hideki Matsui hit a pair of three-run home runs and every Yankee who played the majority of the game drove in at least one run in the Yankees’ 20-11 victory over the Boston Red Sox Friday night at Fenway Park.
As the score suggests, there was a lot of hitting and very little pitching. Andy Pettitte only went 5+ innings, allowing seven runs (five earned) on seven hits. Brian Bruney, while not charged with any runs, walked three and hit a batter while the Yankees had a large lead.
Alex Rodriguez added four hits and an RBI while Derek Jeter (3-for-6, two RBI) recorded his sixth straight multi-hit game. Over that span, he has also had four games of three hits. Mark Teixeira also had a three-hit game with three RBI.
The majority of the Yankees’ runs were scored against starter Brad Penny (eight earned runs on 10 hits over four innings) and Michael Bowden, who allowed seven earned runs and eight hits in only two innings.
Overall, the Yankees recorded 23 hits, including eight doubles.
It wasn’t all fun and games for the Yankees’ offense. Johnny Damon fouled a ball off his leg and had to leave the game. He was replaced by Eric Hinske in left field. The team called it a bruise and he’s day-to-day.
The Yankees’ lead over Boston is now 7.5 games. They’ll do it again tomorrow afternoon at 4:10 p.m. A.J. Burnett and Junichi Tazawa each get the ball for their respective teams.
(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
First, Damaso Marte is finally back up with the big club. He had been on the 60-day disabled list with left shoulder tendinitis since April 26. Ramiro Pena was sent down, as the Yankees have decided to carry 13 pitchers. Remember, the rosters expand to 40 on Sept. 1.
However, this isn’t the biggest news of the day. One of the newest Hall of Famers, Jim Rice, is none too pleased with today’s major leaguers, calling some of the big names self-absorbed.
It was fine when he cited Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez as examples. I dislike both and agree with him there. But then he put Derek Jeter in that category. I honestly have no idea how he gets off lumping Jeter with Ramirez and Rodriguez.
"You see a Manny Ramirez, you see an A-Rod [Alex Rodriguez], you see [Derek] Jeter ... Guys that I played against and with, these guys you're talking about cannot compare," Rice said to Little Leaguers gathered in the cafeteria.
Have at it, Yankees fans (even A-Rod die-hards).
Despite allowing solo home runs to Kurt Suzuki and someone named Tommy Everidge in the first two innings, CC Sabathia was able to recover and dominate the Oakland Athletics over his next six innings to record his 14th victory of the season. The Yankees defeated the A's by a score of 7-2, as Oakland committed four errors.
Derek Jeter recorded his third straight three-hit game in the process, raising his team-leading batting average to .330. Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Melky Cabrera also added two hits apiece.
The game was tied at 2 until the sixth inning, when the Yankees broke the game open with five runs on four hits against Jay Marshall and Santiago Casilla.
The Yankees stay seven games ahead of Boston after they defeated Toronto last night 10-9. Chad Gaudin takes the hill for the Yankees in tonight's rubber game. First pitch is slated for 10:05 p.m.
(Originally written for Baseball Digest)
Joba Chamberlain allowed four earned runs over five innings, and was relieved by an equally shaky Alfredo Aceves, who was charged with four runs of his own in 1 2/3 innings. Doug Fister, on the other hand, pitched well in seven innings, as the Mariners defeated the Yankees 10-3 to avoid a four-game sweep Sunday afternoon at Safeco Field.
The game started out well for the Yankees, as Derek Jeter recorded two hits in his first two at-bats to pass Luis Aparicio with the most hits as a shortstop, including an RBI double in the third inning.
Chamberlain retired the first seven batters he faced, but ran into trouble after walking Ryan Langerhans with one out in the third. After a single and another walk, Jose Lopez hit a two-run double to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead.
Nick Swisher and the Yankees responded in the next half-inning, when he hit a two-run home run to center to put the Yankees ahead 3-2.
But Chamberlain was undone in the fifth, with successive two-out RBI singles.
The Mariners wouldn’t look back from there, but they added insurance in the seventh. Aceves struggled in his second inning of work, but he wasn’t helped by Jerry Hairston Jr. to a step back before having to charge on Ken Griffey Jr.’s leadoff fly ball. Instead of making the catch, he had to field it on a hop. Eventually, the Mariners had the bases loaded with one out. After Langerhans struck out, Aceves hit Josh Wilson with a pitch. Chad Gaudin was then brought in, and he gave up three straight RBI base hits, extending the Mariners’ lead to 9-3. Kenji Johjima’s solo home run in the eighth put the M’s ahead 10-3.
The Yankees don’t lose any ground in the American League East, as the Red Sox were defeated in Texas. The Yankees take their 7.5-game division lead to Oakland for three games starting tomorrow night. A.J. Burnett will start against Brett Tomko, whom the Yankees designated for assignment earlier this summer.
After retiring four of his next five batters via the strikeout, he had trouble with the Mariners’ top of the order in the third inning. Suzuki led off with a single and Gutierrez walked. But after that, Pettitte closed the door.
The Yankees began their comeback in the second when Jorge Posada doubled off the top of the right center field wall. The play was reviewed, but the call stood. Jerry Hairston Jr. eventually drove Posada home on a fielder’s choice to halve the Mariners’ lead.
For the next few innings, Seattle’s starter, Ryan Rowland-Smith, held the Yankees in check. However, in the fifth, he was hit with some bad luck. Melky Cabrera singled with two outs and took second on a wild pitch. Derek Jeter followed with a single through the left side of the infield, somehow getting under both Josh Wilson’s and Jack Hannahan’s gloves to score Cabrera and tie the game.
The game remained tied at 2 until Mark Teixeira led off the ninth with a solo home run against Mark Lowe. The Yankees would add another on Nick Swisher’s RBI single following Robinson Cano’s bloop double.
New York is now 30 games over .500 and remain 6.5 games ahead of Boston following a dramatic comeback of its own in Texas (they scored six runs in the ninth to win by four). Sergio Mitre gets the ball tomorrow night.
Teixeira: Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
Pettitte: AP Photo
(Originally written for Baseball Digest)
CC Sabathia struck out a season-high 10 Mariners and Hideki Matsui hit two home runs and drove in five runs in the Yankees’ 11-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners Thursday night at Safeco Field.
Sabathia went eight innings, allowing one earned run and three hits while walking two and throwing 104 pitches to earn his 13th win of the season.
The Yankees recorded 15 hits, including four from Matsui and two from Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano and Jerry Hairston Jr. The only Yankee starter without a hit was Nick Swisher, who went 0-for-3 with two walks.
In addition to Matsui’s two home runs (hit 18th and 19th of the season), Jeter hit his 14th home run to lead off the third inning.
New York got to Ian Snell, Seattle’s starter, early and often. He settled down around the middle of the game, but the Yankees piled on as he continued to get tired. He gave up eight earned runs in six innings, walking three and striking out four. He has give up 13 earned runs in 13 1/3 innings in three starts since being traded to Seattle.
The Yankees are now 29 game over .500 and have a 6.5-game lead over Boston. Andy Pettitte and Ryan Rowland-Smith get the ball tonight in a battle of southpaws. First pitch is set for 10:10 p.m. ET.
Love or hate Michael Kay, he is here to stay. After years of listening to him, both on television and the radio, I have noticed some of Kay’s favorite sayings and actions from the booth. I call these “Michael Kay clichés,” or “Kaychés.”
The 2008 Michael Kay/YES Network Drinking Game is still one of Scott Proctor’s Arm’s most popular posts. In response, I have made an updated version for this season. I hope you enjoy it and please drink responsibly should you decide to play along. I take no responsibility for you or your actions as a result of playing this game. And no, I don’t really expect you to take 22 drinks if Kay says, “Deuces wild.”
Again, please drink responsibly.
Thanks to my Twitter followers for their various suggestions.
(Originally posted for Baseball Digest)
The Yankees came from behind twice Sunday afternoon to defeat the Oakland Athletics 7-5 and cap a 9-1 homestand that saw the team reach 22 games over .500.
The A’s scored quickly against starter Sergio Mitre in the first inning. Orlando Cabrera hit a one-out single and, after he stole scored, scored on Scott Hairston’s double. Hairston would then score on catcher Kurt Suzuki’s single to give the A’s a 2-0 lead.
However, the Yankees came right back, scoring four in the bottom of the first inning. Hideki Matsui hit a two-out RBI single to halve Oakland’s lead. Two batters later, Robinson Cano cleared the bases with a three-run double into the gap. He then overslid third and was tagged out. Nevertheless, the Yankees had a 4-2 lead.
Oakland got one run back in the fourth inning on Mark Ellis’ sacrifice fly. However, Mitre was able to escape further trouble by inducing a double play to end the threat. This cut the Yankees’ lead to 4-3.
After giving up a leadoff single in the sixth inning, Mitre was pulled. He gave up nine hits and four earned runs in 5+ innings, striking out one and walking none. After retiring the first two batters he faced, Phil Coke gave up a two-run home run to Ellis to give Oakland a 5-4 lead.
The Yankees roared right back in the bottom half of the inning. Melky Cabrera walked with one out and third baseman Cody Ransom doubled. Derek Jeter followed with a two-run single to center to put the Yankees back ahead 6-5. Jeter was picked off, but Johnny Damon doubled and was driven home by Mark Teixeira to give the Yankees another insurance run at 7-5.
Phil Hughes pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief before being bullpen for Brian Bruney when he ran into trouble. Bruney struck out his only batter and was replaced by Mariano Rivera, who retired all four batters he faced. The save was Rivera’s 29th of the year.
Boston lost their game this afternoon, so the Yankees are back on top of the AL East by 2.5 games. The Yankees begin a three-game series in Tampa tomorrow night.
(Originally posted for Baseball Digest)
When the Yankees began their series in Anaheim on Friday, they were tied for first place in the AL East. Now as they head into the All-Star break, they are three games behind the Boston Red Sox after getting swept at the hands of the Los Angeles Angels. The Yankees lost Sunday’s game by the score of 5-4.
The Yankees had the bases loaded with no outs in the seventh and eighth innings, but they failed to get clutch hits to put them on top.
Down 4-2 in the seventh, Mark Teixeira struck out and Alex Rodriguez grounded into a double play to end the threat. And in the next inning, after CC Sabathia allowed the Angels to score another run to make it a 5-2 ballgame, the Yankees came within one run, but Nick Swisher lined back to the pitcher for a double play.
For the third straight game, the Yankees had a lead only to lose it soon after. Derek Jeter drove in a run on the fielder’s choice in the third inning. But Sabathia gave up four runs in the bottom of the fourth, including RBI doubles from Bobby Abreu and Howie Kendrick, as well as an RBI from Robb Quinlan and a run-scoring groundout off the bat of Brandon Wood.
John Lackey only allowed two runs and six hits over seven innings. He struck out six and walked three. On the other hand, Sabathia gave up five earned runs over 6 2/3 innings, bringing his season ERA to 3.86.
Jeter and Melky Cabrera had two hits apiece, but the nine combined runners left on base by Teixeira and Rodriguez effectively sealed the Yankees’ fate.
After the All-Star break, the Yankees will begin a 10-game homestand with three-games against the Detroit Tigers on July 17th.
Joba Chamberlain and Cody Ransom did their best to turn a 4-0 lead into an 8-4 deficit. Ransom’s fielding error in the third inning opened the floodgates, as Chamberlain gave up five unearned runs and was out of the game after only retiring 11 batters.
However, Jonathan Albaladejo and Alfredo Aceves saved the Yankees on the pitching side, while Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada and Hideki Matsui provided the offense. Jeter hit the go-ahead home run in the fifth inning after Matsui drew the Yankees closer with a three-run shot in the fourth inning. Posada added four hits and three RBI.
But the real story was Aceves, who pitched four innings of one-hit ball for his first career save.
The Yankees are now 15 games over .500 at 48-33, their highest amount of games above .500 this season. They have also won 10 of their 11 games. Andy Pettitte will look to lead the Yankees to a sweep over the Blue Jays tomorrow afternoon at 1:05.
Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira were named American League All-Star starters at their respective positions. Teixeira was in a hotly-contested race with Boston Red Sox first baseman Kevin Youkilis.
Mariano Rivera was the only Yankee named to the pitching staff of the American League. No Yankees were chosen as reserves.
The complete roster can be found here.
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