"One more for the books"

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- If history truly repeats itself, then the American League All-Stars may be in trouble when Yankee Stadium hosts the 79th Midsummer Classic in 2008, because the Junior Circuit has lost two of the three previous All-Star Games played in The House That Ruth Built.

Then again, if modern history repeats itself, the AL All-Star squad will walk away victorious, as it has since the 1997 game (with the exception of the 7-7 tie in 2002 at Miller Park in Milwaukee).

Despite what happens in '08, one thing is for sure when it comes to All-Star Games played in the ballpark at 161st Street and River Avenue: future legends will be on display.

Yankee Stadium played host to its first Midsummer Classic in 1939. Ten Yankees players -- six of which were selected as starters -- joined their skipper and AL manager, Joe McCarthy, for a 3-1 victory over the National League in seventh All-Star Game played.

Yankees pitcher Red Ruffing started the game, and Joe DiMaggio connected for a home run in front of the 62,892 in attendance. Outfielder George Selkirk, third baseman Red Rolfe, pitchers Johnny Murphy and Lefty Gomez, second baseman Joe Gordon, first baseman Lou Gehrig, shortstop Frankie Crosetti and catcher Bill Dickey also suited up for the Bombers.

Officially, it was the second All-Star Game played in New York, because five years earlier, the Polo Grounds hosted the annual event in the Big Apple. The main reason Yankee Stadium welcomed the best players around the country to the Bronx in 1939 was because the World's Fair was being held at Flushing Meadows in Queens that very same year.

Now, fast forward to 1960, when catchers Yogi Berra and Elston Howard, pitchers Whitey Ford and Jim Coates, outfielders Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris and first baseman Bill Skowron were honored with All-Star nominations for the Yankees.

The game occurred during the 1959-62 era, when the Midsummer Classic was played in a two-game format. After the AL dropped the first game, 5-3, on July 11 at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, the All-Star squads headed to New York for the second game.

Willie Mays came into the Bronx fresh off a performance in All-Star Game No. 28 in which he was a home run short of the cycle. The results didn't get any better for the AL team in All-Star Game No. 29, as Ford and the Junior Circuit lost, 6-0, at Yankee Stadium on July 13.

Mays finished the two games 6-for-8 at the plate. He even blasted a home run in Game 2, along with teammates Eddie Mathews, Stan Musial and Ken Boyer. Vern Law was the winning pitcher. That game also marked the 18th and final time that Ted Williams would play among the elite players in the Midsummer Classic.

Nearly 20 years later, a new slate of Yankees would take the field in the most recent All-Star Game played at Yankee Stadium in 1977, which came after the stadium's renovation.

Headed by manager Billy Martin, the Yankees were represented by outfielder Reggie Jackson, catcher Thurman Munson, third baseman Graig Nettles, second baseman Willie Randolph and pitcher Sparky Lyle in the 48th All-Star Game.

DiMaggio and Mays attended the game as honorary captains, much to the delight of the 56,683 in attendance. Once again, the NL beat the AL, 7-5, behind the pitching of the game's MVP, Don Sutton.

Future Hall of Famers in that 1977 game who were on the Senior Circuit roster included Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Sutton, Mike Schmidt, Dave Winfield, Tom Seaver, Bruce Sutter and Steve Carlton. Morgan, Steve Garvey and Greg Luzinski homered for the NL.

Future Hall of Famers who were on the Junior Circuit roster included Rod Carew, George Brett, Carl Yastrzemski, Jackson, Carlton Fisk, Jim Palmer, Dennis Eckersley and Nolan Ryan. George Scott homered for the AL.

"Yankees blow by Rays in finale...Team uses 10-run fourth inning to cruise to third straight" -- July 22, 2007

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- That wasn't a miscue lit up on the scoreboard at Yankee Stadium. The bulbs were in fine working condition and the electronic switchboard checked out normal. Those two dotted numbers squished together under the fourth-inning column wasn't a malfunction.

Fourteen Yankees came up to bat in the 10-run inning to kick-start a 21-4 rout of the Devil Rays on Sunday. The 29-minute hitting barrage marked the first time the Yankees have plated double-digit runs in an inning since Sept. 4, 2006, against the Kansas City Royals.

"You might go a few years before you see another game like this," Derek Jeter said. "It was just one of those things I don't think you can really explain."

Crooked numbers riddled the box score, but the gold, silver and bronze awards go to the following in order:

• Alex Rodriguez inched closer to the 500-homer club with a two-run shot in the seventh for No. 498.

• Hideki Matsui set a regular-season career high with five hits and homered for the third time in as many games.

• Rookie Shelley Duncan, called up less than 72 hours ago, hit a couple of long balls. His solo shot in the sixth marked his third home run in a span of five at-bats.

The crowd beckoned Duncan for two curtain calls during the game, both coming after his four-baggers. That upped his standing ovations count to three in four games. He even overshadowed Rodriguez, who didn't receive a curtain call after his milestone-chasing homer.

Yankees manager Joe Torre said he leaned over to Rodriguez after one of Duncan's home runs and said, "Sorry, you're not the guy anymore."

Laughs were shared. A-Rod welcomes the 6-foot-5 spirit that Duncan brings.

"It's pretty exciting. He has a lot of energy," Rodriguez said. "Sometimes we need that energy, so that's good. I'm happy he's here."

The Yankees scored a combined 38 runs in the final two games against the Devil Rays, winning their fifth straight series. Torre couldn't recall seeing a two-game outburst like this ... ever.

"Even in batting practice you don't get hits every time you swing the bat," he said. "This was certainly pretty incredible -- to be able to continue to get hit after hit after hit after hit."

But lost in the offense was Yankees starter Andy Pettitte -- literally. Faced with nearly a half-hour layover because of the offensive explosion, Pettitte snuck back into the clubhouse, where team personnel set up a net for him to throw balls into and stay loose.

For the most part, it seemed to work, as Pettitte didn't allow a run after the layover and ended up surrendering a total of three runs over six innings for his sixth win of the season. He also struck out a season-high eight batters and scattered three walks.

Despite staying sharp enough to shut down the Rays' lineup after the fourth, Pettitte made it clear that long periods between innings can rattle pitchers.

"You like to get some run support, but I'm not going to lie to you," he said. "It's hard to try to keep your focus and stay locked in."

It didn't matter if Pettitte could focus after the delay or not. The Yankees piled on seven more runs for him after he took a seat in the dugout.

While history shows that the team's batting onslaught shouldn't repeat itself anytime soon -- the last time the Yankees scored this many runs in back-to-back games was 40 back in 1936 -- the team has spoken a lot this season about forgetting the odds, forgetting the math and forgetting what the past tells them.

Not long ago, fans and media alike were voicing the slim chances the Yankees had of catching the Red Sox in the American League East. Too many games to catch up, stated the general consensus.

But the Yankees have whittled away at their deficit in a second-half surge in which they've won 9 of 12 games. Now, 7 1/2 games separate them from the Red Sox, and outfielder Johnny Damon knows anything's possible with the pride and power of pinstripes.

"With the payroll we have out there, with the players we have, we should be able to beat up on anybody," he said. "We obviously aren't where we want to be right now, but with the way we're playing, we're feeling a lot better about ourselves."

"Big inning lifts Yanks past Rays...Duncan's first homer caps five-run outburst in twin bill opener" -- July 21, 2007

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Andy Phillips dubbed Shelley Duncan the "Big Donkey" when the 6-foot-5 rookie set foot in the Yankees' clubhouse.

Now, the Yankees may have found another nickname for Duncan after he capped a sixth-inning rally with a two-run home run to beat the Devil Rays, 7-3, in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

Let it be known that the Big Donkey is a Colossal Clapper.

"This kid has so much energy," manager Joe Torre said. "In fact, when he hit the home run, Don Mattingly was standing next to me and said, 'Don't let him give you a high five when he comes in.'"

Phillips, who was on first base when Duncan connected, said being the one to score on Duncan's homer fit perfectly because the two of them had built a friendship at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier this season.

But buddy-buddy or not, Phillips reiterated Mattingly's concern. Phillips said he might sidestep Duncan the next time he's waiting at home plate to greet the Colossal Clapper.

"It was an awesome experience until he slapped me in the hand and nearly knocked me down," Phillips said.

The home run came off a Jae Kuk Ryu changeup. Frustrated from a previous misfire at the plate, Duncan unleashed and deposited the ball into the left-field stands, evoking chants of "Shel-ley Dun-can!" followed by a curtain call loud enough to challenge the cheers of most Major League teams' Opening Days.

"I looked in my zone, I stayed there and that ball started in my zone so I committed to it," Duncan said. "I just tried to really stay on it because the at-bat before I came off it and I struck out."

The standing ovation came from the lungs of 54,412 at Yankee Stadium, the 21st sellout of the season.

Torre said Duncan's blast sent a jolt into the Yankees stymied offense.

"I don't want to say [we played] flat, but we really didn't do a whole lot," he said. "Then all of a sudden he hit that home run that perked everybody up."

It especially lifted Kei Igawa, who saw his learn-as-he-goes start shift from a 2-2 tie into the Yankees' 49th win of the season.

Igawa labored through five innings and 94 pitches, and his spot in the rotation, not to mention his place on the Yankees Major League roster, no longer seems as unstable as a three-legged chair.

"He's had good chunks of things in all of his starts, pretty much," Torre said. "But this one, I think, could be the best one based on the fact that he got behind, got in a little trouble, and kept it right there."

Coming into the game, nothing had worked for the Yankees' five-year, $46 million dollar investment.

Igawa started carrying around a wooden stick to remind him of proper mechanics after being called up from Triple-A. That hadn't made a difference to this point.

Then he switched his warm-up routine to what it was when he pitched in Japan, adding hours of cardio to his pre-start workload. That hasn't appeared to have helped much, either.

Devil Rays center fielder B.J. Upton and third baseman Ty Wigginton homered off Igawa in the first and second innings, respectively. But the left-hander followed that up with three scoreless innings while escaping jams, including a two-out bases-loaded situation in the fifth.

"Overall, one of the good things was that he learned a little bit today about how to pitch out of trouble," pitching coach Ron Guidry said. "That's something that he really hadn't been doing before. Usually when he got in trouble with the bases loaded, he had trouble because he tried to hurry up and tried to throw harder. All he did today was just slow down."

Whether Igawa can continue to improve and avoid being bumped to the bullpen or sent outright to the Minor Leagues remains to be seen. As it stands now, rookie pitchers Phil Hughes and Jeff Karstens -- both of whom have spent time with the club this season before falling to injuries -- are close to giving Igawa some healthy competition.

Both of the right-handers will get at least one start at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before the Yankees will consider putting them back in pinstripes. Either way, Igawa feels better about his performance.

"I did better than my last outing," Igawa said. "Most importantly, when runners were on base, I was able to shut them off without having them score."

Torre said that Igawa needs to keep his pitch count lower and continue to work on the command of his pitches. The skipper added that his No. 5 starter made the team out of Spring Training for a reason, and that Igawa's experience gives him an edge over Karstens and Hughes.

"But again," Torre said, "he still needs to carry the end of his load, and that's all about being able to pitch and giving us a chance to win."

July 18 Sider -- "Confidence building for Yanks"

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Take a look at these second-half Yankees. Notice the grit, the grind and the momentum of late.
It comes in the later innings. It's that dogged style of play that characterized the Yankees during the dynasty. Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada experienced it up close. Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens likewise had front-row seats to that magic.
No matter the score, no matter the circumstances, no matter the anything -- they would make the game interesting someway, somehow. That's what made them the Yankees. That's what made them the most storied franchise in sports history.
And that feeling might be back.
"You sense it in the stands," manager Joe Torre said. "I think the fans are getting back into it now. Earlier in the year, with the struggles we had, they were empty. ... It does have a good feel right now. It does. Guys are really just busting their gut out here. Every single one."
Andy Phillips described the emotions in Yankee Stadium much like Torre.
"Even in games where we get behind, guys think we're still in the game and we've got chances to win it," Phillips said. "That's the most important thing. You feel like you've still got a chance with this team and this lineup."
While Rivera said the feelings around the 2007 Yankees don't compare with those felt during the dynasty era -- "I don't want to say it feels like that because it doesn't," he said -- the mystique, once again, might be alive.
The mystique may have been present in an eighth-inning rally on Sunday. It grew stronger with a bloop hit on Monday. Then it revealed itself in a walk-off single in the 10th inning on Tuesday.
And finally, it spoke through a crowd of 52,147 in a six-run outburst in the seventh and eighth innings on Wednesday in the Yankees' 6-1 win over Toronto.
"Even if we're down late, we feel as though we're capable of coming back," Jeter said. "Any time you've done something before, it gives you a little confidence when you're in that situation again."
Coming into the seventh on Wednesday, the Yankees had two hits. When the last out popped into Phillips' glove, however, the Bronx Bombers had out-hit the Blue Jays, 11-10.
"We don't get frustrated, we don't get impatient," Torre said. "We're sort of sitting there, knowing what we have to do and just tending to what we need to do as far as staying focused and being patient."
The victory closed the gap between the Yankees and Red Sox to seven games in the American League East. As for the Wild Card, the Yankees sit six games behind the Indians.
Through all the emotion, sentiment, feeling or whatever it may be, Torre acknowledged there's no sure bet that it will stay with the team for the rest of the season.
"Now, are we going to be able to sustain that or are we going to get worn down?" Torre said. "That remains to be seen."

Yankees notes, July 8

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- After missing two games with a stiff neck, Andy Phillips was back in the Yankees' starting lineup on Sunday, batting ninth and playing first base. The tightness in Phillips' neck was just another blip in his hardship-riddled season.
But what a difference five months can make. From Spring Training to the Yankees' final week of the first half of the season, Phillips went from being cut to being named the regular first baseman.
Phillips never really had chance to catch on with the Yankees out of Spring Training because he was attending to his mother, Linda, who had been seriously injured on Feb. 28 when a tractor trailer slammed into the driver's side of her vehicle. Josh Phelps swung a hot bat during Phillips' absence and won a roster spot over Phillips.
"He's been through a lot," Yankees captain Derek Jeter said of Phillips. "You could never tell by talking to him or being around him. He doesn't really bring it up too much unless you bring it up. But it is a great story."
The "great" part comes in the next chapter of Phillips' 2007 season, which could be titled "From waiver wire to big-time flier."
Phillips made it through waivers after coming up short in Spring Training, and he then lit up Triple-A pitching. Based on a 500 at-bat Minor League season, Phillips was on pace for a .301 average with 22 home runs, 22 doubles and 72 RBIs with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The Yankees called up Phillups on June 19 after designating Phelps for assignment, and he's been taking full advantage of the opportunity.
Torre dubbed Phillips the everyday first baseman after the Yankees' 7-6 win over the Twins on Thursday. To that point, Phillips had batted .286 with one home run, two doubles and five RBIs.
"He's in every day," Torre said.
Last year, Phillips said he that pushed to make something happen during every at-bat "or else." The pressure mounted and his numbers dipped. But now, he's taking the same approach he had in Triple-A earlier this season: Play hard, play to win and then go for a stroll in the park.
"When I told [friends and family] that I was coming back up, the last phrase that every one of them told me was, 'Have fun,'" Phillips said. "And for some reason, that phrase clicked in my head."
Phillips is enjoying every minute with the Yankees, and he looks to only improve as the team embarks on the second half of the season.
"It's a night-and-day difference," he said. "There are times when you question if you're ever going to get back here. But to go down there and work and fight through a lot of things and come back here and really take a different mind-set than I have in the past [made me] relax and have fun playing baseball."
Roster move to come: Torre said that he'll talk with general manager Brian Cashman during the All-Star break about adding another Triple-A position player to the Yankees' bench in exchange for a reliever.
Torre said he isn't sure if the team will make the move prior to the Yankees' first game after the Midsummer Classic -- on Thursday against the Devil Rays in St. Petersburg -- or give it more time.
"We'll decide if we'll open the second half that way or sit on it a day or so," Torre said. "But, yes, we would like to get us some more flexibility on the bench.
"We already have an extra outfielder on the bench and we have one DHing, so a swing guy would probably help us. The type of guy we had here before, with [Chris] Basak -- whether it's him or not -- remains to be seen."
Edwar's glasses: Edwar Ramirez grabbed his sporty-looking, silver-rimmed Oakley glasses out of a small black pouch on Sunday before stretching. Ramirez won't have to worry about his teammates borrowing them because he uses prescription glasses. How bad is his vision?
"Look at that," said Ramirez, pointing to the thickness of the glass. "I mean, look at that!"
Torre is burning? With the premier of the ESPN miniseries "The Bronx is Burning" on Monday, Torre joked that he won't be one of its viewers.
"I didn't get an invitation. Is that ESPN?" Torre said, evoking laughs from a group of reporters. "I burned long before the Bronx did in their eyes."
Bombers bits: On Saturday, Jeff Karstens made his first Minor League rehab start since breaking his right leg on April 28 in a game against the Red Sox. He allowed three hits and a walk to go along with three strikeouts in 3 1/3 scoreless innings against Phillies Minor Leaguers. ... Torre confirmed what the Yankees' rotation will look like after the All-Star break. Andy Pettitte will start the first game back on Thursday and will be followed by Roger Clemens, Chien-Ming Wang and Mike Mussina. Kei Igawa will start when the Yankees return home the following Monday, July 16, against the Blue Jays.
Coming up: Pettitte (4-6, 4.25 ERA) will lead the Yankees' second-half charge against James Shields (7-4, 3.82 ERA) and the Devil Rays on Thursday in the Yankees' first game back after the All-Star break at 7:10 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field.

"A-Rod's 30th helps Yanks rout Halos" -- July 9, 2007

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Chien-Ming Wang stared past the Angels' Chone Figgins, examining catcher Jorge Posada's target in the first inning. With leadoff hitter Reggie Willits already on base, the count stood 3-1 to Figgins.
Those pesky players in red uniforms appeared to be at it again: Get someone on, get aggressive early and get kicking the Yankees. That's why the Angels came into the series first in the American League West. Grit. Dirt. Oomph.
Not on Sunday at Yankee Stadium, though. Posada caught Willits trying to steal second base, and Wang came back to strike out Figgins and the next batter to end the threat.
"It's hard to say momentum changed in the first inning," said Alex Rodriguez, who watched the Yankees turn around and beat the Angels, 12-0, "but that certainly was one [example]."
The Angels would face a sharper Wang after those first three outs. The Halos had their chance to get to the 27-year-old right-hander, but now Wang had found his command. That's how it works, Yankees pitching coach Ron Guidry said.
Wang changed his arm angle, raising it a bit during his deliveries, and his sinkers started landing where Posada positioned his glove.
Even though Willits walked to lead off the game, Guidry said that Wang found command of his sinker pitch by pitch that inning. The right-hander would get his best pitch to work for him one way or another.
"The only way that you have to stop him from throwing [his sinker] is to cut the hand off," Guidry said. "And if he could still throw it, he would."
So Wang persisted, and the results were 6 1/3 scoreless innings in which he allowed five hits and struck out three. It marked Wang's second consecutive start without surrendering a run.
Rodriguez said that every pitch from Wang's hand looks like a strike. But when the Taiwanese hero found accuracy to complement his deception, the Angels couldn't bunch any hits together.
"I haven't met a player who likes to face him," Yankees captain Derek Jeter said. "When guys get to second base, they see how nasty he is."
And to think that the 53,921 in attendance at Yankee Stadium thought Wang's afternoon was over after the first inning. Not because of the Angels' offense, but because Mike Myers and Ron Villone were throwing in the bullpen.
Even Torre was confused. He didn't know why his relievers were warming up so early. Wang was fine, so Torre turned to Guidry and said, "What don't we like here?"
The crowd had reason to believe that Wang was hurting, however, because he's dealt with a cracked fingernail on his right hand for several games. It turned out that Myers and Villone were just playing catch because they didn't have time before the game. The Yankees had skipped batting practice, which is when Myers and Villone usually threw together.
"It's just their habit," Torre said.
The offense took over after the confusion, as Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Robinson Cano each hit a three-run home run.
Rodriguez's line-drive shot over the left-field fence in the fourth inning gave him sole possession of 22nd place on baseball's all-time home runs list, pushing him past Fred McGriff and Yankees legend Lou Gehrig. It was Rodriguez's Major League-leading 30th home run of the season.
The All-Star third baseman also collected four RBIs, pushing his league-leading total in that category to 86.
The three home runs, especially off the left-handed bats of Matsui and Cano, have been a long time coming. Matsui has three home runs in his past five games, and Cano's blast was his third in the past six games.
Torre said that he's been surprised, but not disappointed, that it has taken a half-season for the two to show consistent power.
"These are the things they're capable of doing," Torre said. "That's what we expect of them."
With the win, the Yankees raised their record to 42-43 heading into the All-Star break. After the game, nearly every player and coach answered the same question: Have the Yankees turned a corner?
The consensus was that they've done it before. Jeter and others pointed to June, when the Yankees won nine in a row and 12 out of 14. The captain said that it comes down to consistency, which, as noted here, can be hard to explain:
"If it was easy to figure out, no one would ever struggle," Jeter said. "No team would ever scuffle. Everyone would go out and they'd win every day, and they would hit every day. But it's a game of adjustments. You can't really explain it. It's not an easy thing to figure out. You just have to deal with it, and that's what we're doing."

"Yankees outslug Angels in opener" -- July 7, 2007

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Two runs forward, one run back.
Friday's bout between the Yankees and Angels, a pitchers' massacre amped up by 31 hits, went back and forth until the Yankees struck the Halos with a three-run blow in the sixth inning to win, 14-9.
"We had to battle," Jorge Posada said. "It's just one of those days that you try to keep going, and they keep coming."
Andy Pettitte and Bartolo Colon combined to give up 17 hits and 15 runs in seven-plus innings at Yankee Stadium, as crooked numbers kept flashing up on the scoreboard.
The Yankees scored six, the Angels scored two. Yankees scored one, Angels scored four -- on and on it went.
"They never shut what they do down," manager Joe Torre said. "They could be down by five or 10 runs, but they're still going to steal bases and do things because that's the type of club they are. They're very aggressive."
Every player in the Yankees lineup recorded an RBI. Posada and Alex Rodriguez -- who hit his 29th home run of the season, a two-run shot that gave him 493 for his career and tied him with Lou Gehrig and Fred McGriff for 22nd place on baseball's all-time list -- combined to go 6-for-9 and rack up five RBIs.
Even Miguel Cairo, who didn't know he would be starting at first base until after batting practice concluded because regular first baseman Andy Phillips had a stiff neck, finished the game with a suicide squeeze and a triple-turned-single.
Explanation: With Posada on third and Robinson Cano on first, Cairo ripped a pitch into the left-center field gap. Posada scored easily and Cano followed, but third-base umpire Doug Eddings said Cano didn't touch third base while attempting to score. That sent Cairo back to first and cost the Yankees a run.
Torre didn't get a good look at the play, and Cano said he wasn't in a position to argue, even though he said he touched the bag.
"He already made the call," Cano said. "If I said anything back, he can't do anything about it. I was already out."
As for the Yankees' pitching, Torre said he wasn't sure what went wrong for Pettitte. But the skipper never budged in his faith in the left-hander. Shortly after the final out, Torre announced that Pettitte will start the first game of the second half for the Yankees.
"I don't worry about it," Torre said. "He's going to have some time off now, and he'll start the second half on Thursday, and we'll expect what we usually expect from him -- quality starts."
Pettitte might have been trying too hard, Posada said. Perhaps even pressing in an attempt to resole his Cy Young-established arm, which took an eight-run beating in 1 2/3 innings against Oakland in his last start.
The real culprit that yanked the 35-year-old from the game in the fifth was probably his cutter, which Posada said consistently stayed up in the strike zone for the Angels' offense.
Leaning on his locker, Pettitte raised his eyebrows and spoke softly while answering questions after the game. He said he was embarrassed about the way he's pitched in his past two starts.
"Thank goodness we won, that's all I can say," he said. "I don't know what I'm doing. It would be nice to be able to tell you what I was doing and this and that. ... I scratched my head asking Jorge if my ball is staying on the same plane or whatever."
The one imposing pitching line of the night came by the right arm of Yankees reliever Scott Proctor, who threw the ball better than he has this season, according to Posada.
Proctor, who struck out three in 1 2/3 scoreless innings, said he'd been pressing himself of late. He said the funk he's been in prompted him to throw harder, get tougher. He even burned his glove at one point. But pitching coach Ron Guidry told him less was better. Apparently, Proctor said, Gator was right.
The turnaround couldn't have come at a better time, as the Yankees (41-42) push to reach the .500 mark before the All-Star break.
"We need that arm," Posada said. "He understands that. He's been trying a bit too hard at times, and today he took it easy and we had good results."
Through all the hits and runs, Edwar Ramirez came away with his first Major League win. And after the game, Torre couldn't find the right-hander to give him the lineup card. Ramirez had gone to the Yankees' weight room for more work.
Eventually, they dragged the 26-year-old back into the clubhouse and gave him the lineup card and the game ball.
"Joe called me," Ramirez said with a grin. "I'm coming back."

Yankees notes, July 7

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Johnny Damon, who started in left field for the first time in six years on Friday, stole two bases in the Yankees' 14-9 win over the Angels and has 15 steals on the season despite enduring various lingering injuries.
While he said that playing left field felt uncomfortable, Damon said that stealing the bases was gratifying.
"He has that ability," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "It hasn't been happening on a regular basis, but I think he's probably physically feeling pretty good right now.
"And I talked to him today about the fact that it's probably a good idea to get him into the outfield here and there just to sort of keep the blood turning. This is a nice situation for him where he can DH. I think the fact that he plays out there, it sort of helps you be in the game. He's so used to being in the game, and it helps your personality."
Damon said that stealing bases is a big part of his game, and even though he's been slowed by injuries, he doesn't believe that pitchers have taken his sore hamstrings for granted.
"The thing is, I don't think they forget about me," Damon said. "Rickey Henderson has a reputation -- people know that if Rickey's on base right now, Rickey can still steal. At least I know they think I'm capable of running just a little bit right now."
Damon has been open about playing anywhere the team needs him, and Torre ran with the gesture before Saturday's game.
"I kidded him today," Torre said. "I called him into the coach's room. I showed him his name [but] I didn't show him his position. I said, 'Did you bring your first baseman's mitt?'"
Bombers bits: First baseman Andy Phillips didn't start for a second consecutive game on Saturday because of a stiff neck. Torre said Phillips could have played but decided to give him one more day of rest. ... The knuckle on Luis Vizcaino's right index finger felt better Saturday after keeping him from pitching on Friday. He was available to throw against the Angels on Saturday, Torre said.
Coming up: Chien-Ming Wang (8-4, 3.58 ERA) will face off with Ervin Santana (5-9, 5.35 ERA) when the Yankees and Angels finish their three-game series at Yankee Stadium on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET.

"Fifth error haunts Yankees in 13th" -- July 7, 2007

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Angels catcher Jose Molina shot the ball toward the right side of the infield. First baseman Miguel Cairo reacted, catching a glimpse of the runner on second base as he reached across his body in a dive.
Cairo smothered the grounder and jumped to his feet. But as soon as he got up, the ball went down. It slipped from his hand.
With Molina hustling down the first-base line, Cairo dipped for the ball and underhanded it toward first base. Pitcher Luis Vizcaino, running to cover the bag, reached for it, but the ball sailed behind his glove.
That marked the Yankees' fifth error of the game -- and the third by Cairo -- and allowed Howie Kendrick to score the go-ahead run in the Angels' 2-1, 13-inning win over the Yankees on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.
"I caught it and was trying to throw," Cairo said. "I just didn't do my job -- simple as that."
It was the first time the Yankees committed five errors in a game since Aug. 9, 2002, a 16-inning game against the A's. But manager Joe Torre said the errors looked different on the field than on the scoreboard.
"The nature of the errors, it wasn't like they were sloppy," Torre said. "Guys made diving plays to stop balls and then were throwing from their knees. Sure, it cost you a ballgame, but it's certainly not something that I'm going to dwell on, because these guys played their tails off."
All of this came after a pitchers' duel between aces Roger Clemens and John Lackey.
Clemens allowed five hits and one run in eight innings, and Lackey matched him inning for inning, hit for hit. But Lackey notched 11 strikeouts, matching a career high.
Derek Jeter said he'd never before seen Lackey pitch the way he did on Saturday. Alex Rodriguez, who said he would play in next week's All-Star game despite dealing with a strained left hamstring, echoed those same words. And Johnny Damon didn't have any sweet memories, either.
"His fastball down the middle was even tough to pick up," Damon said. "It's coming from a different angle than what we've seen. But that's no excuse. He gave us pitches to hit. It seemed like we took the good ones and chased some bad ones."
Melky Cabrera took the brunt of Lackey's fine night, striking out four times against the right-hander and five times overall.
But Cabrera wasn't the only one guessing at the plate. Torre noted that his entire lineup uncharacteristically swung at pitches in the dirt and out of the strike zone.
"Lackey had a great curveball," Torre said. "Sometimes it looks like it's going to stay up and it doesn't. Melky wasn't the only one. He had a lot of company."
Catcher Jorge Posada tried to account for Clemens' strong outing. He said that The Rocket was unbelievable, lights-out, hitting his spots efficiently by throwing just 98 pitches over his eight innings.
Clemens has surrendered just two runs over his past 16 innings, putting together his two most impressive starts since joining the Yankees in early June. Clemens' right arm muscle-memorized all of his pitches, according to Torre. The 44-year-old is back.
"He seems to have his determination now, knowing that he has all his ammo," Torre said. "I think he has a feel about him now that he can pretty much do what he wants to do with his pitches."
Jeter said that only a no-hitter would outdo what Clemens accomplished against the Angels in front of the 54,497 fans in attendance.
The Rocket, however, wasn't quick to say that he's back to vintage form. Clemens wouldn't touch that. Instead, he said he's back to the weight room, back to running, back to work. He's preparing for his next start against the Devil Rays, which will come after the All-Star break.
"I need to get my body ready, and hopefully there will be more of these types of starts down the road," he said. "That's all I can hope for -- do the work and prepare."
The loss dropped the Yankees to 41-43 on the season, killing their chances of reaching .500 before the Midsummer Classic.
Rodriguez kept the postgame reaction simple -- "That one hurt" -- and Torre took it a bit further: "Especially at home."

Yankees notes, July 6

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Manager Joe Torre's lineup change on Friday came out of left field -- literally.
Penciled in at defensive position No. 7 was injury-prone center fielder Johnny Damon, who hasn't played left field since June 22, 2001, while with the A's.

Left fielder Hideki Matsui needed a day off from the field, so Torre slotted him in as the designated hitter. That opened up left field for either Damon or Melky Cabrera, and Torre decided to keep the stronger arm in center.

"Even though left field may be a bigger field, I think the arm is the most important thing in keeping clubs like [the Angels], or Minnesota, from going from first to third a lot," Torre said.

"That's one thing I've noticed. Johnny has never been blessed with a strong throwing arm, and Melky has been great in that regard. It kind of keeps an aggressive ballclub from being overly aggressive."

The move didn't come as a surprise, as Damon has been working out in all three outfield positions of late. It was important to play Damon in left during a night game, Torre said, because dealing with the sun would be a tricky adjustment for someone who hadn't played there in six years.

Damon will spot-start in the corner outfield positions whenever Matsui or Bobby Abreu need a rest, Torre said. Center field, however, belongs to Damon because he's more comfortable there.

"I've got to go out there and wing it, and hopefully get to as many balls as possible, and hopefully Melky can cover me as much as possible," Damon said. "I just need to be ready.

"You play a little shallower in the corners, and the ball spins off left-handers' bats a little bit different, and hooks off right-handed bats a bit more. It's a change."

Damon played center field and made a diving catch on Thursday in the Yankees' 7-6 win. He said that's what "I'm supposed to do," and added that his temporary move to left is just another way to help the Yankees.

"Whatever they need," he said. "A lot goes on during the course of a baseball season. You have certain injuries, guys step up, and Melky has stepped up in center field. I think that's why Joe wants to use him out there, and take advantage of his arm from that position. I understand it's baseball, and you've got to do what you can."

Shooting for .500: With three games left before the All-Star break, the Yankees, 40-42, have a chance to get their record back to .500, which could serve as a mental boost to the club, Torre said.

"I certainly want to enjoy the break, and the only way to do that is to finish up real well," he said.

Damon said .500 is first on the team's list of goals, but it would take a three-game sweep of the Angels -- a tough task considering the Halos swept the Yankees in May.

"We know that the Angels are a solid team," Damon said. "They came in here and whipped up on us last time, so we'll have to go out there and prove."

Payback for Edwar? The Yankees newest reliever, Edwar Ramirez, who struck out the first three batters he faced in his first appearance in pinstripes, saw an old friend across the field on Friday.

Angels third-base coach Dino Ebel was the manager of the organization's Triple-A affiliate, Salt Lake, when Ramirez was with the Halos.

"He asked me, 'So you pitch here?'" Ramirez said. "'Keep going [like you have been and] everything will be good.'"

Twice Ramirez was released by the Angels, and when asked if this series meant a little something more to him, the right-hander grinned.

"I'm feeling, you know?" Ramirez said with a smile sweeping across his face.

Torre said he knows what it's like to want to do well against a former team, even though Ramirez's situation is quite different.

"I don't think it's the same mind-set," Torre said. "He obviously was released for the reason that he couldn't do the job, and they signed him again. They wanted him to do well, but it didn't work out that way. In my case, I was traded, and it took me about a year and half to get a hit against the Braves after they traded me to the Cardinals."

Kei location: Torre said Kei Igawa is still in the Yankees' rotation as the fifth starter after struggling in Thursday's win over the Twins, but the skipper doesn't plan to start the left-hander again until well after the Midsummer Classic.

"He'll be at the end of the line," Torre said.

The ability, the repertoire -- Igawa has what it takes to make it in the Major Leagues, Torre said. Igawa's control over his pitches will dictate how effective he'll be for the rest of the season.

"He made some great pitches [on Thursday], and he made some bad pitches," Torre said. "Walking the No. 9 hitter really started his problem, but he struck out Torii Hunter with a great breaking ball. Stuff like that. So when he gets his pitches in the proper spot, he can pitch here. There's no question."

Bomber bits: Andy Phillips was scratched from Friday's starting lineup because of a stiff neck. Miguel Cairo took over at first base and batted ninth in Phillips' absence.

Old-Timers' Day roster changes: Former Yankees outfielder Darryl Strawberry, third baseman Scott Brosius and shortstop Bucky Dent were invited to the 61st Old-Timers' Day at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. Former Yankees second baseman Steve Sax and pitcher Mel Stottlemyre, who were originally listed as attendees, won't be able to make the game.

A commemoration of the 1977 World Series champion Yankees will headline Old-Timers' Day. Introductions are scheduled to begin at 1:50 p.m. ET, with the game to follow.

Thirteen members of the 1977 club are scheduled to attend, including Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, Graig Nettles and Chris Chambliss. They will be joined by Diana Munson, widow of Thurman Munson; Helen Hunter, widow of Catfish Hunter; and Billy Martin Jr., son of Yankees manager Billy Martin.

Paul O'Neil will also be in uniform for his first Old Timers' Day appearance.

Coming up: Roger Clemens (2-3, 4.26 ERA) seeks win No. 351 against John Lackey (11-5, 3.04) and the Angels at 3:55 p.m. ET on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

"Igawa's start a 'question mark'...Lefty unable to make progress from previous outing" -- July 5, 2007

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Kei Igawa's courtship with Yankees fans took another turn on Thursday.
The $20 million dollar man -- not including the $26 million the Yankees paid for the rights to negotiate with him -- slipped in his season-long attempt to solidify himself as a Major League starter. Igawa's numbers, so far, show he isn't there yet: 2-2 with a 7.14 ERA in eight games.

Thursday's start at Yankee Stadium didn't help matters, either -- "A question mark," according to manager Joe Torre. In other words, Igawa didn't make progress. He couldn't control his fastball. Fans booed. He slipped a notch, allowing five runs in five innings against the Twins.

The worst of it came in the fifth. Jeff Cirillo led off with a ground-rule double. Two outs later, Igawa walked No. 9 hitter Nick Punto. That's when the Twins started roughing up the left-hander.

"Again, his command was not where he wanted it to be," Torre said. "He got himself in trouble by walking the ninth hitter, and then all of a sudden, bad things seemed to happen."

Jason Bartlett doubled to left field, and Joe Mauer followed with a single. Three runs scored. And not only that, but the inning carried on because Igawa started pacing around the mound, taking time between each batter.

Igawa said slowing the game down helped him settle down and prevent a fourth run from scoring. He knew, however, that three runs or four runs didn't matter: too many of his pitches missed their marks -- it was a lost inning.

"I didn't do well at all," Igawa said through an interpreter. "I don't know when my next start is, but I definitely want to look at the videos and do well in my next start."

The long periods between pitches could have had worse effects. When pitchers pace, stand or just stare off into space, the infielders can get restless.

"You like to get an up tempo for the fielders to stay on the balls of their feet," Torre said. "And he does slow things down to where people may flatten out out there."

Torre did note, however, that his lefty may have been trying to mentally piece together his newly-learned mechanics.

Still, the less-than-stellar location, the clock-burning and the end result all built to a question mark: Is this the real Igawa, or is there still untapped potential waiting in his pitching arm? It is an arm the Yankees own the rights to for another five seasons.

Track the progress: First, the team sent him to the Minor Leagues after surrendering 26 earned runs in 30 2/3 innings. While pitching for Class A Tampa and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Yankees said Igawa's changeup and control sharpened, so they put him back in pinstripes in San Francisco.

There, he brought a stick -- a low-tech wooden device that he uses in between innings to remind him of his mechanics: a change recommended by Gil Patterson, the Yankees' Tampa, Fla.-based pitching coordinator.

Igawa pitched well for four innings, but the Giants knocked him out in the fifth.

Pitching at home against Oakland in his next start, Igawa allowed four runs in 6 1/3 innings to the Athletics -- a step forward, according to Torre.

But on Thursday, the report card didn't look promising.

Igawa's next scheduled start would come after the All-Star break. The results may prompt the Yankees' next move.

Yankees Insider: "Ali tops Jeter's All-Star memories...Shortstop spent time with legendary boxer during '04 event" -- July 3, 2007

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- It might look like padding for an already impressive resume, but when Derek Jeter arrives in San Francisco for his eighth All-Star Game, it will be because he's still playing his heart out -- putting together gritty at-bats, racking up highlight reels with his glove and, most important, making memories that last a lifetime.

Jeter, who received 3,199,571 fan votes and will start for the American League squad for the third time in his career, has plenty of Midsummer Classic memories, but one stands out above them all. It occurred in Houston, during the 2004 All-Star Game.

Jeter didn't care so much about the performance he turned in that day, a 3-for-3 showing at the plate. Sure, the hits were nice, and he became the most successful hitter in All-Star Game history with at least 10 at-bats -- not to mention the fact that he was the first Yankees shortstop elected to start the All-Star Game since Bucky Dent did so in 1981 -- but the real thrill came with a "hello."

Jeter extended a greeting to the man who, in a ring, floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee. There at Minute Maid Park in 2004, Muhammad Ali was involved with throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

Jeter recalled the moment while leaning back in a chair in the Yankees clubhouse. As he grinned a can't-hold-back smile, Jeter related saying, "'I've got to meet him.' "

Well, he did more than that. Ali shadow-boxed Jeter, throwing some playful jabs toward the shortstop.

"I was scared," Jeter said at the time, smiling. "I didn't want to get hit."

Though the two couldn't converse because of Ali's health, Jeter remembered that brief moment as his most memorable All-Star experience.

Both All-Star teams gathered near the front of the mound around the legendary boxer, and the crowed chanted, "Ali, Ali, Ali."

Jeter said that meeting Ali was much like the few times he'd met, or simply seen, Joe DiMaggio. He was afraid of talking with DiMaggio when he saw the legend walk through the Yankees clubhouse, and the same went for Ali.

"[I was] drawn back, too intimidated to meet him," Jeter said then.

Still, Jeter and Ali met, if only for a few playful punches and eye contact. It was a thrill Jeter won't soon forget.

"That was a pretty special memory for me," he said. "Meeting Ali was something else."

Yankees July 3 Sider..."Ramirez strikes out side in debut"

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Three batters, three changeups, three strikeouts.
And then a big Major League debut smile.

At that moment, what remained of an announced crowd of 53,862 at Yankee Stadium suddenly wanted to know just who this Edwar Ramirez was, and how he struck out the Twins' Nos. 3-5 batters, including reigning American League MVP Justin Morneau.

Well, his teammates tried to explain.

Derek Jeter: "When you're out there for your first appearance or your first game, you're a little bit nervous, but he didn't seem like he was too nervous."

Bobby Abreu: "The kid threw the ball outstanding. Everybody just looked for his fastball and his changeup is like, going away. I think he just surprised everybody."

Jorge Posada: "Very good changeup. Came after them, threw a fastball and a slider and a changeup. It's only one time out there, but a very good start."

The fans, the cheers and the ensuing media crammed around his locker -- yes, not a bad opening act, especially for a pitcher who's been released twice in his career.

The 26-year-old Ramirez -- who became the first Yankees pitcher to strike out the side in his Major League debut since Stan Bahnsen in 1966 -- definitely showed the Yankees something in his one inning against the Twins in an 8-0 win on Tuesday.

Manger Joe Torre just wanted to get the right-hander into a stress-free situation. And he did that, as far as the score was concerned. But Ramirez faced the Twins' best, and he made them miss over and over and over.

He did it predominantly with his changeup, a pitch he taught himself to throw in 2004 while out of baseball completely and throwing to family and friends at a Miami-area high school. Ramirez's fastball comes in at around 91 mph, and the changeup hovers between 79-81 mph.

What's the movement like?

"That changeup is tough to detect," Torre said. "It just seems to stop, especially when you throw the ball 90 miles per hour."

The changeup bites down and in to right-handers and away from left-handers, a screwball of sorts. But the pitch hasn't always been successful. Ramirez remembers when he first started toying around with the pitch.

"Sometimes I threw it in the dirt, sometimes I threw it [up into] the cage," he said. "But I kept working and kept working."

Torre enjoyed watching the Twins whiff at the pitch, and because the game was one-sided at that point, Torre had more room to admire Ramirez's changeup.

After the last one popped into Posada's glove for a strikeout, the skipper knew this kid -- who had pitched last season with Edinburg, Texas, of the independent United League -- could be something special.

"You could see his confidence," Torre said. "He missed 2-2 to Morneau and then he threw it 3-2 and struck him out, and that's strictly confidence."

Ramirez's coolness on the mound was a bit deceiving, though.

He said the nerves kicked in when a bullpen coach told him he was taking the hill in the ninth. But Mariano Rivera had already told him, "Pitch here like you pitched over there," referring to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where Ramirez compiled a 0.67 ERA in 15 relief appearances, striking out 47 batters in 26 2/3 innings.

Rivera's words must have sunk in fast, as Ramirez pitched like he had in the Minor Leagues -- lights-out. Check the numbers again: one inning, 14 pitches, three strikeouts, and game over.

Ramirez's pep talk to himself on the mound couldn't have hurt, either.

"I talked to myself," he said. "I said, 'You want to stay here? That's it, you stay here. You want to stay here? You stay here, so let's go.'"

"Pettitte's ugly start costs Yankees" -- July 1, 2007

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Simple progression: bloopers, base hits and then bombs.
The A's hit six singles and followed up with a double and two homers in the first two innings on Sunday afternoon, knocking Yankees starter Andy Pettitte out of the game after 1 2/3 innings in New York's 11-5 loss at Yankee Stadium.

A's manager Bob Geren knew he had seen a Pettitte rarity.

"Any time you score that many runs against a pitcher of that caliber, it's a good inning," Geren said. "I'm sure he got some balls where he didn't want to."

Jorge Posada confirmed that Pettitte's pitches were up and over the plate -- uncharacteristic for a pitcher who not long ago was considered for a spot on the All-Star team.

Given that Pettitte has been Mr. Consistent this season -- he had a streak of six consecutive quality starts in May -- his teammates were surprised after the early exit, but not in doubt of his ability.

"He's human -- it's bound to happen," Alex Rodriguez said. "He's thrown probably 10 or 11 quality starts this year. That's the way it goes."

Manager Joe Torre replaced Pettitte with two outs in the second inning. The veteran left-hander hadn't left a game that early since the 2003 season.

"It's just way too much to overcome against those guys," Pettitte said.

Torre said that seeing ball after ball drop for hits was a strange sight with his left-hander on the mound. Most of those hits, however, were bloops. What seemed stranger to Torre was the progression from dinkers to dingers.

"Initially, between the toppers and bloopers, you say, 'This doesn't look good,' he said. "Then, all of this sudden, they chipped in with a couple of bombs."

But the story didn't end with Pettitte's poor performance. One day after Posada said that some of his teammates were just "going through the motions," the Yankees showed fight.

Bobby Abreu and Andy Phillips had two RBIs apiece, and Derek Jeter plated another by the sixth to cut the deficit to 8-5. But the Athletics kept hitting, and with All-Star Dan Haren on the mound, the A's wouldn't break down.

"It's easy to say people look like they're going through the motions when you're losing," Jeter said. "You'll have to ask [Posada] what his thoughts are today, but I didn't feel as though we we're going through the motions today."

Torre shuffled Sunday's lineup, bumping up Robinson Cano to the three-hole, but the change didn't bode well for the second baseman. Then again, it hasn't worked for outfielders Hideki Matsui or Bobby Abreu, either.

Incidentally, Torre noted, Matsui scored two runs and Abreu knocked in two runs, while Cano went 0-for-5. Torre said that he'll stick another player into the No. 3 spot on Monday and cross his fingers; the three-hole has been the "bugaboo."

"We're going to change the number there," Torre said. "We're not going to make it the three-hole anymore. We're going to call it 'that spot.'"

Posada said he couldn't put his feelings of frustration into words after the game. The fact that he made the All-Star team as a reserve, winning a close race, was no consolation.

Jeter may have summed up Posada's and the team's feelings the best -- just get back to the ballpark and win the next day, series or whatever.

"You have to," Jeter said. "It's 162 games. You have no choice. ... I always try to focus on the positives. You can't sit and allow yourself to get caught up in the negative stuff."

At the end of the day, the Yankees' record settled at 37-41. The team hasn't won a series since beating the Mets on June 17.

The reason? Nearly every Yankees player who talked after Sunday's loss mentioned it, and again, Jeter said it best:

"When we pitch some days, we don't hit" Jeter said. "And when we hit, we don't pitch. When we pitch and hit, we don't play defense. When we pitch, hit and play defense, we don't run the bases. That's how things go when you're scuffling. Like I said, it's happened to every team throughout the course of the year. It's just, for us, it's happened for a long time."

"Yanks manage one hit in loss to A's" -- June 30, 2007

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Kei Igawa hasn't changed much since returning from his seven-week stint in the Minor Leagues.

He struggled in his first month in the Major Leagues. He struggled in San Francisco last week. And he definitely struggled against the A's on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

Jason Kendall and Shannon Stewart hit back-to-back home runs and Dan Johnson added an upper-deck shot off Igawa as the Yankees fell to the Athletics, 7-0. The left-hander struck out four and walked three against the A's, allowing five hits and four runs in 6 1/3 innings.
Igawa has one quality start this season, which came against the Indians about three months ago.

Still, Yankees manager Joe Torre saw positives in his start.

"I thought it was better than last time, the fact that he stumbled a little bit and then righted himself," Torre said. "So hopefully -- hopefully -- we are going in the right direction."

One of the three pitches that went the wrong direction -- over the right-field wall and into the stands -- was a 1-2 slider to Johnson in the sixth.

"The slider that he threw was probably a good pitch to throw, except he didn't throw that one with the same conviction that he's thrown all of the others," pitching coach Ron Guidry said.

"That one was just like a get-me-over strike slider. That's something that you can't do up here, because these guys in the big leagues, they're going to hit that.

"He realizes that now. He knew it, but he didn't know why the last time. So that's good. He's learning. It's going to take a while for him to learn so much of this game, the way that it's played here and what he has to do here to the hitters in this league."

Igawa now owns a career 2-2 record with 20 walks and 30 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings. And don't forget the biggest number of them all.

The Yankees signed Igawa to a five-year contract that amounted to a $46 million investment, factoring in the $26 million posting fee paid to the Hanshin Tigers for Igawa's rights.

Then again, the entire Yankees offense didn't look like it was earning its money on Saturday.
Oakland starting pitcher Chad Gaudin carried a no-hitter into the sixth, but Johnny Damon finally broke up the no-hit bid with a one-out single up the middle.

"We were swinging the bat decent, and I didn't think I would be the only hit we got," Damon said. "It just turned out to be, I guess."

Later that inning -- after a walk put runners at first and second -- Alex Rodriguez came to the plate. It was the Yankees' first, and only, offensive threat of the game.
A-Rod worked the count to 3-0 before Gaudin took him to a full count. Then, as the runners took off, Gaudin threw a fastball.

Rodriguez swung and missed. Threat over.

"I was just thinking about throwing a strike," said Gaudin, who mostly located two-seamers and sliders around the strike zone edges. "I just wanted to let him know that I was going to make him earn whatever he got, so I attacked him."

Posada said that Gaudin didn't have no-hit stuff; the Yankees just couldn't find gaps and didn't come through.

"I'm not talking about unlucky," Posada said. "I just think luck comes when you go after it. It seems like, at times, we just go through the motions. Today is one of those cases. That's the way it is. I think everybody knows what I'm talking about."

Torre said that the Yankees looked loose coming into the game -- all systems go. That's why he mused after the game about his slumping team.

"It's not only puzzling to me, but you can go in and ask the hitters, and I'm sure they'd tell you the same thing," he said.

But wait -- the tough times didn't end with the offense. They continued with the bullpen.

The 'pen couldn't hold the A's down after Igawa's exit, as relievers Scott Proctor and Mike Myers combined to pitch one-third of an inning, surrendering four hits, a walk and three runs before Luis Vizcaino got out of the seventh.

Proctor, who burned articles of equipment just outside the Yankees' dugout after the game, gave up three of the four runs.

"He just needs to get his act together based on the fact that he needs to be able to get ahead in the count and locate his pitches," Torre said. "He hasn't been able to do that."

To get back to winning, Torre said the Yankees have to be intense without being tense -- find a balance that will lead to consistency, such as when the team went on a nine-game winning streak earlier this month.

"This game is all about consistency," Torre said. "Within the at-bats, and the guys coming out of the bullpen, it's repetition, repetition, repetition."

That leads to winning, winning, winning. But for now, as the Yankees' record slides to 2-8 in their past 10 games, it's the exact opposite: losing, losing, losing.

Yankees Notebook, June 30

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- The best is yet to come for Robinson Cano's power numbers, Yankees manager Joe Torre believes.

Cano, though far off pace from duplicating the .342 batting average he posted last season, is only getting closer to becoming a threat for extra-base hits -- and that includes the long ball. Torre said he didn't want to guess how many home runs Cano is capable of hitting at some point in his career, because he didn't want Cano to "see it in print."

"I don't know -- it could happen in the next couple of years," Torre said. "He still has a lot to work out for himself as far as knowing how they're pitching him and just being a little more disciplined at the plate.

"I mean, right now, he could have more home runs, but it would be such bad counts that it's tough, really, to have that consistency because they're not going to throw a ball in the strike zone unless you make them throw a ball in the strike zone."

When it comes to home runs, Cano -- batting .272 with three home runs and 33 RBIs entering Saturday -- said that nothing is impossible. But he added that he doesn't think about being a home run hitter.

Instead, he sticks to improving his statistics game by game, pitch by pitch, and hopefully, season by season, which seems out of reach for him because of the monster numbers he posted in 2006.

"I never think about hitting home runs because I know that's not my swing," Cano said. "I leave that to [Alex Rodriguez] and those guys. Honestly, I never think about hitting 25 or 30 home runs. One thing I always think about is having a better number every year."

Cano hasn't lost track of the other facets that make him a fixture in the Yankees' lineup, either. His defense continues to improve; he has gone 35 games since his last error, which came against the Mets on May 20 at Shea Stadium. And every so often, he'll make highlight reels.

Defensively, Torre said that Cano excels at catching popups over his left shoulder toward the right-field foul line and that his range up the middle allows him to start several 4-6-3 double plays.

"There's really not a whole lot he can't do," Torre said. "He's not afraid to go out and catch a popup; he made a [great] play [on Friday] night on the double play. He's got great hands, a great strong arm. I think the only inconsistency is the fact that he's not there yet, all the way."

Farnsy's frustration: The day after his second blowup in a week, reliever Kyle Farnsworth has nothing to say of his pitching or actions on the field.

"What is there to say?" Farnsworth said. "There is absolutely nothing to say."

Torre tends to agree, saying there's not an issue with his setup man, merely frustration meeting passion.

"The thing about it is, it's easy to sit here and sit there knowing the fact that you're passionate about what you do," Torre said. "You're trying to do your job, and he does something obviously that I think is uncharacteristic, but as far as I'm concerned, it's sort of like you have a fight within the family -- you don't want to spread it around the neighborhood and tell everybody how you settled it.

"But I certainly understand the frustration on his part, and I'm assuming he'd like the chance to do it over again. Let's just leave it at that."

Baby Bombers: A couple of the Yankees' top outfielders in the Minor Leagues are making names for themselves.

Brett Gardner batted 1-for-3 with a walk and a run scored on Friday at Double-A Trenton, but the Thunder lost, 5-4. The speedy outfielder improved his batting average to .295 to go along with a .385 on-base percentage. Gardner has 26 walks and 23 strikeouts this season, and he's been successful in 16 of 20 stolen-base attempts.

At Class A, Jose Tabata went 2-for-4 on Friday as the Tampa Yankees beat Vero Beach, 2-1. Considered one of the Yankees' top prospects -- with some comparing him to a young Manny Ramirez -- Tabata is putting together a solid season, batting .308 and swiping 11 bases in 14 attempts.

While the 18-year-old outfielder hasn't shown power yet, hitting just 13 extra-base hits in 266 at-bats, Tabata's batting average is a foundation for his power potential.

Bombers bits: Johnny Damon stepped back into the leadoff spot on Saturday, slotted in as the designated hitter. Damon got the Yankees' first hit of the game Saturday, a sixth-inning single off the A's Chad Gaudin. ... Bobby Abreu also moved back into his familiar No. 3 spot in the order after Torre said he liked Abreu's at-bats in Friday's 2-1 win over the A's.

Coming up: Andy Pettitte (4-5, 3.24 ERA) will take the hill against the Athletics on Sunday at Yankee Stadium, countering Oakland ace Dan Haren (9-2, 1.91 ERA) at 1:05 p.m. ET.

"Yanks' bullpen secures Mussina's win" -- June 29, 2007

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- Sure, Mike Mussina hasn't had a consistent season. In some games, he's thrown pitches like a monkey throws darts: erratic and with no sense of the bull's-eye.
But Mussina's past five starts, all in June, show that the veteran right-hander is hitting his spots. Consider the numbers on the dartboard: 5.63, 5.17, 5.10, 4.98 and 4.63.

Mussina's ERA is dipping downward, and his confidence is shooting skyward, especially after his seven strong innings against the Athletics on Friday night in a 2-1 win at Yankee Stadium that handed manager Joe Torre his 2,010th career victory and lifted him past Leo Durocher for
possession of ninth place on the all-time managerial wins list.

"I just feel like I have my feet under me better on the mound and that I know where the ball is going, and I have confidence in my stuff," Mussina said. "I've been out there for the last month or so, doing a pretty decent job and feeling decent about the way I've been throwing the ball. I think things are improving; I just want to throw the last three months of the season the way I threw [in] June."

And the Yankees just want more victories like this one, a one-run game. Coming into this series against Oakland, the Yankees were 4-13 in such contests.

History had a chance to repeat itself when the seventh inning came. Eric Chavez hit a leadoff double off Mussina, and Mark Ellis singled, moving Chavez to third.

That set up Dan Johnson, who hit a sharp grounder off Mussina's shin that shot toward second baseman Robinson Cano to start a 1-4-6-3 double play. Chavez scored on the play, but Mussina liked the two outs for one run tradeoff.

"If you're going to have a good year, you have to get some breaks once in a while," Mussina said. "We haven't gotten too many breaks, but today we got a few, and we needed them to win a close game."

The Athletics couldn't get anything more going against Mussina, who left after the seventh inning, having scattered six hits and struck out three.

Mussina kept his pitch count low (84) but Torre said that he had a gut feeling to go to the bullpen in the eighth. With the way things were going, the A's were happy with the move.

"His soft game was real good and his control was good with his fastball," A's manager Bob Geren said of Mussina. "That's a tough combination."

Some frightful reminiscing sprung up an inning earlier, when left fielder Hideki Matsui slid in an attempt to catch a Mark Kotsay liner.

Shannon Stewart was on first base, and he went about two-thirds of the way to second before retreating, as it appeared Matsui caught the ball, his left wrist ramming into the ground in a similar play to one that occurred against the Red Sox last season and led to a fractured left wrist for Matsui.

Was Matsui relieved that danger didn't strike twice?

"I don't think he's looking forward to the next time he tries to do it," Torre said.

The Yankees jumped on A's starter Joe Kennedy for their two runs in the first inning. Alex Rodriguez hit an RBI double and Jorge Posada plated A-Rod with a single. Yes, that was it for the Yankees' offense.

Two runs, but Rodriguez said they meant a great deal to Mussina.

"I think all our pitchers, we've got to give them a margin for error," Rodriguez said. "That hasn't been there lately, so it's important to not only get runs early, but add on top of that."

The runs didn't hold up without a little testing, though. Kyle Farnsworth relieved Mussina in the eighth, and the A's bats started finding red seams.

Stewart and Kotsay hit back-to-back singles with one out off Farnsworth before the right-hander struck out Nick Swisher. Torre made his slow pace to the mound and removed his setup man for closer Mariano Rivera.

Once Farnsworth made it back to the Yankees' dugout, he threw his mitt against the back wall, and he was in no mood to discuss his appearance -- or exit -- after Friday's victory, only briefly stopping at his locker and refusing to comment.

He then disappeared into an off-limits area of the clubhouse.

The incident was the second in a week involving Farnsworth, who also shattered a bat in the clubhouse after being removed from a game at San Francisco.

"He was upset, but he has to understand that it shouldn't be an embarrassment when you bring Mariano Rivera out of the bullpen," Torre said.

Rivera stuck out three A's as he pitched 1 1/3 innings for his 10th save of the season and a milestone win for Torre.

"I was hoping this would have happened earlier this year," Torre said. "I knew Leo, and he certainly was well thought of, and a great manager. Any time you're passing guys like that, it certainly leaves an impression."

Yankees Notes, June 29

By Caleb Breakey/MLB.com


NEW YORK -- After a 1-7 road trip -- and one suspended game to finish against the Orioles -- Yankees general manager Brian Cashman admitted that his seat is a little warm.

No job -- including that of manager Joe Torre, Cashman said -- is safe when the Yankees don't play up to their potential. Yet this hot-seat scenario is no different than when the Yankees were in an April swoon: The team struggles and rumors start flying.

"That puts pressure on people," Cashman said. "It's just a fact, ultimately -- from the front office all the way down through the players. We're better than the way we're playing, and [we're] respective of this, bottom line.

"Our staff is motivated, our manager is motivated, I'm motivated and the players are motivated; we just have to get better results."

Entering play on Friday, the Yankees' record was 36-39, three games under .500. Their frustration from losing steamed during the team's trip to Colorado, then boiled in San Fransisco.

Torre said that the Yankees did everything they could heading into their series with the Rockies. He reminded his players not to go homer-crazy, telling them that singles and doubles at thin-air Coors Field would work just fine. But the Yankees scored just five runs in losing all three games.

Things didn't get any better against the Giants, and the Orioles snatched up a series win under the Yankees' feet in a hurry. On Friday, Torre stressed the importance of his club's current 10-game homestand against the A's, Twins and Angels and a return to the dominance displayed during a stretch in early June in which the Yankees won 14 of 17 games.

"We have to win the games we didn't win on this past trip," Torre said. "Hopefully, we can do that. We're certainly capable of it. We did it for an extended period of time, and that's more than a fluke the way we played."

Yankees captain Derek Jeter said he doesn't worry about the hot-seat speculations -- rumors will always be there.

One thing Jeter did say, however, is that he couldn't imagine playing for a manager other than Torre.

"No, not at all," he said. "And it's not the manager's fault how we're playing. He puts out the best guys and gives us an opportunity to win. He's not responsible for anything that's gone on here."

Igawa back to basics: Since he made his first start for the Class A Tampa Yankees, Kei Igawa has spent more time on the field before games to warm up physically and mentally.

And while his first start back with the Yankees in San Fransisco didn't go as he hoped, Igawa said he believes that his change in routine is for the better.

"Back in April, I tried to do the American style, which was [to] come out on the field a half-hour before the game, but it has not worked out," Igawa said through interpreter Yumi Watanabe. "So what I've tried to do is go back to the basics, the way I did it in Japan, which was go out on the field two or three hours before the game and just warm up."

Igawa said that the extra work doesn't affect his stamina, noting that he was able to throw upward of 130 pitches in Japan after his lengthy pregame routine.

Torre seemed fine with the change of pace for the left-hander, who allowed two runs on five hits but lasted only 4 2/3 innings last Friday against the Giants.

"We're still going to allow that, and take it, and sort of make adjustments if we need to," Torre said. "The fact that when you're in a rotation -- for the most part -- you're going to pitch every five days, it's a little different here than Japan. It may take its toll, but we're just going to have to take it a start at a time and just see how comfortable he is and how comfortable he looks."

Small steps: Jason Giambi made a brief appearance at Yankee Stadium prior to Friday's game, and the slugger is set to have another scan next week to determine how quickly he is recovering from a partially torn plantar fascia in his left heel.

Giambi had been wearing a protective boot on his left foot since May 31, but he said that he had it removed on Monday. There is no timetable for Giambi's return, and The Associated Press reported that he could miss the rest of the season.

Old-Timers' Day announced: The Yankees announced on Friday that Old-Timers' Day will be held on Saturday, July 7, prior to the club's game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The game will pay homage to the 30th anniversary of the 1977 World Series championship club, with several members and relatives of prominent figures on that team scheduled to be in attendance.

Some of the members of the 1977 club scheduled to attend are Reggie Jackson, Ron Guidry, Graig Nettles and Chris Chambliss. They will be joined by Diana Munson, widow of Thurman Munson; Helen Hunter, widow of Catfish Hunter; and Billy Martin Jr., son of Billy Martin.
Introductions will begin at 1:50 p.m. ET, followed by the contest against the Angels at 3:55 p.m. ET.

Pope signs: On Thursday, the Yankees inked third-round Draft pick Ryan Pope, the team's highest pick to sign. Pope is a right-handed pitcher from Savannah College of Art and Design. Right-hander Andrew Brackman and catcher Austin Romine, the Yankees' first- and second-round picks, respectively, have yet to sign. The Yankees have signed 22 of the 50 players they drafted.

Bombers bits: Right-hander Phil Hughes, making his way back from a strained left hamstring and a sprained left ankle, threw a bullpen session on Friday in Tampa, Fla., Cashman said. ... Right-hander Jeff Karstens also threw batting practice at the club's Legends Field training facility.

Coming up: Igawa (2-1, 7.13 ERA) will set out to prove that his time spent in the Minor Leagues did him some good -- and that his start in San Francisco was just a hiccup -- as the left-hander faces Chad Gaudin (6-3, 3.14 ERA) and the Athletics at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday at Yankee Stadium.