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Cookie Lavagetto and His Big Pinch Hit in the 1947… |
New York Yankees fans—such as I—who go back only as far as the early 1960s with their memories of the Bronx Bombers, are too young to have witnessed the exploits of Cookie Lavagetto and what he means to Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers fans. Lavagetto passed away in 1990 at the age of 77; had he lived, Harry Arthur Lavagetto would have turned 99 years old on Dec. 1. Lavagetto, with one swing of his bat, brought the Yankees Universe of the time crashing to its knees in one of the oddest World Series games ever contested. Some of Lavagetto’s prime years were lost to World War II. He began his career with the Pirates in 1934. With the Dodgers from 1937 through 1941, and then again, after his time in the service, from 1945 through 1947, Cookie was a decent run producer, considering his lack of power. Lavagetto had a season during which he hit just a single round-tripper, but still collected 78 runs batted in. He was a four-time All-Star, but by 1947, when the Dodgers met the Yankees in the World Series, he was 34 years old and used mostly as a pinch hitter and a backup third baseman. In this particular series, the Yankees forged a two games to one advantage. In Game 4, New York sent talented, but erratic Bill Bevens to the mound. Bevens had been 7-13 in 1947, but he was a 16-game winner the previous season. Walks were often his undoing. In this game, he would issue a total of 10 free passes, but incredibly, as the ninth inning began, Bevens had not allowed a hit and New York led 2-1. After sandwiching a pair of pop outs around his ninth walk, Bevens and the Yankees intentionally walked Pete Reiser after pinch runner Al Gionfriddo stole second base. This questionable strategy would backfire when Cookie Lavagetto came in to pinch hit for Eddie Stanky. Lavagetto proceeded to hit a double off the right field wall, scoring both runners and winning the game. Bevens would pitch in Game 7 for two innings as New York won the Series, but he would never pitch in the big leagues again. Lavagetto also pinch hit in Game 7, making a harmless out. Like Bevens, his career was finished. The double was the last base hit he ever got in the major leagues. Sources: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lavagco01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bevenbi01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BRO/BRO194710030.shtml Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content. Feel free to leave your comments below. Posted in yankees-news | Comments Off
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Lazzeri Makes Sense as Top Yankee Second Baseman–… |
The Sporting News recently released its all-time New York Yankees team, with few surprises for veteran fans such as me who have followed the team for decades and have knowledge of past players. Today’s casual Yankee fan might object to Robinson Cano(notes) not being named the second baseman of this dream roster, and in a few years, he probably will be. Nevertheless, for now the selection of Tony Lazzeri at second base makes plenty of sense. Although he is easily the least known of the players on the all-time New York team, this should not diminish his contributions and accomplishments as a Yankee. Lazzeri had seven seasons of at least 102 runs batted in, and he did it despite modest home run numbers. The highest total he had for one year was 18, which he did four different times. He batted .354 in 1929, one of five seasons in which he hit .300. Lazzeri was extremely productive, especially for his position, from 1926 through 1937. The club released him after he hit .244 in 1936, a year in which he still had 70 runs batted in. Lazzeri’s most famous moment as a Yankee, ironically, is one of abject failure. He struck out with the tying and lead runs on base against Pete Alexander in the seventh game of the 1926 World Series – a contest New York would lose. On closer inspection, you would see that Lazzeri was but a 22-year old rookie in 1926, who, although he did accumulate 114 runs batted in, also led the American League in strikeouts with 96. Oddly enough, this is the only statistic that Lazzeri ever led his circuit in, and just for that single campaign. During that at-bat, the right-handed Lazzeri lined a shot just foul that probably would have cleared the bases, but such is the nature of baseball. Of today’s players, Michael Young(notes) has numbers quite similar, career-wise, to Lazzeri. Lazzeri went into the Hall of Fame in 1991 as a .292 hitter with nearly 1,200 RBI. He played on five championship clubs, with the only Yankee team he was on that failed to bring home the bacon being the 1926 version. Cano has the potential to eclipse Tony Lazzeri as the best second baseman the New York Yankees ever had. If he does, it will be an honor he will have to earn with several years of excellent play. Sources: Baseball Reference http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lazzeto01.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/youngmi02.shtml Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content. Comment Below!. Posted in yankees-news | Comments Off
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2012 New York Yankees Spring Training Schedule |
The 2011 Major League Baseball season may have ended two weeks ago, when the St. Louis Cardinals captured their 11th World Series title by defeating the Texas Rangers in seven games, but spring training, believe it or not, is just around the corner. This week, the New York Yankees released their 2012 spring training schedule, which states pitchers and catchers are to report to spring training on Feb. 19 and have their first workout on the 20th. Position players will report on Feb. 24, and the team will have its first full-squad workout on the 25th. Before the Yankees play 33 spring training games against big-league clubs, they will open their exhibition schedule by taking on the University of South Florida at George M. Steinbrenner Field on March 2 at 1:05 p.m. ET. On March 3 at 1:05 p.m., the Yankees will face their first MLB opponent, the Philadelphia Phillies, at Bright House Field. Other games of note include the Yankees’ April 1 and 2 meetings with the Florida Marlins at 1:10 p.m. and 7:10 p.m., respectively, which will mark the first-ever exhibition games at New Marlins Ballpark. The Yankees also have the New York Mets on their spring training schedule for the first time since the teams split a two-game set at GMS Field on March 29 and 30, 1996. The Mets will host the Yankees on April 3 (2:10 p.m.) at Digital Domain Park before visiting their crosstown rivals on April 4 (12:05 p.m.). Excluding off days, here is the 2012 New York Yankees’ spring training schedule (day, date, opponent and time): Fri., March 2, U. of SOUTH FLORIDA (GMS Field), 1:05 p.m. Sat., March 3, at Philadelphia (Clearwater), 1:05 p.m. Sun., March 4, PHILADELPHIA (GMS Field), 1:05 p.m. Mon., March 5, at Philadelphia (Clearwater), 1:05 p.m. Tue., March 6, at Pittsburgh (Bradenton), 1:05 p.m. Wed., March 7, TAMPA BAY (GMS Field), 1:05 p.m. Thurs., March 8, at Toronto (Dunedin), 1:05 p.m. Fri., March 9, ATLANTA (GMS Field), 1:05 p.m. Sat., March 10, at Atlanta Lake Buena Vista, 1:05 p.m. Sun., March 11, (split squad) PHILADELPHIA (GMS Field), 1:05 p.m.; at Minnesota (Fort Myers), 1:05 p.m. Mon., March 12, HOUSTON (GMS Field), 7:05 p.m. Tue., March 13, BOSTON (GMS Field), 7:05 p.m. Wed., March 14, at Toronto (Dunedin), 1:05 p.m. Thurs., March 15, at Washington (Viera), 1:05 p.m. Fri., March 16, WASHINGTON (GMS Field), 1:05 p.m. Sat., March 17, HOUSTON (GMS Field), 1:05 p.m. Sun., March 18, at Baltimore (Sarasota), 1:05 p.m. Tue., March 20, PITTSBURGH (GMS Field), 7:05 p.m. Wed., March 21, at Tampa Bay (Port Charlotte), 1:05 p.m. Thurs., March 22, at Boston (Fort Myers), 7:05 p.m. Fri., March 23, (ss) MINNESOTA (GMS Field), 1:05 p.m.; at Philadelphia (Clearwater), 1:05 p.m. Sat., March 24, at Detroit (Lakeland), 1:05 p.m. Sun., March 25, DETROIT (GMS Field), 1:05 p.m. Tue., March 27, TORONTO (GMS Field), 7:05 p.m. Wed., March 28, at Atlanta (Lake Buena Vista), 1:05 p.m. Thurs., March 29, BALTIMORE (GMS Field), 7:05 p.m. Fri., March 30, PHILADELPHIA (GMS Field), 7:05 p.m. Sat., March 31, at Houston (Kissimmee), 1:05 p.m. Sun., April 1, at Marlins Miami (New Marlins Ballpark), 1:10 p.m. Mon. April 2, at Marlins Miami (New Marlins Ballpark), 7:10 p.m. Tues., April 3, at Mets (Port St. Lucie), 2:10 p.m. Wed., April 4, METS (GMS Field), 12:05 p.m. Note: All start times are Eastern. Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content. There is the quick update of the day. Posted in yankees-news | Comments Off
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Posada: Yankee days are over, mulling retirement |
NEW YORK — After five World Series rings, seven American League pennants and five All-Star appearances, Jorge Posada says his career with the New York Yankees is over. “I don’t think there’s not even a percentage of chance that I can come back,” the 40-year-old catcher said Wednesday night before his foundation’s annual dinner. “It’s not going to happen.” After 17 seasons in pinstripes, Posada faces the same choice Bernie Williams had after the 2006 season: Retire and ensure that his entire big league career was with the Yankees or move on to another team. Posada said his agents had heard from about a half-dozen clubs expressing interest and he probably will wait until January or early February to make up his mind. “Do I want to do it for somebody else? Do I want to leave home? Do I want to do it all over again without knowing anybody?” he said, with his wife Laura at his side. Following the retirements of Williams and Andy Pettitte last winter, Posada’s exit will leave only 37-year-old Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, who turns 42 on Nov. 29, from the core group that propelled the Yankees to their recent run of titles. Posada lost his catching job after 2010 and was shifted to designated hitter with one season left on a $52.4 million, four-year contract. The switch-hitter struggled against left-handers and was batting .165 on May 14 when he was dropped to No. 9 in the batting order against Boston. He asked to be taken out of the lineup, saying he wasn’t ready to play. “At the end of the day, it’s a business. You look back and you wish there were some things that could have gone differently, but they didn’t,” Posada said. “I’m not bitter at the Yankees. I’m not bitter at Joe Girardi. I’m not bitter at Brian Cashman. It just happened. I wish at that moment I would have changed a couple things. But it happened, and you know what? You learn from it.” Posada recovered to hit .268 for the rest of the season, leaving him with a .235 average, 14 homers and 44 RBI. His two-run pinch-hit single on Sept. 21 beat Tampa Bay to clinch the AL East, earning him one last huge ovation, and he hit .429 (6 for 14) in the five-game loss to Detroit in the division series. After the last game, Posada got choked up. “It was very hard that day, very emotional that night,” he recalled. “It was tough for me to know that I was not coming back.” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has been noncommittal about Posada’s future. “Obviously decisions have to be made,” he said earlier Wednesday. `I’m not prepared to talk about that at this point in time.” Posada doesn’t think New York would want him as an instructor for young catchers Jesus Montero and Austin Romine. “I don’t think I’m going to be around with the Yankees,” he said before adding: “I love teaching. I think I can help out. If I’m not playing, I will be doing something with baseball.” When his contract expired after the 2006 season, the then 36-year-old Williams was offered a minor league deal with an invitation to prove himself during spring training. Despite requests from manager Joe Torre, Williams turned down the offer. Does Posada feel his phaseout was similar? “If you had asked me that question in February of this year, I would have said no. But now I would say yes,” Posada responded. “It went the same way, pretty much.” Posada speaks often with Williams, who has advised him to make sure the decision to retire or move on is right for him. “I think after he stays home a few more months and he realizes how hard it is to stay home with the kids, I think he’s going to pay a team to have him play,” Laura said, jokingly. “Honestly, what I said to him was you need to really be sure about your decision, because you don’t want to have any regrets. You don’t want to feel in your mind that you didn’t accomplish something that you set out to accomplish when you started playing baseball. He has been playing baseball all his life, so it’s really hard to wake up and not have anything to do.” Posada will consider only contending teams for a job that is likely to be a part-time catcher or DH and pinch-hitter. But he’s reluctant to alter a career biography that lists only one team. “I will always be a Yankee,” he said. “The New York Yankees for me is my second family. It will be tough to put on another uniform for real and learn another set of rules and all that stuff.” His wife suggested he might want to stick around to reach 300 homers. He has 275. “I would love to get 300. It’s not going to happen,” he said. If he does play, she had a suggestion — the Marlins. The Posadas make their offseason home in the area. “I love Miami,” she said. Notes The foundation raises money for research into craniosynostosis, a disease that causes bones in the skull to fuse prematurely. Jorge Luis Posada, who turns 12 this month, has had nine operations. The Posada’s repeatedly thanked the Yankees for their contributions to the foundation. What are your opinions. Posted in yankees-news | Comments Off
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Posada says there is no chance he returns to… |
After five World Series rings, seven American League pennants and five all-star appearances, Jorge Posada says his career with the New York Yankees is over. “I don’t think there’s not even a percentage of chance that I can come back,” the 40-year-old catcher said Wednesday night before his foundation’s annual dinner. “It’s not going to happen.” After 17 seasons in pinstripes, Posada faces the same choice Bernie Williams had after the 2006 season: Retire and ensure that his entire big league career was with the Yankees or move on to another team. Posada said his agents had heard from about a half-dozen clubs expressing interest and he probably will wait until January or early February to make up his mind. “Do I want to do it for somebody else? Do I want to leave home? Do I want to do it all over again without knowing anybody?” he said, with his wife Laura at his side. Following the retirements of Williams and Andy Pettitte last winter, Posada’s exit will leave only 37-year-old Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, who turns 42 on Nov. 29, from the core group that propelled the Yankees to their recent run of titles. Posada lost his catching job after 2010 and was shifted to designated hitter with one season left on a $52.4-million US, four-year contract. The switch-hitter struggled against left-handers and was batting .165 on May 14 when he was dropped to No. 9 in the batting order against Boston. He asked to be taken out of the lineup, saying he wasn’t ready to play. “At the end of the day, it’s a business. You look back and you wish there were some things that could have gone differently, but they didn’t,” Posada said. “I’m not bitter at the Yankees. I’m not bitter at Joe Girardi. I’m not bitter at Brian Cashman. It just happened. I wish at that moment I would have changed a couple things. But it happened, and you know what? You learn from it.” Posada recovered to hit .268 for the rest of the season, leaving him with a .235 average, 14 homers and 44 RBIs. His two-run pinch-hit single on Sept. 21 beat Tampa Bay to clinch the AL East, earning him one last huge ovation, and he hit .429 (6 for 14) in the five-game loss to Detroit in the division series. After the last game, Posada got choked up. “It was very hard that day, very emotional that night,” he recalled. “It was tough for me to know that I was not coming back.” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has been noncommittal about Posada’s future. “Obviously decisions have to be made,” he said earlier Wednesday. ‘I’m not prepared to talk about that at this point in time.” Posada doesn’t think New York would want him as an instructor for young catchers Jesus Montero and Austin Romine. “I don’t think I’m going to be around with the Yankees,” he said before adding: “I love teaching. I think I can help out. If I’m not playing, I will be doing something with baseball.” When his contract expired after the 2006 season, the then 36-year-old Williams was offered a minor league deal with an invitation to prove himself during spring training. Despite requests from manager Joe Torre, Williams turned down the offer. Does Posada feel his phaseout was similar? “If you had asked me that question in February of this year, I would have said no. But now I would say yes,” Posada responded. “It went the same way, pretty much.” Posada speaks often with Williams, who has advised him to make sure the decision to retire or move on is right for him. “I think after he stays home a few more months and he realizes how hard it is to stay home with the kids, I think he’s going to pay a team to have him play,” Laura said, jokingly. “Honestly, what I said to him was you need to really be sure about your decision, because you don’t want to have any regrets. You don’t want to feel in your mind that you didn’t accomplish something that you set out to accomplish when you started playing baseball. He has been playing baseball all his life, so it’s really hard to wake up and not have anything to do.” Posada will consider only contending teams for a job that is likely to be a part-time catcher or DH and pinch-hitter. But he’s reluctant to alter a career biography that lists only one team. “I will always be a Yankee,” he said. “The New York Yankees for me is my second family. It will be tough to put on another uniform for real and learn another set of rules and all that stuff.” His wife suggested he might want to stick around to reach 300 homers. He has 275. “I would love to get 300. It’s not going to happen,” he said. If he does play, she had a suggestion — the Marlins. The Posadas make their off-season home in the area. “I love Miami,” she said. If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it. Posted in yankees-news | Comments Off
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Posada says he won’t be back with Yanks |
Updated Nov 9, 2011 10:14 PM ET
NEW YORK (AP)After five World Series rings, seven American League pennants and five All-Star appearances, Jorge Posada says his career with the New York Yankees is over. ”I don’t think there’s not even a percentage of chance that I can come back,” the 40-year-old catcher said Wednesday night before his foundation’s annual dinner. ”It’s not going to happen.” After 17 seasons in pinstripes, Posada faces the same choice Bernie Williams had after the 2006 season: Retire and ensure that his entire big league career was with the Yankees or move on to another team. Posada said his agents had heard from about a half-dozen clubs expressing interest and he probably will wait until January or early February to make up his mind. ”Do I want to do it for somebody else? Do I want to leave home? Do I want to do it all over again without knowing anybody?” he said, with his wife Laura at his side. Following the retirements of Williams and Andy Pettitte last winter, Posada’s exit will leave only 37-year-old Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, who turns 42 on Nov. 29, from the core group that propelled the Yankees to their recent run of titles. Posada lost his catching job after 2010 and was shifted to designated hitter with one season left on a $52.4 million, four-year contract. The switch-hitter struggled against left-handers and was batting .165 on May 14 when he was dropped to No. 9 in the batting order against Boston. He asked to be taken out of the lineup, saying he wasn’t ready to play. ”At the end of the day, it’s a business. You look back and you wish there were some things that could have gone differently, but they didn’t,” Posada said. ”I’m not bitter at the Yankees. I’m not bitter at Joe Girardi. I’m not bitter at Brian Cashman. It just happened. I wish at that moment I would have changed a couple things. But it happened, and you know what? You learn from it.” Posada recovered to hit .268 for the rest of the season, leaving him with a .235 average, 14 homers and 44 RBIs. His two-run pinch-hit single on Sept. 21 beat Tampa Bay to clinch the AL East, earning him one last huge ovation, and he hit .429 (6 for 14) in the five-game loss to Detroit in the division series. After the last game, Posada got choked up. ”It was very hard that day, very emotional that night,” he recalled. ”It was tough for me to know that I was not coming back.” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has been noncommittal about Posada’s future. ”Obviously decisions have to be made,” he said earlier Wednesday. `I’m not prepared to talk about that at this point in time.” Posada doesn’t think New York would want him as an instructor for young catchers Jesus Montero and Austin Romine. ”I don’t think I’m going to be around with the Yankees,” he said before adding: ”I love teaching. I think I can help out. If I’m not playing, I will be doing something with baseball.” When his contract expired after the 2006 season, the then 36-year-old Williams was offered a minor league deal with an invitation to prove himself during spring training. Despite requests from manager Joe Torre, Williams turned down the offer. Does Posada feel his phaseout was similar? ”If you had asked me that question in February of this year, I would have said no. But now I would say yes,” Posada responded. ”It went the same way, pretty much.” Posada speaks often with Williams, who has advised him to make sure the decision to retire or move on is right for him. ”I think after he stays home a few more months and he realizes how hard it is to stay home with the kids, I think he’s going to pay a team to have him play,” Laura said, jokingly. ”Honestly, what I said to him was you need to really be sure about your decision, because you don’t want to have any regrets. You don’t want to feel in your mind that you didn’t accomplish something that you set out to accomplish when you started playing baseball. He has been playing baseball all his life, so it’s really hard to wake up and not have anything to do.” Posada will consider only contending teams for a job that is likely to be a part-time catcher or DH and pinch-hitter. But he’s reluctant to alter a career biography that lists only one team. ”I will always be a Yankee,” he said. ”The New York Yankees for me is my second family. It will be tough to put on another uniform for real and learn another set of rules and all that stuff.” His wife suggested he might want to stick around to reach 300 homers. He has 275. ”I would love to get 300. It’s not going to happen,” he said. If he does play, she had a suggestion: the Marlins. The Posadas make their offseason home in the area. ”I love Miami,” she said. NOTES: The foundation raises money for research into craniosynostosis, a disease that causes bones in the skull to fuse prematurely. Jorge Luis Posada, who turns 12 this month, has had nine operations. The Posada’s repeatedly thanked the Yankees for their contributions to the foundation. That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow. Posted in yankees-news | Comments Off
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