Definitely a good side effect of bringing Damon on board then. Although I do have a hard time shaking the memory of Jeter taking Rick Reed deep in the 2000 World Series on the 1st pitch of the game….

I’m not shocked about Jeter at all Jeremy – in fact, I predicted it.

He was out. Would he have been more out if it was a better throw? And, by the way, Jeter might have had an easier play at third…if Wang had pitched from the stretch. But, as we know, Roberts was already halfway home.
======================

I saw he was safe, you saw he was safe, Phillips thought he was safe, the whole stadium thought he was safe… Everyone except the umpire. Same with the 3-2 slider that was caught in the RH batter’s box, then jerked over to the outside corner. Everyone thought it to be a ball except the umpire.

Why are we griping about Wang pitching from a full windup? He got the ground ball, Jeter made the play. Everything worked out the way it was supposed to, except with the umpire.

I know it’s early, but so far Jeter is having a fantastic season. I wonder if he’s more comfortable in the number 2 slot? Crunching the numbers very informally, his batting average, well, averaged about .331 for the 4 years Knoblauch was here and it was .306 in the 4 years that he’s been gone. Could be one of those weird phenomenona, like Giambi batting better when he plays the field. Hopefully he can keep it up.

“And who’s to say Roberts doesn’t score if Wang holds him on?”

Because he rounded third base before Wang’s arm was even moving toward the plate.

“Jeter’s bad throw”

He was out. Would he have been more out if it was a better throw? And, by the way, Jeter might have had an easier play at third…if Wang had pitched from the stretch. But, as we know, Roberts was already halfway home.

“When your pitcher has the bases loaded, and there are 2 outs, and there’s a full count on the batter, and you have a 97mph fastball, don’t let your pitcher throw a slider.”

Mel lives on not only in our memories but in the continuing reality which is more dumb-ass pitch calling in Yankees-land. You know, Mel DID tell Gooden and Darling to stop striking out so many batters. Is there any way Cash can make Kerrigan unofficial pitching coach? Soon?
===========

Actually, I was referencing Ray K’ing Matsui on a 3-2 slider to end the game.

That part was tongue-in-cheek

Two outs, bases loaded, full count, you concentrate on the hitter. Just like you go for the sure out at first. Wang got the ground ball, he did his job.

And who’s to say Roberts doesn’t score if Wang holds him on?

There were (and are) plenty of small wrinkles in a game that causes a team to lose it. ARod’s K, Matsui’s K, Jeter’s bad throw, Millar’s single, etc, etc, etc.

BTW, this is one of the several reasons Randy Jonson doesn’t like pitching to Jorge Posada. His head is never in the game (the wind-up issue probably eluded him) and he continues to “snatch” strikes away from his pitchers…unlike Hernandez who has learned to “frame” strikes for incompetent home plate umpires like last night’s. Movement inward to the zone leads these idiot umpires to call strikes, movement away from the zone makes them call balls…regardless of the actual position of the pitch. sort of the Heisenberg Principle of ball-strike calling.

“When your pitcher has the bases loaded, and there are 2 outs, and there’s a full count on the batter, and you have a 97mph fastball, don’t let your pitcher throw a slider.”

Mel lives on not only in our memories but in the continuing reality which is more dumb-ass pitch calling in Yankees-land. You know, Mel DID tell Gooden and Darling to stop striking out so many batters. Is there any way Cash can make Kerrigan unofficial pitching coach? Soon?

The full wind-up with the bags juiced is not a problem – until (Raf) there are two outs AND A FULL COUNT. That was the issue. The runners can then take-off at will, as Roberts did. It’s a small wrinkle in a game that can lead to an extra run – and in this case, that extra run was the ballgame.