September 8th vs. The Rays
Posted by Steve L. on September 8th, 2009 · Comments (20)
You just knew they were going to win it, in a walk-off, didn’t you? As soon as Hughes lost his Blown Save cherry, I thought to myself “Here comes the walk-off.”
Actually, I thought A-Rod was going to do it in the 9th…after that clutch hit to drive in the second run, I thought it was his night. But, turns out it was Swisher’s night…with a little help from the new Yankee Stadium at the end.
A walk-off, of course, it’s what the 2009 Yankees do…13 times now, and counting! Aw, heck, if you’re a Yankees fan, it’s time to join hands, join the train, and start dancing!
If you don’t mind, I think I’ll sit this one out. But kudos to Gaudin for a Quality Start. To quote Berra: “He did better than I thought and even exceeded my expectations.”
Yeah, he was gassed and should have come out after the HR. But, if Gaudin pitches like this, for the rest of the month, and Joba continues to get hit…won’t that be interesting come ALDS time?
Shawn Chacon had a good (or at least decent) start in the playoffs, so if Gaudin is throwing well and Joba continues to stink, I say ride the hot hand (like they did with Chacon) and don’t think twice about it. I don’t know what’s wrong with Joba, but he has been garbage for months it seems like, other than that brilliant three-start streak after the break.
Nick Swisher declares victory over the New Yankee Stadium.
For tonight, anyway.
Dear #62, once again, I hope you were taking notes. Sincerely, David Price.
clintfsu813 wrote:
Exactly. He threw fastballs and sliders all night but — GASP! — varied the locations of both pitches to keep hitters off balance. #62 has a lot to learn and he doesn’t seem to be learning it.
Seriously, just say this name to yourself: Wilson Betemit.
Brian Cashman got this beast called Swish for Wilson Betemit. What a steal, Swish has been such a pleasant addition to the Yanks and tonight was just fun to see. It would have been a shame, after all these pies all year, if Swish never got one.
@ YankCrank:
Have you seen the graphic up at Nomaas? Priceless
@ YankCrank:
I know, can you believe it? Scott Proctor got us Wilson Betemit and Wilson Betemit got us Nick Swisher. The best part is that Hinske/Hairston each do more for the team than Betemit and we got them too…
I really think those three little moves by Cashman were some of his best work. All three are useful pieces on our 90-win (and counting) ballclub.
@ clintfsu813:
Fantastic! As much as people rip on Cashman, man, that Kenny Williams really comes up with some head-scratching moves year after year. I applaud him for being tireless and willing to take risks but he seems to have no plan and just changes course every so often…
clintfsu813 wrote:
Hahaha, love it.
MJ wrote:
Definitely agree MJ. I like being aggressive, but man…what was he thinking with that deal? Nomass has it right, he just doesn’t understand BABIP.
Could it be possible – maybe, just perhaps – that something was going down with Swisher last year and Kenny Williams and crew just thought it was going to all downhill from there – and they had to get him out of town, for anything. And, once Swisher got to New York, it was a wake-up call, and he cleaned up his act, and became productive again.
I’m not saying this for fact…I’m just saying that could POTENTIALLY be the reason behind the trade.
Sort of like the reverse Contreras…he sucked here, went to Chicago for a sack of crap, and then led the White Sox to a World Championship in 2005. Same G.M.’s on that one, BTW, Cashman and Williams.
@ Steve Lombardi:
Very good possibility Stevearoni. I think a new clubhouse/manager can definitely change a guy around.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Of course, that’s a very likely possibility. It was public knowledge that, for some reason, he didn’t fit in there.
It was a doomed marriage from the start. You don’t take a non-CF and non-leadoff hitter and throw him in that position. Then, when (surprise surprise!) things don’t work out, just bench him and trade for over-the-hill Ken Griffey Jr.
Things went sour and we definitely benefitted from it…no matter the reason. It just boggles my mind that Kenny Williams would throw away three top prospects for a player, then a year later, trade that same player for three pieces of trash.
I think we need to see Swisher play in 2010 before we can say this was a steal. Remember Justice in 2001? As much as he carried the Yankees in 2000, he killed them in 2001 – esp in the post-season.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Fair enough that it’s too soon to retire Swisher’s number and write poems about him, but the trade was a heist even if Swisher pulls a Justice ’01 in 2010. The fact remains that the Yanks got more out of Swisher in 2009 than the White Sox can ever get out of Betemit…since they DFA’d him.
The Chisox still own Betemit, IIRC. He’s on their AAA team. FWIW, maybe the White Sox got what they wanted with this deal? They cleared Swisher’s contract from their books, removed him from the roster, and got a filler 3B, Betemit, to buy time for Gordon Beckham to play third?
Like I’ve said, unless we know what the White Sox were really trying to do…dump Swisher ASAP, get a stopgap for Beckham, etc., we don’t know if the trade was a steal or not. If the White Sox got exactly what they wanted out of it – ridding themselves of Swish, etc. – maybe the see it as a “win”?
Just like when the Yankees got rid of guys like Gary Sheffield and Rondell White.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
Certainly possible and, honestly, I’d say it’s even probable. But he probably would’ve bounced back no matter where he was traded to since it’s obvious that he didn’t like playing in Chicago any more than they like having him. It wasn’t just a wake-up call for a guy that was sulking, it was also a return to form for a guy that just had a bad year.
Steve Lombardi wrote:
When you trade three of your better prospects for a guy and then dump him for a “stopgap”, it’s hard to sell that trade as a “win.”
MJ wrote:
That was exactly my point. For arguments sake, let’s say that the White Sox just wanted to rid themselves of Swisher and his contract. Things didn’t work out, he was the CF/leadoff hitter they thought he’d be and his contract gets expensive in a few years. Here Yanks, take him and his money and give us a stopgap 3b and a pile of trash and call it even.
That’s all fine, but they dealt three top prospects for one year of Swisher, 20 games of Betemit and a mixed bag of trash prospects. Even if they just wanted to rid themselves of Swish, it’s tough to stomach what they had to give up and take on to do so.
* “he wasn’t the CF/leadoff” is what i meant