Results tagged “hidekimatsui”

    

Last night, a few of the Yankees paid a visit to David Letterman to discuss their World Series win. Captain Derek Jeter, pitcher Andy Pettitte and catcher Jorge Posada (the fourth member of the "Core Four," reliever Mariano Rivera, wasn't there) chatted with Letterman—and at the end of the segment, MVP Hideki Matsui came out with the World Series trophy. Letterman said they must be hungover and Jeter said, "Probably not as bad as you."

             

Last night—and into this morning—the city celebrated the Yankees' 27th World Series win. Of course the win also meant that New York fans got to gloat over Phillies fans—check out the photographs above, taken by reader peterkreder, who witnessed various acts of fan superiority outside Yankee Stadium.

     

Yankees 7, Phillies 3: For the first time since 2000 and the 27th time in franchise history, the New York Yankees are the World Champions of baseball. The Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies four games to two behind the bat of Hideki Matsui and the solid pitching of Andy Pettitte. Matsui was 3-4 in the game, including two two-RBI hits off Phillies starter Pedro Martinez and two more RBI against Phillies reliever Chad Durbin.

• Yankees 3 Phillies 1: The Yankees gave AJ Burnett a lot of money this offseason to pitch in big games and he delivered on Thursday night. Burnett, who would have had a shutout with better defense, allowed only one run over seven innings and struck out nine. Pedro Martinez almost matched him, but he was touched up for two home runs, one by Mark Teixeira that tied the game at 1 and one by Hideki Matsui that put New York up 2-1.

• Angels 7 Yankees 6: The Yankees overcame a miserable start by A.J. Burnett only to have their bullpen give the game away. New York put the first two runners on in the first, but failed to score while the Angels jumped all over A.J. Burnett for four runs in their half of the inning. And that’s exactly where things remained until the seventh. With two outs, Mark Teixeira delivered a bases-loaded double to clear the bases and put the Yankees on the board. A-Rod was intentionally walked and Hideki Matsui followed with a single to tie the game. Robinson Cano followed with a triple to put New York up 6-4.

The first playoff game at the new stadium was a happy affair as the Yankees defeated the Twins 7-2 on Wednesday night. C.C. Sabathia pitched well, striking out eight and allowing only two runs, one earned, over 6-2/3 innings. Sabathia only struggled in the third when he ran into trouble with two outs. With runners on second and third, Sabathia allowed a single to score a run and then Jorge Posada simply didn’t catch a Sabathia pitch allowing a second run and putting the Twins up 2-0.

• Mets 3 Washington 2: If you are looking for positives in a season short on them, look no further than this game. Tim Redding pitched seven-strong innings, lowering his ERA to 2.72 since he rejoined the rotation in August and earning his third win of the season. Jeff Francoeur had two hits and scored two runs while driving in a run as he continued his solid hitting since joining New York.
• Yankees 10 Seattle 1 The Yankees were in control throughout with C.C. Sabathia getting his 18th win. Mark Teixeira went deep twice, triple and knocked in five. With the win, the Yankees lower their magic number to nine.

• Yankees 4 Tampa Bay 2: The Yankees swept the Rays in an eventful game in the Bronx. Things started with Joba Chamberlain struggling again in the first inning by giving up two runs, but Joba pitched a lot better after it appeared that Derek Jeter have him a bit of a pep talk. Jeter laid down a bunt to leadoff the game and beat it out for a hit. He had two more hits, tying him with Lou Gehrig, but the Yankees still trailed 2-0 in the eighth. But, A-Rod and Matsui got hits, Tampa made a huge error and Jorge Posada cleared the bases with a three-run pinch-hit blast. The Yankees chose to give Mariano the night off and the combination of Bruney and Coke finished things off in the ninth.
• Florida 6 Mets 3: Florida scored four in the first and never looked back. Daniel Murphy had a RBI double in the loss.
• US Open: Cinderella story Melanie Oudin fell in two sets to Caroline Wozniacki, seeded 9th, 6-2, 6-2. Others advancing to the semifinals were Yanina Wickmayer over Kateryna Bondarenko on the women's side, and Roger Federer over Robin Soderling and Novak Djokovic over Fernando Verdasco.

• Yankees 8, Red Sox 4: Five home runs off Josh Beckett powered the Yankees to a win in this rubber game. They reclaimed a 7 1/2-game lead in the American League East. CC Sabathia pitched 6 2/3 innings, striking out eight and walking none. If not for some shaky defense, his four-run (three earned) line would have looked a lot better. For the second time in three nights, Hideki Matsui went deep twice. Apparently he likes the long ball more than countryman Ichiro Suzuki.

• Phillies 9, Mets 7: Another Mets loss, another crazy way for it to happen. After pulling to within two and getting the potential winning run to the plate, the Mets sent the runners and saw Jeff Francoeur hit into an unassisted triple play. That's the second time in Major League history such a sequence ended a game, and the first since 1927. The late-game action almost overshadowed Pedro Martinez's return -- the righty got cheered -- or Oliver Perez's latest debacle -- the lefty got pulled midcount after giving up six runs and getting just two outs in the first inning. The teams finish a four-game series Monday in a matinee. The Mets are now 10 games under .500.
• Red Bulls 3, FC Dallas 2: Red Bulls win! Red Bulls win! Juan Pablo Angel scored twice, including with two minutes remaining. Richie Williams, the interim head coach, got a win in his debut. Maybe the coach was the whole problem.

Yankees 11 Seattle 1: C.C. Sabathia is dealing and the Yankees’ offense is clicking: Hideki Matsui was 4 for 5, with two home runs, while Derek Jeter also homered. Jerry Hairston Jr., subbing for A-Rod (out after being hit in the elbow by the Blue Jays' Shawn Camp) at third, was 2 for 5, with two RBIs. This win is at the start of a long road trip, so one game down, nine to go.

• Yankees 7 Toronto 5: The Yankees won another game with some late-inning heroics. Trailing 4-3 heading into the eighth, Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada launched back-to-back homers to put New York on top 5-4. The Yankees added two more runs on singles from Melky Cabrera and Johnny Damon, which allowed them to turn a three-run lead over to Mariano Rivera in the ninth. Rivera pitched around a home run and a single before nailing down his 33rd save.

• Yankees 5 Toronto 3: The Yankees got to Roy Halladay thanks to some shaky defense by the Blue Jays. New York scored twice in the first, the second run coming when Halladay dropped the third out at first base. They padded their lead in the eighth with back-to-back solo shots from Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira, but Phil Hughes and Mariano gave those runs right back to make it 4-3 heading into the ninth. Hideki Matsui started the top of the ninth with a solo shot and Rivera worked around a couple of base runners in the bottom of the inning to earn his 31st save.

• Mets 6, Nationals 2: If only Livan Hernandez could face the Nationals every time he starts. Or maybe the Mets could face the worst team in baseball every time they played. Hernandez is 11-5 with a 3.67 ERA against the Expos/Nationals franchise in his career, and 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA against them this season. Jeff Francoeur had an RBI double and a solo homer and Daniel Murphy also had two RBIs. The Phillies also won Monday -- it was their ninth straight win -- and they lead the Mets by nine games in the National League East.
• Yankees 2, Orioles 1: Three straight wins, all by a 2-1 score. The last two have been won on the strength of two solo homers. Hideki Matsui hit a walk-off homer in the ninth to win Monday's game, the fourth straight win for the Yankees following the All-Star break. Eric Hinske also went deep behind Andy Pettitte, who took a no-decision despite working into the eighth inning and allowing only one run. With Boston's loss in Texas, the Yankees have returned to a tie for first place.

• Yankees 10 Blue Jays 8: Alfredo Aceves doesn’t have the best stuff, but he knows how to pitch and that is why he is becoming a very important part of the Yankees’ pitching staff. A day after a 12 inning game, New York needed a good outing from Joba Chamberlain that they didn't get. Joba was rocked giving up eight runs in three-plus innings. But, the Yankees’ bullpen held the game at 8-4 Toronto and the bats brought them back. Hideki Matsui hit a three-run homer to make it 8-7 and Derek Jeter put them up for good with a two-run blast. Aceves pitched four innings, allowing only one baserunner while striking out five and he earned his first save. Philadelphia 2 Mets 0: It was a lost weekend in Philly for the Mets. New York turned to its ace, Johan Santana to try and salvage a win in the series. Santana pitched very well, allowing only three hits, but two of them were solo homers. The problem was that once again the Mets’ offense was overmatched and they could only manage four hits against Joe Blanton. Now they have a day off before hosting the NL-best Dodgers starting on Tuesday.

Yankees 15 Mets 0: Johan Santana had the worst start of his career, giving up nine earned runs and the Yankees pounded their way to a Subway Series win. While the game ended in a blowout, it was the bottom of the second and the top of the third that proved critical. In their half of the second, the Yankees scored four times, all with two outs to jump out to an early lead. The Mets loaded the bases with no outs in the third, but failed to score when Alex Cora was called out on a bad call, Fernando Martinez struck out and Carlos Beltran hit a liner to short.

• Yankees 9, Rangers 2: A.J. Burnett didn't economize when it came to his pitch count, but he did most other things well. He need 118 pitches to go through six scoreless innings, but he picked up his first win since mid-April. Mark Teixeira, Hideki Matsui (twice) and Robinson Cano all homered in the rubber-game win. Burnett struck out seven and walked four. At least he didn't allow any homers, a bugaboo of his in the past. WIth Boston's loss, the Yankees are tied with the Red Sox in first place, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Blue Jays.
• Mets 7, Nationals 4: Yet another replay in a Mets game, and another goes the Mets' way. Daniel Murphy's double-turned-home-run broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning and helped make a winner out of Johan Santana. The Mets ace walked six and struck out 11. Four of those walks came in a three-run fourth inning. Bobby Parnell, Pedro Feliciano, J.J. Putz and Francisco Rodriguez got the final nine outs as the Mets swept the Nationals.
Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Yankees Tie for First"

      

Yesterday's heavy fits of rain weren't enough to keep over 48,000 fans from heading up to the Bronx and watching the Yankees pick up their first (unofficial) victory in a 7-4 win over the Cubs. Robinson Cano got things started with a two-run homer in the second, one of three for the Yanks, who also got home runs from Hideki Matsui and A-Rod's replacement, Cody Ransom. The team's big new bat Mark Teixeira was still getting his bearings in more ways than one. On top of going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, he said of the new building, "I've gotten lost two days in a row on my way to the stadium and I don't want that happening Opening Day. We'll work on that." Returning fan favorite Hideki Matsui shared his take on the new ballpark: "I feel like they brought the field from the old Yankee Stadium and brought it here."

On a day when Jorge Posada went back on the DL and the news was almost as bad about Hideki Matsui, it was a good sign that the Yankees banged out 16 hits in a 12-4 victory Monday night. Posada will probably be unable to catch for the rest of the season at best and is more likely gone for the year. Matsui is rejecting the advice of doctors and trying one last time to rehab a knee that needs surgery.

• Diamondbacks 5, Mets 4: This one's on Billy Wagner, whose summation above says it all. Johan Santana pitched seven scoreless innings. Ramon Castro went deep and scored another run. David Wright had an RBI double. Joe Smith gave up two runs in the eighth, but Wagner entered the ninth with his team leading, 4-2. He loaded the bases with no one out and was fortunate to get out of the inning with the game still tied. The Mets threatened in the bottom of the ninth, but turning it over to Aaron Heilman in the 10th spelled doom.
  Continue reading "Last Night's Action: 'I Stink Right Now'"

But, the blame shouldn’t go on the pitching staff, they only allowed two runs over eleven innings, it was the hitting that was awful. The Yankees managed to only get six hits and draw three walks and would have lost 1-0 if not for Hideki Matsui’s solo homer in the ninth. A-Rod isn’t due back until next Tuesday, but will he be enough to wake up the Yankees’ offense?

• Mets 6 Washington 0: It was a great day and night at Shea. During the day, Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s widow, toured the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field and described it as “walking into a cathedral in a way.” She also addressed the crowd before the game tonight and every player from both teams wore #42 in tribute.
  Continue reading "Last Night's Action: Remembering Jackie"

After days of waiting for their bats to step up, the Yankees’ offense came around on Monday and that combined with great pitching propelled them to an easy 6-1 win. Bobby Abreu got things started in the first with a screaming liner over the wall in right for a home run that put New York up 2-0. It was part of a 3-for-3 night for Abreu that ended with him only a double short of the cycle. Hideki Matsui continued his good hitting with two hits and two RBI’s.

Photo of Hideki Matsui holding up a drawing of his wife by the AP

Go! Go! Curry: This Japanese fast food hot spot had lines down the block when they opened in the Garment District last spring; now they’re building on the buzz and branching out in the East Village. We’ve become addicted to their belt-busting Grand Slam (pictured), “a monster platter that comes with fried chicken, pork sausages and a hard-boiled egg, among other things. The thick, sweet sauce has a tiny kick of heat and is served over rice with such toppings as slices of tonkatsu, fried pork cutlet.” Or for half the price and calories, you can keep it simple but savory with the curry rice sans toppings, a classic Japanese comfort food.

Tonight, the Yankees will face off against the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium, and many hope the Bronx Bombers can avoid the sweep (and mayflies) and claw their way back to winning this first round of playoff games. Since things are so nerve-wracking, we thought some Yankees fans - and even haters - might be find this Village Voice story funny.

• Mets 8, Cubs 3: The pitcher's win is among the most overrated stat in baseball. When you pick up 300 of them, however, you probably don't stink. Surefire Hall-of-Famer Tom Glavine fits that description, though he was a legend long before he reached an arbitrary cutoff point. He went 6 1/3 innings to pick up his 300th career win in Chicago as the Mets took two of three from the Cubs. The veteran lefty was economical and showed good control until he tired in the seventh. Then he watched the bullpen hold the lead. A three-game showdown with the Braves looms.
• Yankees 8, Royals 5: With all due respect to Hideki Matsui and his 100th career homer, the only milestone the Yankees care about is being a half-game out of a playoff spot. Not bad for a team that has been written off time and time again this season. They haven't accomplished anything yet, of course, but their chances seem good considering how wild-card foes Detroit and Cleveland have looked of late. Mike Mussina's improvement has been a major part of the Yankees'. He controlled the Royals' sometimes-dangerous lineup to pick up the win.
• Staten Island 13, Hudson Valley 8: What can make you feel better an 8-0 lead in the final three innings? Scoring five in the top of the 10th to avoid the embarrassing loss. They cost Jason Stephens the win, but in the end, they'll breathe a sigh of relief and move on.

Yesterday at Yankee Stadium, Major League Baseball unveiled the logo for its 2008 All-Star Game. Mayor Bloomberg was on hand to unveil the logo along with baseball officials, former Yankee players (including Yankees legend Yogi Berra) and current Yankees Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui. The 2008 Midsummer Classic will take place on Tuesday, July 15. The logo, pictured at right, features the historic facade of Yankee Stadium, which will be in its final season, along with the classic pinstripes of Yankee uniforms.

• Yankees 16 White Sox 3: Is it really possible that the Yankees could tie a club record by belting eight home runs, yet somehow Alex Rodriguez would be about the only person not to get one? Somehow, that’s exactly what happened Tuesday as every starter except for A-Rod, Jeter and Andy Phillips went deep and Hideki Matsui did twice. Shelly Duncan continued his Shane Spencer imitation by belting his 4th home run in 21 AB’s.
  Continue reading "No 300th/No 500th"