Yankees Bats Come to Life, Blast Indians in Wild Card Opener

YANKEES 12 - INDIANS 3 

The biggest punches in Cleveland Tuesday night weren't delivered by the hideous Presidential debate that took place down the street, but instead were delivered by the New York Yankees, as the Bronx Bombers pounded the Cleveland Indians 12-3 in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card series.

The Bombers, who came into the series having lost six of their final eight regular season games, and whose offense was mired in mediocrity broke out in a big way, combining for four homers and 15 hits as Cleveland's Shane Bieber had the worst outing of his entire season. 

It didn't take long for the Yankees to send the message that the Bronx Bombers were indeed alive and well, and ready for some serious postseason action. On the third pitch he saw from Bieber, AL Batting Champion, D.J. LeMahieu ripped a fastball into right field to get the party started. 

One pitch later, Aaron Judge took a Bieber fastball and crushed it into right field stands, handing the Yankees and starter Gerrit Cole an early 2-0 advantage. 

Cole didn't disappoint either. The right-hander silenced the Indians quickly through his first two innings of work, striking out four in the process, as he mixed and matched his knuckle curve and fastball. The Indians didn't know what was coming from the Yankees' ace. 

In the top of the third inning, first baseman Luke Voit added to the lead when he crushed a 3-1 fastball off the base of the wall in left-center, easily scoring Aaron Hicks to make it 3-0 New York. The runs kept pouring in after that. 

The much maligned Brett Gardner reminded Yankees fans why he is so clutch in big moments when drove in Gleyber Torres on a RBI double to left to push the Yankees lead to 4-1. 

Fast forward to the top of the fifth and Torres crushed a fastball that was low in the zone, depositing it over the giant left field wall for a two-run homer to put the Yankees up big, 7-2.

From that point on the rout was on!

A two-run blast by Gardner in the top of the seventh, and a solo shot from Giancarlo Stanton capped off an incredible night for the Yankees. 

As for Cole, he finished the night with seven superb innings, scattering two runs on six hits, while striking out 13 Cleveland batters. 

On the flip side, Bieber took the loss, charged with seven runs, all earned, on nine hits over four-and-two-thirds innings. It was his worst start of the season, and the second time he has been shelled by this Yankees lineup since last season. 

The Yankees have a golden opportunity to nail down the series on Wednesday night when they send Mashairo Tanaka to the mound against Carlos Carrasco. First pitch will be at 7:00 on ESPN. If the Indians should win Game 2, then a Game 3 will take place on Thursday night in Cleveland.

Yankees Look to Cole to Get Postseason Off on Right Foot

 A wild and wacky season now comes down to this. A best-of-three series in Cleveland to kick off the postseason for the first ever 16-team tournament -- a result of baseball in the world of COVID-19. 

The Yankees come limping into the postseason having lost six of their last eight. If this scenario should sound familiar to Yankees fans, it should. Back in 2015 the Yankees lost six of seven down the stretch, before bowing out in the Wild Card game against Dallas Keuchel and the Houston Astros. 

This is also the scene of the Yankees bitter, hard fought ALDS victory in 2017, where the Yankees came back from a 2-0 series deficit to win the series 3-2. New York was later eliminated in the ALCS by the eventual World Series Champion Astros. 

Of course these two franchises know each other very well, even if they haven't played one another this season. This will mark the fifth postseason series between the two with each club having won a pair. 

This time the series carries greater weight, especially Game One which will feature a battle of ace's, Gerrit Cole (7-3, 2.84 ERA) for the Yankees against potential AL Cy Young Award candidate Shane Bieber (8-1, 1.63 ERA). The winner forces a winner-take-all game on Wednesday night.

The Yankees need Cole to dominate tonight against an Indians lineup - that like the Yankees -- hasn't exactly hit on all cylinders this year. The Indians as a team are batting .228, with only Jose Ramirez in double digits in home runs with 17. That is not to say the Indians don't power much punch, they do - we know they do. This is a Cleveland squad that still has one of the best young hitters in the game in Francisco Lindor, who is always a threat to go deep. 

Also keep an eye out for 25-year old outfielder Franmil Reyes, who hit .275 this year with 9 homers and 34 RBI. There is pop in that lineup, it just hasn't been consistent enough at times.

If Cole can keep this Indians' lineup in check, it will give the Yankees a chance, and they need all the help they can get against Bieber. 

Bieber struck out 122 batters this year in 77.1 innings. That is remarkable considering baseball only played 60 games this year. Had this been a standard 162 game season, Bieber easily strikes out 250-plus hitters. In fact in three of his last four starts, Bieber racked up 10 strikeouts in those contests. He is a totally different pitcher than the guy the Yankees saw on June 9 of last year, when they tagged him for five runs in an inning and two-thirds. 

Of course the big question for the Yankees in this game, and in this series, is their offense. 

The Yankees have been hit or miss offensively this year, with only Luke Voit (22 homers, the AL leader in that category) and D.J. LeMahieu (.364 batting average, league leader) as the only constants.

 For the most part this season has been  mired in injuries to the likes of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, neither of whom had a really legitimate shot to take off this season. Meanwhile, the face of Yankee fan ire was directed right at Gary Sanchez who struggled all season both with the bat and his glove behind the plate -- an issue that has become all too common place for him over the years. 

Sanchez hit only .147 this year, but he was not alone. 10 different Yankees hit under .245 this season, including Gleyber Torres (.243), Brett Gardner (.223), Mike Tauchman (.242) and Mike Ford (.135). It also didn't help matters that Stanton finished the season in a 2-for-21 slump, and Aaron Judge hit only .194 for the month of September since coming off the injury list.

There was a lot of issues this year offensively, and the Yankees struggles at the dish were a big reason why this team had swoons all year where they were either really good, or really bad. 

Case in point the Yankees were 16-6 to start the year, then 5-15, followed up by a 10-0 stretch, before culminating in a 2-6 finish. Who are these 2020 Yankees? Which team will show up is a huge question. 

If the Yankees find some offense on Tuesday night, and are able to ride Cole's right arm to victory in Game 1, it will be on Mashairo Tanka in Game 2, and likely JA Happ in Game 3 (if necessary).  Both have been madly inconsistent themselves this season, with Tanaka coming off two rough outings to end the regular season. 

Still there is reason for optimism. This is a Yankees team loaded with talent, and resumes alone tell us that this is a Yankee team capable of doing some damage this postseason. 

The question can this team finally live up to the high expectations? And can manager Aaron Boone put his players in position to succeed?

If the Yankees win this series, they will likely line up against a very good Tampa Bay team in the ALDS, if not it will be an early start to an off-season full of regrets and second guessing.  

Prediction: Indians in 3.

 

Monday Morning Vlog: Week 3 Recap: Gase Hot Seat, Bills Nearly Choke, Giants Mess

 On today's vlog I look back at the local action for Week 3 and it wasn't good. The Jets 36-7 loss to Indianapolis has put head coach Adam Gase firmly on the hot seat, while Giants quarterback Daniel Jones is going to face some questions after a rough outing against the 49ers. Oh, and up north, the Bills nearly channeled their inner Atlanta Falcons. Check it out... 

 

Darnold Sinks Under Pressure As Jets Drop to 0-3

 COLTS 36 - JETS 7 

Another day, another loss for the New York Jets. 

All the catcalls the past few weeks that the Jets should tank for Trevor Lawrence will only get louder after quarterback Sam Darnold tossed three interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns in Gang Green's 36-7 meltdown against Indianapolis on Sunday. 

Aside from a couple of early first half drives where the Jets offense looked competent, it was a total nighmare for Gang Green on Sunday. The Colts easily tore through the Jets defense, as Philip Rivers completed 17 of 21 for 217 yards and a touchdown pass. 

Really, this game was over when the Colts answered the Jets lone touchdown drive when Mo-Allie Cox scored from one-yard out to make it 14-7. 

But the Jets 36-7 loss wasn't the biggest story of the day. Earlier Sunday, reports surfaced from Chris Mortonsen of ESPN that Gase Watch is well underway at 1 Jets Drive, with executives looking closely at Gase's work over the next two weeks. Could Gase get fired Friday? That is a big question. 

The Jets play the Broncos on Thursday night, and a bad showing against a beat up Broncos team could spell the end of Gase's tenure. Even if the Jets were to win, it should delude the fact that this is a horribly coached football team that is in desperate need of a change at head coach. 

Get ready Jets fans for a bumpy week!

Daniel Jones and Giants Stink it Up in Loss to Niners

 49ers 36 - Giants 9 

The San Francisco 49ers had every excuse on Sunday to not play well. They were missing about nine starters, including their starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, and their best pass rusher, Nick Bosa, and still found a way to dominate the New York Giants. 

What was the Giants excuse? Saquon Barkley? Give me a break! 

The Giants had no excuses, and played like a team that had never touched a football field before as the Niners did whatever they wanted to on Sunday. 

Daniel Jones did not play well, in fact one has to wonder whether he is indeed fit to be the starting quarterback of this football team. Jones turned it over twice on Sunday, including on the Giants first drive of the day that led to a Niners field goal.  

 Just before halftime, Jones tossed another interception, his fourth of the year that set up another Niners field goal to make it 16-6. 

Jones has now turned it over seven times through the first three games of the year. His issues holding onto the football and taking sacks is quiet alarming for a football team that wants to believe they have a franchise quarterback in the former Duke star. 

One has to wonder if the losing continues, which it likely will, especially with the Rams and Cowboys on the schedule, if the Giants aren't better off thinking about going after another quarterback in next April's draft. 

Why be so hard on Jones? Well, because he was outplayed by Nick Mullens for 343 yards. Mullens is a back-up quarterback. If the 49ers lost with him, considering all the issues they have, there would be an excuse. There are none for Jones and the Giants. 

If the heat was already on Sam Darnold in this city, it should certainly be turned on Daniel Jones now.

Yankees End Regular Season With Loss, Will Face Indians in Wild Card Series

 MARLINS 5 - YANKEES 0 

After waking up in the middle innings on Saturday, the Yankees offense spent Sunday afternoon in complete slumber as the Marlins topped the Bombers 5-0 to end the 60-game regular season.  

Clark Schmidt got the start for New York, allowing three runs over four innings, and D.J. LeMahieu pretty much stamped his claim to the AL Batting title with a pair of hits as the Yankees limp into the postseason having lost six of their last eight games.

Even with the loss the Yankees caught a break as the Blue Jays, Astros and White Sox all lost, meaning New York will maintain its position as the number five seed in the American League playoffs. The Yankees will face the Indians on Tuesday in the first of a best of three series.

 The Yankees are heading into the postseason, not exactly on a head of steam. Not only has New York lost six of their last eight, but they enter the postseason as one of the most confounding teams in baseball. When they are good, and when they are hitting home runs, the Yankees are very tough the beat.

 However this has been a team mired in poor hitting, they don't hit well for average, and the pitching has been suspect. 

Case in point the Yankees went 5-15 from August 18 to September 8 before rattling off 10 straight wins to get themselves into serious postseason contention. 

While LeMahieu and Luke Voit, who led the league in homers, were fantastic, Gary Sanchez, Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge were not. Sanchez hit .147 for the year, and his defense behind the plate has come under intense scrutiny. 

Stanton, after missing most of the season due to injury, ended the year mired in a 2-for-23 slump. 

Judge hit only .259 in an injury riddled campaign. 

Of course how well the Yankees pitch with carry them in the playoffs. Gerrit Cole has been great, but Mashairo Tanaka, JA Happ and the rest of the rotation has been shaky. Even the once vaunted Yankees bullpen has shown cracks this year. 

Yet this is a team with so much immense talent, that it wouldn't surprise if they found a way to the ALCS. We shall see. It all begins Tuesday in Cleveland against an Indians team that boasts one of baseball's best pitching staffs. 

Yankees' Opponent Goes Down to Last Day

 It's just been that kind of season for the Yankees. Nothing has come easy for the Bronx Bombers, who find themselves in the midst of a battle over seeding for the American League Playoffs.

On Saturday, the Yankees overcame a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Miami Marlins 11-4 at the Stadium to move within one win of moving up in the standings to get a better seed, possibly the fifth seed. 

Behind the Yankees victory was D.J. LaMahieu who had a four-hit, three-RBI game to bring his average up to .359, putting him in the drivers seat for the AL Batting crown. Meanwhile, Luke Voit's three-run blast in the seventh inning, gave the Yankees first baseman his 22nd homer of the year, putting him in firm position to be the AL Homer Champion for 2020. 

Ironically all of the Yankees power Saturday was sparked by Tyler Wade's two-run bomb in the bottom of the fifth to cut the Marlins lead to 3-2. Giancarlo Stanton, who had been mired in a 1-for-21 slump, tied the game on a double to center, scoring Aaron Judge. 

Aaron Hicks put New York out in front with a two-run shot in the sixth to put the Yanks up 5-3, thus setting the stage for the big blasts from LeMahieu and Voit. 

With a day to go before the regular season ends, the Yankees find themselves as the sixth seed, with the White Sox and Indians tied for the fifth seed with a record of 34-24. The Twins lead the AL Centeral at 35-23. 

There is a strong chance the Yankees could face either of those teams on the road for a best-of-three wild card round this week. The Yankees could drop as far as the seventh seed if the Blue Jays win out, meaning the Yankees would be in danger of facing the Oakland A's. 

So where will the Yankees be on Tuesday night? We will know in 24 hours time.

NFL Week 2 Recap: Adam Gase is Destroying Sam Darnold, the Giants Will Miss Saquon

 In this week's NYC-NFL recap, I talk a look at what was a difficult week for the locals as the Jets lost to the San Francisco 49ers 31-13, and the Giants fell to the Chicago Bears 17-13. 

The Jets are in trouble. At 0-2, it looks like they are destined for a disastrous season, and ownership has yet to hold head coach Adam Gase accountable.

Meanwhile, the Giants lost Saquon Barkley for the season with a ACL tear in his knee, putting a ton of pressure on quarterback Daniel Jones to get the job done moving foward. 

Check out the podcast!! 

Yankees Punch Ticket to Postseason

 It was not easy by any stretch of the imagination, but the New York Yankees are going to the playoffs. 

In a season that was shorted to 60 games due to COVID-19, and in a year where the Yankees, at one point, lost 15 of 20 before rattling off 10 straight wins, the Yankees are back in serious October baseball. 

The Bombers punched their ticket to the postseason thanks to the Seattle Mariners 7-4 loss to the San Diego Padres. With the win, the Padres also clinched a spot in the playoffs in the National League. 

The Yankees' 10-game winning streak did end Sunday in a 10-2 loss to the Red Sox, but it didn't matter by Sunday night. 

The questions now facing the Yankees are 1) seeding, 2) pitching, and 3) lineup consistency. Two and three have been issues all year, as well as health. 

The Yankees are 3.5 back of Tampa for the AL East title, but with a week to go, it's not likely they will catch them. That makes seeding important. The Yanks are just a game back of the Minnesota Twins for the fourth seed in the playoffs, and two games ahead of the Cleveland Indians for the fifth seed. 

Since the postseason will be regulated to a bubble in Texas and California, home field won't necessarily play a factor, but the Yankees would love to have the final turn at bat in their first round series. 

Should they meet, the Yankees have traditionally owned the Twins in the playoffs, including sweeping them out of the postseason last year, and knocking them out of the wild card game in 2017. 

 Of course pitching, health and consistency matters. The Yankees pitching is a big question mark. Outside of Gerrit Cole, there are lingering questions about the consistency of guys like Mashairo Tanaka, JA Happ and Jordan Montgomery. The Yankees will not have James Paxton, who is out for the season with a shoulder injury. 

As for the lineup, the Yanks have seven players who have struggled to hit over .220 this year, including catcher Gary Sanchez who is only batting .152 this season. Add the fact that this team just recently got back Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge -- there is reason for concern this year. This team is capable of winning it all. It is also capable of getting knocked out early. 

Keep in mind the wild card round this year is a best-of-three; so one loss and it's desperation time in Game 2. 

Giants Lose Barkley, Big Blue Drops to 0-2

BEARS 17 - GIANTS 13 

When running back Saquon Barkley rolled awkwardly on his left arm and appeared to at least badly hyper-extend his elbow, Giants' fans couldn't help but take a deep breath and hope their star running back would be alright. 

As fate would have it, that was only the tip of the iceberg. 

When play resumed at the start of the second quarter, Barkley was back on the field for the Giants, and Big Blue quickly went back to him on a hand-off to the right for six yards. As he was tackled Barkley landed poorly, rolled over clutching his knee. It did not look good, and the prognosis even worse. 

The Giants fear that Barkley, who had to be carted off the field, suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season. This coming off a week where the former Pro Bowler had just six yards on 15-carries in week 1. The Giants were hoping to get Barkley going against Chicago, but to no avail. 

The loss of Barkley put added pressure on quarterback Daniel Jones who was erratic all afternoon, even though the Giants somehow managed to remain in the contest until the final seconds. 

The first half against Chicago was one to forget. The Giants found themselves down 17-0, and of their first six possessions, two of them ended into a Jones turnover; another ended in a missed field goal. 

It was a nightmare to say the least. 

 Yet, somehow the Giants found their way back into the game thanks in part to guile, and also thanks to the fact the other quarterback in this game was Mitchell Trubisky. An 11-play 95-yard drive lead by Jones picking apart the Bears secondary with short, precise throws moved the ball all the way down to the Bears' one-yard line before Dion Lewis plunged into the end zone on fourth and goal to cut the Chicago lead to 17-10 with 14:18 to play. 

As quickly as the Giants got back into the game, they almost as quickly found themselves out of it when Eddie Jackson picked off a tipped ball thrown by Jones and brought it back 54-yards for a Bears touchdown that would have make it 24-10. However, Jackson was flagged for pass interference - a truly awful call that benefited the Giants greatly. 

 

Instead of being down by 14, the Giants kept the football and turned it into three points by Graham Gano to make it 17-13. 

After the Bears methodically drove down field, chewing up nearly six minutes, only to miss a field goal of their own that would have iced it, the Giants got one last show. And believe it or not, working underneath proved to be exactly what the Giants needed from Daniel Jones. 

Of the six passes he completed, five of them were less than six yards. Two of the most critical plays came on a fourth and four conversion to Lewis for six yards to move the ball to the Bears' 26 with 0:45 seconds remaining. Later Jones converted a fourth and one on a short pass to Darius Slayton at the Bears' 14 with :09 seconds to go. 

Needing to throw it into the endzone, Jones decided to go short again, this time back to Lewis for four yards to the Bears' 10. With only four seconds remaining, Jones tired to zip the ball into Godlen Tate in tight coverage only to have the ball knocked away. Tate was also called for offensive pass interference ending the game. 

Jones finished 25-of-40 for 241 yards and two turnovers (a pick and fumble). He was also under tremendous duress all day, having been sacked four times. 

At 0-2, and without their inspirational leader in Barkley, the Giants are starring into an uncertain future. The only good news for Big Blue is they will face an very beat up San Francisco 49ers team on Sunday at the Meadowlands, but with the way the Giants are playing -- there is no telling when their first 'W' will come.

Jets Disgrace Themselves Again Against Banged Up Niners

 49ers 31 - JETS 13 

Leave it to the Jets to find a way to not only lose, but get destroyed by a football team that suffered five critical injuries in the process as the 49ers dismantled the helpless Jets 31-13. 

 

Just days after Jets CEO praised head coach Adam Gase, calling the embattled coach "Brilliant," one has to wonder what the Jets front office is thinking now. 

The Jets were noncompetitive, and played unmotivated over the course of 60 minutes. It was really a game between the 49ers and the MetLife Stadium turf, with the Jets just there to keep things interesting. 

Raheem Mosert's 80-yard touchdown less than 30 seconds into the ball game punctuated what was a horrible day for the Jets as the Niners took the early 7-0 lead. They never looked back. 

Before leaving the game with a high ankle sprain, Jimmy Garopollo torched the Jets defense, completing 14-of-16 passes and 131 yards, including leading two scoring drives with a pair of touchdown passes to Jordan Reed as the Niners built a 21-3 advantage into the half. 

And think about it folks, the Niners lost Garopolo, defensive end Nick Bosa, defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, Mosart and Tevin Coleman in this game, and still held the Jets to two field goals before New York scored a garbage time touchdown late in the fourth quarter. That is how bad the Jets are, and how good the Niners depth and coaching is. 

Bosa, by the way, could be out for the season with an ACL tear in his knee for San Francisco. 

As for the Jets, their offense was putrid yet again. Sam Darnold looked totally lost yet again, completing 21 of 32 for 179 yards. For the better part of the afternoon he was throwing into the teeth of the Niners battered front seven, and looked completely uncomfortable in the pocket. It is almost like Darnold has gone backwards in time and returned to playing like a rookie. 

Head Coach Adam Gase clearly has no answer for his third year quarterback, and the front office did next to nothing to get him a supporting cast. When your so-called franchise quarterback is throwing to the likes of Braxton Berrios, Chris Hogan and Josh Malone, it's not a good thing. 

At 0-2 the Jets look like a team that is defiantly on its way to becoming the NFL's worst team. Put them on the clock right now for the number 1 pick in the 2021 draft, this sorry excuse for a football team is not ready for primetime.

Islanders Season Ends in Overtime of Game 6

 Hockey season in New York is over. At least until sometime in December. 

The Islanders valiant run through the Eastern Conference playoffs in the bubble north of the border, went all the way through the Conference Finals. It was a run that not many had expected, but the Islanders perceived through COVID and everything else to get to this point. It ended Thursday night in a 2-1 overtime defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

The Lighting will face the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals. 

The Islanders got off to a fast start in Game six, a goal by Devon Towes to give New York an early 1-0 lead, but that would be as far as the momentum from Game 5's triumphant overtime win would carry them.  

Tampa tied it two minutes later on Victor Hedman's ninth goal of the postseason. Both teams remained deadlocked at one until the late stages of overtime when Anthony Cirelli scored on an assist by Barclay Goodrow and Alex Killron to win it. 

For his efforts, Islanders goalie Semoyn Varlamov recorded 46 saves in defeat. Valarmov had a tremendous postseason, posting an 11-7 record with a Goals Against Average of 2.17. He was excellent. 

Now the focus turns to a quick rest and return to the ice to restart the 2020-21 regular season later this fall.

Jets Boss Christopher Johnson Endorses "Brilliant" Adam Gase

 You can take the comments offered by Jets CEO Christopher Johnson one of two ways. 

Either A) Johnson is a complete fool and can't see his football drowning under the leadership of Adam Gase, or B) Johnson just gave Gase the dreaded 'vote of confidence' that over the course of 16 weeks soon swings the other direction and the coach is fired by seasons end. We'll see by December.

But as was widely reported by the likes of Rich Cimini of ESPN and Brian Costello of the New York Post, the Jets boss endorsed Adam Gase as head coach moving forward after Sunday's listless 27-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

"I have full confidence in Adam," Johnson told the Jets beat reporters. "I think he has a lot more in him as a head coach than some of our fans are giving him credit for. And I understand they want to see success. I think that they will," (ESPN). 

Johnson continued ... "Look I think he can work with and develop quarterbacks. I do continue to think he's a brilliant offensive mind especially. He has my every confidence." 

Again, Johnson could be just blowing smoke here. The fact the owner had to come out after Week 1 to endorse the head coach is not a good sign. There is a lot of grumbling that Gase could be the first coach fired this season, and many have projected -- well before the season started -- that the Jets job will be vacant come December 31. 

So this could very well be his way of deflecting as much as he can for as long as he can. 

At the same time, what if Johnson actually means it? That is a troubling scenario for Jets fans. Gase is 7-10 now as head coach of the Jets, and 30-35 all time as a head coach. He failed with the Dolphins as we all know on teams that had far more talent than the Jets do. This team looked unprepared and unmotivated on Sunday. If Johnson can't see that, that's troubling. 

Another factor in all of this is, of course, is Woody Johnson. Remember Chris has taken full responsibility for operations of the team since his older brother went to the United Kingdom as US Ambassador. That doesn't mean Woody doesn't have a say, but Gase and even GM Joe Douglas were Christopher Johnson's picks. 

Woody is expected back in the States in November -- his controversial tenure as US Ambassador is coming to an end regardless of whether President Trump wins or loses the General Election. When Woody returns will he have the final say on Gase? You would think so. We shall see. 

Either way, anything the Johnson Brothers do is going to be met with broad skepticism by the fan base. And now that the Wilpon's are out as owners of the New York Mets, it's the Johnson's who are now firmly viewed as the worst owners in the City (sans James Dolan, of course).

Higashioka, LeMahieu Go Off as Yankees Bomb Blue Jays

 Yankees 13 - Blue Jays 2 

Remember when the Yankees were a .500 team and couldn't get out of their own way? Well that was so last week. Behind big nights from catcher Kyle Higashioka and second baseman DJ LeMahieu, the Yankees pounded the Toronto Blue Jays 13-2 for the Bombers seventh straight victory.

Once on the precipise of potentially not making the playoffs, the Yankees are looking like the Yankees again. They dominated the Orioles in a weekend sweep, and have scored a combined 33 runs in their last two games against Toronto, including Tuesday night's 20-6 thrashing of the Blue Jays.

On Wednesday, Higashioka went yard three times, while LeMahieu hit a pair of homers in the victory. Even Luke Voit and Clint Fraizer got into the action. 

Most of the power came in succession early and often. LeMahieu got things started with a lead-off homer in the bottom the first, before Higashioka corked a two-run blast in the bottom of the third to give the Yankees a 3-0 lead. 

In the bottom of the fourth the Yankees power surge continued with a solo homer by Fraizer and a two-run shot by LeMahieu to stake the Yankees to a 6-0 advantage. 

All the homers went to the good of ace starter Gerrit Cole who dominated the Jays. Over seven innings, Cole stymied the Blue Jays, holding them to just a run on three hits, while walking two and striking out eight. Cole is now 6-3 on the year with a 3.00 ERA. 

As for Higashioka, he would add two more homers late in the contest, a solo shot to left in the sixth, and a two-run job in the eighth. Both homers sandwiched a solo shot by Voit as the Yankees offense exploded for 13 runs. 

NOTES: Aaron Judge made his return to the lineup after missing three weeks with a strained right calf. He last played August 26. Judge went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his return. 

While Judge made his return to the Yankees, the Bombers did place starter James Paxton on the 45-day Injury List, ending his season. He has not pitched in a game since August 20 when he suffered a strained right flexor tendon in his shoulder. He is a free agent, and likely won't return to the Yankees in 2021. 

Giants Show Signs of Life, Despite Jones' Turnovers

 STEELERS 26 - GIANTS 16 

It was a step in the right direction, but it wasn't enough to lock a crooked number in the win column.  Thanks to a pair of costly turnovers by quarterback Daniel Jones, and just too much Big Ben in his return from elbow surgery, the Giants lost 26-16 on Monday night. 

It's not like Big Blue didn't have opportunities to do something big. 

Right from the onset, the Steelers were doing everything they could to give the Giants the game. A muffed punt return by Pittsburgh gave the Giants the football at the Steeler-three yard line. However, Big Blue could do nothing with it. 

 Daniel Jones tried to force the ball to Saquon Barkely twice, overthrowing him once and hitting him for only one yard on third down. The Giants were forced to settle for three points, when seven points would have sufficed. 

Later in the first half, Jones orchestrated a nifty seven-play 75-yard scoring drive that gave New York the lead when he found Darious Slayton in single coverage for a 41-yard touchdown to take a 10-3 advantage. 

But that is where all the fun and games would end for Big Blue.  For the rest of the night a cataclysm of mistakes betrayed the Giants, as Pittsburgh stormed back to take a double-digit advantage. 

It started when Jones was picked by T.J. Watt at the Giants' own 36-yard line, setting up a Steelers touchdown, six plays later, to cut the Giants lead to 10-9. 

Later in the second quarter, Roethlisberger started to look like the Big Ben of old, completing five of seven passes for 67 yards in a drive that culminated in a 13-yard touchdown pass to James Washington to give Pittsburgh their first lead at 16-10. 

The turning point of this game came in the third quarter. Jones and the Giants were rolling right along on an epic, 18-play, 87-yard drive that had eaten nearly nine minutes off the clock. Jones looked poised in the pocket, spreading the ball around to Barkley, Sterling Shepherd and Slayton. However when it mattered the most, Jones again made the big mistake. 

On second and three at the Steelers four-yard line, Jones forced an errant pass into the end zone that was popped into the air and picked off by Cameron Heyward. Jones should have taken the sack or thrown the football out of bounds. Instead he forced the issue. A horrible mistake that not only cost the Giants the lead, but also the game.

The Steelers responded by scoring the next 10 unanswered points to blow the game wide open at 26-10. 

While Big Blue did get a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, the dye was already cast on this one. 

 

Jones finished 26-of-41 for 279 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. It was a maddening night for the second year signal caller. There were moments of brilliance and moments where he still looked like a young, developing project. 

It didn't help matters that the Giants were working in a new offensive line that at times was beat off the line of scrimmage by the Steelers ferocious front seven.S

Subsequently Saquon Barkely had a very silent night. Barkely carried the rock only 15 times for six yards. While he did catch six balls for 60-yards, Barkely's value is at running the football, and the Giants didn't do it enough, nor well. It was like offensive coordinator Jason Garret was transfixed at passing the football.  

On the flip side, Roethlisberger was impressive in his return from Tommy John Surgery. He threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns. Meanwhile back-up running back Benny Snell picked up nicely for a banged up James Conner, running for 113 yards on 19 carries.

 The Giants (0-1) will face the Chiacgo Bears (1-0) on Sunday at Solider Field.  The Bears stunned the Detroit Lions on Sunday with a 27-23 come-from-behind victory. They will be dangerous on Sunday for this young Giants team.

Steve Cohen Inks Deal to Purchase Mets from Wilpon's

 It's time to celebrate Mets fans. The days of the Wilpon's inglorious reign is coming to an end. 

The Wilpon's and their business partner Saul Katz, Sterling Equitites agreed to sell the Mets to Cohen for $2.45 billion. The Mets television network SNY is not included in the deal. The next major hurdle that Cohen must clear to officially finalize his purchase of the team is receiving approval from a consortium of the MLB owners, or 23 of 29 remaining owners around the league. If eight owners do not approve of the sale, it will fall through.

Cohen can be viewed as controversial in some respects. He is being sued for gender discrimination, and his corporation SAC Capital was involved in insider trading back in 2013. Still, Cohen's deep pockets made him an attractive buyer to the Mets, and Mets fans. 

Unlike the Wilpon's, who built a reputation of being unscrupulous when it came to spending money on the franchise, Cohen has promised that he will spend big money. His reputation as a cutthroat business man and go-getter is something that is going to intrigue Mets fans. 

One of the most important moves Cohen will make right away is determining the future of General Manager Brodie VanWagenen, the Mets front office personnel as well as manager Luis Rojas. The Mets are 21-26, mired in mediocrity in 2020. Van Wagenen has done nothing but make one bad move after another in both trades and free agency, and it is anyone's guess that once Cohen fully takes over Van Wagenen will be a goner. 

Not to mention, Brodie's blasting of Commisoner Rob Manfred a few weeks back with regard to a social justice protest by the Mets and Miami Marlins is not going to sit well with the new boss either. 

The sale of the Mets to Cohen also ends the hopes of Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, who hoped that a last ditch effort would turn the tables. Lopez was pushing the idea that she would be in charge of the franchise with A-Rod focused primarily about the on-field product. 

But the facts are it was going to be Cohen all the way. He made the highest bid for the team, and has been the leader in the clubhouse since last December when it appeared he would be on the precipice of buying the team then for $2.6 billion, before the inital deal fell through. 

Now with Cohen in charge, a new era of Mets baseball is coming upon us.

Adam Gase Proves He Deserves to Be Fired After Inept Jets Opener

 BILLS 27 - JETS 17 

Don't let the final score of 27-17 fool you, because this game was never this close. Never; not even once. Had Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen not fumbled twice down in the Jets red zone, and had kicker Tyler Bass converted on a couple of field goals, the Bills could have easily blown this horrible Jets team out of the water 47-10. 

 

The Jets proved one thing on Sunday, they stink. They stink so bad that you might as well put them on the clock for the 2021 NFL Draft. And so begins the clock on Adam Gase's career as Jets head coach. The Jets looked unprepared, unmotivated and totally out of sync in Buffalo.

All we heard this summer from the Jets was how this season would be totally different. How Sam Darnold was maturing as a starting quarterback. How the Jets offense would be improved -- even tough they were losing wide receivers all over the place. All we heard was how this offensive line - rebuilt by Joe Douglas would be vastly improved. 

After one week, all of those promises were fact checked, debunked and proven to be nothing more than a basket full of lies. 

The Jets offense was totally inept. Managing only 254 yards of total offense, and 15 first downs, most of which were obtained in garbage time when this game was already decided, Darnold proved he's got a long way to go in his development.

At halftime, Darnold completed only eight of 18 passes for 86 yards and an interception. While he was sacked only once in the first half, he was completely under siege as the Jets offensive line was out of sync. Moreover, the Jets couldn't run the football. Le'Veon Bell and Frank Gore, combined ran for only 38 yards between them, with Bell leaving the game early in the third quarter with hamstring tightness. 

Darnold finished with 215 yards passing and a touchdown, but looked completely lost. In a year where there is a ton of pressure on him to step up a third year veteran, Darnold fell flat on his face, and a lot of the blame lays at Gase's feet. He has failed this quarterback. When asked about Darnold, Gase would only say he needed to "watch the film." 

That is not the answer Jets fans need nor deserve. That is not the answer Sam Darnold needs nor deserves. Gase and General Manager Joe Douglas promised that things would be different in 2020, and instead, one game in, 2020 looks a lot like 2019. 

And speaking of Douglas, this was a nightmare opening for him. Not only did his retooled offensive line fail badly, but his decision to trade Jamal Adams looked worse when Adams recorded 12 tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles in a 38-25 win for the Seahawks over the Atlanta Falcons. If anyone needed this week 1 to start off on a right foot it was Douglas. He looks foolish right now. 

As for the Bills, Allen was his tyically overaggressive self. 

Allen threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns, even ran one in, but he did force some throws, and his two fumbles kept the Bills off the scoreboard. Still Buffalo - while mediocre - is 10 times the team the Jets are. They are well coached, prepared and on the same page. That is something nobody can say with a straight face regarding Adam Gase's Jets. 

The Jets look foolish. Adam Gase is hanging onto his job by a thread and things won't get any better next week when the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers come into town. 

The Jets are starring at an uncertain future, and if week 1 was any indication, this season is on pace to be a hurricane.

Yankees have no answer for Jays as Bombers Slip to .500

 BLUE JAYS 2 - YANKEES 1 

Coming off a dispiriting 12-7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night - a game that could easily be considered the worst loss of the season as the Yankees bullpen couldn't hold a 6-2 lead as late as the sixth inning, the Yankees had nothing in the tank on Tuesday night. 

Even an edict by General Manager Brian Cashman wasn't enough to keep the Yankees from dropping their 15th game in their last 20 to fall to .500 at 21-21. The Yankees mustered only five hits on Tuesday, and one extra base hit - a double by Miguel Andujar, and were a combined 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. 

The only run to score on Tuesday came on a sac fly by Mike Tauchman, who has really struggled in his own right, with his batting average dipping to .238. And to think that is actually a good batting average on this Yankees squad. 

All of this against Taijuan Walker, who isn't to be confused with some of the best starters in the game. He's ok - average at best. But on Tuesday, he and four relievers looked untouchable.

Before the game, Cashman told the team that "talk is cheap and all that matters is performance," adding that he wanted to remind them of "who they are." 

"Who they are" is pretty simple -- a bad baseball team. 

And bad baseball teams have little self confidence. Bad baseball teams find ways to lose at a moments notice. Bad baseball teams are poorly managed. Bad baseball teams can't hit. Bad baseball teams can't pitch when they need to the most. 

What made Tuesday's 2-1 loss even more disappointing was the fact the Yankees actually got a solid outing of JA Happ, who tossed six innings of two run ball, while striking out 10. He wound up taking the loss when he most certainly could have walked away a winner had the Yankees managed any offense. 

Meanwhile, the Yankees still can't get the hitters they need to hit to live up to their resume. Gleyber Torres went 0-for-3 and his hitting .225. Bret Gardner is hitting .170. Gary Sanchez - the face of the Yankees struggles and the ire of Yankees fans, went 0-for-4 on Tuesday, and he is now hitting .125. Ouch. 

To make matters worse for New York, the Baltimore Orioles continue to close the gap on them for the final playoff spot in the American League. The Orioles destroyed the Mets 11-2 Tuesday at Citi Field, meaning they are only a half game behind the Yankees. The Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners are also in the mix. 

Changes are definitely coming for the Yankees if things do not get any better. The seat under Manager Aaron Boone is going to get warmer -- even if he can lean on COVID-19, and injuries to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton as excuses. The facts are this is basically the same Yankees team that we saw dominate teams even dispite injury just a year ago. 

This team has lost its swagger, its confidence and its belief it can dominate opponents. For the first time in a very long time the Yankees are just like everyone else in Major League Baseball - average.

Yankees Struggles Continue With 3rd Straight Loss to O's

 ORIOLES 5 - YANKEES 1 

The Yankees are in big time trouble. With three weeks left in the 2020 regular season, the Yankees find themselves hanging on by a string to their playoff lives, two games ahead of the suddenly surging Baltimore Orioles, who took three of four from the Bronx Bombers this weekend. 

 The Orioles capped off their weekend with a 5-1 win over the Yanks after Mashairo Tanaka was yanked in the sixth inning down 2-1, having just allowed two men to reach base before the Yankee pen, once again imploded. 

It just wasn't a good day for New York from the outset. A DJ Stewart two run homer to right got things started for Baltimore, who never looked back. 

Offensively the Yankees had no answer for rookie Dean Kremer, who held the Bombers to just a single run on one hit over six innings, while striking out seven and walking three. The only time the Yankees scored it had to come on a fielder's choice. 

New York's offense has been putrid these last few weeks, especially with the loss of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton from the lineup. The Yankees currently have eight players hitting at .220 or worse, including six guys hitting under .200. That club includes Gary Sanchez, who is hitting only .130 on the year despite hitting seven homers this season. He has been the poster child of all the Yankees ills, even though he didn't play Sunday. 

As for the Orioles, they small balled the Yankees to death on Sunday. A walk Bryan Holaday drove in a run. An infield single by Andrew Velazquez on what should have been an error on second baseman D.J. LeMahieu drove in the O's fourth run of the afternoon. Finally a sac fly RBI by Ryan Mountcastle drove home the final run of the afternoon in the seventh. 

 The O's (19-21) are right on the heels of the Yankees (21-19). Now New York must square off with a Toronto Blue Jays team that has already passed them in the standings. When the two squads meet in Buffalo on Monday night, it will be the first time this year that the Yanks and Jays have squared off. 

 There will be 10 games between the two teams, and the Yankees need every single one, if not, most of them to keep their playoff hopes alive. 

As for the Orioles, they are a real threat. They get the Mets this week, and a successful week for them in Flushing and a bad week up north for the Yankees and the Bronx Bombers could be on the outside looking in. 

Mets All Time Great Tom Seaver Passes Away

 He will forever be known as "Tom Terrific." Tom Seaver, the man known for bringing the New York Mets baseball franchise into prominence in the mid to late 1960s, and was a key cog in their 1969 World Series title run, passed away Wednesday after a lengthy battle with dementia as well as COVID-19. He was 75. 

In a 20-year Hall of Fame career that took him from Flushing, Queens, New York to the Queen City (Cincinnati) and later to the South Side of Chicago, and finally the harbor of Boston, Massachusetts, Seaver amassed 311 victory, still good enough for 18th all time in Major League baseball. His 2.86 ERA (126th), and strikeouts (3,640) is sixth all time. 

 

He was easily one of the All Time greats. He led the NL in strikeouts from 1970-76, and his 16 opening day starts are still a Major League Baseball record. 

In 1969, in only his third season in the Major's Seaver won 25 games, pitching to a 2.21 ERA with 18 complete games. Seaver along with Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, and a young Nolan Ryan formed one of the games toughest pitching staffs. 

While Seaver and the Mets lost Game 1 of the '69 World Series to the Baltimore Orioles by a count of 4-1, Seaver came back to blank the Orioles through eight innings, while holding onto a thin 1-0 margin. He did run into trouble in the ninth, giving up the lead, but, in a day when pitchers were allowed to pitch deep into the ballgame, Seaver quieted the O's in the 10th, giving New York a chance to win in the bottom half of the inning, which they did on an errant throw down the first base line, by a score of 2-1. 

The next day, the Mets topped Baltimore 5-3 to capture the franchises' first World Series championship. 

Not only did man land on the moon in 1969, but the Miracle Mets, once lovable losers some seven years earlier when they lost 120 games were World Series Champs. 

Seaver and the Mets would return to the Fall Classic some four years later against the Oakland A's, but Seaver would lose Game 6 to Oakland 3-1, a series the Mets would drop in seven games - even though New York outplayed and outscored Oakland for the series.  

In 1977, two years removed from winning 21 games for New York, Seaver was dealt to the Cincinnati Reds for Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, and Dan Norman. It was by far and away considered the worst trade in the history of the New York Mets, and in some respects still haunts fans to this very day. 

Seaver made the Mets pay for the move, posting a 14-3 record with a 2.34 ERA in Cincinnati beginning what would be a fairly successful five year stay with the Reds. While Cincinnati didn't get to or win a World Series when Seaver was there - this was the end of the Big Red Machine days -- Seaver posted a higher winning percentage as a Red (.620) then he did as a Met (.615). 

One of the biggest moments a pitcher could have is to throw a no-hitter. Seaver came very close with the Mets, but it never transpired. He tossed five one-hitters for the Metropolitans. Instead the first no-hitter of Seaver's career came in a Reds uniform in 1978 against the St. Louis Cardinals - some nine years after he fell short of the bid with the Mets in 1969.

 Seaver would return to the Mets, albiet briefly in 1983, but would round out his career with two years pitching for the Chicago White Sox in 1984 and 1985, before finishing his career in 1986 with the Red Sox. Ironically he was in the opposing dugout when the Mets beat the Boston Red Sox in that year's World Series. 

After retiring from pitching, Seaver went into broadcasting, working Yankees games with Phil Rizzuto, before rejoining the Mets as a broadcaster in the late 1990s to do games with Gary Thorne, Howie Rose and later Dave O'Brien on WPIX channel 11. 

Seaver's 41 was retired by the Mets on June 24, 1988; he was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame the same year. In 1992 Seaver was formally enshrined into Cooperstown, receiving 98 percent of the vote, which was the highest vote total for any player until Ken Griffey Jr. received 99 percent in 2017. 

Seaver made countless appearances at Shea Stadium and Citi Field during his retirement from the Mets broadcast booth; including the final game at Shea Stadium in 2008, opening Citi Field in 2009 with the first pitch to Mets Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza, and throwing out the first pitch before the 2013 Major League Baseball All Star Game. 

The Mets were and are still planning to erect a statue in his honor.

Word of Seaver's passing shook the baseball word. 

Mets owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon issued a statement saying that the organization is devastated by the news. 

 

Meanwhile former teammates, colleagues and friends also took to social media to express their sorrow at the loss of a legend. 

Mets broadcaster Howie Rose posted a poignant tweet, before receiving a photo from a fan of both he and Seaver broadcasting a Mets game on WPIX. 

Mets broadcaster, and former first baseman Keith Hernandez and former Mets starter Dwight Gooden also posted touching tributes on Twitter. 

Even former Met Tom Glavine joined the chorus to honor a former baseball colleague. 

 

He is survived by wife Nancy, daughters Sarah and Anne, and their families.

Giants Score Big Signing Veteran Logan Ryan

Expectations are not very high for the New York Giants this year, but Big Blue doesn't care what the critics think. The Giants completed a one-year $7.5 million deal with veteran corner Logan Ryan, giving the Giants much needed veteran leadership on the back-end of their defense. 

Ryan, a former Rutgers University student, played for the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans during the first eight years of his career, will join a Giants team looking for versatility in the secondary.  

Big Blue is already without Deandre Baker who is out facing robbery charges. Sam Beal opted out due to COVID-19, and rookie Xavier McKinney fractured his foot and will miss most of the season, or 10 weeks. So to say the least the Giants needed a player, and they found one in a dependable veteran who knows what its like to play under the Bill Belichick tree. 

Last season with the Titans Ryan collected 113 tackles, 18 passes defensed and four fumbles. However his shinning moment came in last season's AFC Wild Card playoff game at New England where he picked off Tom Brady's final pass as a Patriot and ran it back for a touchdown in the Titans 20-13 victory. 

 Ryan waited a long time to find a team, contacting all 32 clubs, and at one point it appeared he was heading to the Jets before that deal broke off. 

 It is said that head coach Joe Judge plans to use Ryan in multiple formations both at safety and corner as the moment dictates, something that could be a huge boon for the Giants.