With Mike Mussina on the mound and Mariano Rivera due to pitch as he attempts to win one of those coveted bullpen spots, the first inning of today’s game will be devoted to none other than the Yankee DH-for-a-day Billy Crystal. Wearing number 60 in honor of his birthday, the comedian will lead off the bottom of the first against the Pirates’ Paul Maholm.
Opinion in Yankeeland over Billy Crystal is divided. I personally have no qualms with this little stunt. It’s a one at-bat honor bestowed upon a prominent baseball fan for his birthday. The Pirates, as iYankees tells us, are amused by this as well. However, Alex Belth at the Banter is rather skeptical of the movie, and Jason at My Baseball Bias isn’t quite sure what to make of it. Meanwhile, Ed Price offers up a Crystal scouting report.
In other game news, Jaret Wright is slated to pitch a few innings for the Pirates today. So be prepared for a four-hour Spring Training game. One day, I will never have to watch Jaret Wright pitch again, and it will be glorious. The game is on YES and MLB.tv. At around 1 p.m. or so, you should be able to follow the Spring Training Gameday here.
Lineup
Crystal DH
Jeter SS
Abreu RF
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui LF
Cano 2B
Duncan 1B
Molina C
Cabrera CF
Pitchers
Mussina
Rivera
Karstens
Veras