I don’t think Brian Cashman will ever be able to live down those words. Yes, tonight we see the return of Kei Igawa, or Kei Igawa’s ghost, or the ghost of Kei Igawa’s Ghost. Expectations are low, so i’d easily take six innings, four runs from him.

We’re up against The Gambler. Do I still harbor ill feelings from his failed stint in the Bronx? Eh, it’s been a while. Still, you gotta love it when he gets creamed.

Couple of notes. Jorge and A-Rod got in some rehab work today, taking BP. A-Rod could be back Thursday. Posada could be back next month.

The Padres claimed Sean Henn. You know he’s going to dominate out of the bullpen out there.

Chris Britton was optioned out for Kei Igawa, while Jose Veras remains. The Yankees made that move rather transparent, pitching Veras a couple of times against the Indians.

All right. Who’s ready for some Friday night baseball?

1. Melky Cabrera, CF
2. Derek Jeter, SSS
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Hideki Matsui, LF
5. Shelley Duncan, 1B
6. Jason Giambi, DH
7. Wilson Betemit, 3B
8. Robinson Cano, 2B — seriously? Betemit ahead of Cano?
9. Chad Moeller, C

And on the mound…I’m not sure what number he’s wearing…Kei Igawa.

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99 Comments »

RustyJohn says:

Again, poor Britton. I’m going to start a hunger strike until Britton is called up from Scranton again.

Link says:

looks like that hunger strike will end quickly, per PeteAbe Alby on DL, Britton coming right back.

 
 
dan says:

Did I miss something regarding Cashman’s words?

RustyJohn says:

Does that mean that Igawa won’t be frequenting gloryholes?

 
 
Jamal G. says:

Interesting seeing Morgan Ensberg ride the pine in favor of Wilson Betemit against a southpaw.

 
mustang says:

It’s funny.
On the same day that Igawa is making his first start of the year Ted Lilly pitches 7 innings of 3 hit one run ball with 10 strikeouts. That’s easily his best game of season.

Some of Cashman’s moves just seem to hunt his ass don’t they?
LOL

mustang says:

And Gil Meche is pitching tonight. That’s just plain spooky.
LOL

steve says:

sorry, but as bad as igawa has been, i still think passing on lilly and meche was the right deal, no way they are worth the 4 and 5 years, and the loss of the draft picks.

RustyJohn says:

Thank you, I live in Seattle- you do not want to see Gil Meche every 5th day- I did for years and the question always was, “Why is Gil Meche still here?” His success thus far in KC is mind bottling.

 
mustang says:

Well you got Igawa for 4 years and those picks are probably going to take at least that long. Those better be damn good draft picks at 46 million dollars ( what it took to get Igawa).

steve says:

now don’t quote me on this i’m just thinking out loud. too lazy to look it up, plus i’m at work …

if we signed lilly or meche, so we lost a first round draft pick that year, wasn’t it 2006 ? we would have lost our draft pick, who did we get in the first round that year, mr ian kennedy and mr joba chamberlain … now i couldn’t be completely wrong, but who would u rather have, igawa chamberlain and IPK or lilly

(i really hope i’m right on this one.)

mustang says:

Facts:
1-The Joba pick was a compensation pick from Philadelphia for Tom Gordon.
2-By all reports the Mets had the second highest bid for Igawa. 15-16 million.
3-Ted Lilly was 15-8 in 2007
4-Yankees 2006 1st round pick was IPK.

So if you’re asking me would I lose IPK and Igawa for Lilly 15-8 last year? Plus the cherry of watching Igawa pitch for the Mets.
Is hell yes strong enough?

 
 
 
 
 
Brian says:

Oh, you meant signing Igawa and not Lilly. I thought you meant trading Lilly for Jeff Weaver. Another of Cashman’s brilliant ideas.

A.D. says:

at the time that deal was brilliant

 
 
chris says:

so many to choose from they are bound to be noticd fom time to time

 
 
zzzzz says:

i never thought i’d say this but damn that lineup looks weak.

 
Link says:

Igawa looking good so far…lol

 
BigBlueAL says:

THANK GOD i have a game to ump at 8, cause after seein the first 4 batters hit ROCKETS off of Igawa and the lineup Girardi put out tonight, this is gonna be a LONG, LONG game. well at least the Tigers somehow only scored 1 run in the 1st inning…..

 
Mike A. says:

Sigh. It’s the same old Igawa.

 
Joseph M says:

Igawa is in midseason form. Duck everyone!

 
Jamal G. says:

My other boy is back, let’s go Jason Giambi!

 
Mike A. says:

Rumors of Jason Giambi’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.

 
 
Yankee1010 says:

I’d still like to see Giambi hit a ball off of someone whose fastball can break a pane of glass. But yes, at least he’s hitting the ball against somebody.

 
Jamal G. says:

Damn that was a good pick-off move, even I froze on that watching it, LoL.

 
Mike A. says:

That tuxedo commercial with the kid trying to pin the corsage (sp?) on his prom date cracks me up everytime.

Jamal G. says:

LoL, it really does but those things suck. Doing it last year it was hard because my prom date had a thin strap dress and I damn sure wasn’t going to try and pinch her tit with a needle. So me being a genius I just switched with my friend and got the one where you just slide it on her wrist, nice.

LiveFromNewYork says:

I was going to say always go with the wrist corsage.

 
 
 
Jamal G. says:

Lmao at Michael Kay saying “A one, two, three inning for Kei Igawa.” like it didn’t make sense in the English language.

 
Ben K. says:

So I missed the bottom of the 2nd, but had the Yankees and Tigers been playing in Yankee Stadium, I think Igawa would have given up four HR in the first inning. That’s stellar pitching. I can’t wait to see how Kennedy does this weekend.

 
Mike A. says:

Who is that man and what has he done with Melky Cabrera?

LiveFromNewYork says:

which Melky is missing? I can’t keep track anymore.

 
 
Manimal says:

Thank you matsui. 2 rally enders.

 
Ben K. says:

“You’ve got tigers with balls in their mouth.”
-Michael Kay.

Let’s just savor that one for a second.

Jamal G. says:

I was just LoLing at the fact that he emphasized “balls”.

 
 
Mike A. says:

What, where’s the sunglasses?

Ben K. says:

I was just thinking that. Now, I know what Kei Igawa looks like. He should probably put the sunglasses back on.

Ben K. says:

Nah. He’s just an unattractive person. And his pitching sucks.

 
 
 
 
Jamal G. says:

How in God’s name can that be an error?

 
 
Jamal G. says:

You know how good Zach McCallister has been? He has given up 8 ER over his first two innings tonight and is still sporting a nifty 2.63 ERA.

 
Mike A. says:

Oh fuck, Sunday is Mother’s Day? Michael Kay just keeps making my day worse and worse.

 

i hate to acknowledge it but kay actually made a valid point. to paraphrase: “betemit sucks at third base.”

A.D. says:

In reality Ensberg has NO range so it wouldn’t make much of a difference

 
 
RustyJohn says:

The Igawa experiment has gone awry

RustyJohn says:

The silver lining is he is still about 30 pitches under where IPK would have been right now.

 
Jamal G. says:

I wouldn’t say so. First inning was tough but he calmed down in the second and here in the third his 3B has been so bad he should be charged with the ERs.

 
 
Jamal G. says:

Lack of range from your infielders really, really hurts.

 
Mike A. says:

UPDATE, 7:19 p.m.: Igawa is better than I thought he would be. It took two pitches before he gave up a hit.

I’ll give Pete credit, that was pretty funny.

 
RustyJohn says:

I think they should just do away with the 5th starter, call Britton back up, and pitch four relievers for a couple of innings a piece. Shit, they all end up in the game by the fourth inning anyhow.

 
A.D. says:

Pretty much defense or not Igawa has shown nothing is different from before, he’s not very good and when he throws the ball up it gets ripped…wish we saw McCutchen tonight

 
Joseph M says:

Talk about a bad combination, a powerful right hand hitting line-up, Betemit down at 3rd, and Igawa pitching (if that’s what they call it).

Art Vandelay says:

Which is why the “4 runs over 6 innings” call in the blurb was wildly unrealistic. I put the over/under for Tiger runs at 10 prior to the game.

 
Ivan says:
 
 
Joseph M says:

top of the 4th is over, fasten your seat belts everyone.

 
Manimal says:

best half inning ever. The commentary was shut off.

 
Manimal says:

Betemit is awful at 3rd, Why no love for ensburg?

 
Mike A. says:
mustang says:

why? it’s The same thing.

Mike A. says:

IPK beats himself with walks, and he has the power to change that. They’re just teeing off against Igawa, nothing he can do about it.

mustang says:

Anyway you cut it the end results is out by the 4th bullpen in.
Lets give some other guys a chance.

Ivan says:

Igawa has no potential to help this team in the rotation. IPK does.

mustang says:

The word I love “potential “.
The New York Yankees are measure by wins not potential.
I should tattoo that on my ass.
LOL
I like said McCuthchen.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Joseph M says:

Take him out before someone is killed.

 
mustang says:
 
Ivan says:

After watching Betemit and Ensburg, not only do you appreciate A-Rod hitting but his defense is surely miss right now.

 
mustang says: