The Yankees wrapped up their exhibition schedule today with a big win over the Mets. Andy Pettitte threw 13 pitches and faced the minimum in his one inning of work (video), giving up a ground ball single that took a big hop over the first baseman’s head (runner was later thrown out trying to steal), a pop-up to shortstop, and a routine ground ball to second. Seriously, it was like he never left. Same old Andy.
Frankie Cervelli clubbed a two-run homer before a) getting demoted, and b) the minor league replacements unloaded on the Mets. Kevin Mahoney, Ramon Flores, and Hector Rabago all drove in runs. David Robertson practiced his Houdini act, striking out the side after putting men on the corners with no outs. Here’s the box score and here’s the final Spring Training update from Tampa…
- “It was good to get out there…everything felt great,” said Pettitte after his outing. His plan is to be ready for the big leagues in about a month, and if today was any indication, he’ll be just fine. [Erik Boland]
- “No pain right now,” said Michael Pineda when asked how he and his shoulder are feeling. He has not yet been told when he will pick up a bawseball, however. [Boland]
- Hiroki Kuroda, Rafael Soriano, and Phil Hughes all threw their regularly scheduled side sessions, the final tuneup before the regular season. Mariano Rivera threw a simulated game yesterday, by the way. [Chad Jennings]
- David Phelps won the James P. Dawson Award as the top rookie in camp. His reward was a spot on the Opening Day roster. I can only hope Phelps has a better big league career than the former winners. [Pete Caldera]
Here is your open thread for the evening. The Nets are playing tonight, plus there’s an actual regular season baseball game being played. The Marlins officially open their new ballpark against the Cardinals on ESPN at 7pm ET (Johnson vs. Lohse). Enjoy.