Source: FanGraphs
That was some start to the final homestand of the season. The Yankees scored three runs again — they scored at least three runs in back-to-back games for the first time in exactly a week — and used a walk-off error to beat the Blue Jays by the score of 3-2 on Thursday night. It was their eighth walk-off win of the season and fourth in their last eleven home games. They’ve been involved in five walk-offs in their last nine games overall (two wins, three losses).
I was out running around all afternoon/evening and I didn’t get home until right before Derek Jeter hit his solo homer in the sixth inning. I mean right before. I walked in the door, turned on the television, changed the channel, and R.A. Dickey was in mid-windup on the homer pitch. Pretty great timing on my part. The homer was Jeter’s first at Yankee Stadium this year and fourth on the season overall. It is also likely to be the final homer of his career. Bummer.
Jeter’s long ball gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead — apparently Stephen Drew (!?) doubled in Chase Headley in the fifth inning, which was unexpected — but that lead evaporated in the eighth inning on Jose Bautista’s entirely predictable two-out, two-strike, two-run homer. Francisco Cervelli called for and Shawn Kelley threw the same exact pitch three straight times to Bautista:
What did they think was going to happen? Bautista was visibly angry with himself after fouling off the second pitch, so maybe change it up a bit? He was sitting on the third straight high fastball and appropriately pimped the homer trot. I would have too. Can you imagine being a big leaguer? I’d pimp the hell out of it every time I hit a ball out of the park. That must be the coolest feeling in the world.
Anyway, the Yankees rallied to win the game in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off error by Adam Lind at first base. Chris Young led the inning off with a single, pinch-runner Antoan Richardson stole second, then Brett Gardner bunted him over to third. He actually got ahead in the count 3-0, bunted foul twice, then got it down in the 3-2 count. Not textbook. Headley then hit the ground ball that Lind straight up Bucknered at first base. Right through his legs. Richardson was running on contact and I thought he had a chance to beat the throw even if Lind fielded it because he had dropped to his knees. Whatever, doesn’t really matter now.
Headley now has three walk-off … batted balls? … with the Yankees. That wasn’t a hit, so I guess walk-off batted balls it is. He had the walk-off single in his first game in pinstripes, the walk-off homer against Koji Uehara, and now this walk-off error ball. My brother said Headley reminds him of a late-1990s Yankee, if that makes sense. I hope they find a way to keep him after the season. David Robertson deserves some props for his perfect top of the ninth and Dellin Betances as well for getting the final out of the seventh. The Yankees are scaling back on his workload, hence the one-out appearance. Shane Greene (three singles, two walks in 6.2 shutout innings) was awesome yet again.
MLB.com has the box score and video highlights, FanGraphs some other stats, and ESPN the updated standings. The Yankees are five games back of the second wildcard spot with ten games to play. Their elimination number is six and FanGraphs has their postseason odds at 0.1%. Veterans Hiroki Kuroda and Mark Buehrle will be on the bump Friday night. RAB Tickets can get you in the door if you want to catch that or any of the other six home games left on the season/Jeter’s career.
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