20 posts tagged “jason giambi”
Ok, so it isn't exactly Cramer v. Stewart. But a new feud has emerged in the sports world.
Jeff Pearlman, author of The Rocket That Fell to Earth (set to be released in the coming weeks), has angered Brian Cashman because of an anecdote in the book.
The book said that when Giambi went through a slump in the 2002 season, his first with the Yankees, Cashman was heard yelling at a television in the Yankees' clubhouse during a game. Citing "one New York player," the book said that Cashman screamed, "Jason, whatever you were taking in Oakland," get back on it.
The book said that Cashman then added, "Please!"
In a telephone interview Thursday night, Cashman said that the anecdote described in the book never happened.
"That is completely false," Cashman said.
Pearlman acknowledged that he never called Cashman to confirm or deny this story; rather, he referenced a Yankee player that he has "100 percent confidence" in.
I like Pearlman; I actually met him at a writers conference last year (I am also friends with him on Facebook). I just hope that his source is really good, or else he will have tarnished his journalistic credibility.
It's official: Carl Pavano (a.k.a the Rajah of Rehab, the American Idle) has left New York and is headed to Cleveland.
It wasn't exactly a successful tenure in pinstripes for Pavano, but it was certainly entertaining. He made 26 starts to the tune of a 9-8 record, all at the cost of just $40 million.
Has there been a worse signing in Yankees history? It's certainly up there.
Meanwhile, Jason Giambi has signed a one-year deal with Oakland, where he began his career. Giambi signed with the Yankees before 2002, and over seven seasons, he hit 30+ home runs five times. Even though his defense declined through the years, he remained a powerful and patient force for the Yankees. Hopefully the Big G will enjoy his stay in Oakland as his career winds down.
It's hard to believe- the last time the Yankees didn't have Jason Giambi or Carl Pavano on their 40-man roster was 2004, back when I was in middle school. Boy, the times sure do fly.
With the arbitration deadline looming (in fact, it's today), the Yankees have a plethora of decisions they need to make on some key players.
Anthony McCarron of the Daily News furthers:
"Pettitte would likely earn around the $16 million he's pocketed the last two seasons if he accepts arbitration, but it seems unlikely the Yanks will offer it - if they wanted to pay Pettitte that much money, he'd likely already have been re-signed. Instead, the team wants him to take a pay cut after a 14-14 season."
Bobby Abreu is also seeking a three-year deal. Others, such as Jason Giambi, will probably not be offered arbitration.
Whichever way you look at it, the Yankees have a lot of decisions to make within their organization. And that's not even including the free-agent market.
Recently, Mike Mussina, Damaso Marte, Jason Giambi, and Carl Pavano all officially filed for free agency.
Two months ago, Mussina said that he would be completely satisfied in walking away on a high note. At this point, it is unlikely he will resign with the Yankees or any other team.
The Yankees had the option of bringing Marte back for $6 million, but instead, they bought him out for $250,000, making him a free agent. Marte, who is 33, struggled with the Yankees down the stretch. However, I still think he is one of the best lefty relievers out there, and so hopefully the Yanks can bring him back.
It is unlikely that Giambi or Pavano will return. I don't think the Big G fully lived up to his contract, but he certainly had some productive years during his time in pinstripes.
As far as Pavano, good riddens.
Final Score: Mariners 5, Yankees 2
Seattle: 56-86
New York: 76-67
W- Feierabend (1-2)
L- Mussina (17-8)
SV- Putz (12)
Offense: The offense got off to a quick start when Derek Jeter hit his tenth home run of the year in the first. Xavier Nady added another solo shot in the second to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. But after that, the offense did virtually nothing. From innings three through nine, the team was in a complete stupor; they would get a man on here or there, but in the end, they couldn't drive them in. The Yankees mustered only six total hits off the combination of Ryan Feierabend, Miguel Batista, and J.J. Putz.
Pitching: Mike Mussina didn't have a horrible start, but he left a few pitches in bad spots, and they were subsequently hit hard. He gave up a home run to Adrian Beltre in the third and then gave up another homer to Jose Lopez in the fourth. Even though he did give up four runs, he should have earned his 18th win of the year if he had gotten some run support. In relief, Coke and Veras pitched two innings. Veras allowed a home run to Jose Lopez in the eighth inning.
Final Notes:
- The Yankees finished the series by taking only one of three games from the Mariners, who are the worst team in the American League.
- The Yankees trail the Red Sox by 8.5 games with 19 remaining. They also trail the Blue Jays by a half game for fourth place.
- Derek Jeter's single in the third gave him 2,518 hits as a Yankee, which tied him with Babe Ruth for second all time.
- The last time the Yankees were in fourth place this late in the season was in 1992, sixteen years ago.
In today's game, Jason Giambi contributed his second walk-off hit of the year, and the eighth overall for the Yankees, en route to a 3-2 win over the Red Sox. In a series where the Yankees could have possibly moved to within two of the Red Sox, they finish the series six back with a month to play.
Put it this way: if the Yankees want to make the postseason, they need to play flawless baseball for a month, and the Red Sox need to be average. It's highly improbable. But at least the Yankees didn't embarrass themselves and pulled out the final game of the series.
In the meantime, I'll be away for this Labor Day weekend, so expect posting to be scarce.
Final Score: Yankees 5, Blue Jays 1
Yankees: 67-59
Blue Jays: 65-61
W- Pettitte (13-9)
L- Purcey (2-4)
Offense: The Yankees scored five runs in tonight's victory over the Jays, but it only would have taken two or three with the way Andy Pettitte was pitching. Derek Jeter continued his hot hitting by going 3-for-5 with a home run that gave the Yankees a 5-0 lead in the fourth inning. Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady also had multiple hits. In his second game off the D.L., Hideki Matsui recorded his first hit with an eighth-inning double. A-Rod and Giambi, meanwhile, both went hitless and are a combined 1-for-15 in the first two games of the series.
Pitching: Andy Pettitte delivered a superb outing and earned his thirteenth win of the year. He was solid through seven innings, allowing just five hits and one run while striking out four. He left throwing just 84 pitches and could have probably went all nine if given the opportunity. Brian Bruney pitched two innings in relief and closed the door on the Blue Jays.
Final Notes:
- Derek Jeter's home run was the 203rd of his career, tying him with Roger Maris for 11th all time on the Yankee list.
- Jeter is batting .571 (16-for-27) over his past six games, including five multi-hit efforts. He is also two hits shy of 2,500 for his career.
- This was Pettitte's first victory since July 26th against the Red Sox. He now has the second-best winning percentage of all time in the month of August (Lefty Gomez is first).
- The Yankees are 45-15 in games where they score first.
Final Score: Yankees 15, Royals 6
Yankees: 66-58
Royals: 55-69
W- Mussina (16-7)
L- Bannister (7-12)
Offense: It took the Yankees thirteen innings to score three runs yesterday, but today, they came out of their shell. They scored six in the first on home runs from Alex Rodriguez and Xavier Nady, and then added four more in the second on a grand slam from Jason Giambi. The Yankees added a fourth home run from Cody Ransom, who was making his Yankee debut at the plate. It seemed like the offense was clicking on all cylinders today, and only Johnny Damon failed to get a hit (though he did walk twice). Even though they did this against a bad team, it should hopefully give the slumbering offense some confidence as they head to Toronto.
Pitching: Mike Mussina struggled early, giving up a three-spot in the first, but he bounced back and retired the final thirteen batters he faced. With the win, he improves to 16-7 on the year with a solid 3.35 ERA. At the age of 39, he is having one of his best seasons yet, and we're running out of superlatives to describe it. In relief, Billy Traber and Chris 'Don't Send Me Down' Britton combined for three innings. Traber allowed a run and Britton allowed two, but at that point, the runs were meaningless.
Final Notes:
- This was the most runs the Yankees scored since they scored eighteen against the Rangers in July.
- Mike Mussina recorded his 266th career victory, tying him with Bob Feller and Eppa Rixey for 34th all time.
- Of the 38 games remaining, the Yankees play 22 on the road. All but ten of the 38 games are against teams with a record over .500.
- Giambi's 14th career slam tied him with Gil Hodges, Mark McGwire, and Mike Piazza for 14th on the career list. A-Rod is tied for eighth with 16.
Final Score: Rangers 9, Yankees 5
Yankees: 61-51
Rangers: 59-54
W- Guardado (3-2)
L- Marte (4-1)
Offense: The Yankee offense started out on fire. They scored a run in the first off a clean-shaven Jason Giambi single, and then added two more in the fourth after home runs from Giambi and Robinson Cano. They would add their fourth run in the fifth, when Vincente Padilla's second balk of the inning allowed Johnny Damon to score from third base. At the time, the Yankees had a 4-2 lead, but Joba Chamberlain would allow three runs in the next inning. In the eighth, Xavier Nady hit an opposite field shot, which tied the game at five. Unfortunately, that was all the Yankees could muster; in the bottom of the ninth, Marlon Byrd hit a walk-off grand slam off Damaso Marte that gave the Rangers the victory.
Pitching: Joba Chamberlain came out throwing bullets, but he ran into some trouble in the fourth and fifth innings. First, he allowed a two-run home run to David Murphy, and then he allowed a three-run shot to Michael Young. Joba would leave in the fifth inning with a stiff shoulder, but hopefully it won't have any resounding effects. The Yankee rotation would take a huge blow if he were placed on the D.L. After Chamberlain left, Edwar Ramirez and Brian Bruney combined to shut out the Rangers for 2.2 innings. Damaso Marte then got two big outs in the eighth, but in the ninth, he walked the bases loaded and then allowed the walk-off shot to Byrd.
Final Notes:
- With the win, the Rangers snap a ten-game home losing streak.
- The Yankees continued to fail with runners in scoring position. Their biggest opportunity to take the lead for good came in the seventh, when Jason Giambi and Xavier Nady reached on consecutive singles with no outs. However, the following hitters could not move them over. The Yankees were really only one hit away from winning this game.
- Xavier Nady has homered four times in his last 22 at bats with the Yankees.
Final Score: Yankees 2, Athletics 1
Yankees: 53-45
Athletics: 51-47
W- Pettitte (11-7)
L- Duchscherer (10-6)
SV- Rivera (24)
Offense: The Yankees have now scored three runs or less in as many games as they did all of last year, a portrayal of their dismal offense. However, in this one, they pulled out a victory because of the superb pitching by Andy Pettitte. The only runs came off an Alex Rodriguez sacrifice fly and a Jason Giambi home run. Other than Giambi, Robinson Cano contributed two hits, raising his season average to .258. Meanwhile, the bottom four hitters combined to go 0-for-11.
Pitching: Andy Pettitte threw another gem today; his line: 8 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 9 strikeouts. He now stands at 11-7 with an ERA of 3.86. Since July 20th of last year, Andy Pettitte has 21 victories, which makes him and Brandon Webb the only pitchers with 20+ wins since that time. Pettitte hit his spots all day, and the four hits he gave up barely got through the infield. It also marked the second time in his last three starts that he went eight innings, which has given the bullpen some rest. In the ninth inning, Mariano Rivera shut the door for his 24th save of the season.
Final Notes:
- With the win, the Yankees won their seventh straight at home, and raised their season record to 53-45, a season-high eight games over .500.
- Republican Presidential candidate John McCain took in the game as a guest of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.
- Johnny Damon (sprained left shoulder) plans to begin throwing tomorrow. Meanwhile, Hideki Matsui (sore left knee) will be examined tomorrow and a decision on whether he needs surgery could come Tuesday.
