Game 104 / 59-45 / 1st / +5G : Behind Ivan Nova‘s wicked sinkers and crisp breaking balls, the White Sox looked helpless at the plate while the Yankees offense teed off on Jeff Samardizja to the tune of 9 ER over 4.2 innings en route to a 12-3 win and a victorious road trip.
The win gave New York a 6-4 record for the trip, remaining undefeated in their last 8 series (7-0-1), and gaining a game in the American League East division standings (now 6 games).
Here’s the box score, full recap, and video highlights.
Yankees 12, White Sox 3
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- Jacoby Ellsbury Clocks a booming home run off Smardizja on the second pitch of the game, and the Yankees never looked back.
- Brett Gardner Overlooked in the scoring barrage (and Nova’s fine outing) was Gardy’s AB in the 4th. With 3 runs already in and a 4-0 lead, Gardner came up with Gregorius on third and Drew on second with 2 out. While the 4-0 lead was indeed satisfying over Samardizja, Gardner had a great AB, smashing a solid single to right, turning on an 86mph slider that was tailing low and outside, to plate both runners for a 6-0 lead, and the rout was on.
- Mark Teixeira Safe to day Tex is well on his way to his pre-season goal of 30 HRs and 100 RBI. The slugger hit is 29th today, a no-doubter half way up the right centerfield seats. Teixeira is only 3 behind AL Home Run leader Mike Trout (LAA), who has 32, and one behind Albert Pujols (LAA). In the RBI department, Tex is only 1 behind AL leader Josh Donaldson (TOR).
- Bottom of the Order Crazy offensive numbers from the 7-8-9 holes on the 10-game road trip. Didi Gregorius in particular was on fire, hitting at a 14-for-32 clip (.438), and knocking in 12 runs in the process.
“When the bottom of the order is as productive as it’s been the last week or so, it just makes our entire team better. You can score a lot of runs that way.” ‐ Mark Teixeira (h/t: ‘Bottom’s up! Trio delivers for Yankees’ by Bryan Hoch / MLB.com)
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Remembering Thurman
It was one of those moments in your life that when you hear news about something, you never forget where you where, and what you were doing. It’s usually incredibly sad or bad news that triggers this, and August 2, 1979 was no exception.
At work, I remember thinking the Yankees were off that day, coming off a three game sweep of the White Sox in Chicago, and having a tinge of hope that the season might finally be turning around for the club. They were 10 games over .500 at the time, but 14.5 games off the division lead in 4th place. Hey, we did it before and we were going to it again. Then came the news.
New York was always a tough place on a lot of levels, but the 1970s was an era for the books. Crime, grime and sleaze ruled the day, and that was only Times Square. The Bronx burned, the President of the United States told us to ‘Drop Dead’, Central Park was a haven for muggers and rapists, the subways weren’t safe, you name it. But by mid-decade, the Yankees started giving people hope, an emotional refuge. A small but important distraction from the day to day realities of life and the city around us.
By 1977 and ’78, the swagger was back. The place was still as gritty as ever, but pride was making a comeback. And no Yankee exhibited grit more than their captain, Thurman Munson. Although from Ohio, Munson had the ‘take no sh*t’ attitude hard-wired into most New Yorkers at birth. He wasn’t one of us, but he was one of us. And he was a New York Yankee.
Hard to grasp that it was 36 years ago today. I think about him often, as The Bronx Zoo Yankees were ‘my Yankees’ — the teams of my youth in the city of my birth. The characters, the drama, the headlines and heroics … and the memories. There will never be a time like that again, and will never be another Thurman Munson. We still miss you, #15. And respect, thoughts and prayers are with your family today.
“I’m a little too belligerent. I cuss and swear at people. I yell at umpires and maybe I’m a little to tough at home sometimes. I don’t sign as many autographs as I should and I haven’t always been that good with writers.” ‐ Thurman Munson
This is why we always have and always will love you, Thurman.
