Game 162 / 87-75 / 2nd / -6 GB : Thank you, Arizona Diamondbacks! And by ‘back into’ — we mean going in reverse, not that they’re back ‘into’ the postseason — in case you were understandably medicated while watching this torture. As poor pitching and missed opportunities on offense continued today in a 9-4 loss to Baltimore, the Yankees, who have lost 6 of 7, somehow find themselves hosting the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card game on Tuesday evening, thanks to the D-Back’s stunning win over the Astros. In an ominous result for any real hopes of going deep in the postseason, Michael Pineda last only 3.2 innings, allowing 4 earned runs. Eight other New York pitchers combined to give up 5 more.
Here’s the box score, full recap, and video highlights.
Orioles 9, Yankees 4
Note to Ca$h: Davis is a free agent!
Nothing Going Yanks Way At the Worst Time
After dropping 3 of 4 at home to Boston Red Sox, the Yankees ended the season getting swept by the Orioles in ugly fashion. The starting pitching is in the worst shape it’s been in all season. The bullpen, with the exception of Andrew Miller and to a lesser degree Adam Warren, is in shambles. The offense has not been clicking since Mark Teixeira went down — not advancing runners, going deep into counts enough, the home run power has pretty much disappeared, and they’re leaving runners on base at a rate that makes your head explode. Tell anyone yammering about the 2000 Yankees having a horrible September and going on to win the World Series that these ain’t your 2000 Yankees. Long gone is the star power, the mix of grizzled (and successful) vets who kept cool and led the way at crunch time. A handful of guys on the current roster have rings from 2009, but that’s 5 years and some major roster turnovers ago.
It’s hard to imagine how, but some way, somehow the Yankees need to pull it together and believe in themselves. We’ll know early on Tuesday evening if they did…
MEMORY LANE : On October 4, 1922, for the first time, the entire World Series will be broadcast over the radio. Writer Grantland Rice does the announcing of the Giants-Yankees Series for station WJZ, Newark, New Jersey, whose signal is relayed to WGY in Schenectady, New York …
Today in 1939, the World Series begins in New York with the Yankees as heavy favorites and the Reds playing their first Series since the infamous 1919 matchup against Chicago. The game is tied 1-1 until the last of the ninth, when Yankees catcher Bill Dickey singles home the winning run …
On today’s date in 1953, in an eventual 11-7 victory in Game 5, Mickey Mantle sends a Russ Meyer pitch into the upper deck to become only the fourth player in World Series history to hit a grand slam. The Yankees slugger joins teammate Gil McDougald (1951), Elmer Smith (1920) and Tony Lazzeri (1936) in accomplishing the feat …
On October 4, 1961, Whitey Ford tosses his third straight World Series shutout, with home runs by Elston Howard and Bill Skowron, gives New York a 2-0 win in the opener against Cincinnati at Yankee Stadium …
Today in 1962, in Game One of the World Series at Candlestick Park, Whitey Ford‘s record scoreless inning streak ends at 33 2/3 when a surprise bunt by Jose Pagan brings Willie Mays home. The Yankees win, 6-2, the last of a record 10 World Series victories for Ford …
Speaking of Wild Card teams, today in 1995 — Jim Leyritz homers with a man on in the 15th inning to give the Yankees a dramatic victory and a two-games-to-none series lead over the Seattle Mariners.
(h/t: NationalPastime.com, Baseball-Reference.com, Today in Baseball History)
