Game #2: sevy is back
After enjoying opening day yesterday, I am here with a recap of game #2 of the 2022 Yankees season! Included are my minute-by-minute thoughts as the game was happening, followed by a concluding “three up, three down” segment, where I list the three best and worst takeaways from the game! As always - Your Friendly Neighborhood Yankees Fan…
Minute-by Minute Memo
3:56 pm EST - Just tuned into the FS1 pregame show. Does Frank Thomas hate the Yankees or something? Two minutes in, and all he’s said is that “The Yankees aren’t going anywhere without signing Aaron Judge” - (this Judge story isn’t going anywhere all season, is it) ...
3:57 - Dontrelle Willis is on the FS1 pregame show? We went from A-Rod, Pete Rose, and Big Papi to a guy who’s claim to fame is pitching like a Russian contortionist…
3:59 - Frank Thomas just picked the Red Sox to win 6-3. Shocker.
4:00 - The actual FS1 broadcast just started and I’ll be honest…this doesn’t feel the same without Joe Buck. But hey…at least we still have notorious Yankees hater, John Smoltz, on the call! Also, yes, I’m watching the national broadcast. It just makes the game feel bigger.
4:04 - Red Sox rolling out the same lineup as yesterday. Nothing to note here.
4:06 - Luis Severino takes the mound as a starter for the first time since 2019 ALCS game 3. I’m already pacing nervously in my ten-foot wide “living room”.
4:07 - Who’s cutting onions?
4:09 - 98 mph!?! I’m feeling things!!!
4:11 - Severino freezes Devers for strike three, and he’s looking GOOD! (Is Sevy our real ace? People are asking)
4:13 - Xander “should be playing 2B” Bogaerts just struck out to end a 1-2-3 first. Luis Severino is a SUPERSTAR, but I’m supposed to believe that “DeUCL” and “Senile Scherzer” are the best one-two punch in New York…
4:16 - Quick Yankees lineup thoughts: Love it! You needed to get Gleyber in the lineup for this game, and I like giving Hicks the day off with Houck going tomorrow for Boston.
4:18 - Now John Smoltz is talking about Aaron Judge’s contract. (Inserts Will Smith video). Smoltz is that guy who never moved on from high school, and just wanders around the local bar looking for someone to recognize him. It’s just sad. It’s been 20 years…get over it.
4:22 - Lifeless first inning offensively. (Pivetta isn’t good, guys.)
4:24 - IKF just booted a JD Martinez dribbler. I’ll be honest, I might be out on IKF just two games in. If you’re not going to hit, you have to make “fairly” routine plays. So far, IKF’s defense has been shaky at best. Clean it up…
4:26 - Verdugo just hit an absolute BOMB…2-0 Red Sox. Thanks IKF! Also, Verdugo is officially a Yankee (Stadium) killer.
4:29 - John Smoltz - “The biggest question about Trevor Story is how he’s going to hit away from Coors Field.” No, John. The biggest question is if he’ll be able to watch Bogaerts make a mockery of shortstop for an entire season without losing his mind.
4:34 - JBJ grounds out meekly to first. Have I mentioned how much I love that Jackie “hasn’t hit a ball out of the infield since 2018” Bradley Jr. is back in Boston?
4:39 - Severino wins a twelve pitch battle with Christian Vazquez to get out of the top of the second. Vazquez is one of those hitters who’s so bad that just working the pitch count up is a win. Or, as I like to call it, “post-2019 Brett Gardner”.
4:47 - Gallo gets thrown out by JBJ trying to stretch a single into a double to end the second inning. Two games in, and we’re about fifteen total feet away from two Gallo home runs. Probably can’t complain after Stanton and DJs homers yesterday, but damn, my man can’t catch a break.
4:50 - FS1 new main guy (whatever his name is) - “Note to Joey Gallo…don’t run on JBJ.” Umm…that was as routine as a routine play gets? JBJ might be the Pat Beverly of Major League Baseball. As Russell Wesbrook would say - “He be tricking y’all”.
4:56 - Severino strikes out Bogaerts and JD back-to-back to end the top of the third. He’s probably done, and honestly pitched better than any of us could’ve expected. No matter what happens for the rest of the game, I’ll be smiling tonight!
5:04 - Red Sox aren’t using the “PitchCom” technology because, according to Alex Cora, “Pitchers won’t have the same conviction.” Yeah, I’m so sure that Alex Cora cares about his pitcher’s feelings. We should definitely blindly trust a notorious cheater! There has to be another motive. (Can someone check Pivetta’s hat?)
5:05 - Another IKF groundout…DRINK. I’m officially done with the IKF experiment.
5:06 - 2-0 Red Sox after three innings. I feel like I have to remind the Yankees that PIVETTA IS NOT A GOOD MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PITCHER!
5:11 - Ron Marinaccio debut time!
5:13 - Five pitches, five balls! And he has his first official mound visit…oh boy!
5:17 - “Ronny Baseball” strikes out Dalbec for his career strikeout. Dalbec is the Red Sox version of Greg Bird. They’re just going to keep trying and trying to make him happen, but he’s going to end up in the Mariners farm system by 2024.
5:19 - Really nice play by Gleyber to rob JBJ. It’s crazy what letting someone play their natural position will do!
5:21 - RONNY BASEBALL HAS ARRIVED! With a strikeout of Christian Vazquez to strand two Red Sox, we’re moving onto the bottom of the fourth! And yes, “Ronny Baseball” is now a thing.
5:27 - Aaron Judge just got robbed of extra bases (No, Kiké didn’t rob a home run). Also, find something you love to do as much as Red Sox outfielders love to dive and jump around unnecessarily. Seriously, it’s like a bad episode of Dude Perfect…(Really nice tag-up by Donaldson, by the way)
5:29 - RIZZZZZOOOOOOO!!!! NOT ROBBING THAT ONE!!!! Nick Pivetta STINKS! Don’t let him see the lineup a second time, Cora! 2-2 ballgame.
5:31 - Devers just robbed Giancarlo of a single. He would go down as the greatest player in MLB history if he only played the Yankees. (Hot take: I would let Aaron Judge walk if it meant the Red Sox had to let Devers walk.)
5:32 - Totally random thought but remember when the Red Sox were trying desperately to get Rizzo at the trade deadline last year???
5:36 - Joey Gallo walk success!!! He has a .429 OBP so far this year, but the haters will say he needs to “throw down more bunts”. (Looking at you, Evan Roberts).
5:38 - Gleyber pops up to end the fourth and I just let out my first, stern “Gleybey” of the season.
5:48 - Miguel Castro is going to become a superstar here. Matt Blake sees a hard throwing sinker-baller with control issues the same way Barney Stinson sees a 20 year old girl with daddy issues.
5:51 - Random FS1 guy (I really don’t care) - “I’ve never heard someone so excited to be a Yankee, as IKF is.” Well, I hope he enjoys his three months here (trade deadline is in July, right?), before he joins Tyler Wade and Andrew Velazquez in the “remember those random SSs we used to run out there before Volpe took over and became an MVP?” club.
6:06 - Just hit my first baseball daze of the season. In my defense, it was Lucas Luetge going against the bottom of the Red Sox “skinnier than a Jimmy John’s sandwich” lineup. Seriously, this lineup stinks after the first four. I’m back and locked in. Moving on to the bottom of the fifth.
6:08 - Cora is letting Pivetta face the lineup a third time?????
6:09 - Leadoff walk to Judge. That’s gotta be it for Pivetta. right!?!
6:14 - STANTON IS THE BIGGEST RED SOX KILLER OF ALL TIME! WHY IS PIVETTA STILL IN THIS GAME???? ALEX CORA IS SO COOKED!!! FOUR-TWO YANKEES!!!
6:15 - There is no better feeling than watching Giancarlo Stanton strut out of the batter’s box when he knows he just sent a ball 400+ feet. (No bringing up last year’s wild card game…this is a safe space.)
6:15 - I was told Alex Cora is a good manager?!?
6:17 - Here comes Cora to get his starter! Great job by a “top five manager”! Seriously, he’s such a fraud. He overtook one of the greatest rosters in recent memory in 2018, and got INSANELY lucky last year. I’ll take Aaron Boone over him all day, every day.
6:19 - Random thought but remember when Luke Walton started 19-0 as an interim head coach with the Warriors? That must’ve taken great coaching!
6:24 - Uh oh. Nick Castellanos home run highlight on my screen. Everyone, call your loved ones!
6:27 - Chad Green freezes Kiké for a strikeout. Remember that random three-week stretch last postseason when Kiké Hernandez was good at baseball?
6:34 - Bottom of the seventh now, and Sawamura just came in for the Red Sox. I forgot how much I hate him. My top five most hated Red Sox: 1. Devers 2. leaving empty in respect for how much I hate Devers 3. Verdugo 4. Sawamura 5. Eovaldi
6:37 - VERDUGO CANNOT BE SERIOUS. I’VE NEVER SEEN THREE KEVIN KIERMAIERS IN ONE OUTFIELD. AND I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT DEFENSIVE ABILITY, EITHER. THEY JUST DIVE AND JUMP FOR EVERYTHING….
6:40 - “IKF…What would you say you do here?” I shouldn’t have to say it…but he grounded out again. Onto the eighth!
6:44 - It’s insane how wide the gap is between the Yankees and Red Sox bullpens. The Red Sox are rolling out create-a-players, while we have Clay Holmes and Chad Green mowing down hitters effortlessly. But yeah…we’re definitely on the same level.
6:49 - As if I needed to prove my point, here comes Phillips Valdez into the game!
6:50 - A couple of insurance runs would be nice here! Also, if I was the manager of the Yankees, Loaisiga would be closing tonight.
6:51 - Chapman is warming up…and my heart rate just spiked. Am I crazy for trusting Loaisiga more than Chapman? I’m just too battered and bruised from last season.
6:53 - I just love that Donaldson yells “F*CK” every time he strikes out. The Yankees could be up 11-2 in a May game vs the Royals and you couldn’t trust him with a hot mic anywhere in the vicinity.
6:56 - A lifeless inning from the Yankees in the eight, and we’re moving onto the ninth with Aroldis Chapman coming in. Is that the T-Rex from Jurassic Park walking around, or is that my heart beating???
6:58 - Here comes Chapman. Please throw strikes. Please throw strikes. Please throw strikes. Please throw strikes. Please throw strikes. Please throw strikes. Please throw strikes. Please throw strikes.
7:00 - ONE DOWN! (Bobby Dalbec is so bad lol).
7:02 - I AM SO DONE WITH IKF. GLEYBER WAS JUST AS GOOD (bad) AS HIM DEFENSIVELY AND IS MUCH BETTER OFFENSIVELY (Who wouldn’t be?)
7:03 - TWO OUTS! (Aaron Hicks is in the game?)
7:04 - Scariest words ever. “Devers is waiting on deck.”
7:07 - BALLGAME! The Yankees are 2-0! Also, THANK YOU to IKF for making the final play (heavy sarcasm). Also, great job by Chapman!!!
7:10 - Final thoughts. The Red Sox might suck?
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Three Up, Three Down
THREE UP
Luis Severino’s first start back in nearly three years was a HUGE success! I’m not sure what everyone else’s expectations were, but he surpassed mine. This is something that he can use to build off of. For the first time since we signed Cole in 2019, we might have our two aces. This is going to be fun.
Giancarlo Stanton is the biggest Red-Sox killer I’ve ever seen. I always thought that Judge did pretty well vs. Boston, but Stanton is taking it to a whole other level. Stanton should be universally loved by Yankees fans, and I honestly believe that he’s getting to that point. (Until he goes 0-3 with three K’s vs the Tigers in a few weeks).
The Yankees bullpen is incredible. We’ve had good bullpens before, but I honestly think this is the deepest bullpen we’ve ever had. Outside of the studs like Chapman, Loaisiga, Holmes, and Green, we have guys like Wandy, Luetge, Castro, and up-and-comers like “Ronny Baseball” and Michael King ready to dominate. This is a huge advantage for us early in the season, as everyone is building their starters up.
THREE DOWN
IKF has played as poorly as he could’ve over the first two games of the season. Now, ironically, he’s ended both games, (walk off run yesterday, put out today) but he really needs to play better. I don’t care if he doesn’t hit (I’m not expecting him to). But he’s botched three routine plays in two games now, which cannot happen. His stock is as low as it could be.
The bottom of the lineup has been pretty dead through two games, now. I expect it to be better going forward, but it’s still something to note. I know Gallo is going to turn it around (he’s just missed two home runs), but I’d like to start seeing some production from our final three.
I don’t even have one right now. I’m not going to nitpick…we're 2-0 baby!
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LOOKING FORWARD
Yankees. Red Sox. Monty. Houck, Kay-Rod Cast. 24 hours. I’m already counting down the hours.
