Pinstripe Alley 4 hours ago
Which reliever will be the Yankees’ next Michael King?
Jhony Brito against the Pirates. | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports A pair of one-time 2023 starters are vying for the fireman role. A couple of weeks ago, Malachi broke down a pitch sequence that embodied Jhony Brito’s transition to a multi-inning relief role. Since that piece, the right-hander has added on another few solid outings, maintaining his low ERA as a longman, which is now at a 1.19 clip in 22.2 innings across eight appearances (including last night). At first glance, he looks to be the logical successor to Michael King, who has been dominating so much in...
Pinstripe Alley 6 hours ago
The biggest bumps in the Yankees’ long road to elimination
Photo by Mike Stobe/ After beginning the season as a favorite, the Yankees took a long road that ultimately led to nowhere. Zero is a huge number, in meaning at least. And with a loss last weekend to the Diamondbacks, the Yankees reached that number officially in regard to their playoff odds. In a practical sense, their fate was sealed a good bit ago, but we could never quite look at FanGraphs’ postseason odds and see “0.0%”, until about a week ago, and of course, when they were officially eliminated from contention on Sunday. Now, with nowhere to go except...
Pinstripe Alley 8 hours ago
1998 Yankees Diary: Bernie Williams, batting champion
The Yankees ended the 1998 regular season on a high note in a couple different ways. When you’re a team that had already clinched everything like the late-September 1998 Yankees, you’re just mainly hoping to make it through the last couple games of the season unscathed. Going into the regular-season finale against the Devil Rays, the Yankees had already long sewed up a playoff spot, the AL East, home field through the ALCS, and the most regular season wins in franchise and AL history. However this time, there were still incentives to be had for individual accomplishment. On...
Pinstripe Alley 10 hours ago
Shane Spencer: The Thrice-Grand Home Run Dispenser
Photo by Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News Archive via A career minor leaguer became the greatest player in baseball for two weeks. The first one came in the top of the ninth on a Friday night in Baltimore. The New York Yankees had already clinched a playoff berth, the AL East division title, and the top seed in the American League; the only thing left to play for was a shot at the most wins in MLB history. Holding an 8-5 lead heading into the inning, the relentless Bombers lineup got right to work piling on some insurance runs. Eight batters into the inning, the Yankees had...
Pinstripe Alley 11 hours ago
Rivalry Roundup: Mariners rebound to heat up Wild Card
Photo by Steph Chambers/ Recapping how the Yankees’ top AL opponents fared on September 26th. The Yankees have been officially eliminated, but since we’re all fans of baseball as a whole anyway, Pinstripe Alley is going to see this series through to the end of the regular season. We’ll keep you posted on the end of the American League playoff race as the final spots are determined. Stay tuned for more postseason coverage as well. Here’s what went on yesterday, September 26th. Seattle Mariners (85-72) 6, Houston Astros (86-72) 2 I think it’s fair to say that at...
Pinstripe Alley 12 hours ago
Today on Pinstripe Alley - 9/27/23
Photo by Mark Blinch/ Gerrit Cole makes his final start of his outstanding 2023 tonight in Toronto. For one last time in 2023, we’ll have Gerrit Cole Day. Most other Yankees days have been bad, but at least every five days, we know that an ace was going to go out there and put in a commendable performance. Barring an egregious BBWAA vote, he will be the team’s first Cy Young Award winner in 22 years, and the man deserves it. So if you watch one more game in this lost season, make it this one. Today on the site, I’ll have the Rivalry Roundup, and both John and Matt...
Pinstripe Alley 13 hours ago
NYY News: Judge to avoid offseason surgery
Photo by New York Yankees/ Judge will likely avoid surgery; Wells heating up; Into the life of Spencer Jones; Season-worst attendance in D’backs rubber game; Rest in peace to legend Brooks Robinson CBS Sports | R.J. Anderson: Not needing to cut your body open to fix something is always better than the alternative! As the season has progressed, it’s been clear that Judge has too. Despite his torn ligament, he has continued to produce offensively, suggesting he is in a good spot physically. If all goes according to plan, he’ll come back in the spring not recovering...
Pinstripe Alley 20 hours ago
Yankees 2, Blue Jays 0: All’s well that Wells ends
Photo by Mark Blinch/ The rookie catcher had the only big hit of the Yankees’ series-opening win. They stole this one. The headline coming in was a marquee pitching matchup, and we got just that as Kevin Gausman and Michael King traded zeroes all night. The two combined to throw 13 shutout frames while allowing just four hits, but neither factored in the decision as Austin Wells’ ninth-inning home run was the difference in the Yankees’ 2-0 win over the Blue Jays. In the last six days, King has thrown 13 innings against the Blue Jays and allowed just a single run....
Pinstripe Alley 23 hours ago
NYY @ TOR: Michael King vs. Kevin Gausman
Photo by New York Yankees/ The season’s final week continues as the Yankees head north There’s only a few compelling stories left in the season worth watching, and two of them come in the opener of this three-game set with the Blue Jays. Michael King gets the ball for what may be the last time this season, depending on what the club wants to do in Sunday’s finale. This could be our final look at him before he heads back to the Tampa complex for spring training 2024 with a rotation slot in mind. King is making his eighth start of the year, boasting a 1.78 ERA and...
Pinstripe Alley Sep 26, 2023
VOTE: Will the Yankees retain Aaron Boone as manager?
Boone has some strong allies, but what will the Yankees do? | Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via And will they make the playoffs in 2024? Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in New York Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. The New York Yankees did not live up to their goals in 2023 by any stretch of the imagination. In a season marked by injuries, underperforming stars, and overall poor play, a playoff...
Pinstripe Alley Sep 26, 2023
1998 Yankees Diary, September 26: Lucky Number (1)13
Photo by Mitchell Layton/ Shane Spencer continued his torrid stretch and the Yanks won the penultimate game of the 1998 campaign. Finishing the season off against Tampa Bay gave New York an excellent opportunity to stack wins as they headed into the playoffs. Through the first two games of this series, they’d done exactly that. For game 161, they sent David Cone to the mound. Coney was sitting at 19 wins on the season, so if he could manage to hold up his end of the bargain there was a solid chance he’d get to 20 wins for the first time in a decade, since he’d...
Pinstripe Alley Sep 26, 2023
Yankees Rivalry Roundup: All AL West everything
Photo by Bob Levey/ The only action relevant to the AL playoff race on Monday happened out west. The Yankees have been officially eliminated, but since we’re all fans of baseball as a whole anyway, Pinstripe Alley is going to see this series through to the end of the regular season. We’ll keep you posted on the end of the American League playoff race as the final spots are determined. Stay tuned for more postseason coverage as well. Here’s what went on yesterday, September 25th. Houston Astros (86-71) 5, Seattle Mariners (84-72) 1 The Astros and Mariners both had...
Pinstripe Alley Sep 26, 2023
Yankees Prospects: Week 27 minor league review
Clayton Beeter | Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via A memorable minor league season came to a close. A successful minor league season came to a close in bittersweet fashion, with Somerset and Hudson Valley both losing playoff series. Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Record: Finished the season at 73-75 after splitting six games with the Syracuse Mets The RailRiders were the last Yankees affiliate to play a game this season when they defeated Syracuse 7-3 on Sunday. They finished their schedule with back-to-back wins in crisp, overcast weather, and each...
Pinstripe Alley Sep 26, 2023
Today on Pinstripe Alley - 9/26/23
Photo by Adam Hunger/ One last road trip for the hell of it. The Yankees closed out their final homestand with a win, and now face their final road trip of the season. While they don’t have anything to play for and their final opponent in the Royals doesn’t either, they face the Blue Jays first who definitely do. A little bit of playing spoiler to the last member of the AL East that could make the postseason wouldn’t fix much about how this season went, but I wouldn’t say no to it either. Before the series gets underway, Peter has a preview for the Blue Jays...
Pinstripe Alley Sep 26, 2023
NYY News: Captain Judge rules 2023 a “failure”
Photo by Sarah Stier/ Judge refers to Yankees 2023 campaign as a failure; Yanks didn’t mind Judge’s comments; Boone not worried about future as skipper; Kahnle done, but Montas could still return MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: The Yankees are now eliminated from postseason contention, and even though the season isn’t technically over yet, captain Aaron Judge has called the year “a failure.” Their record reached 79-77 after beating the D-backs on Monday, much worse than preseason expectations. In a frank conversation with Hoch, Judge, representing the players, took some...
