George's Yankees Blog

The New York Yankees are American League East Champions for the ninth straight season. Despite a 3-2 loss last night to the Blue Jays in Toronto, the Yanks clinched the title because of Boston’s loss to the Twins at Fenway Park. A loss has seldom felt this good as the Yanks celebrated their championship north of the border

The game itself was a forgettable one. Sean Henn got the start for the Yanks. In 2005, Henn was bombed everytime he pitched for New York because he was afraid to challenge hitters, walking the ballpark in the process. The few times that he went after hitters, he left very hittable pitches to hit. Sean actually looked pretty good through the first 3 innings. In the 4th, he gave up a homer to Bengie Molina, then allowed a fluke hit and walked a hitter. Joe Torre showed a very quick hook, pulling Henn after only 3.2 innings for Brian Bruney, who allowed both inheirited runners to score on a single and a double. Joe probably should have left Henn in there. The game was essentially insignificant to the team. It was worth seeing whether Sean would crumble from the adversity or if he had learned from the disasters that were his 2005 starts. Melky Cabrera is a great example of a guy who was not ready in 2005 but was after another year of seasoning. This really is not a major deal, however. Henn is not a major pitching prospect like Phillip Hughes, Tyler Clippard, or even Jeff Karstens or Darrell Rasner. While he probably should have been given a shot to work out of his jam, Sean is not going to be a major contributor on the big league level. New York’s pitching was flawless for the rest of the night, holding the Blue Jays at 3.

The Yanks did not have much of a chance throwing Henn against Roy Halladay. However, the game did seem winnable after Halladay left in the 4th due to an injury. The Yanks had scratched a run off Halladay on a Robinson Cano double. They would only score 1 run the rest of the way as Davis Romero, Jeremy Accardo, and Brandon League got Toronto through the 8th with a Bernie Williams solo homer doing the damage. There was little doubt that B.J. Ryan would finish them off in the 9th. The Yanks had to be disappointed in their offensive effort. Some starters were being rested, but after Halladay left, they had a chance to pound the Jays’ bullpen and win the division on their own. The bats just had an off night.

Any negative feelings from that game immediately vanished when the Twins beat Boston in Fenway. That guaranteed the Yankees a ninth straight division title. This year has just been another step on an amazing run. New York overcame significant injuries to Hideki Matsui, Gary Sheffield, and Robinson Cano. However, other players picked up the slack. The Captain, Derek Jeter, lifted the team, always coming through when making a play was the difference between winning and losing. Derek’s year was somehow better than his typical stellar season. He is the clear frontrunner to win his first MVP. When he was healthy, Cano took his game to another level. The 23 year old greatly improved his defensive game. He should win a Gold Glove some time in the near future. He also stands in the running for his first batting title. Robbie has the potential to become a special hitter. The sky is the limit for him. Melky Cabrera came up because of the injuries and thrived in an everyday role, playing stellar defense after a rocky start and becoming a dependable contact hitter, especially in the clutch. Bernie Williams turned back the clock, showing that he is not washed up by chipping in with the bat as a replacement for the missing outfielders. Mike Mussina also found the fountain of youth, pitching his best baseball since 2003. He’ll fall short of the magic number of 20 wins yet again, but he was brilliant this season. Like Cano, Chien-Ming Wang, another 2005 rookie savior, emerged in his second year in the Bronx, becoming the staff’s ace as the season progressed. Bobby Abreu fit right in with the team since he was acquired from Philadelphia at the deadline, wearing pitchers down with his great eye and giving the team terrific defense. These guys were written off by many at midseason. However, they kept grinding, and eventually put the division away in August during the defining moment of the 2006 season thus far, a five game sweep of Boston in Fenway Park. They found different ways to win, looking like a machine in the process. 

This is only the beginning. The Yankees are always judged by what they do in October. However, this was a necessary first step and should be celebrated. Division titles are something to be savored. Only six teams achieve them every year, and the Yanks have won nine straight. This team’s postseason outlook is bright. These guys resemble the dynasty teams in ways that recent Yankee clubs have not. They have a relentless lineup that wears pitchers down and is prolific at hitting homers but is diversified enough to score in other ways. The starting pitching is very solid. The bullpen is full of workhorses. The outfield defense is much better than in recent seasons. The roster has more experience than any they will face in October. Perhaps most important, there is a sense of focus with the team. These guys care about each other and want to win. The individuals focus more on the team than themselves. Clearly there are some exceptions as Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi’s self-serving quotes in the recent Sports Illustrated article show. Gary Sheffield is also aloose cannon. Kyle Farnsworth and Randy Johnson are liable to blow up at any moment. Mariano Rivera’s elbow does not sound like much of an issue, but if something flares up, the team has real problems. These teams are not as good as the dynasty squads, but they might bear the closest resemblance in the postseason field. The thing is that every other contender has problems. The Yankees look primed to make a run this October. On the surface, they’re the cream of the crop. They now get to rest, relax, and prepare for the Division Series. We’ll probably see a lot of the Columbus Clippers during the next week and a half as the big guns will play sparingly to stay sharp.

The first mission has been accomplished.

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