I’m glad Anthony McCarron from the Daily News pulled the stats on home runs at Yankee Stadium as it’s something I’ve been wondering about. It just “seemed” that the home runs were down a bit from early on and now we can examine the details:

The new Yankee Stadium has produced more homers than have ever been hit in the Bronx before and the most homers in the majors this year. But the home-run epidemic that gripped Yankeeland earlier this season has lessened, and the team does not believe the frequency of baseballs soaring into the seats has to be addressed.

[...]

Earlier this season, the Stadium was on pace to break the single-season record for home runs in one ballpark – 303 at mile-high Coors Field in 1999. Entering last night’s game, there had been 233 home runs at the new park with two home games remaining.

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If these last few games are indeed meaningless’ no one has told the Yankees or Juan Miranda. Another solid outing by AJ Burnett kept the Yankees close as they trailed 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth. Still, the Bombers have been the masters of the comeback win, utilizing a variety of players, and Tuesday night was no different, as Juan Miranda had the game-winning single of Krazy Kyle Farnsworth. The Yankees 4-3 win puts their win streak at seven.

The Royals were the first to draw blood as they built a rally in the top of the third. Josh Anderson singled to right and stole second. Yuniesky Betancourt singled the third. Billy Butler drove in a RBI single to right and Kansas City took the 1-0 lead. Mark Teixeira put the Bombers on the board with a solo homer in the sixth, his 39th of the season.

The tie was short-lived, however, as AJ walked Teahen and got Buck to fly out, before Girardi called on Phil Coke. Gordon singled to Coke and Anderson reached on a throwing error by Coke, while Teahen scored. Maier grounded out to Coke, however, instead of getting the easy out at home and saving a run, the reliever got the out at first, allowing Kansas City to make the score 3-1. Nick Swisher got one of the runs back, crushing the ball over the centerfield wall and pulling the Pinstripes within one.

The Yankees needed another walk-off win as they faced off against former teammate Kyle Farnsworth in the ninth. Francisco Cervelli singled to second as the ball deflected off Kyle Farnsworth. Eric Hinske, pinch hitting for Ramiro Pena, singled to right, sending Cervelli to third. A sac fly by Robinson Cano tied the game. Hinske picked up his first stolen base of the year and got to third on Buck’s throwing error. Farnsworth intentionally walked Damon, bringing up Juan Miranda with two on and two out. Miranda connected with a fastball, sending it off Farnsworth’s shin and scoring Hinske as the Yankees poured onto the field and AJ Burnett prepped the pie!

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Maybe there’s no material greater prevalance of of domestic abuse in sports than in the rest of society*, but it’s something I will never, ever understand. Latest @#$%^&* to get caught, former Yankee/Twin Chuck Knoblauch:

Former major leaguer Chuck Knoblauch has been charged with assaulting his common-law wife. … According to a criminal complaint, Knoblauch’s wife told police he hit her in the face and then choked her at their Houston home on Friday.

Seriously? Now, we’ve only heard her side of this so I’ll try to show some restraint, but there’s no excuse for hitting her or choking her, even if she instigated it or was the aggressor.

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With the pressure off and the Royals in town, Girardi took the opportunity to give most of his starters a breather. Posada, in at DH, was the only veteran in the lineup and Cano, Melky and Gardner were the only other regulars to start. Still, this didn’t keep the Yankees from putting together an exciting game, as they continued their win streak with an 8-2 victory.

Robinson Cano started the bottom of the fourth by ripping a double to left. Posada singled him over to third and Hinske smacked a RBI single for the first run of the game. A solo homer by Mark Teahen in the top of the fifth tied the game at 1-1, but Ramiro Pena quickly put the Bombers back on top with his first major league homerun, which just made it over the fence in right.

The Royals were able to tie the game up again in the top of the sixth. Yuniesky Betancourt singled to left and Billy Butler doubled to center. A sac fly to right by Mike Jacobs made the score 2-2. Posada drove a double to left and moved to third when Hinske grounded out. Shelley Duncan followed with a single into left and the Yankees led 3-2. While that was enough for the win, the Pinstripes broke it open in the bottom of the seventh. Cervelli doubled to center and scored on Pena’s single. Pena then stole second. Gardner singled and Melky walked, loading the bases for Cano, who hit his second grand slam of his career, giving the Yanks the 8-2 lead.

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If nothing else about this site, it’s that I try to be as unbiased as possible. So here’s the stat that I was discussing yesterday (at synagogue, no less!) that convinced a few others that Greinke has cinched the Cy Young:

Those are their stats during losses and no decisions…

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So we all know that Phil Hughes has been incredible this year. A revelation, even. But did you know that as a reliever, he’s been the best pitcher in baseball? OK, so that’s ignoring that Hughes has only pitched 49.2 innings from the bullpen this year, and both Greinke and King Felix have both passed the 200 mark, but in our decidedly smaller, cherry picked more focused sample, Hughes’ FIP is an astounding 1.91, topping the leaderboard for relievers with more than 40 innings pitched in 2009 (these statistics, again, compiled only from his time in the bullpen).

So what’s been different? As a reliever, he’s got three pitches tracked–fastball, cutter and curve. As a starter? Fastball, cutter, curve and changeup. And the difference in effectiveness is startling:

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Last year’s playoff no-show really drove home the understanding that we, as Yankees fans, are tremendously spoiled. The team’s previous no show, back in 1994, was prompted by the players’ strike. I was 11 years old–girls still had cooties, the card game Magic was in, and my computer (a Mac LCII, pictured to the right) had 16 Mhz. Since then, the Yankees have been on a run of dominance only challenged by the 20th century heroics of Mantle, Berra, DiMaggio and their ilk.

In the following 15 years, they have appeared in 14 postseasons (which includes this year). Along the way they’ve made it to the series 6 times, winning it all in 96, 97, 98, and 2000. Things have been pretty good since then, too. Though the mass media has attempted to annoint the Red Sox the best team of the decade–a look at the numbers gives that honor to the Yanks, and it’s not that close. The Yankees have won one fewer world championship since Y2K, but lead total wins by almost 50, playoff wins by 7, and AL Pennants by 1.

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Needing just one win to clinch the AL East crown, the Yankees had the opportunity to do so, not only at home, but by sweeping bitter rival Boston with their 100th win of the season. After being pushed back an hour due to rain, the Yankees and Red Sox took the field and locked into a close battle. Both pitchers kept the offenses limited, but in the end the Yankee bats came through with the 4-2 victory and some champagne to pop open.

Pettitte got a quick two outs to start the game, but gave up a double to Jason Bay and walked Kevin Youkilis. After walking Ortiz, the bases were loaded for Mike Lowell who sent a hit back at Andy, which deflected off his foot and let Bay score, giving Boston the 1-0 early lead. Pettitte found himself in trouble again in the third, with Bay and Youkilis singling and Ortiz walking. Lowell grounded into a double play, but Bay scored and Boston had built a 2-0 edge.

The Yankees got that run back quickly, as Melky Cabrera started off the bottom of the third with a solo shot to right field. The Yankees had a chance to pick up another run in the fifth, when Swisher led off with a double. He got to third on a pop fly, but the umpire called him out for leaving early. Replays showed the Swisher had definitely not left early. Melky followed with a single, which would have scored Swish, but instead the Yankees remained down 2-1.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Bombers finally broke through. With two outs, Teixeira singled to center. Alex Rodriguez followed with a great at bat. He made Byrd throw ten pitches before he drove a single to center. The Red Sox then pulled Byrd for Takashi Saito. A wild pitch by Saito allowed the Yankee runners to move up and Matsui slapped the ball into right, dropping right in front of J.D. Drew and plating Teix and Alex, giving the Pinstripes the 3-2 lead. Teixeira would start off the eighth by sending a solo homer to right for some insurance, but Mo wouldn’t need it. Despite giving up a single and getting another runner on due to a fielding error by Cano, Mo closed the game out, getting Ellsbury to ground back to him for the final out of the game.

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I’m out today in observance of Yom Kippur. Will, Tamar and Brendan will be keeping watch over the shop today. I’ll be back at it tomorrow but not until lunchtime (morning dentist, yay!). Thanks!

Kansas City Royals: 64-92. Last in the AL Central.

Pitching Match-ups:

Game 1: Luke Hochevar vs. Chad Gaudin

Game 2: Anthony Lerew vs. A.J. Burnett

Game 3: Robinson Tejeda vs. Joba Chamberlain

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