Sunday, May 31, 2009

Gimorah attacks! (Indians 5, Yanks 4)






Today I was reminded of the three-headed monster that used to engage Godzilla in epic struggles for the right to demolish Japanese cities. His name was Gimorah, and he always gave Godzilla a hard time.
Well in this game a similar three-headed monster attacked the Yankees' chances of winning today. No, not quite Gimorah. It was Joe Girardi, Phil Hughes, and Jeff Nelson.

It started with Girardi. Posada in the lineup would have made a big difference. If Wang had started the Yankees may have won. And what if Mariano had pitched the 9th? Was he unavailable?

As for Hughes, he was inept. Lets compare his performance to Chien Ming Wang's. Wang, btw, is what we call a REAL PITCHER.

Hughes pitched 5 innings and gave up 4 runs. He averaged 19 pitches per inning for a total of 95.
Wang pitched 3 innings and gave up 0 runs. He averaged 13 pitches per inning for a total of 42.

Today Wang was the better pitcher than Phil Hughes. In fact, Wang has ALWAYS BEEN better than Phil Hughes. And for fans (and coaches) with short memories, I'll remind you: Wang has been a great pitcher for the Yankees for 4 years.

But this was the worst of all. Top of the 9th, 1 out, tie game, men on first and third, Posada up, 2-1 count. Home plate umpire Jeff Nelson, a name Yankee fans should not forget anytime soon, called a pitch, which every replay angle showed was much too high and tight, a pitch that a cataracts patient would call a ball, a strike for a 2-2 count. Posada shook his head in disgust. Girardi couldn't believe it.

Rather than having the opportunity to unload on a fat 3-1 offering, Posada was forced to protect the plate with two strikes, and on the next pitch he grounded into a double play.

For some reason Mariano did not work the 9th to set up Jeter, Damon, and Tex to win it in the 10th. And the Yankees lost when Coke walked the Tribe's 9 hitter and Robertson couldn't find the strike zone. Ballgame over.

Jeff Nelson (the umpire). Let's hope we never see him behind the plate again. If he works another Yankee game calling balls and strikes, fans should protest. He was pathetic today.

There was, however, some great news. The Yankees have tied the Major League Record for most consecutive games played as a team WITHOUT an error. Tomorrow they'll try and break it. It's always good to look on the bright side, even when a three-headed monster like Gimorah ruins an otherwise lovely Sunday afternoon.

2 comments:

  1. It's great to see Wang pitch well,
    well but yankees did have a bad day.

    I'm not sure if it is a good comparison to judge Wang or Hughgs' performance in this single game, and I could understand that as a coach, Giradi needs some time to confirm/observe whether Wang recovers and reaches the standard or ability he used to have. However, how long should this observation last? One week or one month?

    For now the only thing Wang can do is prove himself and probably no mistakes are allowed, or he might not come back as a starter soon unless somebody hurts. We will see what's next.

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  2. Well your question has been answered. Wang will start against the Rangers. Jia You!

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