Tag: New York Yankees

Giants Look Ahead to Game Two Against Yankees Saturday

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San Francisco Giants’ Alex Cobb pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022. Cobb makes his first start of 2023 against the New York Yankees on Sat Apr 1, 2023 at Yankee Stadium in New York (AP News file)

Giants Look Ahead to Game Two Against Yankees

By Barbara Mason

The San Francisco Giants (0-1) will spend the weekend with the New York Yankees (1-0). Thursday night the Giants dropped their season opener at Yankee Stadium 5-0. Aaron Judge got the party going in the first inning with his first at bat in this young season. He launched a sizzling 422 feet home run picking up where he left off in 2022. This was the first time that the two clubs had ever met on opening day.

This Saturday San Francisco will meet New York in game two of the series at 1:05 PM. Alex Cobb will take the mound for the Giants and Clarke Schmidt will get the nod for New York. Thairo Estrada had a couple of hits for the Giants in game one of this series and will be aiming for more.

San Francisco will be looking for their first run of the season in game two. Early hits and first up on the scoreboard would be a great place to start in this second game of the season. Although there is rain in the forecast, they should be intermittent and there should be a nice window that will accommodate nine innings of baseball.

The Giants came off the 2022 season on a very disappointing note. They want to establish the team as post season contenders in 2023 something that did not materialize last season. The Giants right now do not have a superstar although the team was attached last winter to a couple; Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa. Judge remained in New York and made his presence loud and clear Thursday night.

Right now there are a lot of issues in the lineup and a lot of these guys are getting older. Their pitching staff is a good one but it will be months down the road before there is any indication of just where this team will be at the end of July.

Right now all that looms on the horizon for the Giants is tomorrow’s matchup with the injury ridden New York Yankees.

Giants Webb knew he was facing the best hitter in baseball in Judge

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San Francisco Giants starter Logan Webb seen dealing in the bottom of the sixth inning on opening day. Webb knew that the New York Yankees had a potent line up going in including facing Yankee star Aaron Judge on Thu Mar 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK.—The San Francisco Giants suffered a 5-0 blowout loss to Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees on Opening Day.

San Francisco’s loss at Yankee Stadium on Thursday afternoon was accentuated by Judge hitting the first home run of the 2023 season in the first inning. Judge re-signed a blockbuster nine-year, $360 million deal with the Yankees and was crowned the club’s captain after flirting with joining the Giants during free agency.

Giants right-hander Logan Webb threw a sinker and Judge hit the second pitch of his first at-bat to Monument Park, giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

“I think he’s the best hitter in baseball,” said Webb, who had his second straight Opening Day start for the Giants. “Obviously, it would have been nice to have him, but he’s not (with the Giants). I wish I could have that pitch back.”

Judge said he was “just trying to make solid contact.”

“Especially with a guy like Logan, got that nasty sinker-changeup mix,” said Judge. “Lot of balls on the ground, lot of weak contact. Just trying to elevate a pitch and get it in the air best I could. I didn’t expect that to happen. Try to swing at strikes.”

Webb struck out 12 in six innings and set a franchise record for strikeouts on Opening Day. Giants manager Gabe Kapler said Webb had “pitched about as good a game as he could have hoped and all of us could have hoped”.

“I thought he attacked the strike zone with all of his pitches. It was as efficient as we’ve seen him in a long time. A lot of swing-and-miss. Excellent outing by Logan,” said Kapler. “Really good swing by Judge on that fastball. The two homers beat us today.”

Yankees starter Gerrit Cole also set a franchise record – 11 strikeouts is the most any Yankee pitcher has ever had.

In the fourth inning, Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres hit a homer off Webb and Josh Donaldson also scored, bringing them up 3-0. In the seventh inning, Yankees infielder DJ LeMahieu singled to the left and allowed Torres to score. Then Judge singled to center and Jose Trevino scored, extending the lead to 5-0.

The Giants last faced the Yankees at Oracle Park in 2019 and their first time at Yankee Stadium since 2016. Thursday’s match was a sellout.

It was the first time the Giants and Yankees have met on Opening Day. The three-game series continues with a 1:05 p.m. PT game on Saturday.

Here comes the Judge Giants get blanked by Yanks Cole in 5-0 opener at Yankee Stadium

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New York Yankee slugger and team captain Aaron Judge gets around a San Francisco Giant pitcher Logan Webb pitch for Judge’s first home run of the 2023 season at Yankee Stadium in New York on Thu Mar 30, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK– Aaron Judge who was a strong candidate to join the San Francisco Giants in the off season and later re-signed with the New York Yankees slugged an opening day home run in the bottom of the first inning against his would have been team on Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium for a 5-0 win.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in his post game presser that it was one of his lowest darkest places that he had been when Judge was considering signing with the Giants. Whether Judges decision came because the Yankees were offering more money or he thought being with the Yankees would do more for the future of his career Boone was happy with the outcome that he decided to say in New York, “One of my lowest, darkest places this winter was when I thought maybe it was in jeopardy that he was coming back,” Boone said “One of the darkest places I went was picturing him on that third-base line in a Giants uniform on opening day.”

Judge during opening day introduction got a nice ovation from the New York crowd acknowledging the crowd of 46,172 before the game. As Judge came to the plate he delighted that crowd with the first home run of the Yankee season with a 422 blast that landed just above the monuments in centerfield in the net above.

Judge said after the game that all along he really wanted to stay in New York and that during the off season it was kicking the tires of sorts when he went to San Francisco as a free agent. He made clear after the game his heart was not playing in his native Northern California but to stay as a Yankee,  “I didn’t want to go anywhere. I was pretty vocal about that from the beginning and then you got to go through the free-agency process. But all in all this is where I wanted to be and I’m happy I’m here and it’s tough to think about being anywhere else.”

Yankee starter Gerrit Cole pitched shutout for six innings before being lifted striking out 11 Giants hitters and surrendering three hits and two walks. Giants starter Logan Webb came out strong striking out five out six Yankee hitters going six innings but was charged for four runs including Judge’s first inning blast.

Cole said that Judge’s first inning home run was a tone setter for the Yankees and said that the home run was a wake up call early in the game and that he came to play. Cole who walked Giants lead off hitter LeMonte Wade Jr to start the game settled down after the game to pick up his first win of the season.

The Giants will go back to the drawing board on Saturday after taking Friday off and will start right hander Alex Cobb against the Yankees right hander Clarke Schmidt for a 1:05 pm first pitch at Yankee Stadium.

San Francisco Giants podcast with Michael Duca: Padres not sure when former Giant Williams will be back; plus more news

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Former San Francisco Giant third baseman who having colon surgery on Fri Mar 30, 2023 is the topic of Michael Duca’s Giants podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com (file photo San Francisco Chronicle)

On the SF Giants podcast with Michael:

#1 Michael, on Friday former San Francisco Giant third baseman Matt Williams and current San Diego Padres third base coach will have surgery for colon cancer. Padres manager Bob Melvin says he doesn’t have a time frame when Williams will return.

#2 Williams broke in with the Giants in 1987 and was one of their top hitters and is best remembered for being on that Dusty Baker 1993 team where he hit .294.

#3 Michael, you covered those glory years when the Giants went and won three World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014. The Giants just honored retired pitcher Sergio Romo who was a huge part of those teams and shut the door in relief for the Giants in the World Series but also in some of those crucial to get there.

#4 Michael, how ironic was it that Romo’s old roommate Hunter Pence came out to take out Romo motioning to the bullpen after Romo gave up two hits and a wild pitch to the Oakland A’s in relief. It was quite and emotional send off for Romo but he said he loved every moment of the opportunity the Giants gave to him.

#5 Michael, talk about the opener at Yankee Stadium this morning as the Giants will be going with Logan Webb going up against the Yankees Gerrit Cole. Talk about the match up and how you see the Giants faring at Yankee Stadium today?

Join Michael Duca for the Giants podcasts each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Garoppolo joins old coach in Las Vegas; Rogers close to signing with Jets; plus much more

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Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo seen in 2022 photo will join the Las Vegas Raiders for the 2023 season. Garoppolo reunites with Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels (AP file photo)

On Headline Sports with Jessica Kwong:

#1 Former New England Patriots offensive coordinator and current Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels is excited about reuniting with his former quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo who signed with the silver and black for $72.75 million three year deal. The Patriots won two Super Bowls when Garoppolo was the back up quarterback to Tom Brady. Garoppolo quarterbacked for the Pats from 2014-2017.

#2 Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers says he wants to go to the New York Jets talks between Packers and Jets have not been finalized yet but sources say that both sides are working details out. Rogers said he will always love the Packers organization and the city of Green Bay.

#3 Jessica, with Diamond Sports owners of Bally Regional Sports Networks filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy who are scheduled to host streaming for some 14 Major League Baseball teams. Diamond missed a $140 million interest payment to it’s bondholders. Diamond while their in negotiations with their stakeholders are restructuring. Meanwhile baseball teams will not see any payments on their rights holdings that Diamond was scheduled to pay. MLB most likely will have to develop their own streaming network to cover the teams during Bally’s restructuring.

#4 Jessica, the New York Yankees who are the most valuable team worth $6 billion. In MLB the Yankees are one of two teams in the Majors that do not pay for their team’s inflight Wi Fi the other is the Cincinnati Reds. The cost in one year for inflight Wi Fi comes to $40,000 which is equivalent to pitcher Garrett Cole’s salary in four games.

#5 Oakland A’s Japanese pitcher Shintaro Fujinami struck out seven batters on Tuesday in his third start for the A’s. Fujinami. Fujinami almost got himself in a jam throwing for 35 pitches in the first inning and had the bullpen up as he was heading for his pitch limit. Fujinami came out in the second and third inning throwing 30 pitches 21 for strikes and struck out seven hitters to recover.

Join Jessica Kwong for Headline Sports every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Jessica Kwong: Astros Alvarez beats M’s with one swing of the bat in walk homer; Yanks Cole and Rizzo provide help in 4-1 win over Cleveland; plus more

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The Houston Astros Yordan Alvarez watches flight of his home run in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Field in Houston on Tue Oct 11, 2022 (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with Jessica:

#1 Jessica lets look at the MLB playoffs from Tuesday night. The Houston Astros took the first game of the ALDS getting by the Seattle Mariners at Minute Maid Field in Houston 7-5. The Astros Yordan Alvarez crushed a three run walk off homer in the bottom of the ninth for the win.

#2 The New York Yankees got a 4-1 win past the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium. Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole pitched 6.1 innings, four hits, one earned run, one walk, and eight strikeouts for the win. Anthony Rizzo hit a home run and had two RBIs in the win.

#3 The Philadelphia Phillies just got by the Atlanta Braves 7-6 at Truist Park in Cobb County. The Phils held onto to the win despite the Braves scoring three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning in a last attempt to come back.

#4 The Los Angles Dodgers drew first blood in game one of the NLDS defeating the San Diego Padres 5-3 at Dodgers Stadium. The Dodgers scored early with two runs in the bottom of the first inning and three runs in the bottom of third inning.

#5 Lastly Jessica the Guardians pitcher Nick Sandlin will miss the rest of the 2022 post season after going through an MRI that showed he has a major muscle injury in the right shoulder. How will Sandlin’s absence impact the Guardians pitching in the post season?

Join Jessica Kwong for Headline Sports Wednesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: 3 game Wild Card format favorable; Chapman cut from Yankees after Friday workouts no show; plus more

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New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman is lifted by manager Aaron Boone in the top of the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium against the Boston Red Sox on Thu Sep 22, 2022. Chapman has been cut from the roster for the ALDS during the 2022 post season. (AP News file photo)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 Amaury, how much of an improvement is it that the Wild Card went from one and done to a best of two out of three format?

#2 The New York Mets and San Diego Padres NLWS had some excitement when that series ended it up a in a 1-1 tie something you wouldn’t see in Wild Card games past.

#3 On Sunday the New York Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman did not show up for a mandatory workout Friday at Yankee Stadium manager Aaron Boone said that Chapman has been removed from the post season roster.

#4 Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said that you have to be all in at this time of the year and the Yankees have players who are fighting for a spot on the roster and Chapman not only let the team down by not showing up but he chose to be absent.

#5 Amaury, I know you occasionally get an invitation to call the play by play on either the MLB Network or Telemundo for post season after the regular season is completed where are you on that and I know you look forward to that each post season?

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the play by play voice for Oakland A’s Spanish radio network and does That’s Amaury News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Why Aaron Judge will stay a Yankee

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Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees has lots to smile about. Here is Judge in the Yankees dugout on Wed Oct 5, 2022 in Arlington. The Yankees host the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium in New York for game 1 of the ALDS Tue Oct 11, 2022 (AP News photo)

Why Aaron Judge will stay a Yankee

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Aaron Judge will be named the MVP of the American League. He had one of the most remarkable seasons ever for a player in the major leagues. Ending with a new American League record of 62 home runs and without any doubt the most valuable of all players on his team.

Judge was hitting throughout the whole season when his teammates were also hitting early in the season and later when the Yankees struggle to score runs. He was the only Yankee hitting the ball and driving in runs.

Brian Cashman, the Yankee’s General Manager on behalf of the Yankee ownership, offered Judge a 7-year deal worth $213.5 million, prior to the start of the 2022 season. Judge did not swing at it. This past June, the Yankees and Judge agreed to a one year (2022) deal, signed for $19 million just to play this season and avoid arbitration.

Now that Judge established the new AL record, his price has skyrocketed to be much more than the $213 million (peanuts contract) that the Yankees originally offered him. We are looking at minimum of between $300 to $400 million, to start, for his services in a multi-year deal.

There are rumors that some teams will go after Aaron Judge this off season, among those mentioned are the San Francisco Giants. Judge was born in the town of Linden in San Joaquin county, a small town of around 1,700 residents, some 95 miles from San Francisco, a two hour drive.

The Giants haven’t had a real slugger since the days of Barry Bonds, and Judge would be a great improvement for the Giants, or in the middle of other teams lineups.

However, it makes all the sense in the world to expect the Yankees to retain Aaron Judge. The storied franchise now can claim how they got to 62 home runs, after all it was Babe Ruth who originally established the record of 60 in 1927, to be broken by another Yankee, Roger Maris 61 home runs in 1961 and yet to be broken again with another Yankee, this time Aaron Judge, this season 2022 with 62.

All three Yankees! It sounds so good and rhythmic that it could be written, and probably will, into a song. I doubt the Yankees want to break that chain.

The New York Yankees can now offer Aaron Judge the money he wants in order for him to end his career as a Yankee, the only team he has played for. Judge will make the Yankees all the money and then some, to easily give him that great contract, marketing, merchandise, publicity and prestige plus.

The Yankees in my opinion offer Judge a better opportunity to be in a World Series than the San Francisco Giants. Why? Because they are the Yankees! They spend all the money and each and every year they have only one goal, to win the World Series, and they have won 27 of them.

The Yankees won the AL east, and this Tuesday. the 11th will host the Cleveland Guardians, who won the AL Central Division, at Yankee Stadium for the ALDS best of five.

Aaron Judge led the Major Leagues in runs scored with 133 in home runs with 62, runs-batted-in 131, on-base percentage .425, slugging percentage, total gases, led in walks with 111. Was second in the American League in batting average with .311, missing the Triple Crown by six points.

It was the Minnesota Twins Luis Arraez who won the batting crown in the American League with a .316 average. Without Arraez winning the batting title, Aaron Judge would have been the first man to win the Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera (Detroit) in 2012.

“Pot of Gold awaits Aaron Judge, it’s yet to be determined how much it weighs, but it’s a pot of gold, no doubt about it” -Yankees GM, Brian Cashman.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Roger Maris Jr. Says Barry Bonds Home run record is Illegitimate

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Mother and child reunion: New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge celebrates home run number 61 with mother Patty at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Wed Sep 28, 2022 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Judge becomes tied for the American League single season lead with Yankee Roger Maris Sr (AP News photo)

Roger Maris Jr. Says Barry Bonds Home run record is Illegitimate

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

Roger Maris Jr. was in attendance in Toronto on Thursday, September 28, when Yankee slugger Aaron Judge hit home run No.61 to tie his father Roger Maris who established the Home run record in the American League hitting 61 in 1961. This is what Roger Maris Jr. told the Associated Press – “He should be revered for being the actual single-season home run champ,” Maris said after Judge hit his 61st on Wednesday night to match Roger Maris’ record-setting total with the Yankees in 1961. I mean, that's really who he is if he hits 62, and I think that's what needs to happen. I think baseball needs to look at the records and I think baseball should do something.'' Asked Wednesday whether he considers McGwire and Bonds home run totals to be illegitimate, Maris answered yes.I do,'' he said.I think most people do.” What Mr.Maris Jr said is much like what I wrote during my last article.

In 1999 St Louis Cardinals Mark McGwire hit 65 while Sammy Sosa had three seasons of over 60 home runs, from 1998 to 2001 hitting, 66, 64, 63. While McGwire admitted to using steroids, Sosa and Bond maintained they did not use it knowingly. It wasn’t until 2004 that Major League Baseball began testing for PED’s/drugs with penalties that same year.

The records and history are there for everybody to see, especially now in this age of high technology when all the information you can get in your cell phone within seconds. That was not the case in 1961, when nobody doubted if Roger Maris’s record was legitimate or not.

How much have times changed in baseball? Consider this, the biggest “controversy” in 1961 was when Roger Maris hit 61 home runs to break Babe Ruth’s 1927 record of 60. The argument was: While Ruth hit 60 home runs in the 1927 season that was 154 games long, Maris hit 61 but when the season was 162 games long.

Will Major League Baseball do something to “adjust” the situation, of who is the real holder of the one-season home run record? Probably not. I believe MLB is leaving this controversy to the record books, to history, to votes in the Hall of Fame and many asterisks to follow.

Aaron Judge needs one more home run to be the undisputed home run king for one season and he will have seven (7) more games left to do it. And then, there will be another discussion. I think.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s lead play by play Spanish announcer on flagship station on LeGrande 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Chasing No.61 — You Be The Judge

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New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, right, launches his 50th home run of the season as Los Angeles Angels catcher Matt Thaiss, center, and home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott watch in the top of the eighth inning at the Big A in Anaheim on Mon Aug 28, 2022 (AP News photo)

Chasing No.61 — You Be The Judge

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

On October 1, 1961 New York Yankee outfielder Roger Maris hit his home run No.61 of the season breaking the (at that time) major league record for most home runs in one season of 60 established by Babe Ruth in 1927. Today Yankee center fielder Aaron Judge is challenging Roger Maris record as well as making a bid to become the Most Valuable Player in the American League.

Roger Maris still holds the home run record for one season in the American League and another Yankee, Aaron Judge today, 95 years later is on a pace to break that record with his first-place team.

The major league record is that of Barry Bonds of 73 home runs in 2001. However because Bonds played during the much maligned ‘steroids era’, a period of time when a number of players were believed to have used performance-enhancing drugs, resulting in increased offensive numbers, Barry Bonds record is kind of hollow, compared to the historic 61 of Roger Maris.

Bonds was not alone during that era, there are other “regular suspects” like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, José Canseco, Rafael Palmeiro whose records are also considered suspicious and therefore have lessen their impact. As a result these players with Hall of Fame statistics so far have fallen short of induction.

Beginning this Tuesday August 31, the Yankees have 33 games left this season. The Yankee have a very even schedule the rest of the way; 17 games on the road and 16 at Yankee Stadium.

The race for the MVP in the American League will be between two men, NY Yankees Aaron Judge and LA Angels Shohei Ohtani, who won it last year. In 2017 many believe that during his rookie year Aaron Judge was robbed of the MVP as he hit for .284 with 52 home runs and 114 runs batted in.

José Altuve of the Houston Astros won the MVP that season hitting for a .346 average with 24 home runs and 81 runs batted in. By the way that 2017 was also the last of the three batting titles Altuve has won so far.

I believe (and I do not have a vote) the MVP voting will be close this season. I am from the school of thinking that it should go to the player that helps his team win the Division; the Yankees are on the way to do that, while the Angels are finishing in fourth place this season.

The mere fact that Ohtani is a unique two-way player, (the most relevant since Babe Ruth) the Japanese super star, a very good hitter and a very good pitcher is going to seduce many writers to vote for him again. Let’s face it.

The national baseball media has a love affair with the Japanese super star. A relatively new baseball stat WAR, wins against replacement figures big today in the major leagues and applies to these two guys, when it comes to the MVP.

As of today Aaron Judge 50 home runs is on a pace to hit 62 home runs this year and therefore establish the new American League record. Can he do it? You be the Judge!

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer on the Oakland A’s Spanish radio network and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsadioservice.com