Dear Ghosts,
We are moving across the street next year. You are more than welcome to come. But before you move, just one more request. Give the Yanks and Andy a win. Let Mo throw the last pitch. Oh yeah….and thanks for everything.
Dear Stadium,
Farewell, our good and faithful friend. Through thick and thin, you were there. You’ll be missed. The memories of times with our fathers, friends, family members. Special times. The wins and losses. Goodbye.
The Final Lineup:
YANKEES (84-71, 3rd, 1 game ahead of Toronto)
Two games better than Pythagorean. OPS+103, ERA+ 100 (100=league average)
BA/HR/RBI/SB/Notes
Johnny Damon CF .307-15-66-29-122 (team leader in BA/SB)
Derek Jeter SS .304-11-69-11-107 (He’d play in this if on his deathbed)
Bobby Abreu RF .298-19-95-19-124 (The last Yankee to hit a postseason HR at the Stadium)
Alex Rodriguez 3B .304-35-101-18-155 (553 career HR)
Jason Giambi 1B .249-31-93-2-132 (395 career HR; team leader with 73 walks)
Xavier Nady LF .273-11-34-0-112 as Yankee. Total, .309-24-91-1-130
Robinson Cano 2B .264-14-63-1-84 (last HR to date)
Hideki Matsui DH .293-9-45-0-111 (getting surgery tomorrow)
Jose Molina C .213-2-15-0-50
Andy Pettitte LHP 13-14, 4.57, ERA+ 94. (He needs to win this and up in Boston to keep his streak alive)
As I mentioned yesterday, I kind of hope they can let Jorge take the field and at least go to the catcher’s box with Molina, but that’s probably not possible.
Any bets for last HR by a Yankee? (At present, last HR by Yankee: Cano; last grand slam: A-Rod (and it’s last of both for either team)).
The last Yankee to hit a World Series HR at the Stadium was Alfonso Soriano. See above for the last postseason HR by a Yankee.
Girardi would like Andy back, Andy’s not sure. His finish this year isn’t encouraging.
Andy looking for win #215 of his career, which would tie Stan Coveleski and Jim Perry.
Back very late tonight with a recap. The last six games will be SO anti-climactic.
Dear Ghosts,
Thanks for listening. Andy goes 5…not a great 5 (3 R) but he does win. It was great to see many of you marching out in the pregame. The 4/18/23 lineup, and the players represented by plaques and monuments…the actors that seemed like the ghosts of the past coming out. Dickey, Ruffing, Reynolds and the like.
Thanks for Mo closing the Stadium. The wonderful goodbye speech from the Captain. …and we always knew you had a sense of humor with some crazy plays. Thanks for your last crazy sense of humor—-Jose Molina hitting the last HR.
A great night. Very emotional and if I wasn’t sniffling from the event, I was sniffling with a cold. Great pregame. Bernie, don’t stay away long. Superb moments for many ex-players. Even ESPN did a good job (although some better research could have been done on the facts at times). Joe Morgan even tried to restrain himself from self-promotion. Ha ha.
Andy wasn’t great. He did get the win to even his record at 14-14. It will be interesting to see if he is now shut down for the year or if he will make his last start in Boston in order to try to keep that streak alive.
Down 2-0 early, a 3-run HR by JD in the 3rd gave the Yanks the lead. The O’s tied it, but Molina’s 2-run HR in the 4th was the game winner. The Yanks got a couple insurance runs later on a gift bloop by the Big G and a SF by Cano (the last rbi).
Nice play by Gardner when he pinch-ran for the big G. The “Road Runner” was off and moving on the pitch, and when the SS made an error, he went right to third. He then scored the last run in the Stadium on that Cano SF. But who else does that? 1st to 3rd on an E6? Brett, if you happen to be the 2009 CF, hit .270-.275. My goodness what he could do then on the basepaths.
After Andy left, Veras went 2/3. Then Phil “The Real Thing” Coke (maybe he isn’t, but can’t resist the nickname) went 2/3. Imagine being in AA a month or so ago, and then getting two outs in the Stadium finale—in your 9th MLB game. He still hasn’t given up a run. I have to wonder what he must have felt like.
Joba 1 2/3. 5 up, 5 down. Then…the only man to “close” the place. The greatest closer of all-time does what he’s done so often. 1-2-3. The final out? Brian Roberts grounds out to 1B Cody Ransom, unassisted.
Replacements in the game were Gardner PR/CF, Ivan Rodriguez DH, Betemit SS, Melky LF and Ransom 1B.
Nice to see Jorge catch the 1st pitch from Babe’s daughter. Good touch.
A long, emotional and exhausting night. But one that ended perfectly.
Original site factoids:
Last win by a Yankee Pitcher there: Andy Pettitte (he also made the Yankees’ last error there, had the Yankees’ last loss there, got the Yankees’ last WS win there and took the Yankees’ last WS loss there).
Last postseason win there: Hughes.
Last postseason loss there: Wang.
Last postseason HR there: Abreu.
Last WS HR there: Soriano.
Last HR there: Molina
Last grand slam there: A-Rod.
Last run scored there: Brett Gardner
Last RBI there: Cano.
More lasts? Ask and I’ll seek.
…and with the win, the Yanks make the 85 over/under I had mentioned on YFCR.
Tired. Exhausted. Emotional. More later. Good night.
1 response so far ↓
1 Jason // Sep 21, 2008 at 6:19 pm
“Dear Ghosts,
We are moving across the street next year. You are more than welcome to come. But before you move, just one more request. Give the Yanks and Andy a win. Let Mo throw the last pitch. Oh yeah….and thanks for everything.
Dear Stadium,
Farewell, our good and faithful friend. Through thick and thin, you were there. You’ll be missed. The memories of times with our fathers, friends, family members. Special times. The wins and losses. Goodbye.”
Well said as usual, Mike. I’m fully confident that the next Yankee Stadium will be a great, fine home. It will, however, have more than its work cut out for it to house the sheer treasure trove that Yankee Stadium did over its majestic 85 years. Win the game, get Andy the W, and please, God, PLEASE let Mariano close down Yankee Stadium.
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