Games » New York Yankees
May11A really long game
Lee Judge
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This game lasted four hours and 31 minutes, which is amazing. It seemed like four hours 30 minutes, tops. There were more than 400 pitches thrown, 12 different pitchers used, 19 walks issued, two batters were hit, and I’m pretty sure a season changed during this game. (Hey, it was summer when it started and appeared to be fall by the time it ended.)
I’m not going to even attempt to sum this one up in some grand statement that probably would be inaccurate, I’ll just give you the notes I took during the game:
*If the Yankees are going to take pitches, you have to make them pay by throwing strikes early. Vin Mazzaro didn’t. He fell behind in counts and let the Yankees get him out of the game after four innings. If you pound the zone, they’ll start swinging the bats, but if you nibble, you’re falling right into their game plan.
*The importance of getting the starting pitcher out of the game was illustrated by A.J. Burnett’s performance: Seven innings, one hit, one run (Eric Hosmer’s first big-league bomb and some idiot threw it back on the field. If Hosmer turns out to be a star, any idea what his first home-run ball would be worth?) Once Burnett was gone, the Royals scored three runs in the next four innings.
*In an earlier post, I said Brayan Pena’s throws to second base tail into the runner. It happened a couple more times in this game. The middle infielder needs to come out in front of the bag and be ready to go to his left, catch the ball and apply the tag.
*Walks and errors are worse with nobody out. They’re never good, but with none out, the offense can use outs to move the runner around the bases. The Yankees scored in the 10th inning when Joakim Soria issued a leadoff walk, and the Royals scored in the 11th inning when Chris Getz worked a leadoff walk. Both teams used two outs to get the runs across the plate (sacrifice bunts, a groundout and a sacrifice fly, to be precise). Issue the same walks with one out, and neither team scores.
*When someone makes an error on a routine ball, watch his head on the replay. Ninety-nine times out of 100, it will move too soon. A.J. Burnett was looking at first base when he failed to pick up Alcides Escobar’s roller, and Chris Getz dropped a double-play ball when he looked to first base too soon.
*I don’t know whether it was intentional, but you saw a lot of pitches thrown at batters’ feet. Jason Kendall told me moving a batter’s feet is much more effective than throwing up and in. Assuming it’s not at his head (as Robinson Cano can testify), the hitter can just lean away from the pitch, and if he knows how to protect himself, do an inward turn if he thinks it’s too close. Having someone throw at your feet is different. It’s hard to protect the bones close to the surface. (Getting hit on the shin hurts a lot more than getting hit in … oh, let’s say the left kidney.) It also affects the hitter’s power base. If you’re thinking you might have to dance out of the way of a 95 mph fastball at your ankle bone, you might not take such a great swing.
*After hitting a shot into the upper deck, Eric Hosmer worked himself into a 3-0 count in his next at-bat. Ryan Lefebvre and Frank White discussed whether Hosmer would have the green light in that situation, but he didn’t appear to be thinking about swinging and took a strike to go 3-1 and eventually walked. Green lights on 3-0 counts are generally used for power hitters who are in scoring position when they stand at the plate and singles hitters when someone else is in scoring position. The hitter needs to be hot and have a good sense of what he can handle.
*Several times pitchers went from a 2-2 count to a 3-2 count with runners on and two outs. This is a mistake. At 2-2, the runners have to hold, and at 3-2, they get a jump. Pitchers need to force the action on the 2-2 count.
*The Royals scored a go-ahead run in the 10th inning. Cabrera walked, Hosmer hit into a fielder’s choice and Maier struck out, but Hosmer moved up to second on a wild pitch and then scored on Francoeur’s double. The play that’s easy to overlook in the inning is Melky getting down to second and forcing the middle infielder to move laterally to avoid a takeout slide. That allowed Hosmer to be safe by a step and eventually score the run.
OK, enough. It’s late, and once again I’m short on sleep. When the team is here, I put in 18 hour days on a regular basis. When they’re on the road, I try to catch up on sleep. The last four times I’ve tried to take a nap, 1.) My son called from college to talk about being overdrawn at the bank 2.) My other son started playing drums because he didn’t realize I had come home and crawled into bed 3.) I had to get up and go to work because the website didn’t want to talk to my laptop and 4.) a phone repairman decided to stop by without calling to fix a problem we complained about weeks ago.
And tonight I was thinking a 6:05 start would allow me a good night’s sleep.
It’s really starting to feel like a plot.
Here’s one last note from a couple days ago.
One more reason to like this team
If you go down the dugout steps in Kauffman Stadium and take two strides forward, you will be at the Royals indoor hitting facility. (You saw it on the hit-by-pitch video.) It’s also the video room. Hitters can take an at-bat, then go into the video room and watch it … if Ned Yost hadn’t ordered that the door be locked during games. Ned didn’t want people obsessing about their performances and thought it was a good idea for them to stay on the bench and root for their teammates.
Most video rooms are open during games, but the Royals want the players to put the team first and themselves second … and frankly, last-second adjustments aren’t that helpful. (Listen up all you parents that like to give advice to their kids in the on-deck circle.) Hitting is like taking a final: You either did the work to prepare, or you didn’t. Studying the book as you walk into class isn’t much of a game plan for success.
Hosmer
Coleman
Escobar
Now you've got me wondering, what's it like to take a 90+ fastball in the head?
I'm not sure anyone that's done it would remember.
There are many good things about this baseball season so far. One of them has been your commentary. You have added a lot of insight to the game (also one of the reasons I enjoy Frank White). Throwing at the feet was one I had not thoroughly considered but makes perfect sense. The locking of the video room is one of the subtle things that a manager does that goes unnoticed. Thank you for taking us beyond the normal factoids to a new list of factoids.
"Getting hit on the shin hurts a lot more than getting hit in … oh, let’s say the left kidney." That's what you get for being a righty Plunk! :-D
Seriously, it was a LOOONNNGG game.
I noticed again last night the feet getting pitched at. Hiram was definitely doing that Tuesday night enough that I commented to the wife about it. (and almost saw Nick Swisher get hit on the lips by home plate)
I think it's interesting to see the Yankees this year and how they have quite a few older players. Their average infielder age is 32.5, not exactly young. Where as the Royals' oldest is Mike Aviles at 30. But yet with the Yankee's being older and Royals definitely younger, the teams at least this season seem to be fairly evenly matched...
Overall it was a good game for Mazzaro although there were way too many long counts and walks. Or long counts then a single. (Hopefully SOS has been taking notes from the first two games)
As long as SOS can keep pounding the strike zone he should be ok against them. They can still hit well, but now that we've got the road losing streak broken, maybe some more weight can be lifted from their shoulders.
Again last night the umpire seemed very erratic with the zone. Granted he was erratic on both sides, but I can't imagine how frustrated a pitcher is when they throw a strike less than a ball off the plate and it's called a strike then throw another pitch closer into the strike zone and it's called a ball.
Rubber Game tonight....Let's do this thing!
Lee -- enjoying your work. What's your view on having Gordon pitch hit for Pena last night? Clearly the Yanks lefty in the bullpen has Gordon's number -- 0 for 12 with 7 strikeouts.
Robert: Thanks for checking in, hope you're doing well. The match-up you mentioned caught my eye also and wondered about pulling Gordon back and sending Aviles up. My experience has been that the manager knows something we don't and sometimes won't reveal the real reason he did what he did.
In fact, I plan on writing about this tomorrow so stay tuned.
Kevin: I agree, Sean needs to pound the zone early and get the Yanks out of the take mode. It'll be interesting to see what happens tonight (speaking of which... to me baseball is like a soap opera: you've got to watch all the time to figure out what's going on. Each game is another episode in the story and tonight's episode should be fascinating).
Willie: Glad you're enjoying the site. It's been a lot of fun for me, too. Talking with the best players and coaches in the world, playing in the toughest league in the world has been a pleasure.
Last night when I realized that the Yankees centerfielder was still moving sideways even though he was charging in, I knew that Chris Getz would score on Hosmer's shallow sac fly. And that came directly from talking to Eddie Rodriguez about the things he looks for when sending a runner.
It's neat to get a better understanding of what we've all been watching for years and even neater to get to share it.
Lee, can you give us some more insight into the impact that Ned Yost's demeanor is having on the "kids" who appear to be behaving consistent with the don't get to high or to low philosophy that is needed over a long season.
Joel: I can try, but remember this is speculation based on what I've observed and shouldn't be taken as gospel.
In my opinion Ned seems to be the right guy for a group of kids. He expects them to perform like professionals and doesn't baby them too much. He threw the bullpen rookies into the fire right away and when asked why he didn't pinch-hit for Escobar in Tuesday's game, said that Esky needs to experience those situations for him to be the best player he can be and for the team to get where it's going. He called it a 'big picture' move (small picture: it would've been nice to win that game, but at what cost to Escobar's confidence?...See? This managing stuff isn't easy.)
A calm demeanor is another positive. When a player screws up the camera will often show the manager to see if he's upset. Players do not appreciate a skipper who's making it clear that the setback was the player's fault by cussing and throwing something.
There have been times I felt like Ned was protecting a player during a press conference (I'm going to write more on this soon), but also feel that's his job.
That doesn't mean he's OK with what the player did and may have aired him out in private. There's an awful lot that guys on behind closed doors that we don't know and that's why you should take anything I have to say with a grain of salt.
OK, a heaping tablespoon of salt.
Lee, I too want to thank you for the work you have put into this column. I look forward to it every morning after a game. I agree with Willie that between you and Frank White's commentary, it brings a whole new perspective to the game.
With the spottiness of our starting pitching this season, I'm pleasantly surprised at how we have kept the Yankees' bat so quiet so far. Its awesome to watch an exciting Royals team once again!
Keep up the great work and I'll be reading you again tomorrow.
John: Thank you very much...and I agree with you guys about Frank White, he adds a lot to a game.
I think what we're trying to do (and I probably shouldn't speak for Frank) is bring you the small picture. Everyone else has got the big one covered, but the small elements that made up the big event is what we look for.
Now I've got to ask Frank if that's actually the way he looks at things.
And, yeah, the Royals have been fun, haven't they?
Ok Lee, thanks to you we have a good idea what it is like to get hit in the kidney, but what about the head shot Cano took? Just kidding buddy, don't hurt yourself any further, you have earned your battle scars, and don't want you to have to write about seeing bright white lights like I did when I got hit by lightning (don't recommend you making a video on that either :). And, I agree, you and Frank White are making it a lot more fun (along with the winning) to follow the Royals this year.
I've had my share of concussions so I think I'll quit before they have an effect...have an effect...have an effect.
The hardest part for Cano will be the next at-bat. Matt Treanor was right, taking one shot takes guts, taking another takes more.
The game was really long. Between the nibbling with pitches and all the visits to the mound. I don't think I have ever seen as many visits to the mound as there were last night. What are the rules regarding number of trips that pitching coach and manager can take to the mound?
It appears to me that Hosmer is waiting to find just the right pitch he is looking for, which I am completely fine with, but it also seems that he doesn't find it until late in the at bat. To me his bat speed should slow down when he has two strikes to ensure that he makes contact but it looks like he gets so excited that he is swinging for the fences on every 2 strike pitch. I think this is leaving him very vulnerable to off-speed pitches and breaking balls. Am I wrong or am I right?
I too, enjoy the interaction on this site. Seems like the team has been swinging at a lot of the off speed pitches (in the dirt) early in the count. Then they've been putting them behind in the count. Also, will Dyson ever get better at hitting? I hope Seitzer is putting some extra time in with him.
Lee, GREAT Job!! You have really brought something that the Star has been missing... Keep up the great work and I'm sure we'll all keep reading...
Can't wait till football season, maybe you can demonstrate what if feels like to run the football up the middle and take a shot from Vrabel??? :-)
It would be nice if the umpire could warn both benches after the first player gets hit in the head. Only doing it after the second time is an open invitation for the opposing pitcher to retaliate. I don't like watching guys throwing at the batters' heads.
OK, here goes...
Andrew: The second time a coach or manager visits the mound during the same inning a pitcher must be removed. A catcher can go as often as he likes (although do it enough and the umpire will get upset). The manager has a sign telling the catcher to go out and some of those visits are just to delay things while the bullpen gets ready.
Daniel: I was taught that the swing (including the bat speed) stays the same, even with two strikes. What changes is the zone (you have to expand it to include every pitch in the zone and some that may be out) and you need to let the ball travel deeper to make sure you are swinging at a strike. What you may be seeing is Hosmer trying to cover pitches that he would take earlier in the count.
Vinnie: Pitch selection is very underrated. It's often the difference between a good hitter and poor one, but people tend to focus on mechanics. Jeff Francoeur credits Seitzer for convincing him to lay off anything he wasn't looking for to begin with until he has two strikes. Having said that, major league pitchers are very good at disguising pitches. No hitter is trying to swing at a pitch in the dirt. They think it's headed somewhere else when they start their swing and find out they're wrong halfway through. As for Dyson I know they want him to concentrate on keeping the ball out of the air. Speed doesn't help on a fly ball to left, but it can on a groundball to short.
Ben: No NFL stunts for me. I did the wrong thing I could do at a very high level: stand still. Other than that, I'm pretty limited...unless you've got something that involves lying on a couch.
Steve: Whether you agree with it or not old-time baseball guys would think that's the way to handle the situation: one of our guys got plunked, now one of their guys will get it. In fact, they get mad when the umpire gives a warning too soon, feeling they've been cheated out of baseball justice. The one thing that bugged me about Francoeur getting nailed was how high the pitch was. The unwritten rule is throw behind the hitter's back (he'll naturally back up and move into it) and below the shoulders. Frenchy's shot was a little high.
And isn't it comforting to know that baseball has unwritten rules for retaliation?
Great blog!!! Lee you've made watching the Royals even more fun. Keep up the good work. I got a pitching question for you. Tim Collins pitched again last night. I think that makes his 21st appearance in the Royals 36 games so far this year. Is there any worry about wearing him out, especially considering he's an undersized rookie pitcher?
Mike: That's another one I don't know much about. Being a lefty specialist sometimes he's facing just one guy, but I asked Jeff Montgomery how many innings he would end up with in a year and he said 70-some. He thought 90+ was pushing it so you can do the math and see what kind of pace Tim is on. I know Ned Yost thought Adcock (I think) had good stuff against lefties and felt like that gave him another option in the left-handed hitter situation.
Well, Lee, I never though I would sign up on Face-stinking-Book but this blog is worth it (I hope). Just saw 2 Royals get plunked in the 8th inning and thought about you. I am really enjoying your comments and videos. Just hope I don't get caught at work.
Your blog got my dad to sign up for Facebook? Wow. I'm impressed. Congratu-stinking-lations.
Stinking awesome! (Doug, the only reason I have a facebook account is for this website so I don't think I should have to suffer alone.)