Results tagged ‘ Jorge Posada ’
Jorge makes it official today
Jorge Posada will officially call it a career this morning, meeting the media for an 11 a.m. ET press conference at Yankee Stadium. Posada will retire after 17 big league seasons – all with the Yankees – and boasts final numbers of a .273 batting average with 900 runs scored, 379 doubles, 275 home runs and 1,065 RBIs in 1,829 games.
The YES Network will have coverage from the Bronx, and if you’re going to be online this morning, the conference will be streamed as it happens at http://www.mlb.com/live.
Happy 40th, Jorge
Wednesday is Jorge Posada’s 40th birthday, and how did he celebrate? Well, part of his afternoon was spent lounging on a couch with Robinson Cano and a few buddies, watching MLB Network’s “Intentional Talk.”
Posada seemed to get a kick out of the replay of a foul ball that someone laced into the booth last night, attacking John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman here in Kansas City.
He isn’t in the lineup on Wednesday, but that’s not a birthday gift. It’s a nod to Kansas City lefty Bruce Chen and Posada’s .102 batting average against southpaws this year.
When Posada finally does get into a game, he’ll become the Yankees’ first non-pitcher age 40 or older to appear in a game since Lou Piniella played 29 games in 1984.
Yankees present Jeter with 225-pound sculpture
Derek Jeter poses with his new sculpture. (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – Derek Jeter’s unforgettable entry into the 3,000 hits club was celebrated on Saturday by the Yankees, as the captain was lavishly honored with gifts in a pre-game ceremony.
The Yankees unveiled a 225-pound custom, one-of-a-kind sculpture for Jeter, which was commissioned by CC Sabathia and Jorge Posada and depicts Jeter doffing his cap after the milestone.
Wheeled to home plate on a flat bed cart underneath a black cloth, the inscription reads, “To our captain, leader and friend, congratulations on a great achievement, from your teammates.”
The mirrored, stainless steel sculpture was created by Scott Kranzler of Milgo Industrial.
Jeter became the 28th player all-time and the first Yankee to join the 3,000 hits club on July 9 against the Rays, homering off left-hander David Price in the third inning.
It was announced on Saturday that Jeter would donate his batting helmet and batting gloves from that game to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jeter’s parents, Charles and Dorothy, and his sister, Sharlee, were present for the ceremony.
Yankees team president Randy Levine and chief operating officer Lonn Trost presented Jeter with a 14-inch Waterford crystal vase, hand-crafted in Ireland and copper wheel engraved with the Yankee Stadium and “DJ3K” logos.
From managing general partner and co-chairperson Hal Steinbrenner and his wife, Christina, Jeter and his father received 14-karat Balfour white gold rings with 50 total diamonds, 14 of which made up a number “2.”
The Steinbrenners also presented Jeter’s mother and sister with ring top pendants with the “DJ3K” logo.
Speaking over the Yankee Stadium public address system, Rivera said, “I want to say thank God for giving me the opportunity to play with a tremendous player like Derek and being in this organization, and being able to see every one of them.
“Jeet, I love you, and continue. God bless you and God bless your family.”
Posada hopes homer swing vs. O’s opens the door
Early season results are a funny thing, as Joe Girardi was saying before the game last night. For example, he has a shortstop with over 2,900 career hits, but there are still daily questions to field from reporters asking if Derek Jeter is washed up and will end the season hitting in the .230s, as he is now (fearless prediction: he won’t).
So consider the case of Jorge Posada, who slugged the game-tying home run in the ninth inning last night off the Orioles’ Kevin Gregg. Continuing to adjust to the new designated hitter role the Yankees have slapped on him, Posada has five home runs in 10 games — and, thanks to that pesky 0-for-19 skid he just went through, just two other hits that are not home runs.
Posada is hitting just .189, but his OPS is a healthy .825 – better than Curtis Granderson, Jeter, Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner in the Yankees’ lineup. For the moment, Posada is the all-or-nothing guy.
“I have no idea, but I’m not complaining,” Posada said. “They’re hits, so I’m happy with the way it’s going. Obviously I want to get going a little bit. I went through a funk, a little bit, went through a little slump, and hopefully we can get it going for the whole year.”
The results may not consistently be there, but Posada believes he’s getting close. He said he cracked some balls at people in the series at Fenway Park that could have been hits with better placement.
“I hit some balls right at people,” Posada said. “I hit a line drive to centerfield that I hit real well, and I hit a line drive to first that I thought it hit real well. Sunday was one of those days. (Josh) Beckett was on, so you forget about that one and keep going. It’s just a matter of understanding your job, and doing what you’re supposed to do.”
Posada gets his swings as Yanks’ new DH
The biggest concern the Yankees had with moving Jorge Posada to the designated hitter role was having him find a rhythm that worked for him, doing something to occupy his mind between at-bats instead of stewing and focusing on the last plate appearance.
All spring, Posada said that preparation process would be easier for him once the Yankees got home to New York, with a bevy of tools at his disposal just up the clubhouse runway. Thus far, the experiment is working fine. Posada slugged a couple of homers off the Tigers’ Max Scherzer on Sunday and has, by all accounts, embraced his new role.
“At the end of the day, it’s just about four at-bats and being prepared for those four at-bats,” Posada said. “No matter what, it’s putting the at-bat behind you and looking forward to the next one. … It’s staying positive, staying within yourself, and looking forward to that next at-bat. You stay loose for it.”
The Yankees have no plans to move Posada back behind the plate this season – if anything, he is the third catcher, to be used only in an extreme emergency. Joe Girardi acknowledged that he is concerned about the number of concussions Posada has suffered in his career and the potential long-term impact they may have.
A telling moment came late in Spring Training, when Girardi grudgingly acknowledged he’d probably use Posada behind the plate before putting utilityman Eduardo Nunez back there. Clearly, the likes of Gustavo Molina, Jesus Montero and Austin Romine were light years ahead on the depth chart. You got the sense that Girardi would rather strap the shin guards on himself and catch a few innings than run the risk of hurting Posada.
Posada said he has grown to accept his situation and complimented the work of new catcher Russell Martin, who said that Posada has helped speed his knowledge of the pitching staff.
“I’m watching the game, talking to Russell and stuff,” Posada said. “Obviously I’m in his corner. I’m going to try to help him out. He’s got a pretty good idea of what to do back there. He’s done a good job with the bat and he looks pretty good behind the plate.”
Bernie: It’s tough to know when it’s time
Bernie Williams technically still hasn’t retired from baseball, although he spends much more time strumming a guitar than picking up a bat these days. It’s clear Williams isn’t going to be stepping up to the plate in the Bronx anytime soon.
Posada available only in emergency
Jorge Posada (right knee) is available only in emergency situations for Thursday’s game at Camden Yards. He spent most of the afternoon receiving treatment with assistant athletic trainer Steve Donohue but sent the following words along via Jason Zillo.
A.J. and Posada ready for their new beginning
I actually went back and listened to the audio of A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada breaking down that August 22 start against the Red Sox, which still happened to be on my laptop as in MP3 form. That tells me two things — one, I need to do a better job of backing up my data, and two, the tone of both players is now markedly different.
Having a whole spring to work together doesn’t necessarily mean that Burnett and Posada will work as a lights-out battery tonight against the Red Sox, nor does it mean that Burnett will have a wonderful season against the Red Sox – shades of his ’08. But it is certainly possible that Burnett just got a little too amped up to be part of the rivalry, and as Posada says in this story, it is crucial that the Yankees keep his emotions in check.
Those poor extended spring kids never had a chance. Hughes actually had to keep pitching more than the six innings the Yankees allotted, because he’d thrown too many strikes – 70 of 100 pitches, in fact. Then he dashed to Tampa International Airport and jetted up to Boston, where he’ll get a hotel room to watch two whole games in the bullpen. Then, it’s back to (guess where?) — Tampa, Florida. Yes, it seems like some cosmic joke.
Spin that wild setup bullpen wheel! My take on the picture is that the Yankees would love, adore, relish nothing more, than to have Joba Chamberlain stand tall and morph back into 2007 Joba — right up until the game where he had the midges in his mouth. I’m just not sure where that guy is right now; he seemed to be back in the ’09 playoffs, but is he there in ’10? But as Joe Girardi said in our season-opening Q&A (and I’m sure in other places as well), Chamberlain has a “good chance” to be that eighth-inning guy. Now he’s just got to prove it.
Working with Posada, A.J. feels all right
Remember August 22 of last season? Sure you do. That was the game that the relationship between A.J. Burnett and Jorge Posada hit its low point, with Burnett stretching his arms out and yelling at himself, “Why? Why would you throw that pitch?”
It has been an enduring snapshot, and not just in the media and among the fan base. On Saturday, an afternoon when Burnett and Posada clicked at their best, Burnett revealed that the memories from Fenway Park had made the trip to Spring Training as something for the ‘what to work on’ file.
“I think that whole Boston thing kind of got the best of us,” Burnett said. “Even though
we talked about it and knew it wasn’t about him and wasn’t about me,
the whole thing blew up so much that … it keeps it in the back of your
mind. To be able to come here and work here and throw to him every
start, it’s fun and relaxed.”
Burnett and Posada needed to fix whatever wasn’t going right in their relationship because, frankly, they are going to be together a good amount. Jose Molina is gone, having signed with the Blue Jays, and Joe Girardi does not want to use Francisco Cervelli as a personal catcher for Burnett – or anyone.
So far, Burnett says the relationship is working. He didn’t have his curveball Saturday and needed to figure out a way to navigate the Tigers, relying instead on his fastball and offering props to Posada’s game-calling. In short, Burnett said that Saturday had been “easy upstairs,” meaning that the battery was largely on the same page over 6 2/3 innings of one-run, three-hit ball at Joker Marchant Stadium.
“I could be more efficient, but that’ll come under the lights, hopefully,” said Burnett, who walked three and struck out two in a 91-pitch outing. “Just to get that hook over is the main thing today, but besides that, I felt great. I was relaxed and confident.”
CC hit hard by Phils farmhands
While most of the news was coming out of Sarasota, there was this ugly tidbit of a pitching line filtering in from the Himes Avenue complex back in Tampa, where CC Sabathia pitched in a Triple-A game against the Phillies’ top farm club:
Sabathia: 3.2IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 HBP, 2 HR – 88 pitches, 58 strikes
Joe Girardi didn’t have any details, but upon hearing the results, he said: “That’s not what we’re necessarily looking for.” Maybe it’s a good thing that Sabathia’s facing the Red Sox on Opening Night and not the Triple-A Lehigh Valley club.
Following the outing, Sabathia threw an additional 12 pitches in the bullpen. He was caught in the game and bullpen by Jorge Posada, who went 2-for-3 (two singles) off the Phillies’ Roy Halladay.
- Once again, Alex Rodriguez found a side door at Ed Smith Stadium, walking past the autograph seekers and into a waiting luxury car to leave the Yankees. He was apparently headed for his reported meeting with federal investigators regarding his possible connection to a Canadian physician under investigation. A-Rod did not comment to reporters, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi said that he did not know if Rodriguez would be available to play on either Friday or Saturday.
- Back in Sarasota, Girardi thought that Sergio Mitre (2 IP, 1 ER) looked pretty good, but Alfredo Aceves (2 IP, 6 ER) was up in the zone and paid for it. Girardi said that he thought both pitchers were dealing with some emotions after learning they wouldn’t be the Yankees’ fifth starter.
- Earlier we mentioned that the Yankees might find it difficult to carry two situational lefties, and they consider Damaso Marte as one. Boone Logan’s changeup is an intriguing pitch for Girardi, and one they want to keep looking at. It’s a pitch that might elevate him past just the left-on-left battles.
- One explanation for Marcus Thames’ struggles this spring, from Girardi – he’s going to primarily be on the roster to bat against left-handed pitching, and the Yankees haven’t seen much this spring. They’ll draw Jamie Moyer tomorrow, and you can bet Thames will be in there. Girardi wants to see him get going.
- Chan Ho Park (2 IP, 0 ER) was “exceptional,” the skipper said.
Bryan Hoch
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