Why the New York Yankees' Recent Hot Streak Is a Reason To Get Excited

by Christopher Mango

Though the Yankees' five-game winning streak has come against an offensively-challenged Atlanta team and a hapless and banged-up bunch of Mets, a number of occurrences over the past week should give Yankee fans like myself reasons to be encouraged as the team prepares for two more weeks of baseball prior to the All-Star break.

Though this collection of ballplayers may not exactly replicate the championship-winning teams of the late-'90s, the team's play in the last week should encourage both the Yankee brass and the enormous fan base that the team possesses.

Read Full Story

Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes rides scoreless streak into more important appearances

by Matt Gelb

With the tying run on second with two outs in the sixth inning, Phil Hughes was called upon. One pitch later, he was back in the dugout.

"It was easy," Hughes said.

Pitching in his highest leveraged situation this season -- and entering a close game mid-inning for the first time -- Hughes showed great proficiency in relief. After the one pitch to retire Omir Santos in the sixth, he allowed a leadoff walk to Luis Castillo in the seventh, but set the Mets down in order after that on 10 pitches.

Read Full Story

New York Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang has a win

by Matt Gelb

Chien-Ming Wang went 379 days in between victories, and for a pitcher who once won a total of 38 games over two seasons, it felt like forever.

He watched from the clubhouse as the Yankees bullpen preserved it. And the quiet Wang appeared as relaxed as he could be afterward.

"I waited too long," he said.

But Chien-Ming finally earned win No. 1 in 2009 with his effort Sunday against the Mets. It came in start No. 8 and it wasn't the finest 5 1/3 innings ever seen, but it could be the most important 16 outs of Wang's career.

Read Full Story

Mariano Rivera saves 500th career game as New York Yankees complete sweep of New York Mets with 4-2 win

by Matt Gelb

Mariano Rivera has save No. 500. And RBI No. 1.

Rivera needed four outs to become the second pitcher ever to 500 saves -- and provided himself some own insurance with a good eye at the plate -- as the Yankees swept the Mets with a 4-2 victory Sunday night.

In the eighth, Rivera entered with runners on first and second and struck out Omir Santos on eight pitches. And in the ninth Rivera allowed a two-out single to Daniel Murphy before Alex Cora grounded out to second.

Read Full Story

Molina inches closer to return to NY Yankees

By Jared Diamond

NEW YORK -- Jose Molina's return to the Yankees appears to be coming closer. The backup catcher, who strained his left quad on May 7, ran the bases before Sunday's game against the Mets and said afterward he felt no pain. He will try to run the bases again on Tuesday and could be behind the plate for New York within a couple of weeks.

"I could play today," Molina said. "I don't know how it would be, but I feel like I could play."

Read Full Story

Mariners-LA Dodgers: Seattle Takes Two-of-Three from LA

by Griffin Cooper

A three-run, third-inning rally turned out to be all the Mariners would need on Sunday, as they beat the LA Dodgers 4-2 and took the best-of-three series.

This was the first test for the Mariners on this vigorous road trip, and they passed with flying colors.

I, along with many other Mariners fans, would probably have been happy with just taking one out of three, but today’s game was icing on the cake and the M’s now sit 39-36, three games over .500.

Read Full Story

New York Yankees

Against the New York Yankees, New York Mets outfielder Gary Sheffield keeps on swinging

NEW YORK - Fresh off a cortisone shot to his knee, Mets outfielder Gary Sheffield found himself back in the lineup in his new comfort zone, facing the Yankees, his old team.

"It's a big game for the city, the nation watching these games," Sheffield said. "It's always big moments."

Read Full Story

Flu bug hits New York Yankees as Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon sit out

NEW YORK -- The flu is spreading through the Yankees clubhouse and Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon will not start Saturday night.

Jeter will miss his second straight game with the illness. He was not available to pinch hit Friday night, but Yankees manager Joe Girardi was hopeful that he could come off the bench Saturday.

"I know he really wants to play today and he's not happy about being out of the lineup," Girardi said. "It was recommended when I talked to the doctor that we give him another day. He was really, really sick last night."

Read Full Story

New York Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett not afraid to think about no-hit bid

A.J. Burnett was not oblivious. He had a no-hitter and he was thinking about it.

"I look up when it's happening and I want to throw one," Burnett said. "I was pretty much shooting for it from the fourth on."

All the ingredients were there, it appeared. Melky Cabrera made two sparkling plays in left field to preserve the no-hitter. The Mets offense, already stymied the night before by CC Sabathia, looked just as feeble. And Burnett was striking out batters at a high pace.

Read Full Story

Slumping New York Yankees Must Make Drastic Changes

by Perry Arnold

Alex Rodriguez is just the poster boy for the recent New York Yankees slump.

A-Rod is now hitting .224 and over the past two weeks has been much worse than that number would indicate.

But a host of Yankee players are sliding, and their ineptitude is reflected in the team's record and in the standings.

When the Yankees went into Boston on June 9 to start a three-game series with the Sox, their record was 34-23, and they were in first place in the American League East by one game.

Now they stand at 38-32 and are five games behind Boston.

Read Full Story

NY Yankees in News

MLB denies Yankees' protest

Major League Baseball announced on Tuesday its denial of the New York Yankees' formal protest of a June 21st loss to the Florida Marlins.

Read Full Story

With pressure on, New York Yankees respond with 8-4 victory over Atlanta Braves

ATLANTA - In his daily conversations with team ownership, Yankees general manager Cashman maintains that there is no sense of panic.

"They know we're better than this," Cashman said about the Yankees' recent skid. "I know we're better than this and our players know that they're better than this. So we just try to get back on track. It wasn't too long ago we were feelings good about ourselves. We've just got to get back to that feeling."

Read Full Story

Pair of New York Yankees prospects earn spots at All-Star Futures Game

A pair of standout Yankees prospects have been selected to this season's the All-Star Futures Game. Power-hitting catcher Jesus Montero and left-hander Manuel Banuelos will represent the World Team.

Read Full Story

Bad sign for New York Yankees' Xavier Nady as elbow forces him to leave minor league rehab game

ATLANTA -- Outfielder Xavier Nady may be headed for Tommy John surgery that will end his season, and likely his tenure with the Yankees. Nady pulled himself out of a minor league rehab game on Thursday night after injuring his right elbow on a throw from the outfield.

"It's the thing you try and avoid," Cashman said. "It could be the worst-case scenario.... Obviously, it's just not a good sign."

Read Full Story

Alex Rodriguez keys outburst, New York Yankees beat Atlanta Braves, 11-7

NY Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez took over Thursday night's 11-7 victory against the Braves, using the game to demonstrate that despite his struggles to bounce back from hip surgery, he remains a force.

Dogged by questions about a recent slump and the security of his spot as the cleanup hitter, Rodriguez tied Reggie Jackson for 11th place on the all-time home run list with 563. The homer snapped a drought of 69 road at-bats with a home run, his longest since 1997.

Rodriguez drove in four runs, the first on a homer to straightaway center field at spacious Turner Field. He finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs.

Read Full Story

A.J. Burnett has suspension reduced to five games

Major League Baseball reduced the suspension of New York Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett to five games on Sunday.

Burnett was originally suspended six games and fined an undisclosed amount for an incident during a game against the Texas Rangers on June 2.

Under a settlement reached with Major League Baseball, Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett had his six-game suspension for throwing at a batter reduced to five games. He began serving the suspension on Saturday.

The suspension -- which came after Burnett threw near the head of the Rangers' Nelson Cruz on June 2, supposedly in retaliation of Vicente Padilla hitting Mark Teixeira -- won't make a major impact on the rotation. The penalty pushed Burnett's next start back just one day, to Saturday at Citi Field against the Mets.

NY Yankees' Joe Girardi stands behind decision to rest A-Rod

BY MANNY NAVARRO

Alex Rodriguez pinch-hit in the eighth inning Saturday, his first regular-season appaearance in front of his hometown fans.

Rodriguez originally was scheduled to skip the first two games of the series. Before the game, Yankees manager Joe Girardi addressed A-Rod's absence from the lineup and reiterated it was because of fatigue.

Read Full Story

Sox draft Michael Yastrzemski

By Chad Finn

In the 36th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft Thursday afternoon, the Red Sox selected St. John's Prep (Danvers) outfielder Michael Yastrzemski.

The last name, of course, isn't just familiar in New England. It's legendary. He is the grandson of Red Sox icon and Baseball Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski.

Read Full Article

Red Sox draft former North standout Ebert

Former Fargo North standout Tom Ebert was drafted by the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.

Ebert, a pitcher at Florida International, was taken in the 19th round by Boston with the 588th overall pick.

Recap: Boston vs. NY Yankees

Red Sox rallied to edge the Yankees, 4-3, and sweep the three-game set with their bitter division rival.

Boston has now won each of the eight contests between the two teams this season and nine straight overall dating back to last season. The eight wins to start the season is the club's second longest winning streak ever against the Yankees to begin a campaign behind a 14-gamer from April 11-July 1, 1912. The overall nine-game tear is also the second-longest versus New York behind a 17- game run from October 3, 1911-July 1, 1912.

Read Full Article

Does New York Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang deserve another chance in the starting rotation?

Chien-Ming Wang's position in the Yankees starting rotation grew more tenuous on Wednesday night, when the pitcher's general ineffectiveness over 2 2/3 brutal innings in a 6-5 loss to the Red Sox raised what's become a familiar question surrounding Wang this season: What now? What would you do?

Manager Joe Girardi was noncommittal about whether Wang would make his next scheduled start, leaving the door open for the Yankees to bump the right-hander from the rotation in favor of another pitcher, perhaps Phil Hughes.

Read Full Article

Philips becomes an official medical equipment supplier of the New York Yankees

Royal Philips Electronics yesterday announced an agreement to become an official medical equipment supplier of the New York Yankees. As part of the agreement, a state-of-the-art digital radiology system was installed inside Yankee Stadium, enabling onsite diagnosis of players by the Yankees medical team. In addition, potentially life-saving automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are available in both the player areas and in select locations in the Stadium, providing emergency care to fans that might be in need during a game.

Read Full News

Mahoney Selected in 23rd Round of MLB Draft by New York Yankees

Canisius College senior Kevin Mahoney (Miller Place, N.Y.) was selected by the New York Yankees in the 23rd round (No. 705 pick overall) of the Major League Baseball Draft on Wednesday afternoon.

Read Full Story

Red Sox revel in 7-0 stretch over Yankees

The Boston Red Sox continued their mastery of fierce rivals New York Wednesday, stretching their unbeaten streak over the Yankees to seven games this season with a 6-5 win.

Read Full Story

Former Hickory High star selected by Yankees

Former Hickory High baseball star Isaac Harrow was in Taylorsville late Wednesday afternoon, settled onto his bed and trying to grab a few minutes to relax.

A few feet away, he had a live telecast of the Major League Baseball Draft on his computer, with the volume turned high enough to hear his name.

Shortly after 4 p.m., the New York Yankees used the 735th pick of the draft to ask Harrow, a star at Appalachian State, to join them.

"As I heard my name, it sounded like it was someone else's," said Harrow, taken in the 24th round. "My sister and girlfriend were with me and I heard my mom yell from downstairs.

Read Full Story

Yanks nab high-upside outfielder first

By Anthony Dicomo

Bucking their recent Draft trend of leaning toward pitching, the Yankees selected high school outfielder Slade Heathcott with their first pick in Tuesday's First-Year Player Draft, the 29th selection overall.

Heathcott, 18, is the first position player the Yankees have taken in the first round since they selected C.J. Henry -- the main chip in a subsequent trade with the Phillies for Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle -- 17th overall in 2005. The Yankees selected pitchers Gerrit Cole, Andrew Brackman and Ian Kennedy with their top picks the past three seasons.

Read Full Story

Key pitching duel on tap for New York Yankees and Tampa Bay

by Matthew Stanmyre

Moments after New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi settled into his seat in the home dugout Saturday morning, he was asked his thoughts on the afternoon's highly-anticipated pitching matchup between Yankees ace CC Sabathia and Tampa Bay phenom David Price.

Girardi paused, thinking back to his own playing days. He likened the atmosphere before the game to when Girardi's teams had faced hurlers like Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz.

Read Full Story

The New York Yankees hit home: Get yourself a Yankee bar stool today

The new stadium in the Bronx, the debut of a velvet lined Yankee Coffin complete with pinstripes and logo adorned pillow and in April, the first official Yankees grass seed sales at 25 select Home Depot stores.

Source: examiner.com

New York Yankees reliever Brian Bruney and outfielder Xavier Nady showing improvement from injuries

by Colin Stephenson

Reliever Brian Bruney threw a bullpen session Friday -- 20 pitches, all fastballs -- and reported his strained right elbow had no pain. In talking to reporters, the righthander first didn't want to suggest he had any kind of timetable in mind, saying he thought part of his problem the last time he returned from the injury had to do with setting a timetable to return and then rushing himself to meet it.

Read Full Story

Why the New York Yankees Need To Trade Hideki Matsui

by A.J. Martelli

He burst onto the Major League Baseball scene in 2003, crushing a grand slam home run in his first home game with the New York Yankees.

So far this season, Hideki Matsui has eight homers, 22 RBI, and is batting .256. But he is certainly not the durable player he once was, and the Yankees should consider trading him.

In his first three seasons, Matsui played in every single game, compiling a streak of 518 consecutive games played. In his 519th game against Boston on May 11, 2006, he broke his wrist and was sidelined for the majority of the season.

Read Full Story

Yankees Merchandise – High demand among Yankees fans

The New York Yankees have come a long way since the embargo placed upon them, preventing them from being a New York team, a century ago. They have fast become the number one synonym of the Big Apple, and certainly deserve some real commemoration in the form of official Yankees memorabilia, NY Yankees Merchandise.

In direct relation, the Yankees have an immense follow of support, thus there has been a rapid increase in the number of fans and in turn, the need for Yankees merchandise. Moreover, a rise of a new breed of hard core fan has lead to a rise in popularity of Yankees jerseys. Let’s be honest, Yankees Jerseys are the first port of call in terms of hard core sports support, as they not only reflect your loyalty, but pose as a front line representation during the war on the field. It is also the closest you will come to your heroes.

Take a look at our Yankees Toddler Replica jerseys, the perfect little introduction to the kings of baseball, for any little wiper-snapper in your life. In relation, the Derek Jeter Yankees infant replica jersey is surely a must have. Alternatively, take a look at our Alex Rodriguez Replica jersey. In addition, grab a glimpse of our exclusive New York Yankees Youth Cooperstown Throwback Replica New York Yankees Jerseys, New York Yankees Home Pinstripe Youth Replica Jerseys, and a number of additional New York Yankees Jerseys.

Find more at our online

MLB Shop

Diehardfans.com.

Baseball phenom Bryce Harper lists playing for New York Yankees as one of his dreams

It is still uncertain whether or not LeBron James will be playing in New York for the Knicks come fall 2010. But even if he doesn't end up in the Big Apple, it doesn't mean the second-coming of the "Chosen One" won't call New York his home -- only this rendition will be swinging a bat and wearing spikes, with eye-black smeared across his cheeks. You better go ahead and start betting online for this guy."

Read Full Story

The New York Yankees Pitching Conundrum

by Dan Dummeyer

Today the Yankees will send Chien-Ming Wang, a winless pitcher with a 16.07 ERA and without a start in nearly three months, to the mound against the high-octane Texas Rangers lineup.

This move, returning the franchise's former de facto ace to a starting role, prompted team brass to bump their current ace back a day in the rotation (a convenient plus that will split up their southpaw starters) and move a young man once considered the top prospect in professional baseball, Phil Hughes, from the rotation to the bullpen.

Read Full Story

New York Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett suspended; Derek Jeter gets a day off while Mark Teixeira is back

by Matt Gelb

A.J. Burnett was suspended six games and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball on Thursday. The suspension was set to begin Thursday, but Burnett will appeal. That appeal could prove to be successful considering there was no warning issued by umpires until after Burnett threw a pitch near the head of Nelson Cruz in the fifth inning Tuesday.

The news came down after Joe Girardi's pregame meeting with the media, so whether or not the Yankees would move Phil Hughes into Burnett's spot, should the suspension hold, is unclear.

Read Full Story

Phil Hughes to the New York Yankees Bullpen: Stupid Move

by Perry Arnold

New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi and General Manager Brian Cashman announced yesterday that Chien-Ming Wang will return to the starting rotation on Thursday and that Phil Hughes will go to the bullpen.

They also announced that they will re-evaluate the decision in about two weeks and decide at that point whether Hughes should return to Scranton to get work as a starter.

This is a dangerous move by the Yankees brain trust.

Read Full Story