It's the final week of the regular season and the excitement is still front burner for many teams. Of course, there are those that are now laid back and relaxed - think Yankees, Angels, Cardinals. But, for the rest of the league... it ain't over!

I was all jazzed up to watch the Twins in Detroit. I popped the top, grabbed some peanuts.. pulled out my pen and paper. I was ready baby. Uh. No. Rain out. See ya tomorrow : (

But, there was another game that had some significant drama. Yes! It was Hotlanta taking on the Marlins. Not much of a contest. This Jurrjens kid completely outmatched Sanchez on the mound. Jurrjens 9-1 against the NL East .. are you kidding? Wow. He didn't need much support from the hitters... and you know what? He didn't get much. Chipper Jones had a Home Run and a couple of walks and Jurrjens did the rest. The Braves are now 2 games back in the Wild Card!

The Angels went into relaxation mode about half way through their 11-0 drubbing of the Rangers. The usual suspects were responsible for the run production; Morales, Guerrero and Abreu. But little Maizer Izturis had the best line. He went 3-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs in the Pennant clinching win for the Halos. Congrats guys.. take the week off : )

Did I say take the week off? The Yankees will likely do just that with the last place Royals in town. Girardi sat nearly the entire starting lineup on the bench and they still drubbed KC. Mostly behind "regular Joe"; Robinson Cano. Robinson crushed a Grand Slam that gave him 25 dingers on the year. Add that to the record books. That HR gave the Yankees a franchise best 5 players with 25+ HRs on the year. Geez... take a week off will ya.

Here's a line I love; 1 for 1, 1 run, 3 RBIs. Whattaya think that means? Well, it's our fave.. a PH dinger. Credit Willie Aybar for this one as the Rays decided to hand the O's their 11th straight loss. It wasn't easy being easy though.. Aybar needed his Pinch Hit magic in the 7th to tie it. Poor O's.. take a few months off will ya?

Gordon Beckham. What a cool name that is. He looks like Roy Hobbs. The blessed boy from Georgia is making his mark in Chicago. He's putting up solid numbers for the White Sox and yesterday threw in a 2 for 5 offering that netted him 3 more RBIs on the year. He could reach 70 ribs if he gets with it this last week and doesn't take the week off ; ) .. that wouldn't be too bad, 70 ribs.

Rod Barajas got his 70th and 71st rib yesterday. Barajas helped the Jays knock off the skidding Red Sox in Boston. Rod's 2-4 day included his 19th HR of the year and those 3 RBIs got him over the 70 mark. Now, don't sneeze at 70 RBIs. From a lower in the batting order player that is good production. He could really arbitrate if he hits that 20th dinger! Correct me if I'm wrong, but those people in Boston don't look too darn happy... do they?

If you're a youngster playing at this time of the year, you just want to show the parent club you have something to offer them. There's a kid in Washington making just that statement. He is most definitely NOT taking the week off. Mike Morse belted a Home Run for the third straight game as the Nationals put down the Mets 2-1. Mike was 3 for 4 in the game. Could he be a piece of the puzzle the Nationals need to compete? Maybe.

All those semi good days for hitters make it obvious who takes the Yesterday's Hitter prize. The first game of the day produced him:

Andy LaRoche had a little Pirate swagger to his walk when he stepped up in the first inning and greeted Kuroda with the Pirates' 2nd straight hit to open the game. But, Andy's swagger never wavered throughout the game. He proceeded to follow that single with 4 more hits. Check that... 4 huge hits. 2 Doubles and 2 Home Runs! Andy's 5 hit day was a first for him, as was the multi HR game. He did all that on the heels of the Dodgers hoping to pop some bubbly in the Pirate visitor's dugout. Say Andy and the Pirates - "Don't Tread on Me!"

Congratulations Andy, You're Yesterday's Hitter!

'09 Stats

So the fireworks on Sunday certainly paled in comparison to that crazy Saturday eruption. Maybe it had something to do with the anticipation of Champagne bubbly erupting in a clubhouse or two. Whatever the reason we still saw some superlative hitting lines on Sunday. Funny though, they weren't from the guys you might expect.

One thing that's cool about acknowledging top performers is you tend to see some fellas keep showing up. Like one of my faves.. .Adam Lind. Yup, he was at it again. Only this time Adam wasn't even in the lineup until the 8th inning when he came in as a PH. Oh well, same ol' same ol' .. he got a game tying single and the Blue Jays went on to win it. Ho Hum.

And how about our buddy Chad Tracy, remember him? Before Friday he was 0 for 18.. then had that PH Grand Slam to jump off the snide. Well, he's off it. Chad had a great day at the plate; 3-4 another Home Run for an RBI and scored twice. Way to go Chad You're NOT Yesterday's Hitter : ) But we love ya bud.

While we're on the subject of Pinch Hitters, can you say En Fuego? As in Hotlanta? And Omar Infante? Atlanta is smoldering, they've won their last TEN road games and are chasing down Colorado! It's reminiscent of '07 except the tables are turned on the Rockies.. they're not the Chaser... they're the Chasee! Omar Infante Pinch Hit in the 10th inning of the Hotlanta Braves vs Nationals game and came through with a 2 RBI knock to lock up the win and keep Atlanta 2 1/2 back! Cool stuff.  Has anybody noticed that the Angels have stumbled over the last week or so? If not for Kendry Morales (what a hitter) the Angels would have gone a full week without a victory. Kendry wasn't going to let that happen and the Angels are on the verge of their 5th AL West title in the last 6 years! Morales was 3 for 3 and knocked in 3 while scoring twice on Sunday. He now has 32 HRs and 102 RBIs! Plus he's carrying a .303 average! A Cuban Stud.

On the other end of the AL spectrum are those Cleveland Indians. While not the best of seasons, they're desperately trying to stay out of the cellar in the Central. They've got a 1/2 game lead on the Royals! Keeping them there was the hot hitting of Kelly Shoppach and Asdrubal Cabrera. Believe it or not, the Tribe is on a 3 game winning streak! Shoppach hit a massive bomb in his 2-4 3 RBI day and light hitting ShortStop Cabrera hit his 41st double in a 4-5 day that netted 3 RBIs. Can they hold off the Royals? The drama builds.

From the bottom to the top.The Tigers and Twins are scuffling each other for the top spot in the Central. The Tigers have got the Twins right where they want them... coming into their Den for a 4 game spot starting today! Carlos Quentin ruined any chance for the Tigers to hold a 3 game lead going into today's series. Quentin crushed the Cats with a Home Run and 4 RBIs as he put up a 2 for 4 day. Carlos is a far cry from the fellow we saw last year that nearly grabbed the MVP... had he not been stupid enough to hit his own bat and break something.. and it wasn't the bat. Dork.

Which brings us to a guy that also ruined a chance for someone to gain. The Twins could have pulled within ONE game of Detroit if they could only knock off those cellar dwellar Royals. But no. The King of the Court... Yuniesky Betancourt over ruled that possibility. He was Judge, Jury and Executioner in defending the field in Kansas City. Yuniesky (cool name) went 3 for 3, launched a long ball, scored twice and had 3 RBIs in the Royals no doubter 4-1 win over the punchless Twins. I'm sure the Twins were looking forward to a tussle with the Tigers. Well, they got it.. .starting today. Tune in to watch some really good hitters in this one.

Congratulations Yuniesky Betancourt. You are Yesterday's Hitter!

'09 Stats

The Mantra of Wee Willie Keeler was in the full spotlight around the ballparks on Saturday! Did Anybody NOT hit it where they weren't? What a list of spectacular hitting lines in every box score.

Lets start with a guy that was 0 for his last 18. Chad Tracy has been so bad that he wasn't even in the lineup on Saturday until the 7th inning. Stepping up as a Pinch Hitter and the bags full of Snakes, Chad blasted a Grand Slam! Now, that's how you get off the snide. Chad's hit merely wet the appetite for the Saturday bombardment. Not a good day to be a pitcher. Unless, you're C. C. Sabathia!

Jim Thome chipped in as well, getting his first RBIs as a Dodger with a pinch hit single that scored two. With that, the Dodgers clinched a Playoff Berth. Congrats to Joe Torre who visits the post season for the 14th consecutive year! Only Bobby Cox has equaled that.

What about that future dynamic duo in Cincy? Jeff (RedState/BlueState) must have sent out a message to the Votto/Bruce tandem with his comment yesterday. They delivered in spades! Votto had a 3 for 4 day and Jay Bruce followed him with a 2 for 3, 3 RBI, 3 Run performance including his 20th Home Run.

And, as long as we're on teammate production - The Oakland A's bombarded the Halos in Anaheim. Adam Kennedy, Kurt Suzuki, Jack Cust and Daric Barton had a full out barrage of hits in a comeback from 7 runs back. Their collective hitting line? 20 AB's - 13 hits - 11 RBIs! Holy Hit Monster! The A's charged back to crush the Angels 15-10. Watch out for this A's team if the last week or so is any indication.

More tandem attacks in Tampa where the Texas Rangers unleashed a volly on the Rays pitching staff. The duo of Marlon Byrd and Josh Hamilton didn't mess with the small stuff. Instead they went for the big producers. Byrd's 2 hits flew the yard and netted him 5 RBIs, while Josh simply racked up the Ribs. Hamilton picked up 4 Ribs of his own as the Rangers put a stomp on Tampa in their own yard, 15-3. Ryan Braun probably watched the league scoreboard light up like a pinball machine and said "Hey, I like pinball, especially the multi ball game!" And so he proceeded to blast out his 30th Home Run of the season! Ryan picked up 3 RBIs (106) in his 3 for 5 attack that raised his average to an impressive .314! Nice season Ryan.

Another guy I really like - Adam Lind. He's having a super season up in Toronto. In a game that featured a first for Ichiro, Adam did something he's used to for the 31st and 32nd time this year. Lind powered out two blasts that gave him 3 RBIs in his 3 for 4 day. Adam is also batting over .300 with those 32HRs and 109 RBIs. Great production. I really like this guy's swing.

In Colorado it was another Pinch Hit producer that clinched the Cardinals NL Central crown. Ryan Ludwick sealed the Cardinal's post season fate by cracking a PH 2 run Bomb in the 9th. Ryan's 22nd HR of the year! He is also closing in on the 100 RBI plateau (92). Nice Ryan. That loss was not nice to the Rockies who are suddenly being pestered by the hottest team in the Majors, those Atlanta Braves.

Atlanta has won 13 of their last 15 contests and they're doing it from up and down the lineup. Saturday was no different as they visited Washington. Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, Adam LaRoche and Yuniel Escobar all had a pair of hits. But it was Escobar's that produced the numbers you like - Runs and RBIs! Yuniel's 2 for 5 day netted him 3 RBIs and a pair of runs as the Braves got within 2 1/2 games of Colorado!

Whew! All that and we're still not done. In fact these last two guys were so impressive it was difficult to choose on Yesterday's Hitter!

The Tigers were getting their tails whipped in Chicago 5-0 before they decided to play a little pinball themselves. Granderson 3 Hits, Polanco 3 Hits, Laird 3 Hits, geeez. Between them they scored 7 Runs and batted in another 9! Pinball Wizard! There has to be a twist. Pinball Wizard.... oh, that would be Miguel Cabrera. He's got such a subtle wrist! Miguel rapped out 4 for 5 day with 4 RBIs to lead the comeback and keep the Tigers above those pesky Twins. Miguel now has the 100 RBI mark along with 32 Home Runs. Crazy I tell ya.

Not as crazy as Denard Span. Span spanked the ball all over the baseball field on Saturday! He put up a 4 hit day for himself and collected 6 RBIs ... .from the leadoff spot! Wow. Denard had a bases clearing triple to break a tie game wide open. Those 6 Ribs were a career best for Denard. Way to go Spanny. The Twins won a no-doubter in KC 11-6 and kept the pressure on Detroit and are still just 2 games back! 

Congratulations Denard Span, You are Yesterday's Hitter!

'09 Stats

The Twins are chasing the Tiger. A few posts back I mentioned how important a role Michael Cuddyer would play in the pursuit of the AL Central crown. He has not let me down. Cuddyer again posted the big numbers yesterday. He belted his 30th Home Run of the season enroute to a 2-4, 2RBI day that included 2 runs and a walk. All those twos are good to see on a line, but the "2" the Twins love the most is the one in the standings that shows them only 2 games back!

Cuddyer's heroics ruined the chance for Billy Butler to play spoiler. Although you can't deny he gave it everything he had. Butler smoked 2 Home Runs and drove in 4 RBIs in his 4 hit day. He's been a hot hitter and the Royals have actually been playing fairly hot baseball in the past ten days or so.

A player I really like alot. From the way he plays to the way he wears his uniform, Ian Kinsler is top notch. Yesterday he took himself to another level. He hit his 30th HR of the year which put him in an elite category, the 30/30 club. 30 Bombs, 30 Steals. Nice Job Ian!

Speaking of Bombs. Prince Fielder. Holy Cow has this guy been hitting them lately, or what? Yesterday he put up a 2-4 day that included his 43rd Home Run and knocked in 4 RBIs to give him the Major League lead at 136! Truly a knockout performance.

There was quite a bit of excitement in Colorado as the Rockies hosted the NL Central leading St. Louis Cardinals in what amounts to a playoff preview. The Rockies played as though they wanted to send a message to the league; "We're not the patsies just because we're Wild!" Yorvit Torrealba (love this guy) hit a Walk Off Sacrifice fly that sent the Rockies to a huge 2-1 victory.

Does anybody remember the early Rockie scores of 15-14?? My how times have changed. Great job by Yorvit and great job by the Rockies who needed that win to hold off the hot Atlanta Braves. The Braves are still 3 1/2 back in the WC and look to be the only serious threat.

Has anybody been paying attention to how hot Joey Votto has been? It seems like I post him here 3 or 4 times a week. He smashed the ball again yesterday, showing off his power and belting a big blast in his 2-4 day. He ended up with 4 RBIs. Great job Joey. But, you'll have to tip your hat to the Perfect Power that occurred in the Bronx yesterday.

Alex Rodriguez! Make a statement will ya? With Boston in town for a huge series, the Yankees needed to get off on the right foot or listen to the footsteps of Boston as they make a last ditch dash to the AL East title. Uh. Sorry. Per Alex, Statement Issued!

Alex was Perfect at the plate. He stepped up there 5 times on the day and he reached base 5 times. During his trips, he walked twice, Homered, Doubled and singled while knocking in 4 RBIs. And.. just because it was statement time... he stole 3 bases and scored 3 Runs. Has anybody noticed that Alex now has a very respectable .288 batting average? Wow Alex, You're Perfect Power makes you Yesterday's Hitter!

The typical short slate was there to greet us on Thursday. But, there was certainly no shortage in action. The highlight reels were reeling.

The Tigers were in the luxurious position of knowing they could extend their Central lead by a half game... all they had to do was win. Win they did. Verlander throws bullets! And just who was it that stepped up at the plate? None other than Yesterday's YH Les Guillotine Carlos Guillen! Carlos was a perfect 3 for 3 with 1 Rib and one run scored. Not much production, I know. But when SuperMan is tossing bullets on the mound for your team, you just don't need much. El Tigres now have a 3 game spread on the Twins with 10 to play.

In another game of semi importance it was the Big Papi show for the second day in a row (Hmm, I think I see a trend here). The Red Sox, priming their weapons for the weekend battle in New York, cracked out 15 hits and 10 runs on Royals pitching. Mr. David Ortiz was the big gun drilling his 26th bomb of the year and collecting 3 RBIs on a 3 for 5 display of power and accuracy at the plate. The Big Man is warming up for the big stage and the short porch at Yankee Stadium is in trouble.

A couple of guys you don't hear much about had nice performances yesterday. Josh Wilson (remember him?), the former Marlin, National, Ray, Mariner, Padre, D-Back and now Seattle Mariner shortstop (whew) traveled around the bases instead of the league. He belted a game winning 2 RBI triple in the 8th inning and helped the Mariners knock off the Blue Jays 5-4. Josh was 2 for 4 on the day.

The A's have been red hot for the past week or so and the poor Texas Rangers have been their whippin' post. No different in yesterday's clash as Eric Patterson put together a nice day at the dish. He got on base 4 of his 5 plate appearances and knocked in 3 RBIs as the A's continue to be a thorn in Texas. Patterson is good looking young 2B... in fact the A's are looking completely different. They may be on the rise in the AL West in a year or so.

On the Senior Circuit the Giants were hoping to move closer to Colorado in the Wild Card. They placed themselves in a perfect situation; leading 2-1 at home against those poor Cubbies. Brian Wilson throws peas and he had 2 out in the 9th when Jeff Baker came to the plate. Wilson owns Baker. In fact, Baker knows Wilson owns Baker. Ahhh ... but the game is not played on paper. Wouldn't you know it, Baker absolutely crushed a Wilson offering and won the game with a 2 Run Home Run! A little air left the stadiuim when that ball got over the fence. It was only the 2nd time all year the Giants had lost a game when leading after 8 innings. SF is cooling off and it's not just the Bay Area Weather... they've dropped 4 of their last 6. Oh what could have been.

What could have been because the Rockies lost! Nick Hundley made certain of it. He hit a Home Run and had walked and scored before he stepped to the dish in the 8th. With a 3-3 tie staring back from the scoreboard, Hundley cracked a tie breaking single that sparked the Friars to a spoilermaker 5-4 win in Colorado. The Rocks lost a little ground in the Wild Card with the loss... not to the Giants.... to the red hot Braves who are smelling a chance at the Post Season. Braves trail now by only 3 1/2. The Rocks have 9 games left, The Braves have 10. Anything can happen.

One thing I'm pretty sure is not gonna happen, they won't catch the LA Dodgers. After a comedy of errors in the field during Wednesday's loss to Washington, the boys in blue were right back in a nail biter with the feisty Nationals. I'm not quite sure what Rafael Furcal has been eating lately, but whatever it is it's making him a hittng machine. He was smoking in Washington... and I don't mean cigars. For the 2nd time in the series he wrapped out a 4 for 5 game that included the game winning Homer in the 8th. The Dodgers actually brought their gloves and made some key defensive plays to seal the slim 7-6 rubber match win. Nice game Raffy, I really wanted to give you the YH... but, ya just gotta give props to your buddy... your pal....

What a season Matt Kemp is having. He's poised to set a franchise mark for hitting. In fact, he's basically done it.... with the exception of one stat that can still fluctuate - his batting average. If he can keep it above .300 (he's at .306), Matt will be the first Dodger EVER to post a 25+ HR, 100+ RBI, 30+ Steals season. Think about that. Jackie didn't do it. No Dodger ever has! Matt continued his terrific season in yesterday's 7-6 win. He belted his 26th HR in a 3 for 5 day that netted 3 RBIs to reach the coveted 100 mark. He also scored twice (nearly 100 here too!). I'm rootin' for ya Matty... keep it above the .300 line!

Congrats Matt Kemp. You're Yesterday's Hitter!

'09 Stats

It's time to hand out some props to the Houston Astros. Understandably overwhelmed in Dave Clark's first game as interim skipper, the Astros showed some backbone against the Central leaders last night. Backed by a solid performance from Carlos Lee at the plate and young Bud Norris on the mound, the Astros folded the Cards 3-0. Lee posted a 2 for 3 line that included 2 RBIs. Norris' cool performance on the mound meant that the champagne in the visitors dugout would have to remain on ice until Colorado. It was great to see the Texas boys show their true grit. Here's spit in your eye and hopefully a sign of great things to come in Houston.

More props go out to the Florida Marlins who came back to fend off the Phils in a must win game that keeps the Fish in the Wild Card pond. Brett Carroll sealed the win with a walk off Pinch Hit single. Nice job Brett. The Marlins picked up ground on the Rockies and now trail by only 4 1/2.

Will Venable was responsible for that Rockies loss as the impressive Padre right fielder put up a super hitting line of 2 for 4 with 4 big Ribs capped by a Home Run. He also scored twice and walked. The Padres beat up Colorado who now have to host those champagne thirsty Cardinals in a weekend set.

Not to be left behind, the Braves and the Giants also posted important W's to keep the heat on the cooling Rockies. Adam LaRoche led the Braves over the Mets by rapping out a 3 for 5 day and plating 2 Ribeyes in a 5-2 win that puts them 4 back in the Wild Card. Meanwhile Juan Uribe put up a great set of numbers in Arizona as the Giants knocked off the D-Backs by the same 5-2 score. Uribe homered in his 2 for 3 3RBI day that included a run and a walk. The Giants are also 4 back and host the Cubs this weekend.

In a game that has no impact whatsoever on the '09 season, Joey Votto remains a hot Red. He posted a magnificent 4 for 5 game. Unfortunately he didn't have much on the plate in the production category. He scored 3 times and had but one Rib. Still, a nice game for Joey who is having a super year at .314 with 22 HRs and 74 RBIs.

Over in the AL there were plenty of fireworks as well. Big Papi did his part to keep the Red Sox hopeful of an AL East championship. With their 9-3 crowning of the KC Royals the Sox remain only 6 games back of NY and head to the Bronx for a huge weekend series. Ortiz' 4 RBIs included his 25th Home Run of the year. Not bad for a guy who had major league struggles to start the '09 campaign.

In Oakland it was Hammerin Hank Blalock that put up the big numbers for Texas. He also put 4 big Ribeyes on his plate and clubbed his 25th Home Run. Weird huh? Blalock scored twice as the Rangers nipped the A's in a 9-8 slugfest.

In the games that decide the closest race in baseball we had some real top notch performers. In the Windy City the White Sox were trying their best not to say goodbye to the '09 season. Jermaine Dye did all he good to fight back the surging Minnesota Twins. Dye's game was huge. He was 3 for 4 with 2 Home Runs and 4 RBIs. Unfortunately for the Sox that just wasn't enough as the Twins continued their drive toward the top of the AL Central with an 8-6 win. The Twins were powered by Nick Punto's bat as he carded a 3 Rib outing on 2 for 3. Punto scored twice and walked to keep the Twins in the rear view mirror of the Tigers.

Which brings us to our Yesterday's Hitter.

Finally healthy, Carlos Guillen was a big part of the offense that took apart Cleveland's pitching and sent the Indians to their 10th straight loss (sorry Ted).... their season high. Carlos belted 2 Home Runs, one from each side of the plate. His 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored were a big chunk of the 11-3 route. It's a real good sign for Jim Leyland that Carlos is back to his switch hitting ways. The Tigers will needed all the muscle they can muster to hold off the Twins. Way to go Carlos, You are Yesterday's Hitter!

'09 Stats

For the marquee game of the night it was all we could ask of it... well, almost. I actually was asking for more but Scioscia wasn't listening (to me ... or his NL instincts). Too bad, so sad... he missed a chance for turning a great game into an instant classic.

Not that the Yankees minded. A win is a win, especially in Anaheim where the powerful Bronx boys look rather mediocre. In a game that seemed to emanate the pride of the pinstripes, the Yanks jumped out to a 5-0 lead on the strength of Alex Rodriguez' massive Home Run. Matsui was then awarded 1st base on Catcher Mathis' interference play which begins the strange catcher theme of the contest. His blunder brought the Yanks catcher Jorge Posada to the plate. Posada delivered a  two run shot of his own and the Yanks were in command early.

But, the game really didn't start until the 5th inning when Vlad Guerrero faced an 0-2 offering with 2 on and 2 out. He absolutely drilled an RBI single to left to make it 5-2. Then came the 6th. Catcher/Manager Mike Scioscia (renowned for his baseball strategy) employed a Pinch Hitter in Gary Matthews with runners on the corners and one out. True to the rewards of baseball strategy... Matthews delivered another ringing hit that produced a run to make it 5-3. The bases get loaded with 2 out. It's raucous... the Rally Monkey is jumping and the sea of red is a constant swirl of excitement as Vlad Guerrero steps to the dish. Will he pick up a tater? A couple of Ribeyes? How hungry is Vlad? He smashes a ball down the 3B line. A virtual rocket headed to left field and a sure bet to score the tying runs. But no, Superman was diving and stopping that bullet.. scrambling to his feet he pitched a perfect toss to Tex for the 3rd out. Disappointing? Not really. It only added to the drama and tension of the game. The Angels were determined to protect their house from the Evil Empire and they had 3 innings to do it.

Enter a YH regular Howie Kendrick in the bottom of the 8th. This guy is turning into a real pure hitter. True to form, he hits one of the hardest balls of the night right at his counterpart 2B Robinson Cano. It ricochets off Cano and into right field. Down by only a run Scioscia and Kendrick put their thinking caps on and go for the steal. Kendrick bolts for 2nd. The Yanks catcher tandem of Girardi and Posada were ready and waiting with a pitch out. Strategy vs Strategys is foiled when Posada unleashes a terrible throw to 2nd and Kendrick scampered into third where Maicer Izturis cashed him in for the tying run 5-5. Game On!

Into the 9th we go. It's here that the catcher vs catcher vs catcher vs catcher game is finally decided. Brett Gardner opens the 9th with a solid single to center bringing Mr. Clutch Derek Jeter to the dish. Scioscia out thinks himself here. Instead of simply allowing DJ to bunt him over and take the out... for some reason they fiddle around with the strike zone and Derek is smart enough to know that a walk is as good as a hit. Sure enough.. he's walked. Which brings up Damon with 2 on and nobody out. What does a smart catcher/manager like Joe Girardi do in such a situation? The smart thing of course - Bunt! Damon executes it perfectly and the Yanks are sitting pretty at 2nd and 3rd.

Across the field Girardi's Catcher/Manager counterpart assesses his options and elects to fill the bags with one out hoping for a double play to end the inning. A smart decision and one that works more often than not. The problem being it was Alex Rodriguez coming to the dish. A-Rod had already feasted on his 580th Career Homer and was looking focused on his job as a hitter when he dug in. All he really needed was to get the ball in the air with the speed of Brett Gardner at third. It was a virtual lock to score him. And so it was! A hard shot to center. Hunter snagged it on the run.. .made a perfect peg to the plate trying to catch that dashing Brett. Problem was.. 4th string catcher Ryan Budde was back there in a very difficult spot. He had Gardner barreling down on him... the ball zipping in on a hop in the 9th inning, the Rally Monkeys freaking... the fans bellowing. Too much to ask. Gardner barreled through Budde and scored the go ahead run. 6-5 Yanks. And to the bottom of the 9th we go. Here's where Scioscia steps out of his norm and tries to duplicate the Girardi maneuver. Problem was ... Scioscia's guys have to face Mariano Rivera. Uh, not the same. But... Kendry Morales leads off with a walk! The 5th time he was on base in the game! What does a smart Catcher/Manager do in such a situation.. .sends in a pinch runner of course! Enter speedster Reggie Willits. Now what? Well, what we would expect from Scioscia is - "Get 'em over and Get 'em in!" That's his M.O. 

But, I think swayed by the vision of duplicating Girardi's move and the hope of a 1st and 2nd and no out position, he elects NOT to bunt! Completely out of character. Tommy Lasorda would be ticked at him. You could see Scioscia pondering his options.. he simply chose to be greedy. I guess he forgot the old saying... a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. Nevertheless, he eschews his NL upbringing and hopes for more than is offered by Rivera. True to the game's nature Jorge Posada comes up huge when Scioscia tries to steal with a 2 strike count. Uh Oh. The old Strike em Out... Throw em Out double play deflates the stadium. From raucous rants to complete silence. As would be expected a simple ground out ended the game in a most anti-climactic manner.

I know it's not the same when you watch a game in the stadium as opposed to the television. But, this game was all about catching and catchers. They were constantly in your eye and in the spotlight throughout the game. I only wish Scioscia had followed his norm. Not that I really cared which team won. I simply enjoyed the game. Just like Torii Hunter did. His comment after the game "I didn't show up (0-5), but I had a lot of fun watching it!" So did I Torii. So did I.

In a game that featured the two top teams in the AL, the Angels were out to prove their one game series in NY was not the real deal. They made their statement in a hurry. After Saunders escaped the first without allowing a run, the Halos romped on Andy Pettitte. They whacked his ball all over the field. Vlad Guerrero started the scoring with his scorching double to right center. He settled for a 2-4 line that included 2 Runs and that 1st inning Rib. 

  Another 2-4 guy that has gone fairly unnoticed in Kansas City was Billy Butler. Butler and the Royals did the Yanks a favor by dispatching of the Red Sox 12-9. Butler rapped out a 2-4 day that included  a walk, 2 runs and 2 RBIs. He's batting over .300 and has 85 Ribs on the year. Nice job Billy!  The Royals are playing hot baseball to end the year, winning 11 of last 14.

The Twins were hoping they could pick up a little ground on the idle Tigers and separate themelves from the White Sox. The White Sox threw a Roy Hobbs kid on the mound trying to slow down the Twinkies. Daniel Hudson made his MLB debut after making a miraculous climb through A ball, AA, AAA and the Major Leagues all in 2009! He had great stuff but it ain't easy being easy. Orlando Cabrera ignited the Twins with his 2-4 day collecting a triple, 3 Runs and 2 RBIs. The Twins got to within 2 1/2 of Detroit.

After their last meeting wtih the A's the Rangers were hoping not to meet the same fate. Last week was full of chances for the Rangers to gain ground and they could only stumble. Not this time. They pasted the A's with a 10-3 lashing behnd David Murphy's 3-4 performance. He picked up 2 Runs, 2 RBIs and had 2 walks in the Rangers must have victory. They're still breathing.. but barely. With the win the Rangers have a winning record for the 2009 campaign. Can they make something happen?

In another must have game, the Braves were able to win for the 9th time in their last 11 as they make a strong push to the finish line. Hoping to take a bite out  of the Wild Card lead they headed to the Big Apple. A win would shave off a half game and keep them alive. No problem. The Mets are a pushover this year with a mediocre 38-38 record at home. What happened to these guys? With a big bomb from Chipper Jones and a very solid game from Martin Prado, the Braves were on cruise control behind Derek Lowe who picked up his 15th W of the year. Prado had a 3-4 game that included 2 doubles, 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Martin collected 3 hits in the first 3 innings to set the pace! If they stay hot, the Braves have an outside chance.   

It should come as no surprise that the big production games came from those that have little meaning. It's a case of good hitters facing either lower level pitching or teams without spirit. The perfect recipe for guys like Mark DeRosa who spoiled the debut of interim Astros Skipper Dave Clark with a big game in Houston. It would have been a nice story to see the Astros buck up and fend off the NL Central powerhouse Cardinals... but, sadly. Well. Maybe next year. DeRosa cracked two HRs enroute to a 3-4 day and feasted on 4 Ribbys and a couple Runs.

Posting nearly identical numbers for the Cubs is Mr. Daily Delivery; Derrek Lee. How many times can we put this guy in a YH article. He's just been scorching to end his year. Lee's 3-4 day was filled with numbers. He had 3 Runs a Tater a Walk and 4 RBIs to give him 107 on the season! That's a career high for Derrek.. 

  With all of those numbers it's funny that Yesterday's Hitter came from the first game in the lineup, San Diego at Pittsburgh. It was also the longest campaign of the day, stretching 11 innings before deciding the winner. No fault of Chase Headley's that this game lasted as long as it did. He was spectacular. Chase rapped out 3 doubles, a Home Run, scored two times and gobbled up 2 Ribs... including the game winner in the 11th inning. He came to the plate 6 times and 5 times he delivered the goods. That's good enough for me. Congratulations Chase Headley... You are Yesterday's Hitter!

Funny what a weekend series can do. It can either douse the flames or fan them when you're this late in the season. For most teams that had an outside chance going into the weekend... they've been doused. Like San Fran, Florida and Atlanta unable to really make up any ground on the Rockies thanks to the resurgence of this guy...

Jason Giambi continues to produce for the Rockies! He put up another bomb while posting a 2-4 2RBI line. This guy has just been slobberknockin' the ball.You can pretty much figure the NL Wild Card is won. And, since I don't see the Rockies giving in.. their 3 game set @ Dodger Stadium to end the season could be really exciting. Won't that be fun?

Then there's the team that could've really busted through... and instead settled for a small dent. But, don't think the Twins aren't happy after nearly pulling off a sweep against the front running Tigers. Had it not been for Placido Polanco, the lead might have been but 1.. instead of 3. Polanco had a terrific series in Minnesota. His 2-4 3RBI game lifted his series totals to 6 for 11. He's hitting at a .365 clip this year against the Twins. Nice.

As for the Rangers... you can probably stick a fork in them too. With the tag team of Gary Mattews, Jr. and Howie Kendrick swatting the ball all over the state of Texas, the Rangers chances are fading like a Texas sunset. Kendrick though, is smoking hot; His 3-5 5RBI day included a big fly, his 10th of the year. Mattews is creeping out of his September swoon which is probably not good news for the rest of the League. Gary posted a nice line of 2-3 3RBIs and a HR.

There's another guy that's heating up as the weather cools..

After not hitting a dong in over 176 at bats.. Jacoby Ellsbury has gone deep twice in the last few games. He was real close to riding the cycle needing only a triple to fill out his 3-4 3RBI performance. He also had a walk, a stolen base and two runs scored. Geeez, Dude. Lighten up. : ) As good as that was it's time to Welcome Back an old face who looked like The Kid again last night at the dish.

Ken Griffey, Jr. put a beat down on Joba Chamberlain's offerings, belting an RBI double in the 1st that jumped off his bat like days gone by. Then to be certain Joba knew who The Kid was... he crushed a 3 Run bomb in the 2nd inning that went waaaaay high and way far. Griffey's 627th big fly of his career! Wow. Welcome Back Kid. You're Yesterday's Hitter!

          Ken Griffey Jr. #24 

The players are feasting like monsters at the dish as the game intensity rises. They're taking huge helpings of Ribeyes with every swing of the bat. Take Ronnie Belliard for instance. First inning, bases loaded... Grand Salami and 4 huge Ribeyes in a single trip to the dish.

Follow that with Jason Giambi's lone appearance at the dish and a smashing 3 Ribeye helping on a Pinch Hit Tater to right field. What a Giambi Monster he is becoming. He even broke out the old school Bash Brothers forearm smash. 

The Rockies used those two Monster helpings to gain an all important game on the Giants.

Talk about feasting on one dish.. Ross Gload is the all time Glob Monster. He has 19 Pinch Hits and 15 PH RBIs this season! Both Florida Marlins records. Gload... Gload... Gload. His PH bomb yesterday gave him 2 Ribs and kept the Marlins at 4 back of Giambi Monster's Rocks.

Staying as close as possible, the Braves won their 8th of the last 10 to keep within 4 1/2 in the Wild Card. Adam LaRoche nearly had himself a Vin Scully line to lead the Braves attack. His 2-2 day netted a couple of Ribs and one helping each of a run and a walk. Way to go Adam.

Want to talk about some real hogs at the dish? How about the 4 thru 7 hitters for the Chicago White Sox? Awfully hungry fellas trying to keep the blinded Tigers in their sights. Paul Konerko, Alexei Ramirez, Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin were a collective 8 for 14 with 8 runs and 10 huge Ribbys. Come on guys... share! Gload.... Gload... Gload! 

Kurt Suzuki and James Loney both had nearly identical games. Suzuki - 3 for 4, 3 Runs, HR and 1 RBI. He just missed hitting for the cycle. Loney - 3 for 4, 3 Runs HR and 2 RBIs. James finally hit his first HR at Dodger Stadium this season... get that Tater! Good Job guys but no fruit cup for you.

In a pretty meaningless game in St. Louis a small monster got tiny portions a little at a time and filled up his dessert dish with a Game Winner!

Brendan Ryan. His bouncing homer in the 5th made it 1-0 and looked like it was enough to win it. But, the Cubs bounced back with a single digit of their own to tie the game. Then, in a house where Monster Mac used to feast... Brendan Ryan took one more small helping and walked off with the dish!

Great game Ryan, but you just can't compete with the monsters that were on the West Coast on Saturday. In a game that featured Godzilla and Ichiro Monster it was Tyrannosaurus Tex that chewed up and spit out Safeco Field.

Mark Teixeira just pummeled Mariner pitching, collecting 5 monstrous Ribs and 2 Big Taters to fill his 4 for 5 plate. Talk about a Monster. Tyrannosaurus Tex feasted from both sides of the dish for his Taters. Gload Gload Gload! He fell a double shy of riding the cycle. Talk about a funny sight... Tyrannosaurus Tex on a bike!

Congratulations Mark Teixeira. You're Yesterday's Hitter!

'09 Stats

The excitment builds! 2 weeks left in the season and a couple of exciting races are continuing to emerge. Most notably, the NL Wild Card which could have gotten even tighter had Ryan Howard not single handedly scalped the Braves' 7 game winning streak. Howard crushed a couple of looooong balls (he loves hitting in Atlanta) to fill up a pretty good line; 2-4 2HR 3RBIs. That gives him 40 taters on the year!

The Braves lost a chance to get within 3 1/2 and join the melee with the Marlins (4 back) and the Giants keep snuggling up to the Rockies a little at a time.

It was a good day for Ryan's... Ryan Roberts had himself a Vin Scully kind of day to help keep Colorado within reach. He was a perfect 2 for 2, with 2 runs, 2 RBIs and 2 walks to boot. Did I mention he plays 2nd? Kinda cool Ryan .. Nice game. Watch his dinger here!

Since we're talking about 2's ... What about the Twins? I had a notion that Michael Cuddyer was going to do something special in this series and he didn't waste any time. His 2 run HR was all the Twins needed to close the gap to 3 on the Tigers! Watch out! Cuddyer's line wasn't the best.. but it was pretty big. Jason Kubel had a nice 2-4 2R day.. riding home on the heels of Cuddyer's big blast.

In a game that didn't have much impact anywhere (except maybe arbitration rooms), The Rays had a couple of great hitting performances from Crawford and Longoria. Carl went 4-5 with 3 runs scored and a Ribby, while  Evan hit his 31st HR and posted a 2-4 day with 3 Runs, 3 big Ribeyes and a walk. Two very nice games... but no banana.

How about Miguel Olivo spoiiling any chance of Chicago sneaking into the Central race... this guy's got 23 dingers... 2 of them yesterday in an 11-0 pasting of the Pale Hose. Miguel put up 6 RBIs!! If nothing else the Royals are gathering a nice collection of young talent and may be on their way up.

One team that refuses to die... and faces the daunting task of playing in the mouth of the league leading sharks of the NL West... the Giants battled to a huge win over the Dodgers on the strength of their little guy. Leadoff hitter Eugenio Velez came up Big! He set the tone with his first at bat, getting to a 3-2 count and then battling off close pitches until he met one. Right on the Sweet Spot. Say Goodbye to My li'l Friend!

Bye Bye baaaaaaaby. A Home Run to lead off the game in that series! Are you kidding? Just what the Giants needed. And did they ever follow suit. Hammering out key hit after key hit to win it 8-4. Eugenio Velez ended up 3 for 5 with that big HR and 2 RBIs, he threw in a couple of runs scored to fill up his line. Awesome! But sorry, you've been upstaged by a legend....

Yes, it's the Ichiro monster slaying Godzilla and the Yankees! What a game! If you're on the East Coast I'm sure you couldn't stay awake for the late inning heroics of Suzuki. Down by a run and facing Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the 9th. Ichiro mashed a 2 Run Bronx Bomb to walk off a winner... again! What a night for Ichiro who posted a 4-5 2 RBI night. We can only marvel at this man's hitting talent. He is simply FUN to watch! Congratulation Ichiro.. .You are Yesterday's Hitter!

'09 Statistics.

A little change up for the blog today. I couldn't help myself after watching the third game of the Red Sox vs. Angels last night. Baseball has a funny universal thing about it. Take this series for instance. The first game was intense.. a playoff feel to it without question. Game 2.. the intensity level rises.

The incredible controversy over the Nick Green at bat. "What was the count on Green? 3-4?" Mike Scioscia and the rest of the Angels were crying (I thought there was no crying in baseball?) over the balls and strikes.

Game 3... what could it possibly bring to the table that would raise the intensity? How about the Baseball Gods!

What a prime example of the wild and whacky game of baseball. The ultimate drama. You couldn't script this any better if you were the greatest playwright in the Universe!

With the lingering issues of balls and strikes in everybody's mind, the two teams set their aces in motion... Santana vs. Beckett. Strike throwing machines.

And did they ever deliver.

Two stellar performances.. each worthy of a W. Funny thing about baseball; there's only room for one W in each game. This one was hand delivered by the Baseball Gods themselves.

Well, that.......... And.....  some good ol' fashion baseball from one of the true masters of strategy in the chess game of baseball (More on that later).

There was definitely noshortage of whining on questionable strike calls in this game. Plenty. In fact, there were a number of them. Most notably the called strike three to Mike Lowell in the 7th. Pretty much.. THE PERFECT PITCH (take note if you're a pitcher)!!

David Oritz was also a victim of the K's being hand delivered by the Angels.

But.. let's not forget this blog is about HITTING.. and although it wasn't easy for anybody at the plate (having to fight the fantastic dealing by the aces AND the questionable zone from good ol' Mr. BLUE)... One guy came through like a glowing Angel!

Howie Kendrick! His opposite field bomb opened up the scoring and it looked good for the Angels to finally get off the snide in Fenway. Uhhh.. have we forgotten the drama.. ?

This is a scratch your eyes out kind of team... these Red Sox... and they pulled out the heart of the Angels again taking a lead with two huge HRs by Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Bay. Getting late into the game the Red Sox had the lead 3-2.

Ah... but that heart was still beating.

(this heart courtesy of Jane Heller's blog!)

Onward to the Angels 7th where Yesterday's Hitter Howie Kendrick impacts the game again! His seemingly harmless single starts an Angels uprising. Eventually, Scioscia ball gets Hendrick to 3rd with two outs and Chone Figgins at the plate with a 1-2 count.

Enter the Baseball Gods...

Wednesday's game surrounded the "check/nocheck" swing of potential strike 3 on Nick Green. What happens in the heat of the 3rd game? Beckett deals a low slider.. Figgins checks his swing... strike 3!

But NOOOO! the ball is loose and who comes trotting in to knot the game at 3? Our guy.. Howie Kendrick.

But... that's not all folks! In the bottom of that inning Mike Lowell has issues with a called strike! Real issues!...  Maybe with merit.. maybe without...the pitch was pretty close to perfect. (Did I Say Perfect?! ) It was.

The coup de grace comes in the 9th when the strategy of a National League catcher who lives by the simple basics of the game proves his small ball theory... works!

The big aces are gone.. . it's time for the saviors.. enter Billy Wagner who promptly walks leadoff hitter Juan Rivera on 5 pitches. Uh Oh. Wrong thing to do with Scioscia. What does he do? What any NL Skipper would do. He bunts him over! He doesn't just bunt him over. He has a pinch hitter enter the game to execute the vital chess move. Reggie Willits. Perfectly done!

Guess who comes to the plate? You guessed it Yesterday's Hitter!

The torch was passed to the man of the hour with full and comlete confidence the strategy would work.

Did I mention anything about Baseball Gods? You have to believe that was the case when Kendrick's little duck snort blooper barely fluttered over the outstretched glove of Pedroia to bring in the winning run. Talk about guided by an Angel.

Oops.. .go back. Another carefully thought out piece of the chess game was put in play prior to Kendrick's magical blooper. A Pinch Runner! Scioscia pulled all the tricks, including bunting again to try to tack on some more runs in the 9th.. it didn't cash in.. but showed the simple basics of the game are powerful little pawns in baseballs's version of chess.

Howie Kendrick was without question the annointed carrier of the message from the Baseball Gods. His line: 3-4 2RBIs 2Runs.

Congratulations Howie.. You're Yesterday's Hitter!

Geez, it seems like whenever we highlight somebody here at MLBlogs they tend to go on a tear for a few days. Like Matt Wieters. Wow! One of many game winners yesterday that continue to build the excitement toward the certain drama we'll see in the post season.  

Matt gets a little taste of the walk off mania.

Speaking of walk offs. How about the controversy in Fenway? The topsy turvy game in Boston looked good, then bad, then good, then bad.. no matter which team you were rooting for. Scioscia and his boys were crying spilled milk over the balls and strikes and neglected to get the outs they needed. Result? Alex Gonzalez hits the little game winning blooper in the bottom of the 9th. On paper Alex might be a consideration for YH. I mean, the line looks good; 2-3 3RBI and a walk off hit. But, when you see the hit.. you're like.. nawww! : )

See what I mean.. that's kinda ugly.. but, then again.. sure was pretty : )

Across the way in the AL East the Yankees were dealing with the loss of their Field General; Jorge Posada. No worries guys. Completely shut down on offense for 7 innings, the Bronx Boys came roaring back on Hideki Matsui's 2 run bomb to tie it and "Posada Replacement" Francisco Cervelli's game winning hit in the 9th!

He doesn't look too excited does he? You'd think he was just named YH or something ; )

Naww Frankie.. ya gotta do more than that. I mean Everth Cabrera basically did the same as you and he had  3 times your hits, going 3 for 6 to your 1 for 1. He also ruined the slim chance that Justin Upton's perfect game (5 for 5) might get him in the mix. Unfortunately, Justin's 5 hit game produced exactly One Rib. Slim Pickings and probably how he stays so thin. Beef up boy!

Did I say perfect? I love perfect lines for hitters. Two more for you. Joey Votto had the proverbial Vin Scully line. 2-2, 2walks, 2 runs (including the game winner). Again, pretty thin on production. Good game though. Sad thing is almost nobody's watching : (

On a bigger stage, in fact THE biggest crowd in daytime history at Dodger Stadium, it was Manny's Bobblehead Day. Trouble was Manny and a host of regulars took the day off. Not Ronnie Belliard who jumped (that's his jump... chuckle) at the opportunity and proved he is a top calibre pick up for LA. Ronnie was responsible, in one way or another, for each run the Dodgers scored. He was 3-3 with 1RBI and 2 runs scored in the 3-1 LA win, keeping them 5 games above the Rockies.

Which takes us to the front runners in yesterday's action.

Cody Ross put together a big game to keep the Marlins in the hunt for at least the weekend. Cody's 3-4 2RBI day extended his hitting streak to 11 games. The Best in the NL.

With the Giants finally falling, the Marlins are now only one game back of 2nd in the Wild Card. Good news for Florida; they play the Reds. Giants play LA. Bad news for Florida; Rockies play the D-Backs. Could be over this weekend.

One team that is definitely still in it... and chomping at the bit for this coming weekend's action... the Minnesota Twins. They are on a 6 game roll and have Detroit coming to town on Friday!

Michael Cuddyer was a big part of the win yesterday that kept the fires stoked for the Twinkies. Tasked with replacing the offensive firepower normally provided by Justin Morneau, Cuddyer came through with a very productive 3-4 day that included his 26th HR and 3RBIs. He also scored twice as the Twins rolled along 7-3. Will they keep up the suspense this weekend?  Let's hope so.

Yesterday's Hitter - Michael Cuddyer

      '09 Statistics

Fire it Up! There's a couple of teams that have definitely decided that the '09 season is NOT over.. at least in their minds. Take the Twins for example:

 They puttered away several chances as the Tigers took a siesta, failing to gain much ground while Detroit went on a 5 game skid. Well, don't look now but the Twinkies have racked up 3 games in a row and are sniffing at the tail of the Tigers. Nick Punto provided the spark going 3 for 4 with a couple of ribeyes. They still trail Detroit by 4 1/2 games with only 17 to play. But, here's the kicker... 7 of those are head to head. Who's got the most fight in them down the stretch? My money's on the Twins.

On the other end of the spectrum, it's looking like the Rangers have packed it in. They were so close and really had a shot at both the Wild Card and the AL West.. but... no. Last night they got drubbed again by the last place A's behind Rajai Davis. This is happening in TEXAS. Not good for Rangers fans.

Davis has been raking lately since his insertion as a regular player. He had a very complete hitters line on Tuesday - going 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs, a walk, a run scored and a steal to boot. Very nice Rajai, but you are a long way from YH. : )

Speaking of firing it up. How about that Battle in the Bronx?

The Yankees may be 40 games over .500 but you'd never know it. This team plays with fire no matter what. Not good for the rest of the league. They had their heels cooled a little by Doc on the mound and Travis Snider at the dish.

Travis cracked two Home Runs yesterday and knocked in 3 RBIs as the Blue Jays made the Bronx faithful a little bluer on the way home. Nice job Travis. In a limited time he has put up 8HRs and 20 RBIs.. maybe this time he'll stick with the parent club.  

Here's a couple of guys that are no stranger to the Yesterday's Hitter title. Big Papi and New Papi : )

David Ortiz became the all time leader in Home Runs as a Designated Hitter with his 270th smash in that role. He surpassed another Big fella.. Big Frank Thomas (who probably should still be playing somewhere). Does anybody recall the horrific start this guy had at the beginning of the year? Didn't think so. Suddenly the Halos look a bit vulnerable to the East.

And the other Papi? Well, just pencil this guy in everyday for the rest of the year. What a roll he's on. Derrek Lee went 2-2 yesterday and knocked in 3 RBIs to give him 101 for the season. He's a pillar in the middle of the lineup.

From the old guard to the new... Remember all the hype that surrounded Matt Wieters' call up? There have been some rumblings that maybe he just isn't all that was expected. I respectfully disagree. I think the numbers he's put up are pretty darn good; .272 6HR 32RBI Yesterday he was popping the ball all over the park as he posted a 3 for 5 night with a career high 5 RBIs. I really like his sweet swing, and he does it from both sides of the plate.

Next up are the real contenders. Who is this guy? I thought Jerry West was Mr. Clutch!

  But.. no, Andre the Giant is an absolute highlight reel this season. He has 6 Walk off game winners and 4 of those are Home Runs. Last night was no different. He smashed the very first pitch he saw in the 13th inning to give the Dodgers a much needed come from behind win over Pittsburgh. What a shot! What a shot in the arm for LA... they stretch out their lead over the slipping Rocks to 5 Games. Watch this bomb!

As great as that was there's always something to say about perfection. The Braves have been perfect for the past 5 games and are one of those teams that have decided that '09 is still the present and they are not giving up without a fight. Enter Adam LaRoche - Yesterday's Hitter!

Adam LaRoche's 2009 Stats

Say Hello to one of the hottest hitters on the planet - Derrek Lee. Derrek is in a euphoric state since the birth of his son Dylan and has been terrorizing opposing pitchers. He has blasted 7 HRs in the 10 games since his return to the lineup. He now has 33 HRs and 98 RBIs!

Click Here to see a supremely confident professional hitter going about his business. Did you know that Derrek is the son of a Major League scout? His father and uncle were both top notch professional players overseas. Now ya know! ; )

One of the most admirable talents is the ability to come off the bench in a pinch hit role and deliver. It's a real art and very difficult to have success. Don't tell Aubrey Huff. Oh My.. did he come through with shining colors in that very situation. With the Tigers down 5-2 in the bottom of the 9th Aubrey absolutely hammered a 2-0 offering into the right field stands for a game tying Pinch Hit Home Run! Well done Aubrey.. you're a contender for YH.

Speaking of game tying shots. How about that Michael Cuddyer?

It wasn't just any old HR, it was a late inning game tying shot that also happens to be his 100th HR of his career! Way to hammer it Michael. His 2 for 4 night and 3 RBIs keep the Twins alive... but barely. Bummer news... Morneau is out for the rest of '09 : (

The Yankees were in a knock down battle with the Angels in a mini one game series at the Bronx. Playoff atmosphere was abundant and the play on the field resembled it.

Mark Teixeira had a big night going 3 for 4 with a couple of ribs. He had a big triple that put the Yanks ahead 3-2 in the 5th. His double in the 8th started the go ahead rally when the aggressive Yanks played small ball against Scioscia with a double steal that netted the winning run. The Halos now head to Boston where another playoff atmosphere awaits.

Lets get to the top rung YH guys. How about Colby Rasmus and the drubbing the Cards put on Florida?

I guess Tony Larussa was a tad upset over the sweeping the Braves gave them. The bats came out and Colby's was a big one. He had a 3-5 night that include a 3 Run shot that just cleared the fence in right. His 15th dong of the year came on an 0-2 count. shame shame on the pitcher. Good game Colby... but you're not the guy. Close... but no banana.

When your team is in a dreadful funk like the TB Rays, which button do you push as a Manager to try to right the ship? Well... credit Joe Maddon for doing the right thing this time. Albeit too late for the Rays.. it's a feel good thing in more ways then one.

Rookie Reid Brignac not only got a rare start, he just barely missed setting Rays history. His 4 for 4 night included 3 RBIs. It was his last at bat and he already had his first career HR, a single and a double. He laced a shot down the right field line and for a moment it looked like he might have the triple that would make him the first Rays player to have ever ridden the cycle. But, Markakis is over there and Brignac wisely settled for a double. Still... what a super night for the rook! Congratulations Reid... you're Yesterday's Hitter! Watch his day Here!

Let's get the ovation out of the way right off the get.. Ichiro Suzuki stands alone as the most consistent hitter in the history of the game. His day wasn't great (1 hit in each game of a doubleheader), but those two hits gave him 200 on the season. That's 9 straight! A MLB record that stood much taller than the man that held it - Willie Keeler - now belongs to Ichiro Suzuki. Congrats dude.. but.. you're not Yesterdays Hitter!

Another little guy made noise at the plate yesterday as the Red Sox officially dispatched of the Rays in the '09 season. Tumbling Tampa lost for the 11th Straight Game : (

Dustin Pedroia crushed the hearts of Tampa in the 8th inning of Game 1 when he powered out a tie breaking 2 Run HR. For all intents and purposes, that was the end of the Rays.

Joe Mauer helped the Twins stay alive as they shut down the A's 8-0. The folks in Minnesota are probably hoping they didn't miss their opportunity when the Tigers were losing. Mauer's 3-4 day included his 27th HR (a career high). Do we have another Albert Pujols here? Suddenly Mauer is producing power and average.  

In a must game for the Giants it was Juan Uribe putting up identical numbers to Joe Mauer. He also had a 3-4 day with an HR and 2 RBIs. The Giants avoided a sweep and kept their post season hopes alive. .a date with the Rockies looms larger now.

How about this guy? Since the birth of his son, Derrek Lee has been unstoppable. He had another solid day yesterday, going 3-4. Hey? Did everybody go 3 for 4 yesterday? What's going on here?

Aha.. Here's a 4 for 5 performer: Nate McLouth. Granted, there wasn't much production out of the 4 hits (1 run, 1 RBI), but.. you can't sneeze at a 4 hit day. That's good stuff Nate. It tied a career high for him.. but that doesn't give you the prize my man.

Yesterday's Hitter is all about production. You can't deny that this guy has been producing when it counts. Silly as it sounds, the Yankees needed this win... they needed it to avoid a sweep at the hands of the last place O's... and they needed it because Boston was devouring the poor Rays over the weekend. Hideki Matsui to the rescue!

Hideki put up the big numbers yesterday with his 5 RBIs as the Bronx Bombers kept Boston at bay for the time being. Matsui restored order in the home by wrapping out a 3-5 day that included his 24th HR that put the game out of reach. The Yankees moved back to 40 games above the .500 mark with that win. Watch Hideki's tater by clicking Here!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Wow. Unlike the other day when there were such slim pickings to choose from around the league, Yesterday was a big day for hitters. Ribs were abundant and everybody was feasting at the plate!

uh, well.. .except the Tigers who seem to have lost their hunger.

Fortunately for them, losing 5 straight hasn't quite cost them as much as it should. The Twins and Sox have each squandered a great opportunity to catch the Tigers by the tail. Even one win more by each would have had a huge impact. One game! Not to be.

Not that Scott Podsednik didn't try though. He hit Chicago's first inside the park HR in 7 years to try and jump start the Pale Hose. His 2 for 5 day also included scoring the winning run in the 10th inning. Not bad Scott. But.. Wild Pitch... eh.. ya know?

Then we have a name we haven't heard from in a while. Although, something tells me we'll be seeing a heckuva lot more of him in the very near future.

Ichiro! The whirling dirvish at the plate. Does anybody remember the Tasmanian Devil cartoon?                                 That's Ichiro at the plate.. .he screws himself in 9 different directions. ; ) (Well, actually only 2 - Load... Unload!)  But, no argument from me. He gets the job done. Yesterday he cracked a Home Run and a double. He is now only 2 hits shy of breaking the consecutive 200 hit season mark he holds with Wee Willie Keeler. Now, this guy was a hitter:

It shouldn't surprise you to see Willie bunting. If you ever have the time .... check out his lifetime strikeout marks.. you'll be astounded. (Click Here to Check that ; ) But, hey.. back to the present. Who are the contenders?

Jorge Cantu had himself a super marvelous day at the plate and a pretty huge portion of those tasty ribs we said were so plentiful. Cantu Cracked a HR and rapped in 5 RBIs while scoring twice. With the Phillies losing, Cantu's exploits take on more importance as the Marlins gained some precious ground in the NL East. But.. no Cantu for Yesterday's Hitter ; )

How about the day that these two Brian's had?   Brian Roberts single handedly put a dampening on the Yanks with a power surge at the plate, knocking in 4 RBIs with one swing of the bat  Grand Slam!.. a Grand Salami was Brian's choice of fare. He had a 3 for 4 day and set a Baltimore franchise record with his 51st Double!! Awesome.

Brian McCann didn't rub his belly to the same extent, but his Ribs were really big ones! His 2 RBI double in the top of the 9th inning put a much needed W on the board for Atlanta. The Braves are doing everything in their power to stay in this thing. It's their 3rd W in a row. Come on Chipper!! Be a YH!

This guy.. he was the bomb yesterday.. .in fact.. 2 bombs!

Casey McGehee had a LOT of those ribs. : ) He had 6 of them! His 4 for 5 day included 2 Massive HRs and those 6 RBIs led the Brew Crew to a pasting of the cellar dwelling D-Backs. Casey Loves the desert.. his last two games have netted 7 for 9 at the plate. Heat him up! Super job Casey.. but, say hello to a guy that's really been off the radar lately. Welcome back Mr. Wright!

David Wright tossed the dork cap (my apologies to the manufacturer. But.. you'll get it Wright - listen to the player feedback... crucial!) and went back to work at the plate. He ALSO had a huge portion of those Ribbies... 6 of them on David's plate as well. David also had 2 HR's. The difference you ask? Well, one of David's HR's was a game winner. He hit a 2 out 2 run shot in the 9th inning to secure a win for the Mets. Sure, the Mets aren't going anywhere very soon. But, it is nice to see that their Captain is back in the drivers seat. Congrats David! Watch his huge day by clicking Here!

There was certainly no shortage of drama around the league yesterday, especially out West where there's a real old fashion wild west shootout taking place. In a must game for the Dodgers it was Casey Blake, returning to the lineup for the first time in 5 games, making a huge impact with his bat. Yup, Casey at the Bat : )

Blake's 2-3 day included a HR and 2 RBI with a couple of runs scored. While it was big for LA against their arch rivals up North... it's not what makes you Yesterday's Hitter. Close though.

A couple of guys you don't hear much about made some noise at the plate yesterday, Kurt Suzuki and Maicer Izturis. Suzuki had a real nice line going with his 3-5 3R and 3RBI day that helped the bottom dwelling A's ruin the Twins opportunity to gain ground on those slumbering Tigers.

A completely different view for Maicer, whose Angels sit atop the West by a healthy 5 1/2 games with but 22 to play. Maicer's 3-4 day included 2 Ribs and a couple of runs as the Angels also helped out the slumbering cats by knocking off Chicago 7-1. If you're Detroit you have to consider sending a bottle of wine out West ; )

Let's bring on the real contenders:

Aramis Ramirez. Now this guy can swing a bat. His power numbers are not what we would expect at this time of the year, but he's sporting a healthy .315 average and you can't cry about that. Yesterday it was more of the same from Aramis as he posted a 3-3 performance and then added 3 RBIs and a couple of runs to his line. Very nice... but, not quite gonna do it.

Here's a guy I really like alot. He's a class act and he's one of only 3 hitters to have posted at least 20 HRS every single year since the year 2000. Pretty good stuff huh? 

His numbers Yesterday were more like we've come to expect from Lance Berkman. He's had a bit of a down year which is certainly why Houston is far from in it in '09. But, for the second day in a row we had a Vin Scully line - Lance was 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs and 2 Runs scored... and yes, he also had 2 walks. Vinny would be proud. But, not good enough Lance.

Now, here's where we throw a wrench into this Yesterday's Hitter thing. You see, there was this certain fellow that had himself a historic moment at the plate on one of the Nation's brightest baseball stages. Yea... this guy:

Derek Jeter. What else can you say. He eclipsed the iconic Iron Horse with his 2,722 hit as a Yankee. Really good stuff huh? Yeh. Amazing feat for an amazing fellow. If only the Yanks hadn't blown that 4-1 lead, Derek would probably be the guy. But.. he's not.

It could go to Yorvit Torrealba who had himself a drama filled at-bat. One at-bat in fact. But it was the kind of at-bat that every kid who has ever dreamed of playing in the Major Leagues has had at least once.... 9th inning... 2 outs, your team is down by a run.. the bases are loaded.. 2 strikes on you.. .and oh, your team is locked in a knock down drag em out fight for the pennant.

Yorvit came through with flying colors smoking a rope into the left center gap and clearing the bases to give the Rockies a stunning victory and keep pace with LA in the West. Awesome stuff Yorvit! But.. believe it or not.. you're not the guy. It's this guy that takes the honors as Yesterday's Hitter for 09/11 -

 Granted it was 09/11/85 .. but you can't argue with the fact that this one eclipses all the others... This is really good stuff: At Riverfront Stadium in front of 47,237 hometown fans, Reds' player-manager Pete Rose collected his 4,192nd career hit to pass Ty Cobb becoming the all-time major league hit leader with a first inning single to left field. Cincinnati beat San Diego, 2-0.

A pretty dismal attempt at fame for Yesterday's Hitters : )  Ah, ok.. a short slate makes it a littler slimmer pickings. No worries though, there were some nice performances at the plate so lets take a look at them.

First off, Kudos to the Rockies on their 7th straight win. The pressure is on Torre and the Dodgers to finish what they started. Although there were no numbers that jump at you, had you been watching the game you'd know that Jason Giambi... yup Jason is loose again... rocked a ball over the rook centerfielders head for a couple of big RBIs in what was a close game. Uh, Game Over. Rocks Win.

Howie Kendrick made a run at YH with his 3 for 3 performance...but, a little skimpy on the production there Howie. One run might do it, but not Yesterday. 

How about the line that Yuniesky Betancourt put up for the KC Royals: 2 for 2 with 2 Ribs, 2 Runs and 2 walks to Boot. It's almost like the old Vin Scully line - "2 Balls, 2 Strikes, 2 on, 2 out, in a 2-2 tie! Oh my!". Speaking of Oh My.. KC sweeps Detroit? Lucky for the Tigers that the Twinkies were cold bats (Mauer 0-4).

I really like Brian McCann.

He has a sweet swing and seems to have his eye probs behind him. He was a 4 for 5 performer yesterday with 2 Runs scored and 2 RBI. Sad to see that the Braves are likely out of a post season appearance this year. 8 games back with a couple dozen to play.. not good.

I almost tagged Nick Johnson for the YH winner. He had a pretty big day for the Marlins who are still fighting for that playoff birth. They've got a slim chance if they keep on this W streak. Nick was a solid 2 for 4 Yesterday. He rapped a big dinger and had 4 RBIs on the day. Very nice job Nick. But, sad to say.. .you've been topped by a Rook. Not just any Rook. But a Rook making his Major League Debut! Nationals Shortstop - Ian Desmond!

How about this entry into the Majors? Ian Desmond homered and drove in four runs in his major league debut and the Nationals won 8-7! You think this kid might have an impact in the Nations capitol? It would be nice to see something good happen there : ) Oh, back to Desmond. He has a very nice swing. He picked up his first ML hit in the 4th when he roped a liner to Right Center. But, what impressed me most was how he jumped (and I do me jump!) on a curve ball offering to park a 3 run Bomb into the left field bleachers. Don't believe me on the jump? Take a look for yourself. Does this kid rotate or what? Click Here!

Number 9.... Number 9.... Number 9....

 I was truly hoping that a player wearing #9 would have a spectacular day at the plate yesterday. That would have been a perfect capper on 09/09/09. But.... no dice. There were, however, a number of fabulous performances worthy of Yesterday's Hitter.

Let's start with the early game where a fellow wearing an upside down 9 (6) ; ) made quite a mark at the dish. Esteban German had a perfect 5 for 5 day for the Rangers as they stayed in step with the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card. Normally, this would have done the trick and we could have crowned him. Except for a Certain Fella.... and the fact that the Rangers won 10-0 and German really didn't participate much in the feasting, scoring but once with an RBI. 

Next up... Kansas City's doubles machine -                      

Billy Butler. He had a solid day and has been on a tear. His 3-5 day included a pair of Ribs and 3 more doubles to bring his total to 45 on the season! Normally... good enough. Except for this Certain Fella.

Of course, we could always pen in The King.

All Albert did yesterday was pop 2 more Home Runs to bring his league leading total to 47! As my TribeTed friend says.. just write him in.. everyday! I would.. except for this Certain Fella.

We can't overlook what Seth Smith did in Colorado. It's another amazing run for the Rockies behind the solid leadership of Jim Tracy, they've opened one gap in the NL Wild Card and closed the other... trailing the Blue Crew by a mere 2 1/2 games! Seth had the game winning single to knock in 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th! Magical stuff indeed. Well, there was this Certain Fella that kept Seth from the top.

Victor Martinez ... he had a super important hit for the Red Sox in a game they had to win to fend off the Rangers. Martinez roped a Pinch Hit bases clearing double to give the Sox the win. Nope... not him.

This Certain Fella -

He had the hit of the day. Jorge Posada's hit was so important, so immense, so incredible... so freakin' fabulous, I literally jumped out of my chair and cheered. His Pinch Hit 3 Run Home Run was a thing of beauty. He battled and battled and battled and man, did he ever drive that fast ball on a line! It was a superb and very professional at bat. Why was it so important?

Because Yesterday's Hitter can't be annointed if his team loses. It's just one of the criteria. It's a team game with individual statistics. Your team simply has to win in order to receive the title of Yesterday's Hitter. And so... without further ado... meet Yesterday's Hitter:

With a classic Derek Jeter bunt in his first at bat followed by a booming double that cleared the Center Field wall and hopped into Monument Park (where he will be someday), Derek paved the way for a Historic moment in baseball. One more hit would tie him with the great Lou Gehrig. Another prototypical at bat from DJ (I call him this because he just keeps crankin out record hits!) produced an inside out shot down the right field line in the 7th and he climbed to the pulpit of Yankee lore. Watch Here!

You are watching one of the greatest hitters, and maybe ... someday the all-time hit leader, in baseball history everytime DJ steps to the plate. He is a gracious and incredibly humble, extremely gifted man and I relish every moment I get to watch him play. I think it's a wonderful thing that he actually did not break Lou's mark last night. Because, with today being an idle day for the Yankees, Derek will have an opportunity to savor the flavor of his magnificent accomplishment... sitting atop Yankee History with The Iron Horse

Two fellows cut from the same mold. Now we know why DJ wears # 2  : )

I was really wondering who the right guy would be for today. Was it Nick Swisher (2-3, 2RBI) who homered from both sides of the plate and hit the Walk Off sneaker into the right field bleachers?

Nawww.. He got a pie in the eye.

Or, maybe Chase Headley (3-4, 2 RBI) who damaged the Giants with a big HR and a late inning go ahead single?

Nope, couldn't quite pull the trigger on that one.

How about Raul Ibanez (3-4, 2RBI) or Matt Holliday (2-4, 2RBI) and hit a big HR in the 9th?

Nawww... Oh, I know! Let's go with Dustin Pedroia. Dustin was Dusted back with a pitch:

Then got off the deck and belted 2 big HRS in a Red Sox romp.

Pretty meaningful because they were trying to stay in front of the hard charging Rangers in the Wild Card.

Which brings us to THE choice!

Marlon Byrd! (7-9, 3RBI)

The Texas Rangers kept blowing chances to inch up the Wild Card standings while in Baltimore. It turns out that Cleveland was the place to rock! The Rangers won a slugfest in Game 1 and then double dipped in Game 2 to close in the AL Wild Card race. Marlon Byrd was awesome. He was a perfect 4 for 4 in Game 1 and tallied three more hits in the nightcap for a big day at the dish. Watch his game Here!

The SF Giants have been demoralized in late inning losses lately, leaving them 2 Games back in the NL Wild Card. Back in the friendly surroundings of AT&T Park they finally put their offense in gear and thumped the Padres 9-4. Juan Uribe provided the thump by blasting 2 HRs and a triple. He scored 3 times and drove in 5 RBIs on the day. Juan has been smoking hot lately, homering in 7 of his last 19 games and batting .323 (20-for-62) in that stretch. Watch his big day at the plate just click Here!

Honorable Mention; Derrek Lee (He did it again!), Ian Stewart, Ronnie Belliard, Joe Mauer, Billy Butler, Mark Teixeira...

The NY Mets have squandered yet another year in the books and look to be on the sidelines in October. You can blame the injuries, sure. But the fact is EVERY team is hit with them throughout the season. It's tough. A record of 62-75 is definitely a "wait til next year". They likely would have lost another yesterday if it hadn't been for Daniel Murphy in the lineup. Dan hit a triple, a HR and a single to fall just shy of riding the cycle enroute to a 3 for 4 day. Murphy knocked in every run for the Mets to give them a 4-2 win against the Cubs in their rubber match game. Watch Here!

Honorable Mention; Seth Smith, Miguel Tejada, Ichiro Suzuki

Having missed the last two games while his wife gave birth to his second child, Derrek Lee was anxious to get to the ballpark and celebrate. Did he ever! Derrek had a big hit day in New York as the Cubs beat the NY Mets 5-3. Lee smashed two very long, very high bombs into the upper decks in a ballpark that isn't very Homer Friendly. Speaking of HR's, Derrek's 6yr old daughter, Jada, is constantly requesting her big Papa to hit HR's for her. Says Derrek "Man, now I've got to hit a Home Run for you AND Dylan. It's going to be tough!" Well, he came through with flying colors in his first attempt at keeping his babies happy. What a great memory for him and a heckuva welcome to his new son! Here's to you Dylan Lee! Watch his bombs Here!

Honorable Mention; Albert Pujols, Chad Pennington, Melvin Mora

Much like the team in the Bronx, this team from the Busch is just as much of a powerhouse. Just as much of a machine. They won for the 10th time in the last 12 games stretching their lead to 11 1/2 in the NL Central. Ryan Ludwick was a masterful 5 for 5 at the plate on Friday. Every ball he hit was right on the sweet spot. He roped two doubles to left. He also knocked in 5 RBIs while hitting HRs #19 and 20 and bringing his RBI total to 86 for the season. You know, looking at this picture brings back memories of another powerful hitter from St. Louis. This pose is very much like that of Mark McGwire! Watch Ryan's powerful outburst by clicking Here!

Honorable Mention: Bengie Molina (He did it again!), Jason Giambi (He did it again!)

Can you imagine being the opposing pitcher and facing the Bronx Bombers? I mean, these guys really are the Bronx BOMBERS! They are so incredibly good it boggles the mind. They have been setting MLB marks all year long and are on pace to add even more by year's end. Jorge Posada helped push them in that direction with his 20th HR of the season (1 of 7 Yankees this year) during a sparkling 4 for 5 performance that netted 4 RBIs on the night. His 20th HR set a Yankee team record putting 7 men in the lineup with at least 20! Derek Jeter should make it 8 if he continues his hot hitting. Think about that for a second. Think of all the History, all the incredible Legends that have donned the pinstripes, all the incredible teams that have logged the most World Series titles. It really boggles the mind. Enjoy watching this team because THEY are now Historic and have their place in Yankee lore. Watch Posada's history making rocket by clicking Here.

Honorable mention; David Wright, Ronnie Belliard

Oh My.. September, September.. it's just a bit cooler in the air but NOT on the field OR in the clubhouse. The tensions are rising (just ask the Marlins), the passion is brewing, the job of hitting is getting harder. Suddenly the games are not nearly as fun as they are ferociously played, with each pitch. And so, the task of choosing Yesterday's Hitter becomes that much more convoluted. I have a set criteria, sure.. but late in the season the dynamics of a Hitter's role change.

Enter Jason Giambi. It's been said that hitting a baseball is the hardest task in sports. Try upping the ante to Jason Giambi's situation; a new team, called on to pinch hit in the 8th inning of a tie game, bases loaded... and oh yeah, you're in the middle of a Wild Card race. What did Jason do? Stroked a perfect, game winning 2 RBI single to center field is all. Watch Here!

Honorable Mention; Pat Burrell, Evan Longoria, Wes Helms, A-Rod, Johnny Damon

It was a tough decision for today's pick as several players had big impacts in their team's win. However, the combination of Josh Hamilton's escape from his power failure and the very valuable ground Texas gained on both the Angels and the Red Sox was the deciding factor. After nearly coming out of a black hole the night before and losing to the Blue Jays, the Rangers took 2 in Texas. Josh Hamilton keyed the sweep by driving out 2 big HRs in game 2 of the Double Dip. Hamilton had gone 23 games and 99 at bats since his last HR. He powered a 435ft solo shot to break out of his home run slump. Click Here!

Honorable Mention; Jorge Posada, Todd Helton, Michale Cuddyer

Somewhat hidden from the limelight in Toronto, Adam Lind has been shelling the ball just about the entire year. His hitting prowess vaulted him into the spot light last night as he nearly hit the cover off the ball. His 3 for 5 night netted 8 RBIs and included a Grand Salami and a Solo Shot, the 26th and 27th HRs for him this season. The 8 RBIs are the most in the Majors this season and 2nd most in Blue Jays history (Roy Howell had 9 in '77). He now has 89 RBIs this year. Watch Adam's awesome night by clicking Here Here!

Honorable Mention; Brandon Phillips, Nick Swisher, Carlos Pena