On Sunday, Washington's Ryan Zimmerman hit a one-out, two-run homer off of the Yankees' Chien-Ming Wang to give the Nats a 3-2 win. What was even more unusual about this was that Wang was working on a complete game. I don't know how often in this era that a starter loses a complete game on a walkoff homer.
According to the story on MLB.com, the last time a National/Expo player to hit a walkoff homer was Orlando Cabrera on June 20, 2004 in Montreal. Cabrera's homer gave the Expos a 4-2 win over the White Sox. The losing pitcher that day was the White Sox starter, Jon Garland, who had gone the distance and allowed just three hits in the game.
As I said in the Dodger Thoughts comments, it was crazy too that Wang actually batted in the top of the ninth in a one run game. I'm sure not Mr. Macho baseball, but isn't that kind of insulting to the Nationals?
Garland's homer was the first by a White Sox pitcher since Steve Kealey hit one against the Twins on Sept. 6, 1971.
Kealy graduated from Torrance High school, and joined Bart Johnson and Fred Kendall as members of their 1967 high school baseball team to make it to the majors. Go Tartars.
The main issue was that the only guys the Yanks had left in the pen were two lefty, one of whom is a pure LOOGY Mike Myers, the other one has a good ERA but scary WHIP. both would have been bad candidates to face the right Zimmerman anyway.... that and Wang was under 100 pitches and only allowed 4 singles up to then...
It was a basically choosing the less of two evil, seeing Wang in the 8th where he walked two (having walked none through 7 ) and only got out with a nice running catch by the outfielder, if Torre had Rivera avalible there was no way he'd send him back out there.
This decision itself wasn't exactly Torre's fault, just that Wang came 2 outs short of a incredible team saving outting. although a lot of things that led up to this mess was Torre's fault.
I won't be a true Jayson Stark until I say something like, "The Pittsburgh PIrates hadn't scored four runs in the sixth inning for a period of 100 games and then they did it in back-to-back games on the road in San Diego!"
This game was such a pity. If only the last ball had sunk a few inches lower, Zimmerman would've grounded into another double play, Wang would've been a hero, and every Yankee fan would be rejoicing. But now instead we are in mourning. What a valiant effort by Wang, wasted. Sometimes life is full of sadness. This was a true heartbreaker that I won't forget for a long time.
Now that Steve Kealey is no longer the last Palehose pitcher to homer in a game, somebody will get more tatoos that Justin Miller, somebody, will chew more tobacco than Jason Kendall, and somebody will be a bigger draft bust than Antone Williamson, and my beloved Torrance High will truly fade into Bolivia. At least Danny Gans is still holding it down in Vegas.
Oh, one more thing. I am a little worried for Wang. They sometimes treat him like a workhorse, but his arm is a delicate, precise instrument. Sometimes I think Torre forgets that the guy almost had surgery last year.
13 Well , the Yankees have little choice given how badly the other pitchers have been burning the pen.
As for Wang, consider that the other guys in the rotation are just as fragil (and all older) than him, his chances of getting hurt is about as good as the next guy, the Yankees are just praying that they already used up their share of injury bugs this year and luck will balance itself out.
On the plus side, Wang throws very efficently, ranking amoung the best in fewest pitch used per inning. so his chances of staying healthy should be ok... and for the Yanks to have a serious shot at winning this year.. they better hope he does stay healhty.
More like a what or a what?? Wow, I had to look up theodolite. Anyway, I just hope his arm stays Ok. I wish the Yankees could somehow get Zito. They need someone of his caliber to succeed in the playoffs. I would trade A-Rod for Zito if it were possible. Pitching is the key to winning, as Torre always says.
If Zito makes it to FA the chances of him landing with the Yanks seems reasonable, and with the rest of AL west way too crappy to blow the As out of contention the chances of them trading him (without some other non-Yankee team throwing a load of prospect) isn't that high IMHO.
Sorry Vishal, we're going for more of a self-immolation vibe than a spontaneous combustion vibe here at The Griddle. See the Korea/France game thread for further details.
sorry vishal, I didn't mean to give you any nightmares. i guess my little fantasy just shows once more that one man's meat is another man's poison. but don't worry too much, zito probably won't be traded. and even if he is and you really do spontaneously combust, then you won't be here (on earth) anymore to have to live through the agony...always look on the bright side of life, i suppose. :-)
zito probably won't be traded to the yanks, because the yanks have nothing to trade. there's always the free agent market, though. zito's up for free agency at the end of the year and steinbrenner has the wallet. i hope it doesn't come to that.
I realize I'm late to this party, but I just wanted to add that the last time a Yankee starter gave up a walk-off homer was July 28, 1995 when Jack McDowell (man I hated that guy) gave up a game-winner to the Twins' Dan Masteller. Nice to know that a guy like Masteller, who's completely vanished from the memories of proably even Twins fans, had a moment like that. I wonder if he got to keep the ball?
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I'll try and ask Frank.
The closer would have been Ron Villone.
And he singled.
Garland pitched today and homered in Cincinnati.
Kealy graduated from Torrance High school, and joined Bart Johnson and Fred Kendall as members of their 1967 high school baseball team to make it to the majors. Go Tartars.
It was a basically choosing the less of two evil, seeing Wang in the 8th where he walked two (having walked none through 7 ) and only got out with a nice running catch by the outfielder, if Torre had Rivera avalible there was no way he'd send him back out there.
This decision itself wasn't exactly Torre's fault, just that Wang came 2 outs short of a incredible team saving outting. although a lot of things that led up to this mess was Torre's fault.
As for Wang, consider that the other guys in the rotation are just as fragil (and all older) than him, his chances of getting hurt is about as good as the next guy, the Yankees are just praying that they already used up their share of injury bugs this year and luck will balance itself out.
On the plus side, Wang throws very efficently, ranking amoung the best in fewest pitch used per inning. so his chances of staying healthy should be ok... and for the Yanks to have a serious shot at winning this year.. they better hope he does stay healhty.
or it would hurt really badly anyway.
It happens.
[20] that makes my bob-isms list.
zito probably won't be traded to the yanks, because the yanks have nothing to trade. there's always the free agent market, though. zito's up for free agency at the end of the year and steinbrenner has the wallet. i hope it doesn't come to that.
If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Or maybe not, I can just steal lines from it.
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