Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees: Tanaka is Only Bright Spot for Yanks By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 6- The Yankees ended their most recent homestand on Thu...

Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees

Tanaka is Only Bright Spot for Yanks

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 6- The Yankees ended their most recent homestand on Thursday afternoon with a 2-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics. The Yankees have achieved a victory in 10 of the 12 games Masahiro Tanaka has started. The win ended a four-game losing streak for the club.

Tanaka is continuing in the month of June what he accomplished during May. Tanaka excelled during his six starts in May. He compiled a record of 5-1 with a miniscule ERA of 1.88. The 25 year-old kept his pinpoint control throughout the previous month by averaging one walk per appearance yet fanning one per inning. His achievements on the mound earned him the award as Pitcher of the Month in the American League. He is the first Yankee rookie hurler to achieve that distinction.

With one out in the first inning on Thursday, Oakland’s catcher John Jaso took the first pitch from Tanaka into the rightfield stands. The home run was the first yielded by the right-hander in more than one month (May 3).

The four bagger did not disturb the Japanese native as he retired the next 10 batters he faced.

With two out in the fourth, he gave up successive singles, but retired the last batter with a strikeout. The first Oakland batter in the next frame singled. With two out, Tanaka walked his only batter of the game. The inning ended with a pop out. In the sixth, Tanaka’s final inning, one batter singled but never reached second.

Tanaka was removed after six. Yankee manager Joe Girardi explained the reasoning, “I think he threw 50 pitches in the last two innings. We felt fatigue had set in and it was time to take him out.”

Although it was his shortest performance in number of innings, Girardi expressed great admiration for how well he pitched, “He never let up and got the big outs he needed. It was a gritty performance on his part. [it was] maybe his biggest performance for us.”

Although Girardi did not want to call Tanaka the ace of the staff, he did so in other words, “He stepped up and kind of assumed that role. He’s going to give you distance, shut down the other team and give you a chance to win.”

Catcher Brian McCann took no credit for the starter’s excellence, “Stuffwise it was all there. He pitched great.”

An example of how Tanaka impressed the opposing batters follows. Rightfielder Stephen Voigt commented, “He stays on the corners. He keeps us off balance. His stuff is so good. “ [Despite Tanaka’s talent] I thought we had good at bats all day.”

Tanka admitted the team he faced for the first time was very difficult, “It was a tough game. They [Athletics] were resilient. They don’t give in.”

The rookie pitcher remained with Steve Rogers of the Montreal Expos as the only two pitchers in more than a century to pitch at least six innings and give up three or fewer runs in their first 12 major league starts.

All Yankees fans eagerly await Tanaka’s next start.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Flying Manhole Cover Kills Driver

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Flying Manhole Cover Kills Driver: Flying Manhole Cover Kills Driver (Photo by David Greene) By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 5- Police and fire officials were on the s...

Flying Manhole Cover Kills Driver

Flying Manhole Cover Kills Driver

(Photo by David Greene)

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 5- Police and fire officials were on the scene for most of morning Wednesday, after the driver of a semi-trailer was struck and killed by a flying manhole cover. 

This incident took place on the westbound Cross Bronx Expressway, just passed the Jerome Avenue exit at 5:25 a.m.  on June 4. Cops say the cover, that weighs about 300 pounds was knocked lose and sailed through the windshield striking and briefly pinning Jose Duran, 35, of Springfield, MA. 

Duran was rushed to Lincoln Hospital where he later died. Last week in Queens a car burst into flames killing a passenger when a sewer cap popped-up and struck the undercarriage of the vehicle.   

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Yankees SOS!

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Yankees SOS!: Yankees SOS! Ellsbury Can’t Save Yanks Yankees Home Woes Continue; Lose Fourth Straight By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 5- The Yanke...

Yankees SOS!

Yankees SOS!

Ellsbury Can’t Save Yanks

Yankees Home Woes Continue; Lose Fourth Straight

By Howard Goldin

BRONX, NEW YORK, JUNE 5- The Yankees continue to falter at their home ballpark. The 7-4 loss to Oakland on Wednesday night was their fourth straight defeat at home. They have lost 12 of their last 16 games in the Bronx. The combination of poor hitting, especially in the clutch, and lack of dependability from the relief corps has resulted in many recent defeats.

A base on balls to Ichiro Suzuki and three consecutive hits, a single by Brett Gardner, an infield single by Derek Jeter, and a three-run homer by Jacoby Ellsbury provided the Yanks with a four-run inning and a 4-0 lead at the end of three innings.

Unfortunately for the home team, the third was the only inning in which the Yankees scored. During their final five frames, the Yankees only managed two singles. To make matters worse for them, the Athletics scored seven unanswered runs to achieve a victory.

The versatility of Oakland is shown by the variety of ways their runs on Wednesday were driven in. Three were scored on solo home runs. Cuban native Yoenis Cespedes blasted his 11^th of the season in the fourth and his 12^th two innings later. Third sacker Josh Donaldson lifted his 16^th into the stands in the seventh. 

Three other runs did not need base hits to move an Oakland runner across the plate. Sacrifice flies by Jed Lowrie in the third, Alberto Callaspo in the sixth and Kyle Blanks in the ninth were as meaningful as the four baggers. 

Another strange manner of scoring occurred in the ninth as Brandon Moss was hit by a pitch of Wade LeBlanc in his first game as a Yankee. 

Yankee starter Vidal Nuño gave up two runs in 4.2 innings, but the relievers gave up five in 4.1. Matt Daley gave up two, Leblanc surrendered two, and in his major league debut, Jose Ramirez yielded a home run to Donaldson in the seventh, which earned him the loss. 

Yankee skipper Joe Girardi said, “It’s a product of not having your bullpen set up the way you want it.” 

The passing of Don Zimmer was of far more importance than the loss of a single ballgame. The feisty, colorful, knowledgeable and fun loving individual was a fixture in MLB for 66 years. He was remembered with much emotion by those who knew him well for his time as a Yankee coach. 

After the game, Girardi recalled, “I was with him in 10 of my first 11 years. Wherever he went, I went. He was a close friend. I’m going to miss him. Our relationship was always close. He gave me my first opportunity. It’s going to be really strange not to see him.”

Another scene of the evening at Yankee Stadium that had greater meaning than the final score was the thoughtful treatment received by 12-year-old Matthew Miller of Queens and his family by CC Sabathia. Miller was severely injured and his 7 year-old brother Chris killed in a house fire at the start of 2014. Sabathia tried to provide some happy memories for the family who came as his guests for on-the-field activities.

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Dancing in the Street

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Dancing in the Street: Bronxites Celebrate at # PuertoRicanDayParade Did we catch you at the parade Click here to find out