Sweeny Says: Six Days That Defined The 2010 Yankees
By Sweeny Murti
» More Columns
The 2010 Yankees are headed back to the postseason. There are six games (one from each month of the season) that stood out to me above the others. They illustrate the emergence of a potential MVP and a future ace, the late-inning spark that made 2009 special, a fitting tribute to the Boss, a return to form for a major off-season acquisition, and a return to active duty for one of the Core Four.
Here are The Six Days That Defined The Yankees in 2010:
April 15: Yankees beat the Angels 6-2 at Yankee Stadium.
Jackie Robinson Day around MLB, every player wearing #42 and a big night for a player named in his honor. Robinson Cano hit 2 home runs, both off lefty Scott Kazmir. Nine games into the season Cano was hitting .395 with 9 RBIs, beginning to establish himself as a candidate for AL MVP. Cano was beginning to show signs of maturity that come with being in the league for six years and being part of a World Series winner the year before.
May 7: Yankees beat the Red Sox 10-3 at Fenway Park.
In his fifth start of the year, Phil Hughes pitched the opener of a weekend series in Boston, matched up against Josh Beckett. Hughes threw 7 innings of 2-run ball, improving his record to 4-and-0. Hughes, who took a no-hitter into the 8th inning two weeks earlier in Oakland, was off and running in what turned into an All-Star first half. In all he earned 17 wins as a starter, which is 17 more than he had the last time he opened the season in the starting rotation in 2008.
June 27: Yankees beat the Dodgers 8-6 in 10 innings at Dodger Stadium.
In the interleague series finale against Joe Torre's team in LA, the Yankees showed some of that 2009 grit. They were shut out on 2 hits over the first 5 innings against Clayton Kershaw before a home run by Alex Rodriguez in the 6th. Still down 6-2 going to the 9th, the Yanks scored 4 in the 9th off closer Jonathan Broxton (including RBIs from Chad Huffman and Colin Curtis), then 2 in the 10th on a home run by Robinson Cano. Mariano Rivera pitched 2 innings for the win, just four days after escaping a bases loaded, no outs 10th inning jam in Arizona. On the 6-game road trip, A-Rod hit .381 with 3 home runs and 10 RBIs as the Yanks won 4 of the 6 games.
July 16: Yankees beat the Rays 5-4 at Yankee Stadium.
It was the first game after the All-Star break, opener of a big series against second place Tampa Bay. It was also the Yankees first home game since the passing of owner George Steinbrenner just three days earlier. An emotional pregame ceremony featured a speech to the crowd by Derek Jeter, who also paid tribute to the late Bob Sheppard, who passed away earlier that week as well. An emotional night ended with an emotional win. The Yankees came from behind twice, with Nick Swisher hitting a game-tying home run in the 8th inning and a walk-off single in the 9th.
August 12: Yankees beat the Royals 4-3 at Kauffman Stadium.
Curtis Granderson's first season as a Yankee was turning into a major disappointment. He was hitting .239 with 10 home runs overall, batting just .206 vs. lefties, .213 with runners in scoring position, and was in a 3 for 32 dive before sitting out two games in Texas so he could work on radical in-season changes to his swing with Hitting Coach Kevin Long. Granderson emerged from his intervention on August 12th with a single and a double off lefty KC Bruce Chen. Granderson hit .296 vs. lefties from that day through September 29th and began to flash some power at Yankee Stadium, hitting 9 home runs in his last 23 home games.
September 19: Orioles beat the Yankees 4-3 in 10 innings at Camden Yards.
This was a bad loss. Yanks had a 3-2 lead heading to the 9th, but Luke Scott homered off Mariano Rivera to tie the game. Baltimore won it in the 11th on a walk-off single by Ty Wigginton. It was a loss that dropped the Yankees out of first place. But it was also the day Andy Pettitte returned to the mound, two months after a strained groin brought the lefty's best season ever to a screeching halt. The Yankees filled the gap best they could, but Pettitte's healthy return was great news, no matter the result of the game. Pettitte's healthy return is what gives the Yankees a legitimate chance to repeat as World Series champs.
Sweeny Murti
Yankees@wfan.com
www.twitter.com/YankeesWFAN
