About Last Night: Orioles Top Yanks 9-7

by Paul Semendinger

September 26, 2024

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About Last Night:

The Yankees played down again and got clobbered. This is what they do and have done for years. The final score was Orioles 9, Yankees 7. For most of the game, the Yankees were well behind. They put up a fight in the end to make the final score look close, but it was the O's who dominated through most of the game.

The Yankees, who a few days ago, had a comfortable lead for the best record in the A.L. are now just 1/2 game ahead in that department.

The Game Story:

I was fortunate that I had a meeting to attend and missed the top of the first inning. I heard the end of it on the radio with John Sterling noting that bad fundamentals, mistakes, and bad pitching is what loses games in the post season and that this wasn't a good start. I then heard that it was 3-0 Orioles. I was glad I missed the debacle.

In short, as I looked at Gamecast on ESPN, the Orioles had six singles off starter Marcus Stroman that led to the three runs. The TV broadcast then lamented (as did the comments on SSTN) that Jason Dominguez played a ball into a single and that he should have been charged with an error. Dominguez has made quite a few bad plays since he's been called up. (Remember when some of the fanbase claimed that Dominguez was already ready as an Major League outfielder. "Play him in center," they screamed. This is the problem with prospects. Fans buy into the hype - most fans never see the the prospects playing. They see only highlights or maybe a few at bats in early Spring Training. They then read reports and they then draw erronious conclusions. "He's great!" "I wouldn't trade him for Babe Ruth and Willie Mays, he'll be better than the both - combined!" Too often, they're very wrong.)

In the bottom of the first, two Yankees (Juan Soto and Aaron Judge) walked with one out. An Austin Wells double play ended that threat.

In the bottom of the second inning, two Yankees walked (Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Rizzo). A two-out single by Anthony Volpe scored Stanton to make the score 3-1 in favor of the Orioles.

The Orioles then plated a bunch of runs in the top of the fourth inning off Marcus Stroman. He left with the Yankees down 5-1. Clayton Beeter came in and added more fuel to the fire. When the inning ended, the O's were up 7-1. (Beeter is another player who so many have raved about, most without ever seeing any significant work from. "He's an answer in the bullpen!" Maybe not, in actuality.) Beeter gave up another run the next inning...

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Juan Soto hit a homer to cut the Orioles' lead to 8-3. The Yankees then loaded the bases. Jazz Chisholm then swung at the first pitch of his at bat and flew out on a routine fly to right. This is another case, in a long line, of the Yankees trying to force a situation rather than showing patience and baseball smarts. Take a pitch, Jazz. Take a pitch.

The Orioles then plated a run in the top of the eighth inning to make the score 9-3. It was at that point that I went to bed. Right now I am much too busy to trade sleeping hours for the Yankees when they are playing bad baseball.

Many fans will look to the Yankees' ninth inning and say, "They fought back!" The ninth inning was an anfield single for Anthony Rizzo, a Gleyber Torres single, a Juan Soto single (and RBI), and then an Aaron Judge three-run homer. That made the score look respectable (9-7), but the Yankees had nothing to offer after the Judge homer.

In the end, a loss is a loss. The fact that Judge made it seem close is nice, but, far too often with this team, that's what they do. If Soto and Judge hit, they can win. The fact that Judge made it look close is nice, but in the end, it's empty.

Notable Performances:

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto had two hits each. They each homered. They accounted for six of the Yankees' seven runs batted in.

Better to Forget:

• Marcus Stroman: 3.1 innings, 10 hits, 1 strikeout, 6 runs

• Clayton Beeter: 1.1 innings, 2 runs

• Austin Wells: 0-for-4

• Jazz Chsiholm: 0-for-4

My Takes:

Quick Programming Note - I'll be at the library in Demarest, NJ tonight to talk about Roy White's autobiography, From Compton to the Bronx at 6:00 p.m. Come out and say hello. (I won't be rained out.)

This was the type of game, along with the previous one, that make Yankees fans concerned that their trip into the post season will be a short one. The Yankees, for the second game in a row played very poorly. There is much truth to the thought that the Yankees just might win the World Series this year, but there is also truth to the fact that that would be due, not to their greatness, but the fact that the other teams are also not that good.

It's probably safe to say that Marcus Stroman shouldn't be (and probably won't be) starting any playoff games for the Yankees in 2024.

The Orioles were playing terrible baseball until they met the Yankees. Now it's the Yankees playing terrible baseball.

Cody Poteet and Clayton Beeter are two players I already confuse. In five years I won't be able to tell them apart any more than I know the difference between Scott Proctor and David Phelps all these years later.

Listening to John Sterling on the radio is a special treat. I miss him. I enjoyed his style and his work. That being said, it seems that the best part of Dave Sims (who seems to be the favorite to replace Sterling next year) is that his approach to calling games is his own unique style and approach. At this point, I don't want to hear another new (or re-played) shtick on radio or TV. Michael Kay has his. Sterling had his. To me, it's enough now. This is why I prefer Justin Shackil who calls the game straight. Shackil gives a baseball broadcast and he does it well. I don't need someone else's shtick, just give me a baseball game.

Jasson Dominguez does not look like a MLB hitter right now. Remember when fans said, "He has nothing more to prove?" Yeah, he has a lot to prove right now. (He might be great one day, but the narrative that he was ready to be a starting player thsi season based on fewer than 40 at bats last year was simply absurd.)

When fans give up on a game, others sometimes say, "I had faith, you didn't." In that, they're correct. I wrote in the Quick Hit that I surrendered. Some fans sometimes use their faith in the team as a way to show that they're better fans. I never bought into that. Watching your team get crushed isn't fun. And, to be honest, I am too busy right now to trade sleep for frustration. And last night's game, even with the ending, was an exercise in frustration.

After work today, I'm teaching my college class, and then I have the book talk. I love doing all of this, but it'll be a very busy day with no respite. After the book talk, my baseball team has a playoff game. I love playing baseball. I wish I played for a living. I hope I can play forever. I also hope tonight's game (my game) is rained out. I'd rather rest than keep going non-stop until midnight tonight. Hoping for a rainout does not, in any way, indicate that I don't love playing ball. If I'm rained out and the Yankees play, there's a better than 99% chance that I won't be awake in the ninth inning.

All of this brings up an interesting question - is it fun to watch a comeback that falls short? Is it fun to get one's hopes up only to crush them? To me, the answer is no. I'm glad Judge homered, but I am not sad, at all, that I missed it.

Ron Marinaccio was released by the Yankees the other day. He hoped to get picked-up by a big leage team, but instead the White Sox claimed him.

Next Up:

The Yankees conclude this penultimate series of 2024, weather permitting, tonight at 7:05 p.m. Gerrit Cole will start for the Yankees. The Yankees need to win to help assure the best record in the American League. It's unlikely that they'll have the most wins in baseball as the Dodgers and Philles have 94 already and the Yankees are at 92 (along with the Guardians who also have one more loss than the Yankees).