From Zero to Hero

Chris Young's tenure with the Mets was short and unhappy. Signed early last off-season to a one-year, $8-million deal, GM Sandy Alderson hoped the former D'backs and A's outfielder might -- after three consecutive seasons of decline -- recapture the form that made him a 2010 All Star. But his underwhelming performance made Alderson's decision look bad -- especially when Nelson Cruz, also a winter '14 free agent, signed with the Orioles and quickly became the anchor of their offense. Cruz, who signed just before spring training began, got a one-year deal for even less money than Young.
Hitting just .205 in mid-August, the Mets pulled the plug. And no one would have been surprised had we never heard from Young again. Instead, the Yankees inked him to a minor league deal, and sent him to Scranton with the idea he'd serve as a backup outfielder when rosters expanded in September.
But fate can play tricks -- sometimes bad, but sometimes VERY good. Thanks to injuries to Brett Gardner and Carlos Beltran, Young has been the Yankees hero the last two nights, playing a big role in a pair of stunning, come-from-behind wins over Tampa Bay:
  • Wednesday, Young hit his first homer as a Yankee, to tie the game at 4 - 4. His RBI double in the eighth provided a pair of insurance runs. He also singled, to finish the night a triple shy of a cycle.
  • Thursday was even more impressive: his eighth inning double broke up Alex Cobb's no-hit bid. (Keep in mind, the Rays were up 4 - 0 at the time.) Young soon scored on Martin Prado's home run. An inning later, with two men on, he blasted a game-winning three-run homer to bring the Yankees from behind for a 5 - 4 victory. (Here's the video, courtesy of mlb.com)
  • The home runs also earn Chris a place in New York baseball history. He joins Dave Kingman (in 1977) as the only players to hit home runs for the Yankees and Mets in the same season.
Yep, the guy who looked lost and washed up in Flushing is suddenly Young Again in the Bronx. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rare Remnant of a Lost Ballpark

Image
When the subject of baseball in Brooklyn comes up, the discussion centers around Ebbets Field, the Flatbush venue most famously home to The Boys of Summer.  Those legendary 1940s and '50s teams that featured such historic and beloved players as Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella and Gil Hodges. Ebbets Field hosted its last major league game in 1957 and was torn down during the winter of 1960. But decades earlier, just before World War One, the Dodgers were based in the Park Slope area and played at Washington Park.  Once they moved out, the land was occupied by another stadium, which housed a different franchise.  The upstart Federal League, which played in the 1914 and '15 seasons, had a Brooklyn team called the TipTops.  Owned by a local baking magnate Robert Ward, whose company produced TipTop bread, the club took over the abandoned lot along 3rd Avenue and built a new brick and steel venue. The only no-hitter in the Federal League's two...
Read more

Will He Wear Zero in the Bronx?

Image
The Yankees bolstered their starting rotation with Thursday's signing of Marcus Stroman .  The Long Island native, who spent 2019 and '21 with the Mets before moving onto the Cubs, brings a 77-76 career record to the Bronx, along with a recent loyalty to uniform number (?) zero.  If he requests that, he'd become the third Yank to wear it, following the path of Adam Ottavino and Domingo German.  Of course, neither of their Yankee tenures ended all that well -- Ottavino struggled badly in 2020, before reviving his career with the Red Sox and Mets; German's alcohol and domestic violence issues sabotaged such Yankee highlights as last year's perfect game. Can a number truly be lucky? You can understand kids in little league or high school ball wanting to wear 2 in honor of Derek Jeter or 7 for Mickey Mantle.  But is there an heroic ballplayer associated with 0?  The closest I recall comes from pro football, where the Oakland Raiders Hall of Fame center Jim Otto wore...
Read more

Spring Training Flashbacks: Subway Series, Florida Style - 2016

Image
It's a return visit to the Mets' Florida home in Port St. Lucie, this time for a 2016 showdown with the Yankees. (Below), Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman chat during batting practice. Aaron Judge and Rob Refsnyder have their game faces on in the dugout... though neither would be in the starting lineup. (Above) A couple of Brooklyn natives that made their mark in New York baseball -- Lee Mazzilli and John Franco. (Below) Mets pitcher Josh Smoker makes friends by signing a few autographs. (Above) Mets reliever Jeurys Familia; (Below) 2nd baseman Neil Walker (Above) Curtis Granderson, one of the select few players to star for both the Yankees and Mets, getting ready for his third summer at Citi Field. (Below) Aaron Hicks came to the Yankees in a trade the previous November. 3rd baseman Chase Headley enjoying the Grapefruit League vibe, even against Mets ace Jacob deGrom. (Above) Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes watches where he hit one... so does Joe Girardi from the visitor's dugou...
Read more