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New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi has both his critics and his advocates. If Kelly Shoppach hadn't broken up CC Sabathia's no-hitter with two outs in the eighth inning of yesterday's game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays, Girardi would have made a managerial move that could have converted many of his supporters. He told ESPNNewYork's  Wallace Matthews, "Shoppach was [CC's] last hitter, no matter what."  That translates to, ...

The Tampa Bay Rays saw two Javier Vazquez's tonight. In innings one, two, three, and five, they faced a pitcher whose velocity and command made him difficult to hit. The Rays went down in order in the first, third, and fifth, and couldn't score off Vazquez after putting two men on base to begin the second. During those four innings, Vazquez fanned five Rays, who simply couldn't hit the ball hard against ...

We all knew what to expect when the New York Yankees headed up to Boston to face the Red Sox in the Opening Series of 2010. The games would be long, exciting, hard-fought battles. Those expectations were met. Along the way, the Yankees taught us a few things. You can follow Ari Kramer on Twitter by clicking here: http://twitter.com/Ari_KramerBegin Slideshow

When a friend told me this morning that Melky Cabrera had been traded, I was shocked. It wasn't even a rumor. It just happened. Abruptly. Despite Melky's inconsistency at the plate, he was a fan favorite in New York. Teammates and fans enjoyed his jovial demeanor on a team generally regarded as rigid. It has always seemed like Melky plays for his love for baseball rather than for the money he ...

This article was originally published in the November issue of my school's newspaper. It discusses how a Yankee game led to bonding on the Shabbaton, our school-wide overnight trip. Top of the ninth. Bases loaded. Three balls. Two Strikes. Two outs. Down one run. All 10 of us huddled around the television as Nick Swisher found himself in the situation every ten year old boy aspires to reach. One more ball would ...

Billy Beane, the General Manager of the Oakland Athletics, revolutionized how baseball organizations evaluate talent. He and his assistant, Paul DePodesta, realized that a higher team on-base percentage would lead to more run production, so, with a blind eye to batting average, they signed players with high on-base percentages. Unfortunately for Beane, his formula for winning games proved to be so effectiveùhe totaled 102 W's in 2001 and 103 in 2002 ...

For some annoying reason, a slideshow's introduction must be at least 300 characters, so I will provide you all with a fun fact to fill space. Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2002, Adam Greenberg spent three seasons in the minors before getting called up in July, 2005. Debuting as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning against the Marlins, Greenberg got plunked. The 5'9" outfielder never saw action again, and, ...

After examining the seasons of the National League's top Cy Young candidates, one should have no qualms about granting the prestigious accolade to St. Louis' Chris Carpenter. The tall, hard-throwing righty has never, including his Cy Young season in '05, been so dominant. Carpenter's 2.34 ERA leads the National League and his WHIP is a ludicrous 1.007. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and teammate Adam Wainwright are the only other qualified candidates for ...

Joe Girardi and the Yankees are praying that A.J. Burnett will be able to return to his summer form come playoff time. After a dominant stretch from June 14 until August 7, in which he went 6-2 and posted a 2.32 ERA, the Yankees' hard-throwing righty has been dreadful on a regular basis. Entering today's game, Burnett had allowed 25 earned runs in 36.1 innings in his six starts following the ...