YANKEE NOTES
One thing we know about former Yankee great Yogi Berra is that he’s not shy to say what’s on his mind. So when Berra read that Jorge Posada was hoping to tie his Yankee record for home runs hit by a catcher, Berra sought out Posada.
“He told me records were meant to be broken,” said Posada. “He wanted me to break the record.”
Posada took another step closer to breaking Berra’s record of 30 home runs in a season (he hit 30 in both 1952 and 1956) when he belted his 30th in the first game of last night’s doubleheader against the Orioles. Posada usually doesn’t show a lot of emotion between the lines, but he thrust both arms in the air in celebration as he rounded first base.
“I was thrilled to watch his reaction going around the bases,” said manager Joe Torre. “The first time up he was swinging out of his shoes.”
Posada singled in his first at bat. After Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi were hit by pitches in the third, Posada came to the plate looking for a ball to drive. He slammed an off-speed pitch from Damian Moss over the fence in right-center field.
There hasn’t been much talk about Posada as a candidate for the AL MVP award but now he has two benchmark numbers to hang his candidacy on: 30 home runs and 101 RBI.
Texas’ Alex Rodriguez and Toronto’s Carlos Delgado have better power numbers, but neither of them will be playing after this weekend. Posada has led the Yankees to a sixth straight AL East division crown.
“I would just like to get a couple of votes,” said Posada.
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It’s official – the Yankees will have home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
The A’s 9-3 loss to the Mariners in Seattle last night assured that.
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While rookie starter Jorge DePaula was great in the nightcap, Jeff Nelson once again turned in a lousy performance in relief. He gave up one earned run on a walk and a hit, allowing Baltimore to tie the game in the seventh.
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Torre said he has not decided whether he’ll carry 10 or 11 pitchers in the ALDS against Minnesota, which starts Tuesday. The decision might come down to the health of David Dellucci, who has been on the DL since Aug. 28 with a severely sprained left ankle.