It was great watching Austin Romine make his ML debut yesterday in the Yankees 6-5 win over the Anaheim Angels, who play just 10 minutes from where he grew up. After the game, Austin and his brother Andrew, a member of the Angels, were greeted by their family. (For more on Romine, check out an interview we did with him last season.)
Jesus Montero made his defensive debut as well and showed a strong arm, throwing an absolute pea to nail Alberto Callaspo in the second inning. However, he also struggled to block pitches in the dirt, most notably Freddy Garcia's splitter that bounded through his legs for a "wild pitch," allowing Anaheim to score its third run. That's something, though, I expect him to improve in time. He's only 21 after all.
Both catchers will be - barring a trade - important pieces of the club for the next decade. Yesterday was just a small taste of that.
- Another elite prospect, Mike Trout of the Angels, got to meet his idol during this past series. That man happens to be Derek Jeter, of course. Both come from from New Jersey and played shortstop growing up.
- Phil Hughes takes the mound tonight looking to find some consistency, but one of his biggest problems is his inability to "put hitters away." TYA looked at the reason(s) behind that.
- Joel Sherman says the Yankees bench is the best it's been in a decade and will be a major asset as they try to clinch the division and secure home-field advantage in the playoffs.