Yankees Weekly Roundup
By Cole Hoyt, Contributing Writer and loyal Yankees fan
Almost out of nowhere, the 10-time All Star outfielder, Ichiro Suzuki was traded to the New York Yankees from the Seattle Mariners.
The former Rookie of the Year has over 2,500 hits since 2001. Before playing in the MLB, Ichiro played for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan’s Pacific League for six years. At 38 years of age, the Gold Glove recipient holds the record for the most hits in a single season with 262.
Ichiro Suzuki will give the Bombers outfield some added strength as well as speed and consistency in the lineup. Yankees fans will add Ichiro in the “Roll Call” on Friday night as the Yankees take on their rivals, the Boston Red Sox. When discussing Ichiro’s upcoming first home game in the pinstripe uniform Ichiro told reporters, “I really feel like when I get there, I want to show the fans what I can do.” (source: NY Daily News)
With Brett Gardner on the DL, the Yankees front office comes through clutch again by the acquisition of Ichiro.
It seems like once one-player moves off the DL list, another player gets added on. Just days after CC Sabathia was cleared to play after suffering an injury, Yankees third baseman, Alex Rodriguez was put on it. Seattle’s hard throwing Felix Hernandez hit Alex on his left hand, causing him to collapse on the dirt with instant pain. Rodriguez was the third Yankees player hit by King Felix Hernandez in their 4-2 loss Tuesday night. Rodriguez suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left hand as a result of being hit by Hernandez’s change-up. But even with the loss of key players, the Yankees still have the best record in the American League East.
One of the players hoping to get off the DL is pitcher, Joba Chamberlain. Joba is scheduled to have a bullpen session on Friday. If all goes well, the plan is for him to start with the Thunder on Sunday against Harrisburg. Joba’s fastball has been clocked in the mid 90’s, which is an extremely positive sign for the Yankees.
The Boston Red Sox will be traveling to Yankee Stadium for the first time this year. Phil Hughes of the New York Yankees is scheduled to take on Aaron Cook of the Red Sox. Surprisingly, this is Cook’s first Major league start since Jun 25, 2011. Prior to the All-Star Break the Yankees won three of the four game series versus the Sox. New faces will be apparent in both lineups. For the Yankees, the newly acquired Ichiro hopes to start his Yankees career with a blast. But the Red Sox will have outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Carl Crawford. With the addition of Ichiro and the continued dominance of the Yankees lineup, the loss of Alex Rodriguez doesn’t look to slow the Yankees down.