The Yankees took first Subway Series at Yankee Stadium and swept the Mets. Could the Mets rally and take the second series from the Yanks?
After a 53 minute rain delay on Friday, June 22nd the second Subway Series got underway. It was Jonathan Niese (5-3) against Andy Pettitte (3-3). The Mets were off to a quick lead, scoring five runs in the first inning with just two outs. Ike Davis hit a three run home run, with Turner hitting a two run single. Davis followed Turner's hit with a fly to right that Swisher got a hand on but the ball decided to hop the fence and make it 5-0. The Yanks rallied in the top of the sixth when ARod homered to center and Andruw Jones went yard to left in the seventh inning. It was 5-2, the Yankees were giving the Mets a run for their money. David Wright wasn't going to let that happen! He doubled to deep left center which allowed Quintanilla to score to make it 6-2 Mets. Robinson Cano homered to right center in the eighth which scored Mark Texeira and made it 6-4. The Yanks were catching up, but Francisco came in closed out the game (Mets' 6-4 victory) after calling their crosstown rivals "chickens".
Although making several comments about their crosstown rivals, Francisco apologized and said he didn't mean anything by it. The Mets nicknamed the chicken 'Jerry Seinfeld'.
The starting pitchers were Young and Nova for the second game of the Subway Series. Chris Young is fresh off the DL, recovering from a shoulder injury. Nova, who is 9-2 has been spectacular for the Yanks. This was his fourth start in 13.5 months. The Mets started off strong again with a homer by Nieuwenhuis in the third inning. The Mets continued to soar in the bottom of the fourth when Josh Thole grounded out to first and Hairston scored, Quintanilla to third. It's not going to stop there for the Mets. Young singled to right to score Murphy making it 3-0, Thole to second. The Yanks were not going to take that! Ibanez homered to right and Texeira and Swisher scored tying the game at 3. Eric Chavez homered to left in the seventh to give the Yankees a 4-3 lead. The Yanks held on and kept the Mets at 3 to win the game.
Fans were going to see the best pitchers in the rubber neck matchup of the second Subway Series, CC Sabathia and R.A. Dickey. The Yanks started the scoring off in this game with Mark Teixeira hitting a sacrifice fly to right, allowing Granderson to score in the third inning. Nick Swisher homered to center, also in the third and ARod and Robinson Cano scored making it 4-0 Yankees. The Mets started to rally in the third when Tejada hit sacrifice fly to left, scoring Torres. The Yanks were hungry for a win and it showed! Mark Teixeira grounded into fielder's choice and Granderson scored, and Tex got to second on an error by Tejada. David Wright singled to left and Dickey scored, Tejada went to second. The Mets weren't about to give up either. In the bottom of the sixth Torres singled to right and Turner and Thoele scored, Rottino to third. Tejada singled to left, Rottino scored, and Torres went to second. The game was tied at 5 in the sixth. Leave it up to Robbie Cano! He homered in the eighth to make it 6-5. The Yanks took the series 2-1 and continue to dominate over the Mets in the Subway Series.
Let's see if the Yanks can keep their winning streak going in their upcoming series against the Indians.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
Social Media Increases Ticket Sales
It's safe to say that social media has taken over society, but it also plays a vital role in the way sports fans follow their teams and favorite players. In addition to following their favorite sports teams, fans are also using social media to get to games via Facebook and Twitter. According to Mashable, "one in five fans use social media networks to invite friends to games, according to a recent report by the Sports Business Journal. Nearly 15% of ticket buyers say their purchases have been influenced by Facebook posts." They are not only being notified about tickets by other fans and friends who can't attend games, but by the sports teams themselves. It sounds perfect, right? Log onto Twitter, see a post by your favorite team for tickets, click the link and bam! You have your tickets. But, wait a minute, there is a catch. When purchasing tickets via social media sites in advance, one is going to pay more than if they purchased them other ways or a couple days before the game. Purchasing tickets through Facebook or Twitter hours before a game can cost you! Yes, it is very convenient and a great way to connect with other fans but there may be some repercussions as well.
Check out this infographic for more statistics (Mashable):
Check out this infographic for more statistics (Mashable):
Sunday, May 27, 2012
No Doubting Teixiera
Mark Teixiera was always known for getting off to a late start in the baseball season, however this season, when he was not performing like he typically did in past seasons, some were skeptical. Teixiera was right on target defensively, but he was not delivering offensively. Kevin Long, Yankee hitting coach was very positive about Teixiera and knew that he would start delivering soon thereafter, similar to A-Rod.
"While last year, 39 home runs but a low batting average wasn't good enough, I think I'd rather hit 39 home runs than 20 or 15. I'd rather drive in 111 runs than 80. I'm going to be more aggressive." -Mark Teixiera (Yankees.com)
A bronchial ailment was also the cause of Teixiera not playing up to his potential. It had been ailing him for at least seven weeks, soon after the start of the season in April. Joe Girardi gave him two days off in order to get him fully healed which seemed to do the trick!
Teixiera came back in full force in the Yankees series against the Oakland A's. In the second game against Oakland on May 26th, Teixiera hit 2 monster home runs to give the Yankees a 9-2 win. The Yanks went on to sweep the A's. Just like Long thought, Teixiera overcame the short slump that he was in and will hopefully continue to play great.
"While last year, 39 home runs but a low batting average wasn't good enough, I think I'd rather hit 39 home runs than 20 or 15. I'd rather drive in 111 runs than 80. I'm going to be more aggressive." -Mark Teixiera (Yankees.com)
A bronchial ailment was also the cause of Teixiera not playing up to his potential. It had been ailing him for at least seven weeks, soon after the start of the season in April. Joe Girardi gave him two days off in order to get him fully healed which seemed to do the trick!
Teixiera came back in full force in the Yankees series against the Oakland A's. In the second game against Oakland on May 26th, Teixiera hit 2 monster home runs to give the Yankees a 9-2 win. The Yanks went on to sweep the A's. Just like Long thought, Teixiera overcame the short slump that he was in and will hopefully continue to play great.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Soaring or Plummeting?
The Baltimore Orioles have thrown everyone for a loop early this season. Baltimore, who ended the 2011 season with a 69-93 record, at the bottom of the AL East is currently 18-9 and in first place in the AL East with a four game winning streak. What are the contributing factors? Well, the Orioles have a fantastic bullpen. Not only is it deep, but it's strong too. They have a great starting rotation which makes having a deep bullpen even better.
Jim Johnson has eight saves this season thus far and has not given up one run this season.
The Orioles also have great defense as well, with Adam Jones and Nick Markakis. Matt Wieters could potentially be the best catcher in baseball right now, leading the Orioles in home runs (he has seven already this season), 17 RBI's, and .391 for on base percentage.
They recently won 2-3 of their series against the Red Sox and 2-3 against the Yankees, but were just swept by the Rangers.
The Rangers are spectacular right now. They are leading the AL West at 20-10. Their hitting is spectacular, as well as their defense, and pitching. The Rangers have it all right now. Can they maintain their great start to the season? Time will tell!
Jim Johnson has eight saves this season thus far and has not given up one run this season.
The Orioles also have great defense as well, with Adam Jones and Nick Markakis. Matt Wieters could potentially be the best catcher in baseball right now, leading the Orioles in home runs (he has seven already this season), 17 RBI's, and .391 for on base percentage.
They recently won 2-3 of their series against the Red Sox and 2-3 against the Yankees, but were just swept by the Rangers.
The Rangers are spectacular right now. They are leading the AL West at 20-10. Their hitting is spectacular, as well as their defense, and pitching. The Rangers have it all right now. Can they maintain their great start to the season? Time will tell!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Most Popular Baseball Team .. On Social Media?
Can you guess what team is the most popular on social media? If you guessed the Yankees, you're right! The most popular baseball team on social media is.. the Yankees! According to prdaily.com, "Among all Major League Baseball teams, the Bronx Bombers have the most Facebook fans with more than 5.3 million people “liking” the team’s page. On Twitter, it has roughly 550,000 followers." (Sebastian, 2012)
According to Banyan Branch, who collected this data, the American league is slightly more popular on social media than the National league. The Yankees have a staggering 5.3 million likes on Facebook, and 550,000 followers on Twitter, followed by the Red Sox with 3.5 Facebook likes and 220,000 Twitter followers. Nick Swisher of the Yankees has the most Twitter followers out of any MLB player, with over 1 million, followed by Brian Wilson of the SF Giants with about 489,000 followers. (Banyan Branch)
The stats for the most active teams on Twitter are pretty surprising. One would think the teams with the most followers and likes, hence being the most popular on social media, would also be the most active team on Twitter. Well, that's not the case here. The Giants are tweeting the most, followed by the Mariners, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, and the Tigers. (Banyan Branch)
What does it take for a sports figure to have close 1.5 million followers? Nick Swisher is very active on Twitter. He stays in touch with his fans on there, by sharing how he's feeling, relating to his most recent injury, how spring training went, as well as engaging his fans and followers, asking them for their input and comments as well. People enjoy taking part in conversations and sharing their day-to-day lives and opinions as well and the more they are engaged, the more likely they will react. Brian Wilson is also pretty active on Twitter. In addition to staying active on there and engaging one's followers, they also have a large fan base to begin with.
What does this all mean? Social Media continues to have such a great effect and impact on small businesses, large corporations, individuals, and even sports teams. If a social media strategy is put into place the right way, just like the Yankees have, any company or team can have the followers, likes, and fan base as they do. Congratulations, Yankees!
The stats for the most active teams on Twitter are pretty surprising. One would think the teams with the most followers and likes, hence being the most popular on social media, would also be the most active team on Twitter. Well, that's not the case here. The Giants are tweeting the most, followed by the Mariners, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, and the Tigers. (Banyan Branch)
What does it take for a sports figure to have close 1.5 million followers? Nick Swisher is very active on Twitter. He stays in touch with his fans on there, by sharing how he's feeling, relating to his most recent injury, how spring training went, as well as engaging his fans and followers, asking them for their input and comments as well. People enjoy taking part in conversations and sharing their day-to-day lives and opinions as well and the more they are engaged, the more likely they will react. Brian Wilson is also pretty active on Twitter. In addition to staying active on there and engaging one's followers, they also have a large fan base to begin with.
What does this all mean? Social Media continues to have such a great effect and impact on small businesses, large corporations, individuals, and even sports teams. If a social media strategy is put into place the right way, just like the Yankees have, any company or team can have the followers, likes, and fan base as they do. Congratulations, Yankees!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Happy Opening Week!
Opening week is underway! Even though it's early, teams and players are giving everyone a preview of whats to come. On Thursday, Justin Verlander, the 2011 CY young award winner and AL MVP is off to a great start with his first win this season over the Red Sox. The Mets won 1-0 over the Braves, Phillies over the Pirates, 1-0, Washington Nationals over the Chicago Cubs, 2-1, the Blue Jays over Cleveland, 7-4, and the Dodgers over the Giants, 5-3.
Verlander started the season off just as he ended last season, as most would consider the best pitcher in baseball. He held the Red Sox to two hits, a double by David Ortiz and a single by Ryan Sweeney. Jose Valverdi almost cost the Tigers their first game over the Red Sox when he couldn't come up with the save which tied the game in the bottom of the ninth. Austin Jackson hit a sharp single down the left field line to give Detroit the 3-2 win.
On Friday, in a nail biting game, the Rays won, 7-6 over the Yankees, the Orioles over the Twins, 4-2, St. Louis over Milwaukee, 11-5, Texas over Chicago WS, 3-2, Arizona over the Giants 5-4, Colorado over Houston 5-3, Angels over Kansas, 5-0, Seattle over Oakland, 7-3, the Dodgers over the SD Padres, 6-0. Colby Lewis of the Chicago WS struck out nine, having a great opening day. Ian Kinsler of the Rangers had a leadoff double in the first inning and scored on a sacrifice fly by Josh Hamilton. Then, Kinsler hit a solo homer in the third inning, contributing to the Ranger's 3-2 win.
The Yankee-Rays game was very intense, down to the bottom of the ninth inning when the Rays tied it, 6-6. The Rays were leading the Yankees early on when Sabathia loaded the bases for Pena, who had his first home run and grand slam of the season, scoring Jennings, Longoria, and Rodriguez. The score was 4-0 Rays. In the top of the second, the bases were loaded for the Yankees that started with A-Rods double, and Teixeira being hit by a pitch. Rodriguez scored, followed by Teixeira scoring on a wild pitch by Shields, which got the Yankees on the board. The Yankees were threatening as it was 4-2 at the top of the second. Raul Ibanez had a great opening day, hitting his first home run as a Yankee in the regular season, scoring Rodriguez and Swisher to make it 6-4 Yankees. Longoria hit a home run in the bottom of the third inning to make it a 6-5 game. David Robertson got himself into a little bit of a jam in the bottom of the eighth but managed to pull through and strike out Vogt, Molina, and Joyce. The score remained 6-5 until the bottom of the ninth inning when Mariano Rivera was brought in to save the game. Jennings singled to center, ultimately scoring to tie the game, 6-6. Zobrist tripled, and Longoria and Scott were intentionally walked to load the bases. Pena singled to center and Zobrist scored. The Rays rallied and came back to win 7-6.
Alex Rodriguezs' season is off to a great start, hitting a double and a single in his first two times up at bat. Ibanez also made his mark in his first regular season game as a Yankee, homering to right. Derek Jeter seems to be picking up right where he left off last season, getting the Yanks first hit of the season. Although Yankee hitting was right on target on opening day, CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera gave away one too many hits and the team's hitting just wasn't enough to get the job done against the Ray's. Let's see what will happen tonight when Hiroki Kuroda makes his first debut as a Yankee against David Price.
The Yankee-Rays game was very intense, down to the bottom of the ninth inning when the Rays tied it, 6-6. The Rays were leading the Yankees early on when Sabathia loaded the bases for Pena, who had his first home run and grand slam of the season, scoring Jennings, Longoria, and Rodriguez. The score was 4-0 Rays. In the top of the second, the bases were loaded for the Yankees that started with A-Rods double, and Teixeira being hit by a pitch. Rodriguez scored, followed by Teixeira scoring on a wild pitch by Shields, which got the Yankees on the board. The Yankees were threatening as it was 4-2 at the top of the second. Raul Ibanez had a great opening day, hitting his first home run as a Yankee in the regular season, scoring Rodriguez and Swisher to make it 6-4 Yankees. Longoria hit a home run in the bottom of the third inning to make it a 6-5 game. David Robertson got himself into a little bit of a jam in the bottom of the eighth but managed to pull through and strike out Vogt, Molina, and Joyce. The score remained 6-5 until the bottom of the ninth inning when Mariano Rivera was brought in to save the game. Jennings singled to center, ultimately scoring to tie the game, 6-6. Zobrist tripled, and Longoria and Scott were intentionally walked to load the bases. Pena singled to center and Zobrist scored. The Rays rallied and came back to win 7-6.
Alex Rodriguezs' season is off to a great start, hitting a double and a single in his first two times up at bat. Ibanez also made his mark in his first regular season game as a Yankee, homering to right. Derek Jeter seems to be picking up right where he left off last season, getting the Yanks first hit of the season. Although Yankee hitting was right on target on opening day, CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera gave away one too many hits and the team's hitting just wasn't enough to get the job done against the Ray's. Let's see what will happen tonight when Hiroki Kuroda makes his first debut as a Yankee against David Price.
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