Mike Jerzembeck.

Mike Jerzembeck?

Mike Jerzembeck was introduced to the crowd at Old Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium, and a large percentage of the crowd (including those in the row near me) seemed to collectively go “who?”. Especially since Old Timers’ Day concentrated on the squad of players who played for the Yankees in 1998, and Jerzembeck was one of them.

Now, the 1998 Yankees are one of less than a handful of teams who are considered when the question is raised as to who is perhaps the greatest club Major Leagues history so to even be a minor figure in that story is quite something…

I did remember Jerzembeck, but even I had to check my stats records to find out more about him than his name. He played in just 3 games (2 as a starting pitcher), and had a 12.79 ERA during that period. He didn’t play anymore that season, and that season was the beginning and end of his Major league career.

Old Timers’ Day no longer contains a short game between the Bombers and the Pinstripes, so it was good that the occasion was graced by the presence of greats like Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Paul O’Neill, and Jorge Posada. Bernie Williams couldn’t be there as he was due to have surgery. Others whose careers since leaving the Yankees have been overclouded by controversy and crime (e.g. Chuck Knoblauch, and Chad Curtis) were probably not invited. But just about everyone else was there…even Jerzembeck.

There were even greats of other eras or their widows and the whole thing built to a lovely occasion.

The chairs were cleared and everyone retreated from the field… and then a huge thunderstorm hit which led to a colossal delay of just over 2 and a half hours. There can’t have been many storms like this one that have hit either the old or the new Yankee Stadium over the years. It flooded some parts of the ground level. The outfield looked like it couldn’t possibly take any more water. It seemed that there was no way the game could be played…

But modern baseball grounds are amazing. The water drained away from the outfield. And in some way or other, the game eventually began and moved towards a predictable given outcome – noting how the Yankees’ form has been going in recent days.

Through the first three innings, the scheduled starters Wade Miley and Michael King gave up no real scoring opportunities to speak of. It was in the fourth that the delayed start began to take its toll on these two very capable pitchers.

It was Willy Adames, who had been such a trouble to the Yankees in the previous game, who opened the score. After a Mark Canha single, Adames hit a line drive towards Giancarlo Stanton who was playing in right field today. An ill-positioned Stanton lost the flight of the ball and it went into the corner for a triple. Canha scored, and Stanton threw to DJ LeMahieu at first base. When LeMahieu tried to complete a relay toward home plate, he instead made a throwing error which allowed Adames to advance, and also score. 2-0.

All this happened with one out, and King struck out the next two batters. He had regained his composure and gave the Yankees every reason to leave him on for the fifth.

After centre-fielder, Jasson Dominguez had grounded out to the pitcher Miley, it was the same pitcher who walked Gleyber Torres. The Yankees had suffered because of a fielding error, but now they gained an opportunity to close the gap because of another error. Andruw Monasterio, who had struck out at the end of the top of the inning, now failed to cleanly field a Stanton grounder. Stanton moved to first, and Torres advanced to second.

A single into leftfield from Anthony Volpe scored Torres. However, the struggling Austin Wells once again hit a nothing flyball into left field to leave the Yankees still with a one run deficit and now with two outs.

Miley was not dominating the batters though, and he walked leftfielder Everson Pereira. Next up was third baseman Oswald Peraza who hit into a fielders choice. Fortunately for the Yankees, Adames chose to allow Peraza to reach first, and allowed all three runners to advance a base, and consequently the belaboured Stanton scored. The logical choice would have been to throw Stanton out at home, and leave the bases loaded, especially given what happened next, but as they say hindsight is 20-20.

Now at 2-2, the Brewers decided to remove Miley, and bring on Elvis Peguero who caused LeMahieu to hit into a 5-3 groundout.

After 7 innings, the game was still tied. King had finished out 5 innings, and was followed by Greg Weissert and Wandy Peralta who both completed an inning each. Peguero had been followed by Bryse Wilson, and Joel Payamps. All three had little trouble in dispensing with an impotent Yankees’ batting line-up.

And so into the top of the 8th, and another rout of Jonathan Loaisiga. Loaisiga seems to have entirely lost his direction and purpose, and after conceding a homer to Tyrone Taylor, he gave up 4 consecutive singles. The Brewers advanced to 4-2. After a messy ground out for Adames, pinch-hitter Victor Caratini hit a sacrifice fly towards Stanton which brought William Contreras home.

Walk-single-stolen base-stolen base-walk-2 run single. This wasn’t Loaisiga giving them up, this was the pattern of the outcome of the pitches which new Yankees pitcher, Matt Krook gave up. He didn’t get an out, whereas Loaisiga across his mess had made three. It was still hard to figure out who was worst.

Ron Marinaccio allowed two of Krook’s runner to score, making the scoreline 9-2. After a tight 8th from Trevor Megill, Hoby Milner gave up two singles in the 9th but the Yankees never really looked like scoring.

Loaisiga does not look at his best physically, Krook has no such excuse and the Yankees should dispense with his services. Playing Stanton in the outfield makes no sense. It risks him getting injured, and today he was slow in the field and slower on the basepaths. The only Yankees, (in the lineup today) besides Stanton, who are batting below .200 are the prospects who have been called up from Scranton. Of that group only Dominguez is doing well.

So the Yankees have already lost the series to the Brewers, but we will be back tomorrow with the last game of this set and more updates.