"Relax. We've been beating these guys for 80 years."

-- Lawrence Peter Berra

A Dozen Fun Facts Every Yankees And Mets Fan Should Know About Tonight's Game

Compiled by Barry Millman

1] The Yankees are 17-7 in games started by opposing rookie pitchers this season. In those 24 starts, those rookie pitchers have posted a 6-11 record and 5.23 ERA (127.1IP, 74ER).

2] RHP Masahiro Tanaka is is 3-0 with a 2.54 ERA (28.1IP, 8ER) over his last four starts and 8-3 with a 3.01 ERA (83.2IP, 28ER) in his last 12 starts. 

 3] Tanaka pitched at least six innings over his last 13 consecutive starts. That's the fifth-longest active streak in MLB and tied for the fourth-longest streak by an AL pitcher this season. He's gone  8-3 with a 3.11 ERA (89.2IP, 31ER) with 11 quality starts during the streak.

4] His only  career start against the Mets on May 14, 2014 was a complete-game shutout  in a Yankees' 4-0 win (9.0IP, 4H, 0BB, 8K) making him and Andy Pettitte the only Yankees starters to throw a complete-game shutout against the Mets. Tanaka also recorded his first MLB base hit  in that game, stroking a two-out single off Jose Valverde in the ninth inning.

5] The Yankees are 10-6 at Citi Field since it opened and have won 4-of-6 series there.

6] The Yankees threw shutouts in both games at Citi Field in 2014 (May 14th and 15th) and carry an 18-inning scoreless streak into tonight’s game. They were the first visiting team to throw back-to-back shutouts at Citi Field and the first to blank the Mets at their home field in consecutive games since the Atlanta Braves did it in 1999 (July 2nd and 3rd). 

7] Yankee starters have allowed 1ER or fewer in five straight starts at Citi Field for a 0.54 ERA (33.1IP, 2ER)  and in 10 of 16 starts since the stadium opened in 2009 for an all-time ERA there of  2.09 ERA (99 IP, 23ER).

8] In interleague play this season, the Yankees lead all MLB clubs in OBP (.364) and OPS (.843) and rank second in batting (.290) and slugging (.480).

9] The Yankees 6.35 runs per game average in interleague play is nearly a full run ahead of the next best team in MLB  and is the highest scoring average in interleague play since the Angels' 6.56 runs per game in 2009.  

10] They are 10-3 in their last 13 road games and have won four consecutive road series for the first time since a four-series road streak in June of 2012. 

11] Over the last four games, Yankees starters are 2-0 with a 1.16 ERA (23.1IP, 3ER) and have struck out 24 against  just 3 walks. Their staff 2.42 BB/9  ratio is the lowest in the AL.

12] Yankees batters have homered in 11 straight games, and have slugged 35 three-run HRs and seven grand slams this season. Their 42 HRs with two or more runners on base  is the most by any MLB team in nine years.

You can email Barry Millman at nyyankeefanforever@ymail.com and follow him on Twitter at @nyyankeefanfore.

Yankees Match 103-year-old Record For MLB Debuts, But For Different Reasons

Opening Day 1912: A good year for major league 

debuts and uniforms, but little else. 

By Barry Millman

As 24-year-old lefty James Pazos prepared to face his first big league batter Saturday in the ninth inning of a one-run game at Yankee Stadium, he found inner calm by repeating his mission to himself. 

"All you gotta do is throw strikes," the former 13th-round pick smiled. Ten pitches and eight strikes later  it was mission accomplished as he whiffed both Tampa Bays' Joey Butler and Daniel Nava. 

Pazos' successful debut marked the 17th by a Yankees' rookie this season, matching the club's all-time season record for major league debuts set by the 1912 Highlanders; the final year the franchise would be known by that name and the first season the uniforms bore the now familiar home pinstripes and interlocking NY logo. 

It's striking to note the difference between the composition of players who debuted on the struggling 1912 club and the division-contending 2015 Bombers of today. This year's first-timers have included eleven pitchers, four outfielders and two infielders while 103 years ago the mix was just five pitchers,  five outfielders and seven infielders.

In 1912, the team's record rash of rookie debuts was largely driven by a rookie manager's ill-fated attempts to shake up a mediocre lineup but who instead drove it into the ground, finishing a whopping 55 games back in the Amerian League race with a 50-120 record. It would be the last time the team would see the cellar for more than a half century.

By contrast, this year's record-tying run of rookies being sent into the show has been primarily fueled by the need for fresh arms to replenish the pen and rotation for a furious divisional race that has taken its toll on both.

Below are the dates, players and positions of the major league debuts for both clubs.

2015 Yankees Major League Debuts 

April 11   Matt Tracy, 26   LHP   
24th round, 2011 amateur draft.

April 15   Branden Pinder, 26   RHP   
16th round, 2011 amateur draft.

May 20    Slade Heathcott, 24   Outfielder   
1st round, 2009 amateur draft.

May 25   Jacob Lindgren, 22   LHP   
2nd round, 2014 amateur draft.

May 30   Ramon Flores, 23    Outfielder   
Amateur free agent signed 2008.

June 12   Mason Williams, 23   Outfielder   
4th round, 2010 amateur draft. 

June 21   Danny Burawa, 26   RHP   
12th round, 2010 amateur draft.

June 21   Jose De Paula, 27   LHP   
Free agent signed 2014.   

June 22   Diego Moreno, 27   RHP   
Acquired as part of  A.J. Burnett trade 2012.

June 23   Nick Rumbelow, 23   RHP   
7th round, 2013 amateur draft.

July 11   Rob Refsnyder, 24   Second Baseman   
5th round, 2012 amateur draft.

July 29   Caleb Cotham, 27   RHP   
5th round, 2009 amateur draft.

July 30   Nick Goody, 24   RHP   
6th round, 2012 amateur draft.

August 5   Luis Severino, 21   RHP   
Amateur free agent signed 2011.

August 13   Greg Bird, 22   First Baseman    
5th round, 2011 amateur draft.   

September 2   Rico Noel, 26  Outfielder
Free agent signed 2015.

September 5   James Pazos   LHP
13th round, 2012 amateur draft.

1912  Highlanders Major League Debuts

April 13    Curt Coleman, 25    Third Baseman

April 20    Benny Kauff. 22    Outfielder

April 24    George Shears, 22    LHP

April 25    Jack Martin, 25   Shortstop, Third Baseman+

May 11     Bill Stumpf, 20    Shortstop

June 5     Tommy Thompson, 22    RHP

June 19    Pat Maloney, 24    Outfielder

June 20    Dutch Sterrett, 22    Outfielder, First Baseman, Catcher+

July 2     Jack Little, 21    Outfielder

July 3     John Dowd, 21    Shortstop

July 4     Bill Otis, 22     Outfielder

July 16    George Davis, 22    RHP

September 12     Ray Keating, 19     RHP

September 25    Al Schulz, 23    LHP

September 28    George Batten, 23    Second Baseman

September 28    Klondike Smith, 25    Outfielder

October 5    Homer Thompson, 21    Catcher

+Positions played in 10 or more games listed.


You can email Barry Millman at nyyankeefanforever@ymail.com and follow him on Twitter at @nyyankeefanfore.

Rico Noel's Debut Places Yankees On Brink Of Tying 103-Year-Old Record For Rookies

By Barry Millman

For Rico Noel,  the 2015 season will be a memorable one for two debuts. 

The first came in a spring training game back in March when he stepped into the batter's box to face comic actor Will Ferrell in his pitching debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The second came Wednesday at Fenway Park in the bottom of the seventh inning when he entered the game to replace Carlos Beltran in right field for three outs and became the Yankees' 16th rookie to debut in a major league baseball game this season. 

That's the most debuts by far for any team in MLB and just one short of the Yankees' all-time season record of 17 set by the 1912 club.

Despite the minor stir created by manager Joe Girardi's decision to deny him his first big league at-bat,  Noel's 283 minor league stolen bases and strong defensive skills should assure him further late-game appearances before the season's over. 

LHP James Pazos is the last of the first wave of  Yankee callups with no prior MLB appearances and will tie the 103-year-old team record for debuts when he gets the call from the pen. 

2015 Yankees Major League Debuts To Date

April 11   Matt Tracy, 26   LHP   
24th round, 2011 amateur draft.

April 15   Branden Pinder, 26   RHP   
16th round, 2011 amateur draft.

May 20    Slade Heathcott, 24   Outfielder   
1st round, 2009 amateur draft.


May 25   Jacob Lindgren, 22   LHP   
2nd round, 2014 amateur draft.


May 30   Ramon Flores, 23    Outfielder   
Amateur free agent signed 2008.


June 12   Mason Williams, 23   Outfielder   
4th round, 2010 amateur draft. 


June 21   Danny Burawa, 26   RHP   
12th round, 2010 amateur draft.


June 21   Jose De Paula, 27   LHP   
Free agent signed 2014.   


June 22   Diego Moreno, 27   RHP   
Acquired as part of  A.J. Burnett trade 2012.


June 23   Nick Rumbelow, 23   RHP   
7th round, 2013 amateur draft.


July 11   Rob Refsnyder, 24   Second Baseman   
5th round, 2012 amateur draft.


July 29   Caleb Cotham, 27   RHP   
5th round, 2009 amateur draft.


July 30   Nick Goody, 24   RHP   
6th round, 2012 amateur draft.


August 5   Luis Severino, 21   RHP   
Amateur free agent signed 2011.


August 13   Greg Bird, 22   First Baseman    
5th round, 2011 amateur draft.   


September 2   Rico Noel, 26  Outfielder
Free agent signed 2015.


You can email Barry Millman at nyyankeefanforever@ymail.com and follow him on Twitter at @nyyankeefanfore.

Selected Notes From The Yankees' Front Office For Tanaka Wednesday At Fenway

Culled  from the team's official game notes and other sources and edited by Barry Millman.

Masahiro Tanaka has recorded  five straight quality starts, as well as in nine of his last 10 and 14 of his last 17 starts. His five-game quality start streak since August 4th is tied for the third-longest in the American League behind David Price and Dallas Keuchel, who have six each.

The Yankees have scored at least 13 runs in both of Tanaka's starts against Boston this season. Tanaka is 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA (11.0IP, 6ER) in those two starts and both were in the Bronx. In five career starts vs. Boston, he's 3-2 with a 4.66 ERA (29.0IP, 15ER, 7BB, 24K)  and 1-1 with a 7.00 ERA (9.0IP, 7ER, 2BB, 9K) in two starts at Fenway Park.

The Yankees are 16-7 in games started by opposing rookie pitchers this season and will face a rookie starter today in Henry Owens for the fourth time on this six-game road trip. In those 23 starts, rookie pitchers have posted a 6-10 record and 4.80 ERA (125.2IP, 67ER) while recording 107K with 56BB. Yankees batters have hit .265 (126-for-475) with 17HR against rookie starters. In Owens' August 4th major league debut in the Bronx, he gave up three runs in 5IP in a 13-3 Red Sox loss.

The Yankees have won their last five consecutive series at Fenway Park dating to the start of 201 and are 12-5 at Fenway since the start of the 2014 season.

Since July 1st, the Yankees lead the AL and rank second in the MLB with a 16-9 (.640) road record.

Second baseman Stephen Drew had his streak of consecutive hits (5) and consecutive times on base (7) snapped with a GIDP in the third inning Tuesday.In his last three games he is 6-for-8 with 4 runs, 1 double, 1HR, 6RBI and 2BB to raise his season BA from .192 to a season-high .205.

Shortstop Didi Gregorius had his career-long RBI streak snapped at five games on Tuesday. During the streak he batted .619 (13-for-21) with 4R, 1 double, 2HR, 11RBI, 1HP, 2BB and a .667 OBP. According to Elias, the only other shortstop in Yankees history with at least 13H and 11RBI in a five-game stretch was Hall of Famer Tony Lazzeri, who had 16H and 12RBI from July 4th-9th 1927.

RHP Dellin Betances logged his 19th scoreless appearance of at least 1.1IP on Tuesday, tying him with Arizona’s Andrew Chafin for the most in MLB. No other pitchers have more than 15 such outings this season. Since the start of 2014, Betances (44) and RHP Adam Warren (33) rank first and second in MLB in scoreless appearances of 1.1IP  or longer.

You can email Barry Milllman at nyyankeefanforever@ymail.com and follow him on Twitter at @nyyankeefanfore.