Carlos Beltran’s 400 Home Run
In the 7-5 Yankees win over the White Sox, Carlos Beltran created history. He hit his 400 home run from the right side. Carlos became one of the only switch hitters in baseball history to reach 400 home runs. He joins Mickey Mantle alongside on the list.
Arguably two of the best left handed pitchers in the game, one big remaining question is ‘’Who’s Better: Cole Hamels or Jon Lester?’’ In this article we will go beyond the win-loss and strikeout column. We will find out who really deserves the crown at the end.
Jon Lester
Jon Lester played his 2014 season with both the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics. In his 11 starts games as an Athletic, he helped them go to the postseason. Lester would blow the Wild Card game to the Kansas City Royals. But during the regular season, Lester went 16-11 with 220 strikeouts in 219.2 innings of work. He only walked 48 batters in that span, too. With both Boston and Oakland, Jon had an overall great ERA of 2.46. Jon Lester did many great things with the Red Sox in his 9 year stint with them. He helped them win the 2007 and 2013 World Series. He also has a no-hitter under his belt. During the trade deadline in 2014, Jon got dealt from the Boston Red Sox to the Oakland Athletics. In the offseason of 2014, Jon Lester would sign a deal with the Chicago Cubs.
Cole Hamels
Cole Hamels might just be the ace of the Philadelphia Philles. In past years, Cole was overshadowed by the greats Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cliff Lee. Some of which are the greatest pitcher. But when Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt retired, Cliff Lee started to get injured. So in 2014, Cole finally got the stage for himself. Nobody really knew in that span that Cole was one of the key players for the Philadelphia Philles. In 2014, Cole Hamels went 9-9 with 198 strikeouts over the course of 204.2 innings of work. That doesn’t look that good, right? The thing is that the 2014 Philles offense was horrible and they rarely scored any runs for him. Cole Hamels was actually really good. Like Lester, he also had a very good 2.46 ERA. So maybe if the Philles scored more, Hamels would have 15 or more wins.
Back when the Philles were good, Cole was the real star of the team. In 2008, the Phillies made it to the World Series against the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays. Hamels would pitch phenomenally earning him the World Series MVP award.
Troy Tulowitzki is one of the best players in Major League Baseball. Let’s look at his spectacular current career.
After Derek Jeter retired, Troy Tulowitzki took the name of the best shortstop. Troy wanted to play like Derek Jeter was an answer in most interviews. He wanted to play like Derek Jeter. He didn’t realize he would play better than the old Yankee captain. ‘’Tulo’’, as some announcers call him, has made numerous all-star appearances. He even was the captain for the 2014 all-star game and home run derby. Like Jeter in his old days, Troy makes multiple incredible jump plays to get runners out at first. Besides Troy’s fielding, he is one of the best when he comes to bat. He gets hits and homers like it is a piece of cake. If you need him to, he can be a threat to run. Troy is also one of the best when it comes to tagging out runners who attempt to steal on him. As you can see, Troy Tulowitzki is one of the best in baseball.
It’s the seventh inning. Yankees leading by a run. Joe Girardi makes a call to the bullpen. Out comes Dellin Betances. Betances is just the table setter for what will come next: two dominant lefties.
Dellin Betances
When hitters see Dellin Betances, they already know the drill. Three strikes and go back to the dugout. Standing at 6 foot 8 and 265 pounds, Dellin strikes fear into the hearts of batters.
Dellin Betances comes out of the ‘pen with plus stuff. He brings a fastball that can touch 100 and a wicked breaking ball. In the minor leagues, Dellin was taught to be a starter. In the 2014, Dellin was competing for the fifth starter role. He made the team but got pushed to the bullpen. He would create history that season.
In 2014, Betances created history. He would break a Yankee record previously held by Mariano Rivera. For 20 years, the record for most strikeouts out of the bullpen was 130. Dellin came in and fanned 135 batters, rewriting the record. That would just be the start to more history.
In 2015, after the departure of David Robertson, Andrew Miller came on to the scene. Miller had a historic season to accompany Betances. Dellin, in 84 innings, struck out 131 batters. He would also put up 9 saves and 29 holds. In 2016, Dellin so far has 32 strikeouts from 16 innings of work. He is on track to break his own record!
Andrew Miller
Andrew Miller was acquired by the Yankees in the offseason of 2014. When Miller was with Baltimore in 2014, slugger Chris Davis said he was happy that he didn’t have to face Miller anymore. Standing at an intimidating 6 foot 7 and 205 pounds, Miller gives hitters nightmares from both sides of the plate.
When Andrew Miller first signed with the Yankees, he was their closer. In 61.2 innings of work, Andrew was able to strike out 100 batters and post a 0.86 earned run average. On top of that, he also piled on 36 saves in 38 opportunities. All these incredible statistics led Andrew to the Reliever of the Year Award, also known as the Mariano Rivera award.
In 2016, Andrew Miller will serve as the Yankees set up man. He took over the closer role when Aroldis Chapman got suspended for 30 games. In those 30 games, Andrew got 6 saves.
Despite his move from closer to set up, Andrew Miller stills scares hitters. His wipeout slider breaks away from lefties at the last second. For righties, Miller aims his slider at their knees. In conclusion, Andrew Miller’s devastating pitch selection is scary for all batters.
Aroldis Chapman
The Cuban Missile. Guinness World Record holder. 100 miles per hour. These are all traits that could be used to describe Aroldis Chapman. When the Yankees acquired Chapman, it was like putting icing on top of the icing of the cake known as the bullpen.
Aroldis Chapman spent six years playing for the Cincinnati Reds. For the Reds, he accomplished many feats. For instance, Chapman holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest pitch ever thrown. The pitch was officially clocked at 105.1 mph though the scoreboard at Great American Ballpark read 106 mph.
Aroldis has four consecutive seasons with 30 or more saves and 100 or more strikeouts. He has a career high in strikeouts with 122 in 2012 and a career high in saves in both 2012 and 2013. He looks to repeat these numbers in 2016 with the Yankees.
Aroldis Chapman’s success with the Yankees got cut by 30 games. In the offseason, Chapman faced domestic violence charges and got suspended 30 games. In Chapman’s first three appearances, he has two saves and six strikeouts.
Overview
With the Yankees Big Three, they are sure to succeed. In conclusion, the Big Three bring overpowering stuff to the ballpark every day.
Brian McCann is a solid catcher for the Yankees. We now break down his excellence.
Brian McCann spent nine years with the Braves before signing with the Yankees. In those nine years, Brian won five Silver Sluggers and hit 176 home runs. In McCann’s rookie season, he hit 24 home runs and batted a career high .333. The following year, Brian hit 18 home runs with 92 RBIs.