New York Yankees News

NEW YORK (AP) _ The New York Yankees took a day off Monday. At least, that's how it looked. The Yankees' drive for a playoff spot paused, with Andy Pettitte falling behind early and a smallish crowd watching Toronto rookie Jesse Litsch pitch the Blue Jays to a 4-1 victory. New York could've clinched a post-season berth with a win, coupled with a Detroit loss later against Minnesota. Instead, the Yankees never quite woke up in their ...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Roger Clemens says he'll do anything to help the New York Yankees, and he proved it Sunday by coming out of the bullpen for the first time in 23 years to face Barry Bonds. Clemens made his first regular-season appearance as a reliever since he was a rookie with the Red Sox in 1984, walking the San Francisco slugger on five pitches before yielding one run in the seventh inning of the ...

NEW YORK (AP) _ Jason Giambi failed an amphetamines test within the last year, the Daily News reported Wednesday. The New York newspaper reported that after the failed amphetamines test, Giambi is subjected to six additional tests for one year. The newspaper did not cite any sources in its report. Giambi declined comment to the newspaper before the Yankees' 7-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night. The Yankees slugger recently said in a USA ...

NEW YORK (AP) _ Everyone in pinstripes insists Mariano Rivera is still a safe bet, even after a rough start this season. Perhaps he can prove it when the Red Sox return to town. Boston usually presents the biggest challenge for the Yankees' star closer, and the AL East-leading Red Sox open a three-game series in New York on Monday night that could provide answers to some key questions about Rivera _ if he gets a ...

New York Yankees pitching prospect Hector Noesi was suspended Thursday for the first 50 games of next season after testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance under baseball's minor league drug program. The Dominican right-hander, who turns 20 on Jan. 26, pitched in five games last season for the Gulf Coast League Yankees from July 31 to Aug. 18. He was 0-0 with a 1.29 ERA and one save, striking ...

The New York Yankees won the bidding for Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa when the Hanshin Tigers accepted their offer of about US$26 million Tuesday. After the bidding closed Monday, the Tigers were informed of the amount of the high bid, but not which team made it. The New York Mets bid about $15 million for Igawa, a baseball official said on condition of anonymity because the amounts of losing bids ...

Mike Mussina has spent six seasons with the New York Yankees and hasn't won a World Series ring. ``This is the Yankees and we have high expectations,'' he said Monday after finalizing a US$23 million, two-year contract. ``We expect to not only be in the playoffs every year but do more than just be one of the last eight teams playing.'' Mussina went 92-53 with a 3.80 ERA in 187 ...

Mike Mussina and the New York Yankees reached a preliminary agreement Monday on a US$23 million, two-year contract. Mussina is scheduled to take a physical Tuesday that would allow the deal to be finalized. He declined comment on the agreement, saying he would refrain from any remarks until a telephone conference call Wednesday. A right-hander who turns 38 on Dec. 8, Mussina left the Baltimore Orioles after the 2000 season ...

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to stop construction of the new US$1 billion ballpark for the New York Yankees. Construction of the stadium involves paving over large portions of two parks in the Bronx and cutting down about 400 mature oak trees. The Yankees are to offset the loss of the parks by building new parkland, including three ballfields at the site of the current Yankee Stadium, which ...

Alex Rodriguez wants to play the hand he's got with the Yankees. Arriving at his charity poker tournament Wednesday night, the much-maligned slugger insisted he wants to stay in New York rather than be traded to a town where the fans might not be so hard on him. In Texas Hold 'em terms _ forget it, he's not folding. ``My choice is to play for the New York Yankees,'' said ...

New York Yankees first baseman Jason Giambi underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon in his left wrist on Thursday. He's expected to be ready for the start of spring training. Giambi was bothered by a sore wrist in the final months of the season, and had at least three injections. The former AL MVP hit .253 with 37 home runs and 113 RBIs, then went 1-for-8 in the playoff ...

A private jet, carrying Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez and six others, overran a runway at Bob Hope Airport on Friday and was brought to a halt by an arresting system. ``I spoke to Alex. He's fine,'' agent Scott Boras said. None of the seven people aboard were injured, federal officials said. The Gulfstream G-II carried five passengers and two crew members, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement from Washington, D.C. The twin-engine jet was stopped ...

All eyes were on Alex Rodriguez during this post-season. A look at how A-Rod did for the New York Yankees in Saturday's AL playoff game: AT THE PLATE: A disappearing act. Dropped to eighth in the batting order for the first time since 1996, he had two groundouts and a flyout. Finished with a mere single in the Yankees' four-game loss to Detroit, going 1-for-14 (.071). For the second straight post-season, he did not have an RBI. IN ...

Now, he's 8-Rod. Alex Rodriguez, 1-for-11 with no RBIs in the AL playoffs and stuck in a prolonged October slump, was dropped to the eighth spot in New York's batting order on Saturday as the Yankees tried to avoid being eliminated by the Detroit Tigers. It's the lowest A-Rod batted since May 7, 1996, when he was a 20-year-old shortstop for the Seattle Mariners. Jason Giambi _ 1-for-8 in the series _ was dropped from the Yankees' starting ...

Alex Rodriguez didn't do anything once again, and neither did any of his teammates. Now the Yankees are one loss from another early exit from the playoffs. Back in the cleanup spot, A-Rod was 0-for-3 in New York's 6-0 loss to the Detroit Tigers in Game 3 on Friday night. He's 1-for-11 in the first three games of the best-of-five series, hasn't driven in a run in 11 playoff games dating to 2004 and is batting ...

New York Yankees manager Joe Torre juggled baseball's best lineup on Friday night, dropping a disappointed Gary Sheffield and moving slumping Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod) back to the cleanup spot. Sheffield, who has a .176 (3-for-17) career average against Detroit starter Kenny Rogers, began Game 3 on the bench as Torre opted to use Bernie Williams as his designated hitter and moved Jason Giambi _ the Yanks' DH in Games 1 and 2 _ to first base for Sheffield. Williams ...

Alex Rodriguez strode to the plate and the Yankee Stadium fans cheered as one, imploring him to deliver that elusive clutch hit. Strike one. Strike two. Strike three. Another missed chance for baseball's US$25 million man. Rodriguez stood at the plate and removed his batting gloves after being frozen on Justin Verlander's curveball Thursday. There were no boos, just groans when the New York Yankees' early threat ended with a ...

Randy Johnson threw a bullpen session Wednesday afternoon and Yankees manager Joe Torre said the left-hander is set to start Game 3 of the AL division series in Detroit on Friday night. Johnson has a herniated disc in his back that required him to get an epidural shot last Friday. He threw in the outfield grass Saturday and then had a bullpen session the next day. Torre said Johnson threw ...

Derek Jeter and the rest of the modern-day Murderers' Row overwhelmed the young Detroit Tigers, getting the New York Yankees off to a quick start in the first round of the AL playoffs. Jeter tied the post-season record for hits, going 5-for-5 with a home run to lead New York over Detroit 8-4 Tuesday night in its post-season opener. Bobby Abreu had a two-run double and Jason Giambi hit a ...

For Alex Rodriguez, the dog days came in October. He kept flailing at pitch after pitch as the New York Yankees lost to the Los Angeles Angels in the first round of last year's playoffs, going 2-for-15 with no RBIs in a putrid performance that prompted him to declare: ``I played like a dog.'' When Detroit's Nate Robertson takes the mound at Yankee Stadium for their best-of-five series opener Tuesday ...

Randy Johnson was optimistic after a bullpen session that he will start Game 3 of the playoffs Friday night. Johnson threw 41 pitches Sunday under the watchful eye of manager Joe Torre, pitching coach Ron Guidry and bullpen coach Joe Kerrigan. ``It was surprisingly good,'' Johnson said. ``Everybody was more pleased than I was, so I guess that's a good thing. My only concern is a stiff back.'' Torre was ...

Derek Jeter has been there before: One point down in the AL batting race with one game to play. Jeter went 3-for-3 with a walk Saturday in the New York Yankees' 6-5 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, raising his average to .345. Minnesota's Joe Mauer, who leads the AL at .346, didn't play Saturday. ``You don't ever change your mind-set, because you're trying to get hits, anyway. It's not ...

Randy Johnson threw across the outfield grass in nearly empty Yankee Stadium to bullpen coach Joe Kerrigan as two other coaches looked on. Having passed the first test, the Big Unit said he'll throw a bullpen session Sunday to prepare his balky back for the playoffs. One day after receiving a epidural shot to treat a herniated disc, Johnson played catch for seven minutes, then threw eight pitches on flat ...