Rook Garcia will honor Pedro in start at Fenway
BOSTON — Deivi Garcia will get to take the same mound as his pitching hero on Sunday. The 21-year-old Yankees rookie wears No. 45 on his uniform belt to honor Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez. Sunday will be his first time pitching in Fenway Park.
“I mean he’s a legend here and there were a lot of exciting games here in the stadium,” Garcia said through Yankees translator Marlon Abreu. “My dad even told me about all those great games and everything going on.
“And he told me to go out there and do the best you can for your team to represent your team.”
Garcia was just five years old the last year Martinez pitched for the Red Sox, but they have formed an intergenerational friendship. Martinez reached out after Garcia’s stellar big league debut.
ON HOLD
Aroldis Chapman’s appeal of his three-game suspension has still not been decided, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
After a scheduled hearing Monday, Boone said this was something that could carry over into next year.
“It could be something that there could be another hearing and more information to be inserted in there,” Boone said before Saturday’s game against the Red Sox at Fenway. “So it could be something that could even be put off till next year.”
The closer was disciplined after an altercation with the Rays Aug. 31 where he threw up and behind the head of pinch hitter Mike Brosseau. The chippy season series with the Rays overflowed in that game with their bench yelling at Chapman, who walked over to confront Brosseau, the benches cleared, but there was no fighting.
“I heard there needed to be another hearing because certain people weren’t invited to the hearing,” Boone said. “So I really don’t know where it stands.”
Chapman needed 27 pitches to get through the ninth inning of Friday night’s 12-inning win over the Red Sox. He had pitched in Thursday night’s win over the Blue Jays as well. He would likely not be available to the Yankees again until at least Sunday.
HANGOVERS
After a 12-inning game that lasted nearly five hours on Friday night, Boone rested catcher Gary Sanchez and shortstop Gleyber Torres Saturday.
“A day game tomorrow, five hour game last night,” Boone said. “So it was going to be one or the other. Actually, even before last night, I was probably leaning towards (Kyle Higashioka) tonight and then Gary catching the day game Sunday.”
Sanchez hit the game-saving, ninth-inning home run Friday night and seems to be on the verge of turning around a disaster of a season offensively. Over his last four games, Sanchez is 6-for-18 with two doubles, three HR and nine RBI.
That comes after Boone benched him for two games to work on his swing.
Torres also has been swinging a hot bat, but Boone is being cautious after he had to sit out for three games with a tight quad. The 23-year-old also missed 13 games on the injured list with a strained hamstring and quad last month.
GARDENHIRE GOODBYE
The Tigers announced Saturday that veteran manager Ron Gardenhire was retiring. Boone said “Gardy” was a friend among the managers and wished him well.
“Ron is someone that I have a lot of respect for,” Boone said. “When I was in Cleveland and we’re good and obviously he was in Minnesota at that time and they were really good he was there and so we had some great battles with them there. I have had some really good conversations with him over the last couple years just playing against them and kind of being in that manager fraternity. He’s someone that’s had a really outstanding career as a player a coach and a manager.
“I know how much he enjoys family and grandkids and I’m sure that has a lot to do with that decision,” Boone said. “And, of course, just all that 2020 has been, I think puts a lot of things into perspective for people… He’s had a great career and I wish him the best.”