MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: A year after rupturing his Achilles tendon while chasing down a Willie Randolph fly ball hit to center field, Mariano Rivera marked a successful return to Old-Timers’ Day. The all-time saves leader and Hall of Famer had to undergo surgery to repair the injury and admitted that he “still [has] to deal with it,” but that he was happy to be back at Yankee Stadium and moving better. Rivera threw batting practice to Hideki Matsui, recorded a couple outs in the game, and reflected on how he would use Old-Timers’ Day as a player to connect with former players to don the pinstripes, as well as relaying his frustration at the team’s 16-year championship drought.
It was a joyous Old-Timers’ Day by all accounts, with a pair of father-son pairs — Clay Bellinger and Cody Bellinger, David Weathers and Ryan Weathers — able to take part in the festivities. It also included first-time participants Dellin Betances, Todd Frazier, and Adam Ottavino, all three of whom have worked on recent YES Network broadcasts as booth and studio analysts. No one homered, but Hideki Matsui probably came the closest on this 375ish-foot drive to center:
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On a day that celebrated Yankees of old, the newest Yankee continued to dazzle, George Lombard hitting his second home run in four games as the Bombers hung on for a 5-4 victory over the Braves.
ESPN: Former Yankees pitcher Tommy John was unable to attend Old Timers’ Day due to an ongoing battle with health issues. He’s had bladder cancer in the past and is reportedly in hospice care, though it’s unclear if it’s specifically related to the cancer or something else. The 83-year-old penned a poignant letter from Florida to say goodbye to the organization, friends, and fans. He thanked those who helped and supported him in his 26-year career including the pioneering surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe, who carried out the cutting edge procedure to repair John’s ulnar collateral ligament in 1974. John went on to pitch 14 more years in the majors, his namesake procedure saving the careers of thousands of pitchers around the country over the last 50-plus years — including both starters from yesterday, Gerrit Cole and Chris Sale.
New York Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: Aaron Boone provided an injury update on Giancarlo Stanton, who has been out since April 24th with a right calf strain. He has resumed jogging in the outfield and light running around the bases, though there is no timetable for an actual return beyond Boone offering that he “expect[s] him back here at some point.” Stanton suffered a setback in his recovery when he sustained a new strain in the same calf while running the bases in June.
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Beyond Stanton on the health front, Carlos Rodón began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last night. Making his first appearance since going on the IL with elbow inflamation on June 30th, he went 2.2 innings and allowed three runs on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts, primarily focusing on getting his pitch count up to 48. At least one more rehab start awaits, with Aaron Boone floating the idea that his next one after that could be at the MLB level, piggybacking with Ryan Weathers or Will Warren as he builds stamina. Nothing is confirmed.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Gerrit Cole became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 1,000 strikeouts, achieving the mark in 139 games and 837.2 innings. He finished with nine in seven innings of the Yankees’ 5-3 win over the Braves on Saturday to give him 1,002 in pinstripes. The 1,000th K of his career came to end the top of the fifth inning, punching out Matt Olson looking on a 99-mph fastball.
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