SEATTLE — The Yankees’ annual hazing for rookies will take place tomorrow night when the club travels to Southern California.
This year’s theme is “Batman” from the 1960s television show. Mark Melancon will be dressed as Batman. Catwoman will be played by Ramiro Pena and Mike Dunn will be dressed as The Riddler.
Video coordinator Anthony Flynn will be in Robin garb and massage therapist Lou Potter will don The Penguin’s clothes. Radar gun operator Brett Weber will be The Joker.
When the team lands in Anaheim, Calif., CC Sabathia will take the cast to dinner. It’s a role Jason Giambi used to handle.
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With the Yankees on the verge of clinching a playoff spot — something they missed doing last season for the first time since 1993 — the subject of celebrating was discussed yesterday. In other years, when it was clear the Yankees were going to win the AL East, they didn’t celebrate clinching a wild card slot.
“I don’t know what guys will do. Get into the playoffs and there might be a little something,” said manager Joe Girardi, whose team’s magic number over the Rangers (2-0 losers to the Angeles last night) was three going into last night’s game against the Mariners at Safeco Field. It was 10 over the Red Sox, who won, 3-1, at Baltimore. The Yankees’ lead in the AL East was 6½ games after the Boston win.
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David Robertson was slated to throw on flat ground yesterday. It’s Girardi’s hope to have the right-handed reliever back to pitch two regular season games to see how his shoulder is. Robertson hasn’t worked a game since Sept. 5. . . . Lonny Frey, thought to have been the oldest living Yankee, passed away on Sunday at his home in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. He was 99. Frey, a shortstop/second baseman who played from 1933-48 and was on the Yankees’ World Series-winning 1947 team, was a three-time All-Star with the Reds and also played for the Dodgers, Cubs and Giants. Tommy Henrich (96) is now thought to be the oldest living Yankee.
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First baseman Juan Miranda was slated to join the Yankees last night from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he batted .290 with 19 home runs and 82 RBIs. The Yankees are expected to add right-handed pitcher Ian Kennedy soon. Kennedy suffered an aneurysm in April and worked his way back to Triple-A where he made one postseason outing and fanned six in three innings. Girardi said the medical staff and minor league evaluators “are very happy with his progress.”
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When a deal to bring Mike Cameron to The Bronx fell apart in December, some assumed it would be rekindled at some point because the Yankees couldn’t trust Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera to handle center field on a team with designs on winning the World Series.
And though Cameron’s name surfaced at the trade deadline, the Yankees are more than satisfied with what they have gotten from the Cabrera/Gardner combo.
“Melky has proved what we thought . . . that last year was an aberration,” general manager Brian Cashman said yesterday. “And Brett Gardner has proven people wrong.”
Cabrera has bounced back from a miserable 2008, when he batted .249 and was sent to Triple-A. He started last night’s game against the Mariners at Safeco Field hitting .277 with a career-high 12 homers and 63 RBIs.
Gardner, who recently returned from a fractured left thumb, won the center field job in spring training, but by April 26 he was hitting .220 and Girardi gave Cabrera a shot. Now, Gardner is back to hitting .280 and providing speed off the bench, something the Yankees don’t have a lot of anywhere.
And Cameron?
The 36-year-old, who makes $10 million and will be a free agent, is batting .255 with 19 homers and 62 RBIs for the Brewers.
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Derek Jeter led a group of Yankees in a voluntary batting practice at Safeco Field. Jeter started the day fourth in the AL batting race with a .330 average. Also participating were Shelley Duncan, Eric Hinske, Jerry Hairston, Francisco Cervelli, Gardner, Ramiro Pena, Freddy Guzman and Nick Swisher. . . . Reliever Brian Bruney changed his number from 38 to 99.
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Hideki Matsui needs one home run to pass Don Baylor for the most homers by a Yankees designated hitter in one season. Matsui had 25 going into last night’s game which matched Baylor’s production in 1984. . . . Jorge Posada sat out his second game of three-game suspension last night. He is eligible to return tomorrow.
With Post wire services