Batting Ninth

[DOUGHBOYS]

I'm twisted.

While all the hoopla was going on with the Jorge Posada refusal to play and hit in the ninth position the other day, there were offshoots that came from the hissy. With Nick Swisher hitting eighth, I was wondering, when was the last time two power hitting switch hitters hit eighth and ninth in a lineup?

I looked up as many possibilities as I could, I found nothing. I believe this was the first time it's happened

....or didn't happen.



Andruw Jones took Posada's place in the lineup. Jones hit his career home run #409 the next night while hitting seventh.

Hitting in the ninth spot for Posada, Jones was only the second player with more than 400 career home runs to hit in the ninth spot of a lineup.



At the end of Jimmy Foxx career, he pitched a few games. His Manager, being a traditionalist, hit Foxx in the ninth spot in the order. At the time, Foxx had 532 career home runs. He finished his career with 534.

Babe Ruth threw and won a couple of games near the end of his career too, but his Manager had him hitting up in the order.



I was rooting for Posada to hit ninth on Sunday. Jarrold Saltalamacchia was hitting ninth for the Red Sox. I'm too lazy to look this one up, since it didn't happen, but it probably would have been the first time two switch hitting catchers would have opposed each other while hitting ninth.



The Yankees clubhouse seems resilient to these type of outbursts and it'll blow over. But, it gives fans and writers ammunition all year.

The next time Posada plays in Boston, maybe fans can lead a cheer of, "HIP, HIP, NUEVE". Nueve being the number nine in spanish.

Or, maybe there can be a placard at Yankee Stadium that reads,

'Jorge- First in our Heart, Last in the Lineup'



Posada, himself, has lost face.

Brian Cashman was interviewed during the game Saturday night and stated that Posada not being in the lineup was not because of injury.

Posada, with all the selfishness it took to walk into Girardi's office before the game, lied to the press and fans after the game.

He blamed the self-benching on a bad back.

He could have just said it was a bad day, he could have said he was wrong, but for all the time he had in the dugout to think about facing the press, he could only lie.

Say it ain't so, Jo.



For the record, Foxx pitched six and 2/3 innings in beating the Cincinnati Reds 4-2.

Was Foxx concerned about batting ninth, when at the time, he was the second all time home run hitter behind Babe Ruth?

In a word, no.

It was 1945, Foxx career would have ended a few years sooner, but a lot of players took up arm's for WW II and there was a shortage of males, ages 18-35 in America.

He was appreciative to still be playing the game he loved and grateful that he was in a Major League lineup.



Just one more note (I know, its like the post that won't end)

Foxx retired a year later from baseball and was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1951.

Sadly, seven years later, a Boston writer following up a story involving Foxx, found Foxx out of a job and without enough money for his next months rent.

Amazed that the player, only behind Babe Ruth in lifetime home runs, was in dire straights. the writer included a note of Foxx's predicament in his story.

Foxx was besieged with job offers from across the United States.



[ May 16, 2011, 12:29 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

[Greg Ambrosius]

Good post Dan and your final note on Foxx was well worth adding. Very good indeed.



Hey, it was human nature of Jorge not to want to bat ninth and he should have just admitted it. It's like being picked last in the sandlot game. It was an insult to a guy who still considers himself one of the best Yankees of all-time. But the reality is that he should be thankful he's making $13 million at the age of 39 and he should be doing everything he can to help the Yankees -- and himself -- win one more World Series ring. Seriously, that's all he's playing for this year, not any individual honors. So he should swallow his pride and get his batting average to the Mendoza Line before worrying if he's hitting ninth, eighth or not at all. It's all on him.



At least he manned up on Sunday and admitted he had "a bad day." But it also shows that he lied on Saturday night to the press and his wife even lied on Twitter!! I know you don't Tweet Dan ( ), but she said it was just a bad back and that he didn't take himself out of the lineup because he was batting ninth. Oops. Liar, Liar....



I'm sure glad Jorge doesn't play in the NFBC. Can you imagine his response if he found out he got the 15th pick in a draft? He'd probably quit before we started.