I have long been proud to admit that I was in the stands the night that Michael Young debuted for the Texas Rangers. And I did not know on that night that one day he would be considered Mr. Ranger.
There is no doubt that the strained relationship between Young and Rangers general manager Jon Daniels was the key factor in Young being shipped to Philadelphia this past off-season. You can say what you want about his production or about the Rangers lineup, but he was still a guy that could be useful to Ron Washington, even if it was for selfish reasons. Who wouldn't want a guy like Young in their clubhouse? Young has been a team player from day one. But to ask the face of your franchise to sit on the bench and cut his at-bats in half would be wrong. Michael Young still feels like he can be an everyday player, and with him being in the National League instead of another American League team, I hope he can be just that. It would make me happy to see Young hit .300 for Philadelphia and play Gold Glove caliber defense.
While I can say that I like many players on many different teams in the majors, I can honestly say that I don't necessarily root for many, if any, who do not wear a Rangers uniform. 2013, however, will be different. I will find myself scanning the box scores and watching highlights to check in on Michael Young.
And I found myself doing just that on Thursday afternoon, stopping whatever I was doing each time Young came to the plate against the Braves. And just as I had watched Young's debut for the Rangers in person, I was able to see Young's first hit and first RBI with the Phillies on live television. Here's to many more.
Scores from Thursday:
Philadelphia 10, Atlanta 5
Minnesota 7, Baltimore 1
Boston 16, Pittsburgh 6
Detroit 11, Tampa Bay 2
St. Louis 8, Miami 2
Houston 7, N.Y. Yankees (SS) 6
Toronto 1, N.Y. Yankees (SS) 0
N.Y. Mets 4, Washington 4 (F/10)
Notes from Thursday:
Ben Revere, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard each went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored for the Phillies in their 10-5 win over Atlanta. Howard also launched a home run in the game. Philadelphia starter Cole Hamels pitched three innings, allowing just one run on four hits, while registering five strikeouts. Atlanta closer Craig Kimbrel struggled against Atlanta, allowing two hits and two runs (including the Howard bomb) in one inning of work. Minnesota got two hits each from Joe Mauer, Josh Willingham and Justin Morneau in their win over the Orioles. Mauer and Willingham each had an RBI, while Morneau drove in three runs. Boston had no trouble scoring runs on Thursday against Pittsburgh, but the outburst was led by players who are far from household names. Lyle Overbay, J.C. Linares and Jose Iglesias each drove in two runs in the game. Jackie Bradley went 3-5 and had a stolen base for the Red Sox, while Brock Holt went 2-4. John Lackey got the win for Boston, pitching two innings, allowing three hits and three runs while striking out two Pittsburgh hitters. Felix Pie and Jared Goedert each hit homers for the Pirates in the loss. Detroit roughed up Tampa Bay starter Matt Moore on Thursday in their 11-2 win. Austin Jackson had a home run and two RBI for Detroit, while Miguel Cabrera went 2-4 with a double and an RBI. Moore pitched only 1 1/3 innings in the game, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks. Evan Longoria went 2-3 for the Rays in the loss. Giancarlo Stanton was seeing the ball quite well on Thursday, going 3-3 at the plate, as he was left just needing a home run to hit for the cycle. (Has that ever been done in Spring Training?) It wasn't enough for Miami though, as they fell to the Cardinals, who got a grand slam from Oscar Taveras, his only hit of the game. A split squad Yankees team fell to Houston in a wild game that saw the Yankees score five runs in the top of the 6th inning to go up 5-1, only to see Houston answer back with six runs in the bottom of the same inning. Houston used a Brandon Laird grand slam to take over a lead they would not relinquish. Rick Ankiel, who is trying to make this Astros team, went 2-2 on Thursday with a home run. Ankiel is now hitting .571 during Spring Training. The rest of the Yankees were taking on division rival Toronto, where the two teams played to a scoreless tie until the 7th inning when Andy LaRoche launched a solo shot deep to left field to give the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead that would end up as the final score. And finally, the Mets and Nationals played to a 4-4 tie on Thursday. Travis d'Arnaud went 2-3 in the game for the Mets, while Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg pitched three innings, allowing one run on three hits and two walks. The young strikeout machine was able to punch out six Mets in the game.
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