September 10, 2011: Jorge Posada catches one last time for Yankees

The New York Yankees have an embarrassingly rich history at almost every position. Catcher is no exception. They’ve had Hall of Famers Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra, and MVPs Elston Howard and Thurman Munson, just to name a few.

Of course, this list is not complete without Jorge Posada, who played all 17 seasons of his career with the Yankees, earning his place with shortstop Derek Jeter, starting pitcher Andy Pettitte, and closer Mariano Rivera in the “Core Four” Yankees from their late 1990s dynasty. Though he didn’t start catching more regularly until 1998, Posada amassed five World Series rings, five All-Star Game appearances, and five Silver Slugger Awards.12 When he retired, Posada’s 1,575 appearances at catcher ranked third in Yankees franchise history, behind only Dickey and Berra.3

But at the end of his career in 2011, Posada was in an unfamiliar position: not catching.

Posada was in the last year of a four-year, $52.4 million contract.4 He was recovering from offseason knee surgery following a poor defensive season, and declining offensively as well.5 His proud catching career seemed to be over when the Yankees signed veteran Russell Martin as a free agent and held a deep reserve of catching prospects, including Baseball America number-3 overall prospect Jesús Montero.6 By the time spring training started, the Yankees announced that Posada, who would turn 41 in August, was not going to catch at all in 2011. Francisco Cervelli, Austin Romine, and Montero would compete for backup catcher, with Posada at DH.7

The transition did not work well for Posada, who hit at career lows throughout the season, and he ultimately lost the DH position after Montero’s September call-up.8 Though his season – and career – was sputtering to an end, there was one night when Posada got the chance to catch for one last time.

The Yankees were in Anaheim on September 10, in first place in the AL East Division but with a slumping offense and injuries mounting. Alex Rodríguez had an injured thumb, Nick Swisher an injured elbow, and Cervelli was dealing with concussion symptoms.9 While Yankees manager Joe Girardi’s original lineup called for Cervelli to catch, his concussion pushed Martin back behind the dish and sensational rookie Montero – batting .350 with three home runs in his first six major-league games – into the DH role. C.C. Sabathia hoped to right the ship and win his 20th game of the year.

Opposing the Yankees were Dan Haren and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, chasing down the Texas Rangers in the race for the American League West title. Haren entered the game with a 14-8 record and a 3.20 ERA.

Jeter led off the game with a ground-rule double but could not score, and Sabathia worked around two infield hits and a walk to complete the first inning. In the bottom of the second, Angels catcher Jeff Mathis hit a two-out double. Despite Mathis’s lack of speed – he stole just 12 bases in 17 seasons – Martin kept his right arm in front of him in case Mathis tried to steal third. This proved painful. Maicer Izturis fouled an 0-and-1 pitch off Martin’s exposed thumb. While Martin was clearly in discomfort, he stayed in the game. Izturis doubled deep into center field and gave the Angels a 1-0 lead.

Martin took his position in the bottom of the third, but the pain in his hand was evident when he took his time trying to grip the ball and sailed a throw over second and into the outfield. Girardi came to pull Martin out, but with the game only in the third inning, backup catcher Cervelli out, and Montero at DH, what would the Yankees do?

That question was answered to the delight of the many visiting Yankees fans in attendance as Posada emerged from the dugout in his catching gear. Posada’s last appearance behind the plate had been in Game Six of the 2010 American League Championship Series, almost 11 months earlier. In 2011 he had not even caught in a spring-training game, only coming out occasionally during the season to warm up pitchers. But circumstances had forced him back into his familiar position.10 The Yankees infield, including Posada’s longtime teammate and friend Jeter, were delighted at the sight. “Just like old times, I guess,” said Jeter.11

Howie Kendrick led off the inning with an infield single and everyone in the ballpark knew what was going to happen next. Kendrick had swiped 13 bases in 17 attempts and Posada had not caught all year; of course Kendrick was going to test the veteran catcher.12 Before the next pitch was thrown, Posada could be seen on the TV broadcast looking down to first base. “I knew they were going to attempt it, so just be prepared, be ready. It’s been a while, but I just got rid of it.”13

Sabathia delivered the pitch and Kendrick was off and running. Posada unleashed his throw to second; a little high, but Robinson Canó brought it down and applied the tag. Kendrick was out, and the visiting fans let out a roar.

With the bases clear, Posada and Sabathia attacked the next batter. Sabathia struck out Torii Hunter for his 2,000th career strikeout. He became the third active member of the 2,000-strikeout club and, at age 31, the third youngest left-handed pitcher to reach that milestone, behind only Sam McDowell and Sandy Koufax.14

They might have been trailing, but things were looking up for the Yankees. “I thought, ‘This could be something,’ maybe he’d end up getting the game-winning hit from behind the plate,” said a hopeful Girardi.15

Haren, however, stole the show from Posada and the Yankees’ feel-good story. He had given up Jeter’s leadoff single in the first and another leadoff single to Montero in the second. He then locked in, retiring 18 straight Yankees – including striking out Posada in the fifth – through Montero’s groundout to begin the eighth.

His Angels teammates were not going to waste this stellar pitching performance. They worked Sabathia’s pitch count up to 119 and forced him out by the seventh inning. Rookie reliever Hector Noesi promptly hit Hunter with a pitch, threw a wild pitch to move him to second, and walked Mark Trumbo. Vernon Wells struck out, but 20-year-old rookie Mike Trout blooped a single over Canó to score Hunter.

Erick Aybar hit a deep sacrifice fly to center field to score Trumbo, and Mathis clubbed a two-run home run to left field and made it 5-0 Angels. After a double by Izturis, Girardi pulled Noesi.

The Yankees called upon 2006 fifth-round draft pick George Kontos to make his major-league debut and stop the bleeding. Kontos got Peter Bourjos to pop out to Jeter at shortstop, but the Angels were firmly in control now.

In the top of the eighth, Eric Chavez broke up Haren’s perfect string with a one-out single to bring up Posada. This time Posada singled into right field, setting up the Yankees to get back into the game. Haren would not be upstaged, and he got Eduardo Núñez to ground into an inning-ending double play. In the bottom of the eighth, Hunter homered off Kontos to make the score 6-0, Angels. Kontos got a silver lining to his debut, though, retiring Trumbo for his first major-league strikeout.

Haren finished his masterful performance in the ninth, claiming his third complete-game shutout of the season and the fifth of his career.16 He dominated the Yankees, giving up only four hits, striking out seven, and facing two batters over the minimum 27. The Angels had won six of their last seven games and hoped their elite pitching would help them catch the Texas Rangers.17 Ultimately the Angels missed the playoffs.18

The superb catching career of Jorge Posada went out on a low note and the Yankees’ season ended with elimination by the Detroit Tigers in the AL Division Series. To his credit, Posada hit over .400 in the five-game series, doing his part to help keep the Yankees alive. Posada ended up in the top 15 for catchers for several offensive categories, including runs scored, doubles, home runs, and OPS.19

And for one night in Anaheim, Jorge Posada got to go back behind the plate and take his place among the great Yankees catchers once again. Afterward he said, “It was fun. I’ll be sore tomorrow. I’ll sleep well tonight.”20

Author’s Note

The author and his family had the perfect view to see Jorge Posada’s surprise last catching performance, in the third deck, behind home plate.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Harrison Golden and copy-edited by Len Levin.

Photo credit: Jorge Posada, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources cited in the Notes, the author used the Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org websites for the box score and play-by-play, and the YouTube recording of the Angels’ TV broadcast.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ANA/ANA201109100.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/2011/B09100ANA2011.htm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7RF6cuGe0

Notes

1 For 1995, 1996, and 1997 – his first three big-league seasons – Posada played one, eight, and 60 games respectively. He played 111 or more games in every other season except 2008.

2 Posada was not on the Yankees’ playoff roster in 1996, but still received a World Series ring.

3 Dickey and Berra appeared in 1,708 and 1,697 games at catcher for the Yankees, respectively.

4 Mark Feinsand and Bill Madden, “Jorge Posada to Stay with Yankees,” New York Daily News, November 12, 2007, http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/2007/11/12/2007-11-12_jorge_posada_to_stay_with_yankees.html.

5 John Harper, “Yankees DH Jorge Posada Handling Transition from Catcher to Full-Time Designated Hitter with Class,” New York Daily News, March 6, 2011, http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-03-06/sports/28677399_1_francisco-cervelli-jesus-montero-derek-jeter.

6 Mark Feinsand, “Yankees Sign Russell Martin to $4M deal, Brian Cashman Says He – Not Jorge Posada – Will Be Starter,” New York Daily News, December 16, 2010, http://articles.nydailynews.com/2010-12-16/sports/27084642_1_jorge-posada-francisco-cervelli-yankees.

7 Harper, “Yankees DH Jorge Posada Handling Transition from Catcher to Full-Time Designated Hitter with Class.”

8 In 2011 Posada posted a slash line of .235/.315/.398.

9 George A. King III, “Injured Yankees Starting to Pile Up,” New York Post, September 11, 2011, https://nypost.com/2011/09/11/injured-yankees-starting-to-pile-up/.

10 In 2011, Posada played 90 games at DH, 14 games at first base, one game at second base, and one game at catcher, and pinch-hit for his only appearance in 10 games.

11 Mark Feinsand, “CATCH PHRASE: Posada Goes Behind Plate, Yanks Blanked,” New York Daily News, September 11, 2011: 64.

12 Kendrick stole 14 bases in 20 attempts in 2011, and 126 for his 15-year career.

13 Feinsand, “CATCH PHRASE: Posada Goes Behind Plate, Yanks Blanked.”

14 “Angels Beat Up on Sabathia, Yankees,” Sportsnet, September 11, 2011, https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/angels-yankees/.

15 Feinsand, “CATCH PHRASE: Posada Goes Behind Plate, Yanks Blanked.”

16 “Angels Beat Up on Sabathia, Yankees.”

17 Mike DiGiovanna, “Angels’ Haren Is in Full Control,” Los Angeles Times, September 11, 2011: 41.

18 The Angels finished 2011 in second place with a record of 86-76, 10 games behind the Texas Rangers.

19 Posada’s career offensive totals were 1,829 games played, 900 runs scored, 379 doubles, 275 home runs, .848 OPS.

20 Feinsand, “CATCH PHRASE: Posada Goes Behind Plate, Yanks Blanked.”