The New York Yankees and Ira Riklis

The Bombers won their ninth straight last night despite losing Joba Chamberlin in the first inning to a line drive off his knee. The game saw a dominant first and second inning, where the Yanks pounded the Baltimore Orioles for six runs, giving more than enough to overcome the Os and bring Ira Rikis‘ favorite team to within 1.5 games of first place in the American League East.

The Yanks improved to seven games over .500 with the win, with a record of 24-17. It is the largest margin of a winning record for the team this season.

No doubt this extraordinary home stand was initiated by the fact that Ira Riklis attended the inaugural game at the Stadium.  Having moved across 161st street, the team seems to be settling into its new home just fine.

Ira is famously a sports fan of New York teams, including the Jets (okay, New Jersey) and the Rangers.

After leaving the game, Joba underwent X-rays on his leg, which were said to be negative for any long-term damage. He will probably miss his next start unless doctors for the team give him the go-ahead.

It is unfortunate that Chamberlin had to miss the remaining 25 outs, as the weather at the Stadium was excellent for and evening of baseball. Perhaps Ira Riklis was there!

Coming off an exciting four-game series with the Minnesota Twins that saw three walk-off hits in as many games, Ira Riklis‘ hometown New York Yankees started a series tonight against the Baltimore Orioles. The Yanks have won eight of their last 10 games and welcomed back Alex Rodriguez, who has, as of the first inning, already hit another home run. That makes four round trippers in as many games.

Since Rodriguez has been back, he has had a low average but a high on-base percentage, drawing numerous walks from opposing pitchers unwilling to challenge A-Rod. In 33 at-bats (as of the time of this writing), he has five home runs.

The new Yankee Stadium has been met with overwhelming approval from fans, players, and members of the New York City community, including noted New Yorker, Ira Riklis. The stadium (don’t call it a park or a field) is a newly minted cathedral of baseball. The monuments from the old park were moved to their new location beyond the center field wall.

True, some seats have been overpriced, but the Yankees are reassessing the pricing structure for such matters. As with any new house, the occupants will make adjustments as time goes on.

Unfortunately, with Toronto’s four-game winning streak coinciding with the Yank’s six-game streak, the Bombers have not made up much ground in the American League East.