The Yankees enjoyed a two-game spring training 2.0 Subway Series sweep on Saturday and Sunday. The games don’t count in the standings, but they did show that the Yankees look ready to roll for their 60-game season opener Thursday against the Nationals. To talk about the weekend and get you set for the season, we bring you a brand new episode of the “Pinstripe Pod” with Chris Shearn and four-time World Series champion Jeff Nelson.
Shearn and Nellie talk about how strong Aaron Judge looked with his two-homer game Sunday, the Yankees blasting, how the Yankees young pitching looks and the team honoring the late Anthony Causi on Sunday. Nellie breaks down why not having fans could be an advantage for players, especially for Gerrit Cole in his debut on Thursday in Washington D.C.
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After Charlies Hayes jokingly called Brian Boehringer a “serial killer” on last week’s podcast, we get Boehringer to react to the comments/story. Boehringer talks about his love for forensic science, the books in his locker and the pranks and fun the 1996 team and especially the bullpen would have. Boehringer talks about Nellie’s love for throwing tomatoes and other foods.
The guys then catch up with another one of Nellie’s former teammates from the 1996 championship team, Cecil Fielder. “Big Daddy” talks about how Nellie was as a teammate and having to face him before being traded to the Yankees during the 1996 season. Fielder talks about the moment he got traded to the Yankees, how special that 1996 squad was, the changes in hitters now vs. when he played and hitting home runs all over the place. Fielder then talks about who he learned from, the 60-game season and why he would opt out. He also talks about his son Prince having the same amount of career home runs (319) as him.
Fielder on when the final out was in the air of the 1996 World Series:
We were on the top step dude it’s over, it’s c’est la vie. We’re getting up out of here…we won this thing. We had some guys in there, not saying they’re on their last legs, but this was it for some guys, that was it. We had to win that thing. If you really think about it you know Boggsy (Wade Boggs), guys of that nature, you know I played two more years, he was there another year I think…but really ’96 was it, that had to happen. That was something that I couldn’t see that one getting away from us. You look at the Braves lineup and their pitching staff, yeah they had great people but we did too…and we weren’t scared of them either. We dropped the soul patrol out there on them and they couldn’t handle it. They didn’t know what was going on.
Fielder on finding out he was getting traded to the Yankees:
It was an incredible feeling but it was a shock feeling that you guys know. There was no way I was going to the Yankees, just no way. I actually thought I was going to Texas…that was where all the talk was…that I was gonna go to the Rangers. Bob Watson called and my agent called me back and said you’re going to the Yankees, I almost jumped through the roof. I went home and packed so damn quick.
Fielder on how good the 1996 Yankees were:
Here’s how I look at that team. If you could put all of us together again and you can get everybody to put the egos at the door and play baseball, I don’t think you could do it again. That team was incredible. We left the egos at the door and we came to play every night. If you didn’t beat us in six innings that game was over. It was a six-inning game if you think about it, if you got us into the 7th, 8th and 9th, it was over. All we’ve gotta do is outscore you for six innings and it was over.
Catch up on all episodes of “Pinstripe Pod,” a New York Yankees podcast, by subscribing to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. The next episode of the podcast will be for Opening Day on Thursday.