Kyle Higasioka

New York Yankees Recap: Yankees get a big win in the 9th to end the skid

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New York Yankees, Aaron Judge

Tonight was the second game of a three-game set between the New York Yankees and the crosstown New York Mets. After losing seven consecutive games, the Yankees hoped to preserve their first series win with a win tonight after losing four in a row. The Yankees sent Corey Kluber to the mound to face Taijuan Walker, hoping to finally right the ship. Putting sloppy play and lack of urgency behind them, they hoped to turn a new leaf and show they still hoped for a wild card berth. It was a squeaker but the Yankees pulled off the 8-7 win.

Taijuan Walker, who was once a Yankee consideration, took to the mound against DJ LeMahieu, who had a leadoff walk. Brett Gardner flew out to center. Aaron Judge struck out swinging. Then, Giancarlo Stanton singled up the middle. Anthony Rizzo tapped back to Walker for the final out. At the bottom, Jonathan Villar against Corey Kluber struck out. Francisco Lindor flew out to Stanton in left field. Michael Conforto singled in front of Judge in right field. Pete Alonso struck out to end the inning. No score.

Gleyber Torres led off the second inning by singling to left field. Gio Urshela was retired on a line drive to first. Kyle Higashioka got a two-run homer to the left-field stands for his 10th of the season. Corey Kluber ground out to first. LeMahieu singled to right. Brett Gardner got a two-run homer to center. Aaron Judge got the third homer of the inning. Giancarlo Stanton ground out to short to end the half, but the Yankees picked up five runs. At the bottom, Javier Baez walked. Jeff McNeil struck out, but Baez stole second. Kevin Pillar got an RBI double driving in the lead-off walk. James McCann tripled driving in Pillar. Taijuan Walker singled, driving Pillar. Villar struck out swinging. Lindor ground out to second. New York Yankees 5 New York Mets 3.

The third inning was led off by Rizzo, who ground out to first. Torres struck out looking. Gio Urshela struck out to end the half. At the bottom, Conforto struck out swinging. Alonso ground out to short. Baez homered to the left-field stands. McNeil ground out to second, but the Mets got another run. New York Yankees 5 New York Mets 4.

Kyle Higashioka led off the fourth inning by striking out. Kluber struck out. LeMahieu struck out to strike out the side. At the bottom, Pillar led off by striking out swinging. McCann walked. Walker bunted and was out, but the runner moved up. Villar hit a long one, but it was coraled by Judge to end the inning. Yankees 5 Mets 4.

The fifth inning was led off by Brett Gardner, who struck out. Judge ground out, and Stanton struck out. In the bottom, Lindor, against new Yankee pitcher Lucas Luetge struck out. Conforto singled to left. Alonso flew out to Judge in right. Baez lined out to third. Yankees 5 Mets 4.

Anthony Rizzo led off the sixth inning by grounding out for the eleventh put down by Walker. Torres flew out to the right-field wall. Urshela struck out. At the bottom, Mc Neil walked, with Pillar coming up, Boone brought in Chad Green. Pillar, after a delay due to balls on the field, struck out. McCann hit a homer to left, giving the Mets the one-run lead. Dominic Smith pinch-hitting for the pitcher walked.  Villar struck out. Lindor flew out to Rizzo in foul territory. Mets 6 Yankees 5.

Higashioka led off the seventh inning and lined out to short. Tyler Wade pinch-hitting struck out upstairs. LeMahieu ground out. In remembrance of 9-11, the Mets had a moving rendition of “‘God Bless American.” At the bottom, Conforto went down against Clay Holmes. Alonso fouled one off his foot, delaying the game a bit, but then struck out. Baez singled on review. McNeil singled to left with Baez going to third. Pillar got a base hit to left driving in Baez. McCann ground out to short to end the inning, but the Mets tacked on another run. Mets 7 Yankees 5.

Brett Gardner led off the eighth by singling to center. Judge hit a two-run homer into the left-field stands to tie the game, his second long ball of the game. Stanton singled to right. Velazquez replaced Stanton as a pinch-runner. Rizzo faced the new Met’s pitcher Aaron Loup and flew out to right. Torres sent a rocket to Lindor that he couldn’t handle. Urshela was pinch-hit by Luke Voit, who singled to left on a failed double play by Baez as he airmailed one past first with Velazquez scoring. Higgy struck out, but the Yankees took the lead in the game. At the bottom, Guillaume pinch-hitting with Albert Abreu on the mound ground out to second. Villar ground out to Rizzo. Lindor walked. Conforto walked. Alonso flew out to Gardner in center to preserve the Yankee lead. New York Yankees 8 the Mets 7.

The ninth inning was led off by Tyler Wade, who ground out to second. LeMahieu ground out to second. Gardner struck out. At the bottom of the ninth Yankee closer, Aroldis Chapman came to the mound to face Javier Baez, who lined out on a Judge diving catch. JD Davis pinch-hitting for  McNeil hit a ground-rule double that bounced into the right-field stands. Pillar was out at first with a magnificent play by Higashioka. Davis went to third. McCann flew out to Judge in right field to end the Yankees slide.

The final score was the New York Yankees 8 and the New York Mets 7. The winning pitcher was Clay Holmes the loser was Trevor May. The save went to Aroldis Chapman (26).

 

 

 

 

 

New York Yankees Player Profile: Kyle Higashioka, where does hit fit this season?

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New York Yankees, Kyle Higashioka

Tonight when Gerrit Cole takes the mound for the New York Yankees against the Baltimore Orioles, all eyes will be on who will be catching him. Earlier in the spring, manager Aaron Boone said that Kyle Higashioka would no longer be Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher.

The controversy arose when it was determined that Cole pitched better when paired with Higashioka behind the plate. Last season when pitching to Gary Sanchez, Cole had an ERA of 3.91, but when pitching to Higashioka, his ERA was 1.00 in his last four starts of the regular season. Higashioka also caught Cole’s 3 post-season starts with an ERA of 2.95. These stats are why Yankee fans were shocked when Boone said that would no longer be the case.

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Gerrit Cole has never said anything negative regarding being caught by Gary Sanchez; however, he has expressed his comfort with the relationship he has developed with Kyle Higashioka.

Fast forward to this year. Cole was one of the Yankee starters that struggled the most in spring training, all but one caught by Gary Sanchez. He also gave up 5 home runs in just 18 innings. Five days ago, on opening day, Sanchez caught Cole in a no-decision game. He gave up 2 earned runs, one of them a homer. With Sanchez catching in four straight games, it would seem logical that he would get the day off, and Higashioka would catch. Tonight we will find out. Let’s take a look at Higashioka’s career.

Higashioka (he-GAH-shi-OH-Kah) is a fourth-generation Japanese American born on April 20, 1990, in Huntington Beach, California. He attended high school there and played for its baseball team. He has always preferred the backstop position when playing. After high school, he committed to the University of California to play for the California Golden Bears. Instead, he signed with the Yankees when they drafted him in the seventh round of the 2008 MLB draft.  He is the longest-tenured Yankee with Brett Gardner. Higashioka is multi-lingual.

His time in the minor leagues

He played for the Tampa Yankees A-Advanced team in the Florida State League and the Trenton Thunder AA club in the minors. During 2013 and 2014, he played in only 13 games due to an injured thumb and the need for Tommy John surgery. He played for the Tampa team again in 2015. After the season, he, as a free agent, again signed with the Yankees and started the 2016 season with the Trenton Thunder and won a player of the week award. He was then promoted to the Scranton Wilkes/Barre Rail Riders. He finished the season .276 with 21 home runs and 81 RBI’s, and he was added to the New York Yankee’s 40 man roster, only to be optioned to the Rail Riders again at the beginning of the 2017 season. Due to an injury to Gary Sanchez, he was called up and made his major league debut on April 10 when he went 0-18 and was again sent back to the Rail Riders upon Sanchez’s return.

Kyle makes his major league debut

He in July suffered a knee injury and only played eight games in August and September. He started the 2018 season at the Rail Riders but was called up in June due to another Sanchez injury. On July 1, he hit his first major league home run against the Boston Red Sox’s David Price. His next two hits were also home runs, making him the 1st player to hit three home runs as his first hits in the majors since 1920.

During the rest of 2018 and in 2019 New York Yankees seasons , Higashioka was called up several times due to Sanchez’s injuries. When called up, he usually alternated with Austin Romine caring for the backstop’s duties and is an integral part of the organization. Kyle is not the best hitter, but when he does, it’s often for power (23 HR was between the Rail Riders and the Yankees last season). He calls a great game and is an excellent defender. He is the longest-tenured Yankee minor leaguer, having been with them eleven years before this season.

Competing to be the full-time backup catcher

After long-time catcher Austin Romine left for the Tigers last year in the shortened spring training, he played in 12 games and made 31 plate appearances.  He hit a team-leading three home runs in those appearances and drove in four while providing excellent backstop defense.  He competed to be the backup catcher for Gary Sanchez with Chris Iannetta and Erik Kratz.  With his spring training performance, he has nearly assured himself of the backup job and a dream realized. As it turned out late in the season, he became ace Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher with amazing results. He has solidified his position as the Yankee’s backup catcher.

Higashioka’s personals

Kyle is married to his wife, Alyse. They were married in November of 2016 in Maui. They reportedly have no children as of yet and live in southern California in the off-season. There are no know scandals involving Kyle. Although of Japanese heritage, Kyle could not speak Japanese, so he learned it to be able to better communicate with the likes of Masahiro Tanaka. Being the studious type, he also learned Spanish to better speak with the Latino Yankee Players.

He earned the nickname “Higgy” from his fellow Rail Riders and New York Yankee players and is very well-liked and respected by the other players. He has taken classes in mechanical engineering at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California in the off-season.

New York Yankees News/Rumors: Kyle Higashioka to become even more important to the Yankees

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On Christmas Day, New York Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka and his wife Alyse poised for a photo with their dog, to wish everyone a Merry Christmas via his Twitter account. “Higgy” has to feel better about his baseball career going forward than he ever has before. With his starting catcher future on the line, the Yankees decided to give their slumping catcher, Gary Sanchez another go by giving him a $5 million contract to catch in 2021.

However, the bottom line is that during the shortened 2020 season veteran backup catcher Kyle Higashioka took on a greater role by becoming pitching ace Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher. In addition, he caught more and more games as the season ended. In the postseason he caught in all be two games as the Yankees had more faith in him than in Sanchez. He ended the season catching better and hitting better than Sanchez. For the season in 16 games, he hit .250 with 4 home runs and had the best slugging percentage and OPS of his career.

Gary Sanchez played winter ball in the Dominican Republic in a season that has just ended. He although not catching much did hit better but in the last weeks of the season, he went into one of his slumps got 2 for 20. There is no reason to believe that his catching skills will have improved or that he will stop striking out. Right now his value to the team is hitting home runs. Nevertheless, you will see Higashioka take on a more important role with the Yankees especially if Sanchez doesn’t perform as the hope he will. The Yankees this season will not wait to employ the services of Kyle.

Also with the retirement of Erik Kratz, you will see Kyle on the bench or catching in every game that this season will hold. Players want a 162 game season but the owners want a season that has at least 30 fewer games. Whatever the case Higashioka provides a veteran presence for all the younger inexperienced arms the New York Yankees will likely depend upon. Higgy has been a life long New York Yankee after being drafted in 2008.  With Brett Gardner possibly gone, Higgy becomes the longest-tenured Yankee.

In his time with the Yankees, he has been known as an excellent defender and game caller, but his hitting left something to be desired. What is often overlooked is that when he does hit it’s often for power. Since his Major League debut in 2017, he has hit 10 home runs in only 72 games. There is also no reason to believe that his hitting will get better with more constant plate appearances. Since the majors, he was improved his batting average every year from .167 to .214 to .250.

There is little question that Higashioka will play a more important part in 2021. But at the same time, the 30-year-old Huntington Beach native has been preparing for life after baseball by earning an engineering degree. Higgy is a bargain for the Yankees, earning only the league minimum. This will be an important season for him because he will be arbitration-eligible after the season. He will become a free agent after the 2024 season.  Higgy is a fan favorite and is highly respected in the dugout. We wish him only the best in the upcoming 2021 season.