Rookie RHP Greene Commits 3 Errors in Yankees' Loss

For Shane Greene, 2014 began as a dream year, no doubt. After being drafted in the fifteenth round of the 2009 MLB draft and making his way through the minors, he got the call up to the bigs. And while any player will say they don't want to earn their break because of an injury in front of them, that's exactly what happened for Greene this year. Because the Yankees starters have been decimated by injury, he finds himself in the starting rotation.

So what could possibly go wrong? On Monday night, in front of over 45,000 fans, Greene had a historic meltdown. He didn't get lit up. He didn't walk in three runs or bean consecutive batters. He just, well, did everything else wrong, earning himself three of the Yankees' five errors on the night.

In the second inning, while covering first, he dropped an easy catch for his first error. He badly missed first base from the third base line, in what would have been a good, but very makeable play. And, saving the worst for last, he inexplicably missed an underhanded throw to first baseman Kelly Johnson by, oh, about forty feet, also in the second inning. But he wasn't done there. Three errors is pretty embarrassing, but even more embarrassing was Greene's determination to avoid a fourth error. His over hand throw didn't work. He failed to lob it underhand. What's left to try? Yep, he just ran as close as possible before throwing the ball to Johnson at first, exactly like I'm always telling my eight year old son not to do.

The Yankees lost 4 -2, and Joe Girardi was typically unbothered by the errors, calling them "physical errors." Me, I'd prefer a mental error or two to a pitcher who throws to first as well as 50 Cent throws out first pitches.

By the way, the last Yankees' pitcher to commit three errors in a game? Tommy John. Yes, that Tommy John.

At this point Greene's season seems to be a mirror image of the Yankees' and their fan's. Hope is being replaced by a determination to not be any worse. But Greene has been pitching well, and it's a long damn season. Years like this one have a way of making it seem even longer, and really, how could things get any worse... You know what? Forget I asked.

by:: Josh Henderson

Twitter:: @verybadwrong