http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/players/raul_ibanez/316 Recent articles about Raul Ibanez en-us To say that Raul Ibanez has played well for the Seattle Mariners in New York would be an understatement. The man is on fire. But before addressing his current torrid stretch in New York, let's take a look back at what Raul has done throughout the season. The Mariners Raul Ibanez is making most of trip to NYC www.nwsportsbeat.com NWSB Editor and Insider Chris Anderson talks about Raul Ibanez's offensive onslaught in New York. He has recorded a hit in each of the last six games that he has appeared in and racked up 12 RBI in that time span as well. Aside from that short stretch of games, Ibanez also has a .421… More... Thu, 16 May 2013 18:16:57 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/to_say_that_raul_ibanez_has_played_well_for_the_seattle_mariners_in_new_york_wou/13640914 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/to_say_that_raul_ibanez_has_played_well_for_the_seattle_mariners_in_new_york_wou/13640914 To say that Raul Ibanez has played well for the Seattle Mariners in New York wou... http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/to_say_that_raul_ibanez_has_played_well_for_the_seattle_mariners_in_new_york_wou/13640914 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Raul Ibanez hit 2 home runs last night and drove in 6 RBI as the Seattle Mariners beat up Phil Hughes and the New York Yankees.  Ibanez hit his 18th and 19th home run at the New Yankee Stadium and has done so in just 219 ABs, or once every 11 at bats.  He is a career .283 hitter in the new Bronx.  His 1st inning grand slam paced the Mariners to a 12-2 victory.  Hughes failed to get out of the first inning giving up 6 hits and 7 earned runs.  Kyle Seager added his 5th homer in the 6th inning, and drove in 3 runs.  Hisashi Iwakuma improvd to 5-1 with an ERA of 1.84.  Vernon Wells hit his 10th home run, another solo shot.  He has just 23 RBI to show for his 10 dingers.Zack Greinke only lasted 83 pitches but it was enough to go 5.1 innings and pick up a W.  It was his first start since the Carlos Quientin incident.  Greinke helped himself out with the game winning RBI single in the 2nd inning.  He did allow a home run to Adam LaRoche, but it was just a solo shot.  Matt Kemp and Andre Et... Thu, 16 May 2013 10:12:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/raul_ibanez_loves_yankee_stadium/13629863 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/raul_ibanez_loves_yankee_stadium/13629863 Raul Ibanez Loves Yankee Stadium http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/raul_ibanez_loves_yankee_stadium/13629863 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Raul Ibanez again treated Yankee Stadium as his personal playground, hitting a grand slam and two-run homer Wednesday night to help the Seattle Mariners rout New York 12-2. Ibanez's slam came during a seven-run first inning. Yankees backup shortstop Alberto Gonzalez got the final out in the ninth inning in his first professional pitching appearance. Every Seattle starter had at least one of its season-high 16 hits and Jesus Montero was the only starter who failed to score a run in the Mariners' best output this year. The Mariners chased Phil Hughes after he got only two outs in the first. Trying to preserve his bullpen, Yankees manager Joe Girardi had Brett Marshall throw 108 pitches in his big league debut, then brought in Gonzalez. Ibanez has connected three times in the first two games of his return to the ballpark in which -- last year at 40 years old -- he electrified crowds in late September and October with several key homers in the Yankees' run to the AL Championship Series. This time Wed, 15 May 2013 23:38:07 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/ibanez_homers_twice_ms_beat_yanks/13627460 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/ibanez_homers_twice_ms_beat_yanks/13627460 Ibanez homers twice, M's beat Yanks http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/ibanez_homers_twice_ms_beat_yanks/13627460 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Phil Hughes wonders what went wrong in 0.2 innings, giving up 7 runs. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) Seattle Mariners 12 — New York Yankees 2   Yankees can’t recover from Hughes’ collapse in tonight’s 12-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners. Phil Hughes could not get anything going in tonight’s start. The big blow against Hughes came from former Yankee Raul Ibanez. Already down by two, Ibanez would put the Mariners ahead by six with a grand slam into right field. Leadoff hitter Michael Saunders would single in his second at-bat of the inning and that would be all for Hughes. Getting just two outs, Hughes allowed seven runs on six hits. Preston Claiborne took over for Phil Hughes and was able to provide 2.1 innings scoreless, with one hit and two strikeouts. The savior from the bullpen came in the form of the major league debut of Brett Marshall. He would take over in the fourth inning and have a clean first inning for his debut. Raul Ibanez would show that it didn’t matter which pitcher he faced, he Wed, 15 May 2013 22:33:54 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/yankees_game_40_ibanez_mariners_make_quick_work_of_yankees/13627223 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/yankees_game_40_ibanez_mariners_make_quick_work_of_yankees/13627223 Yankees Game 40: Ibanez, Mariners make quick work of Yankees http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/yankees_game_40_ibanez_mariners_make_quick_work_of_yankees/13627223 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/f/1f7f46eb02c497b45d43a124f8657458077fabeb/mini/6664596.jpg Raul Ibanez again treated Yankee Stadium as his personal playground, hitting a grand slam and two-run homer Wednesday night to help the Seattle Mariners rout New York 12-2. Ibanez's slam came during a seven-run first inning. Yankees backup shortstop Alberto Gonzalez got the final out in the ninth inning in his first professional pitching appearance. Every Seattle starter had at least one of its season-high 16 hits and Jesus Montero was the only starter who failed to score a run in the Mariners' best output this year. The Mariners chased Phil Hughes after he got only two outs in the first. Trying to preserve his bullpen, Yankees manager Joe Girardi had Brett Marshall throw 108 pitches in his big league debut, then brought in Gonzalez. Wed, 15 May 2013 22:17:09 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/mariners_12_yankees_2/13627070 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/mariners_12_yankees_2/13627070 Mariners 12, Yankees 2 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/mariners_12_yankees_2/13627070 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Veteran Presence, Good Game Interesting facts about Raul Ibanez: If Ibanez plays in 53 games this season, he will have played in 2,000 major league games in his career. Last season, while playing for the Yankees, Ibanez finished 24th in the AL MVP voting. There are multiple surprises with this fact, the first is that the results are exact all the way to 24th, the second is that someone felt his lowest amount of plate appearances and lowest batting average since 2001 was worthy of a vote over every other AL candidate. 2013 will be Ibanez’s eleventh season playing for the Seattle Mariners. Let’s avoid facts as much as we can and dive into love and hate for Mr. Ibanez. Love ‘Em 1. Pop Pop In 2007 and 2008, the Seattle Mariners felt that Ibanez was beginning to lose some of his power numbers, recording 21 and 23 home runs, respectively. In hind sight and in relation to the last 4 years in Seattle, those numbers sound great, but Raul has continued to have some power in slightly more limited plate appearance Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:15:57 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/raul_ibanez_love_em_hate_em_mariners_style/13073266 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/raul_ibanez_love_em_hate_em_mariners_style/13073266 Raul Ibanez love ‘em & hate ‘em… Mariners style http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/raul_ibanez_love_em_hate_em_mariners_style/13073266 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Ibanez returns for another go As if Jason Bay and Kendrys Morales weren’t enough, now the Mariners have gone out and signed Raul Ibanez. The 40-year-old returns to Seattle for his third stint with the M’s, and first since 2008. What does Ibanez bring to the table? Just like with Bay, Seattle is hoping Ibanez will bring some much needed power to its lineup. Ibanez’s second stint with the Mariners—2004-2008—was an era in which Seattle was spending on free agents that “should have been something,” but weren’t. Ibanez was one of the few that “was.” Over those five seasons Ibanez hit .291/.354/.477 with 113 home runs and 489 RBI. He was one of the few Mariners of that era that could actually hit at Safeco. So in theory he should be even better now that the fences are moving in. But Ibanez is still a 40-year-old, and hasn’t hit higher than .245 over his last two seasons. In that same time he’s seen his walk rate drop about 3.0 percent. But he’s kept his power numbers up, averaging 22 home Tue, 25 Dec 2012 01:13:20 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/raul_ibanez_reviewing_seattle_mariners_free_agent_signing/12507298 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/raul_ibanez_reviewing_seattle_mariners_free_agent_signing/12507298 Raul Ibanez: Reviewing Seattle Mariners free agent signing http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/raul_ibanez_reviewing_seattle_mariners_free_agent_signing/12507298 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The New York Yankees have expressed interest in re-signing postseason hero Raul Ibanez this winter, and the veteran has indicated that his top choice would be returning to the Bronx, reports Ken Davidoff of The New York Post. Ibanez hopes the fun will continue. The 40-year-old, a free agent, said he intends to keep playing and his first choice is to re-sign with the Yankees. Ibanez said it would be “fantastic” if he gets another opportunity to play for the Yankees. Ibanez signed with the Yankees last February in what was basically expected to be a platoon/bench role. He went on to hit .240/.308/.453 with 19 doubles, three triples and 19 home runs over 384 at-bats. He also came up huge in the playoffs, hitting three pivotal home runs. The 40-year-old has hit .278/.340/.810 over 17 years in the majors. Follow @mlbinjurynews !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=&quot... Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:15:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/yankees_rumors_mutual_interest_between_raul_ibanez_new_york/12256597 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/yankees_rumors_mutual_interest_between_raul_ibanez_new_york/12256597 Yankees Rumors: Mutual Interest Between Raul Ibanez, New York http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/yankees_rumors_mutual_interest_between_raul_ibanez_new_york/12256597 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png MVP awards always generates plenty of debate and this year was certainly no exception. Whether you were pro Trout or pro Cabrera, you have to admit that both players had great seasons. However, without fail each voting year brings with it at least one or more writers who seemingly have no clue as to what the MVP award is really about. Let's take a look back at the past five years of MVP voting and examine the worst vote from each ballot. 2012: Raul Ibanez, 1 point - Sure, Ibanez was huge for the Yankees down the stretch, slugging .541 in September and delivering some clutch hits in the playoffs (which doesn't factor into voting anyway), but how can one vote for a player who wasn't even an everyday player? Not only did Ibanez not play everyday, but he hit only .240 with a .308 on-base percentage and was barely worth one win above replacement (WAR). 2011: Ryan Howard, 39 points - The 33 home runs and 116 RBI Howard hit/drove in in 2011 are about the only reasons to eve... Sat, 17 Nov 2012 11:00:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/the_worst_mvp_votes_of_the_last_five_years/12235075 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/the_worst_mvp_votes_of_the_last_five_years/12235075 The worst MLB MVP votes of the last five years http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/the_worst_mvp_votes_of_the_last_five_years/12235075 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/2/c2d8d44708c1b611458784916c07c6b81e238217/mini/raul.jpg From Dan Martin:The Yankees have had preliminary discussions with Raul Ibanez about coming back next season in a platoon role. Ibanez was used more than the Yankees would have liked because of injuries last year, but he showed he was still a dangerous hitter. The lefty-swinging Ibanez was brought in to be a DH against right-handed pitching, but he was forced into the outfield when Brett Gardner was lost for most of the year and Mark Teixeira battled a strained calf. Ibanez, 40, provided some of the only offensive highlights in the postseason for his new team and often delivered in big spots.There aren't many affordable (Remember, the Yankees are cheap now) options out there so bringing back Raul may be the Yankees best option. Torii Hunter, who the Yankees had interest in, is now with the Tigers after signing pretty ridiculous two-year, $26-million contract earlier today. Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:59:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/yankees_have_talked_to_ibanez_about_returning_for_2013/12213067 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/yankees_have_talked_to_ibanez_about_returning_for_2013/12213067 Yankees Have Talked To Ibanez About Returning For 2013 http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/yankees_have_talked_to_ibanez_about_returning_for_2013/12213067 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The Detroit Tigers were leading game one of their ALCS matchup with the New York Yankees 4-0 going into the ninth inning, and there was a familiar feeling in the air. Jose Valverde was on the mound to close things out for the Tigers, but things didn't go well from the start. Russell Martin led off the inning with a single, and after a Derek Jeter strikeout, Ichiro homered to right field to cut the deficit to 4-2. Robinson Cano struck out for the second out, and Valverde walked Mark Teixiera to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of Yankee folk hero Raul Ibanez. Of course, Ibanez took the second pitch he saw from Valverde over the right field fence to tie the game at four and continue his postseason heroics for the Yankees. [follow] Sat, 13 Oct 2012 23:50:20 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/raul_ibanez_homers_in_the_ninth_yet_again/11958388 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/raul_ibanez_homers_in_the_ninth_yet_again/11958388 Raul Ibanez does it again for Yankees http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/raul_ibanez_homers_in_the_ninth_yet_again/11958388 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/6/7/67fde6cb5e37344bb1928406691172a4ec59cb3e/mini/rau.jpg Last night, I watched eight innings from under the couch. Finally, I'd made spiritual peace with the loss, with the end of the season, with the incredible waste of time and energy that baseball represents, with my mortality, with my inconsequential status in the universe, and with the fact that I would never again taste a Yankee championship - yes, folks, I was broken down to the point of Yankee fan primordial ooze - ready to sign on with Jesus, Yahweh, Joe Smith, or L. Ron Hubbard - when I saw what nobody ever thought we would see in this lifetime:A pinch hitter for A-Rod.Listen: This so stunned the juju gods that it boinked an outage in the Rizzutonic grid, causing the impossible to happen. In that one moment, out of chaos, a great Yankee was created. Yes, Raul Ibanez goes up there with Bucky Dent and Aaron Boone and, yes, even with Jeet and Mariano. He goes into the pantheon. Folks, this was Fleischman and Ponds' cold fusion. This was alchemy. This was finding the Higgs b... Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:42:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/yankeetorial_last_night_in_the_cosmic_image_of_raul_ibanez_did_we_fans_everywhere_just_uncover_the_secret_to_life/11932498 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/yankeetorial_last_night_in_the_cosmic_image_of_raul_ibanez_did_we_fans_everywhere_just_uncover_the_secret_to_life/11932498 Yankeetorial: Last night, in the cosmic image of Raul Ibanez, did we fans everywhere just uncover the secret to life? http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/yankeetorial_last_night_in_the_cosmic_image_of_raul_ibanez_did_we_fans_everywhere_just_uncover_the_secret_to_life/11932498 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png How's this for a pair of playoff moments? The Yankees trailed the Orioles 2-1 going into the bottom of the ninth in Wednesday's ALDS game three. Baltimore's closer Jim Johnson was on the mound looking to finish the Yankees off and give the Orioles a 2-1 series lead, but Raul Ibanez had other ideas. Yankees manager Joe Girardi sent Ibanez up to pinch hit for Alex Rodriguez, and Ibanez smashed the second pitch he saw from Johnson over the right field fence to the tie game up at two. But Ibanez wasn't done yet. He led the 12th inning off against Brian Matusz, and Ibanez smashed the first pitch he saw from Matusz deep to right and out of the park, giving the Yankees a 3-2 walkoff win and a 2-1 lead in the series. Whenever something good happens in Yankee Stadium, you can go ahead and blame the ghosts of Yankee history, which apparently haven't been brought down along with the old Yankee Stadium. [follow] Wed, 10 Oct 2012 23:33:09 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/raul_ibanez_breaks_baltimores_heart_twice/11930491 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/raul_ibanez_breaks_baltimores_heart_twice/11930491 Ibanez beats Orioles with two HRs http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/raul_ibanez_breaks_baltimores_heart_twice/11930491 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/f/2f4335648b3b09aea8948d2f9ae60f7b75994740/mini/raul-ibanez.jpg Raul Ibanez batted twice tonight. He hit a game tying home run in the ninth, then a game winning home run in the 12th. His WPA for the game: .827. We only have postseason data going back to 2002, but from our records, this is the second best single game WPA in that stretch, trailing only David Freese‘s amazing performance from Game 6 of the World Series last year. Freese’s performance was the single highest WPA in postseason history, so every other player in the history of the sport is also behind him. Baseball-Reference’s Play Index goes back further, though, and so using that tool, we can see where Ibanez’s game will rank in postseason history. Per B-R, the current top five are:David Freese, 2011 World Series, Game 6: .969Kirk Gibson, 1988 World Series, Game 1: .870Steve Garvey, 1984 NLCS, Game 4: .854Lance Berkman, 2011 World Series Game 6: .832Charlie Keller, 1941 World Series Game 4: .826B-R uses slightly different numbers to calculate WPA than we do, so by their calculat... Wed, 10 Oct 2012 23:32:20 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/raul_ibanezs_historic_clutch_evening/11930473 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/raul_ibanezs_historic_clutch_evening/11930473 Raul Ibanez’s Historic Clutch Evening http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/raul_ibanezs_historic_clutch_evening/11930473 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Your browser does not support iframes.Alex Rodriguez could have been embarrassed and pouted after being replaced in the bottom of the 9th inning during Game 3 of the ALDS on Wednesday, but the Yankees DH was leading the cheers after pinch-hitter Raul Ibanez delivered an improbable game-tying home run in his place.Rodriguez had been struggling during the series, going 1-for-9 with five strikeouts in the first two games against Baltimore, and 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on Wednesday. Despite calls for him to be dropped in the batting order, manager Joe Girardi kept the struggling slugger in the third spot. But with one out and the Yankees trailing 2-1 in the 9th inning, Girardi opted to pinch-hit for A-Rod with Ibanez. Ibanez, who was 1-for-3 in the series, crushed a home run off Orioles closer Jim Johnson to tie the game at two and send it to extra innings. The clutch home run will no doubt put Ibanez in a heralded class of Yankees postseason heroes. The bold move by Girardi paid off... Wed, 10 Oct 2012 22:41:54 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/a_rod_leads_cheer_for_raul_ibanez_after_pinch_home_run_video/11930146 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/a_rod_leads_cheer_for_raul_ibanez_after_pinch_home_run_video/11930146 A-Rod leads cheer for Raul Ibanez after pinch home run - Video http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/a_rod_leads_cheer_for_raul_ibanez_after_pinch_home_run_video/11930146 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/9/495ac91100b85b0d4396c9d27c1db1610e2c0563/mini/a-rod-cheering.jpg