By Bryan Hoch and David Wilson / MLB.com | 6/19/2013 10:30 P.M. ET
NEW YORK -- Hours before throwing the first pitch prior to the nightcap of Wednesday's twin bill between the Yankees and Dodgers, Jason Kidd reminisced about what made him confident the throw would be a success.
In high school, Kidd was a highly regarded baseball player and even worked out with the team at California when he first arrived in Berkeley, Calif.
"That was part of my recruiting to go to Cal," Kidd said. "They knew I loved to play baseball. I don't know if I was good enough to make the team, but I worked out with the guys, and it was a lot of fun."
Sporting a Yankees cap and chatting with manager Joe Girardi and lefties Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia, Kidd -- the new coach of the Brooklyn Nets and one of the greatest point guards in NBA history -- fired a strike.
Kidd threw out a ceremonial first pitch at the original Yankee Stadium when he first joined the New Jersey Nets as a player. The former high school outfielder doesn't remember if he threw a strike back then, but he felt confident heading into Wednesday.
"I feel like I can throw a strike today," Kidd said before his pitch.
He planned to aim high, "but hopefully not too high," Kidd said.
Asked how he would react to sailing the pitch, Kidd said: "I'll just pretend I was throwing to [7-foot Nets center Brook] Lopez."
A-Rod reportedly sought Bosch's advice last year
NEW YORK -- Alex Rodriguez allegedly reached out to Biogenesis founder Anthony Bosch for help while struggling in last year's American League Championship Series, according to a report published on Tuesday by the Miami New Times.
Porter Fischer, a former business associate of Bosch's, told the weekly newspaper that Rodriguez had Bosch board a flight to Detroit for consultation during the postseason, when Rodriguez struggled and the Yankees were swept by the Tigers in four games.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi said on Wednesday that he had no comment about the report.
Major League Baseball has been investigating potential connections between Rodriguez and approximately 20 other players to the Biogenesis clinic, which is no longer operational and was based in Coral Gables, Fla.
Rodriguez has previously said, through a spokesperson, that "he was not Mr. Bosch's patient, he was never treated by him and he was never advised by him," saying that any documents obtained by the Miami New Times are "not legitimate."
Hindered by what would later turn out to be a left hip injury that required surgery, Rodriguez did not start Games 3 and 4 of the ALCS. He went 3-for-25 (.120) with 12 strikeouts and no extra-base hits during the postseason.
Rodriguez has been working out at the Yankees' training facility in Tampa, Fla., and he's expected to begin hitting live pitching on Wednesday. The club has said it expects him to play at the Major League level after the All-Star break.
Almonte thrilled with first at-bat as a Yankee
NEW YORK -- Zoilo Almonte, ranked as the Yankees' 10th-best prospect according to MLB.com, made his Major League debut in the second game of Wednesday's day-night doubleheader against the Dodgers, a 6-0 loss.
Manager Joe Girardi initially said that he had planned to start Almonte in Wednesday's second game, but he used him instead to pinch-hit for Austin Romine in the ninth inning. Almonte grounded out to third base facing Los Angeles reliever Brandon League.
"It wasn't exactly how I expected it to be, because obviously I made an out, but I'm still very, very happy about it," Almonte said through an interpreter.
Almonte was batting .297 with a .369 on-base percentage and a .421 slugging percentage at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, racking up six home runs and 36 RBIs in 68 games.
"We really believe this kid is going to hit," Girardi said. "At times, we really saw it in Spring Training. He struggled a little bit in Spring Training; maybe it was the excitement of trying to make a team.
"He has seemed to really swing the bat pretty well down there [at Triple-A], especially left-handed. He's a guy that can play either left or right [field], which is helpful in this situation."
Almonte was recalled on Tuesday, along with pitcher Adam Warren, when first baseman Mark Teixeira was placed on the 15-day disabled list and right-hander Chris Bootcheck was designated for assignment.
Girardi said that summoning an outfielder for a roster that has recently lost two infielders (Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis) was not ideal, but Almonte was the best option available at Triple-A.
"We've had to be a little bit creative," Girardi said. "Most of the guys on the Triple-A roster that we'd call up are hurt on the 40-man roster."
Bombers bits
• Wednesday marked the first time the Dodgers have played against the Yankees in the Bronx since Game 6 of the 1981 World Series, a 9-2 Los Angeles victory that clinched the Fall Classic.
• This marks the Yankees' eighth Interleague doubleheader all-time, and their first since splitting a twin bill against the Reds in Cincinnati on June 22, 2011. It is New York's first Interleague doubleheader at home since 2006 against the Marlins.
• On this date in 1903, Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig was born in New York City. Gehrig played in 2,130 consecutive games between 1925-39 and still holds the Yankees' franchise records in doubles (534), triples (163) and RBIs (1,993).
Bryan Hoch is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @bryanhoch and read his MLBlog, Bombers Beat. David Wilson is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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