Just before the seventh, and FOX is showing great World Series moments. The ball dribbles through Bill Buckner's legs, and a laugh bursts out of my mouth as I move past the TV.
Problem is, I'm at the Boston Globe. And for those of you short on baseball history, that error was one of the worst moments in Boston Red Sox history, a play where the Sox had it all wrapped up until Buckner prolonged the 86-year curse.
The Sox have been done playing for a while now, of course. Worse yet, their archnemesis, New York, is leading the World Series three games to two.
I am forced to watch at the Boston Globe, where every laugh at Buckner gets a dirty look, and every Hideki Matsui RBI gets a groan.
Ah, yes, Matsui. That's where this story begins, right? The story of Game 6 and Championship #27.
The great storyline going into the game, of course, was that this contest offered a matchup between two players deep within Yankees-Red Sox lore. New York brought Andy Pettitte, who holds the record for most postseason games with 19. He's won four championships and was the pitcher who clinched the American League Division Series and American League Championship for the Yankees this year.
On the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies was Pedro Martinez, the same Pedro who slew the Yankees en route to the 2004 championship by the Sox. Martinez is best known for admitting, before he had learned how to get past New York, that the Yankees were his "daddy."
So they there were, the great Yankees-killer versus the great Yankees playoff pitcher, ready for a duel that made even New York fans who were sick over the series stretching to six games pleased as the great matchup.
Martinez buzzed through the first inning, as did Pettitte, then Martinez opened up the second frame with a leadoff walk. (You have to wonder who Pedro's Little League coach was, and if he spoke enough Spanish to teach little Pedro to never walk the leadoff man.)
Alex Rodriguez trotted to first, and the Matsui show began. Matsui battled Pedro in an eight-pitch battle that saw Godzilla (Matsui's nickname in his native Japan) hit a few Japanese home runs, towering blasts landing in the right-field seats that would once have been counted as homers in Japanese baseball.
Finally, Matsui straightened one out and went just as deep, and five batters into the game, the Yankees were ahead 2-1.
It was a lead New York would never relinquish.
Pettitte, although pitching on merelythree days of rest, looked decent early, humming through the Phillies lineup. He allowed a triple (that could have been a double if not for a strange bounce), then the runner scored on a sacrifice fly.
Pedro, on the other hand, hit some more trouble in the very next inning. Derek Jeter hit a one-out single, then Martinez walked Johnny Damon after a seven-pitch at-bat. Next up was Mark Teixeira, who has had a measley two hits this World Series and would probably be more comfortable hiding in a locker. But Pedro bailed him out, plunking him to load the bases.
Rodriguez stepped to the plate with another chance to continue writing his magical playoff story, but Pedro struck him out.
Next up: Matsui. The Yankees already led 2-1, with the designated hitter having done his job. Matsui seemed eager, though, to make up for time lost in Philadelphia, where he rode the pine for three games (with no DH).
Matsui ripped a beautiful RBI single up the middle with two outs and the bases loaded, boosting New York's margin to 4-1.
By the time the fifth came around, Pedro was gone, chased after just four innings. The vaunted pitching matchup had fallen to Japanese pressure, and the bats would now decide the game.
Jeter came out with no care for who was on the mound, lacing a leadoff double to keep the Phillies on their heels. After Jeter was sacrificed over to third, Teixeira finally came through, singling Jeter home to put the Yankees up 5-1. It was the only RBI the Yankees would get that wasn't by Matsui.
Yes, Matsui again. After A-Rod got plunked one more time (the fourth time this series), Matsui the Phillies-killer did as he knew best, doubling the runners home for a 7-1 New York lead.
Apparently, after being rested for three games, Matsui thought he'd compensate with three games' worth of stats in one amazing evening.
Matsui's 6 RBI tied a record for the most RBI in a World Series game.
In the top half of the innings, by the way, Pettitte was still mowing them down, pitching a nearly flawless game. He allowed just two hits through five innings, which is just what the Yankees needed after their poor pitching destroyed their six-run effort the night before.
As Pettitte moved into the sixth, the camera cut to the bullpen, capturing a shot of someone tossing a ball at Joba Chamberlain, who totally missed it and saw it fly by his head.
Stomach ulcers, commence. Yankees fans are already nervous enough about ever having to use the bullpen (especially Chamberlain), so that's the last thing we want to see.
Pettitte gave up a walk, a two-run homer, and a double, and it was time to summon Chamberlain. The real test began. But surprisingly, Chamberlain got his outs.
In the top of the seventh, Chase Utley came to the plate with two guys on, with the chance to pull the Phils within one with one swing. But the man who has foiled the Yankees so far this Series, who even dared to tie Mr. October Reggie Jackson's home record, was struck out by Damaso Marte.
It was then that you realized that it was time. This could be it. It could really be happening.
Rodriguez came to the plate, and the Phillies threw at his head again. But what were they doing? Getting A-Rod uncomfortable seemed to be Philadelphia's last, desperate ploy to keep some kind of hold on the Series.
But the Yankees have been winning with just moderate production from A-Rod. And the pitching showed up tonight. And they were holding fast; no meltdowns, no worries, nothing.
Phillies MVP Ryan Howard came to the plate and struck out again, the 13th time this series (that's a record). People say that if you're a power hitter, you're going to strike out a lot as well as hit home runs. Well, Howard has hit one home run and struck out 13 times. Yeah, I think New York has this one.
Enter Sandman. Five outs, game over. Did this just happen?
The New York Yankees are world champions. !!!!!
The New York Yankees are world champions!
The New York Yankees are world champions!
The New York Yankees are world champions!
Other Yankees Posts
Game Recap
Showing posts with label johnny damon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label johnny damon. Show all posts
11.04.2009
11.03.2009
Pitching woes
The Yankees' action on the mound was the weakest link tonight as New York fell to Philadelphia 8-6. The good news is two-fold: (1) A.J. Burnett won't be pitching any more and (2) the bats stayed alive even after the Phillies appeared to have put the game away.
Johnny Damon went 3-for-4 for the Yankees and was sent home twice by Alex Rodriguez, who was 2-for-4 with 3 RBI.
Other Yankees Posts
Johnny Damon went 3-for-4 for the Yankees and was sent home twice by Alex Rodriguez, who was 2-for-4 with 3 RBI.
Other Yankees Posts
11.02.2009
Team W
Was it Mr. November, punching home the go-ahead run in fifth? The acquired workhorse pitcher, muscling his way through nearly six innings on short rest? Perhaps the All-Star first baseman, cleaning up a 20-foot radius at the right-field bag? Or maybe the team's biggest "fraud," driving the hit he's been trying to find for the past five years? Wait — the old-man, shallow-throwing Boston defector? Or the bullpen ghosts, actually finding outs rather than bringing a curse? Perhaps the Sandman, closing it out with eight pitches?
It was the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers, the boys in pinstripes, the Evil Empire. The team that resides in New York, N.Y., collectively won Game 4 of the World Series tonight, and it was beautiful.
The action began in the first inning, as it always should, with Yankees captain Derek Jeter up to bat. He struck the second pitch of the night and ran for a single, and Johnny Damon followed behind with a pounding double.
Mark Teixeira, who has one hit to his name in the World Series so far, took a step in the right direction by lacing an RBI grounder down the right-field line. Teixeira was tagged out by first after a great Ryan Howard dive, but the Yankees were up 1-0 after six pitches.
(Irony: Teixeira and Howard are both first baseman and their team's leading sluggers, and both haven't been hitting in the Series but have played incredible defense.)
Alex Rodriguez came to the plate with his own redemption at stake. Since torching the American League Division and Championship Series, Rodriguez has been horrific against the Phils, striking out six times and getting just one hit (although it was a beauty, a two-run round-tripper). Clearly in the zone, A-Rod got in his stance and stared toward Philadelphia pitcher Joe Blanton, ready to send the runner on third home.
Blanton's first pitch skewed out of his hand and flew straight into the back of A-Rod's rib cage, a pitch so off the mark you had to think he was more shaken at the prospect of the ensuing at-bat than trying to plunk the hard-hitting cleanup man. A-Rod turned away, visibly angry — not so much at the pain, though. This man wanted to drive 'em in.
It was the third time Rodriguez had been hit in the last two games, with the two times he was beaned yesterday the first time since the 1960s that a player had been hit twice in a World Series game.
Jorge Posada came through with a sacrifice fly, putting New York up 2-0, and then it was time for CC Sabathia to get to work.
Sabathia looked rough early, allowing back-to-back doubles for a run, but he buckled down to strike out two and escape the innings. It appeared that the game might dissolve into a pitcher's duel, but in the bottom of the fourth, Sabathia allowed another run.
The Yankees' batters were ready.
Nick Swisher drew a four-pitch walk from the leadoff spot, a big feat for a guy who's been hitting nothing lately, sans yesterday's outburst. (Swisher ended up drawing two walks, a mix of hilarity and greatness.) Then, in a scene all Yankees fans could smile at, the camera cut to the on-deck circle to show Sabathia lopping his bat around, stretching/practice swinging, looking like a fat kid trying to imitate his father.
Melky Cabrera was up next, though, and he provided the Melky special with a man on first. Cabrera doesn't always hit it strong, but he finds ways to get on base, such as his legging out a bunt a couple games ago or his hit tonight, a grounder he outran.
Sabathia arrived at the plate wanting to pull a Pettitte and put his team ahead after letting the Phils catch up, but he came up short. No worries: Mr. November will take care of it.
Jeter hooked an RBI single to put the Yankees up again, 3-2, in the top of the fifth.
Damon followed, absolutely plopping the ball in the gap, and alert running by Cabrera helped him come all the way home once he knew the ball would drop, scoring a 4-2 run in a game that proved to hang on each run's importance.
With the Yankees bats finally, officially, unflukishly alive, all Sabathia had to do was hold the Phillies. The big man worked into the seventh and was an out away from sewing up the frame when Chase Utley came to the plate. Utley had already hit a first-inning RBI double off Sabathia to get Philly within one, and he was the one responsible for Philadelphia's Game 1 win, thanks to his two quads off of Sabathia while Cliff Lee held New York at bay (until the bullpen imploded, and New York destroyed itself).
Chase Utley did it again, chasing Sabathia with a solo homer that brought the Phillies, once again, within a run. 4-3 Yankees.
Sabathia left with six-and-two-thirds innings pitched, 107 pitches tossed, and six strikeouts. It wasn't a flawless game, but it was enough — just what the Yankees needed. New York didn't need dominance; it just needed him to work out of enough jams to let a decent bat effort win the game. You know, have him be part of the team rather than carrying everyone.
The bottom of the eighth brought a pitching change for the Yankees necessitated by a pinch batter, and manager Joe Girardi summoned Joba Chamberlain. Once the fireballing pride of the Bronx, Chamberlain has been caught in management's yo-yo routine between being an average starting pitcher and a dominating setup man to the point that he can barely do either now. But he seemed to have found his form again when he took the mound, striking out two and loading two strikes on Pedro Feliz.
Chamberlain was close to redemption, then boom, Feliz ripped one over the wall. In a game the Yankees had been controlling, with just one inning left, it was all evened up, 4-4.
Out of Philadelphia's bullpen, with the game on the line, came the Phillie with the biggest need of his own redemption: Brad Lidge. A year after being Philadelphia's savior, winning the town its first championship since 1983 by saving game after game with Mariano Rivera-like perfection, Lidge had imploded in the regular season, posting unsightly numbers and losing games.
But come October, he was the old Lidge, not allowing anything past him and closing out the tight Phillies games as the men in red recorded more of their vaunted comebacks.
It was the Yankees' first test against Lidge, and at first it looked like they were failing. Hideki Matsui went down on a popup, and Jeter struck out ugly on seven pitches. Damon came to the plate as the Yankees' final chance before an extra innings (or comeback) mess and worked up a nine-pitch, full-count single to put a man on first with two out and the American League's most prolific hitter in 2009 coming to the plate.
Problem is, the American League's most prolific hitter in 2009 has been one of the Yankees' worst postseason hitter. Teixeira has one hit so far in the Series, and his only other good stat (that first-inning RBI) was inches from being another chopped foul.
The pressure was on, and Teixeira — Sesame Street-face seriousness and all — was ready for it.
But the baseball gods wanted someone else to have a try at it. With a 1-0 count, Damon took off running for a steal of second, and the throw — while wayward — barely went to the right side of the bag as Damon slid in for an easy swipe. But Damon, realizing that the throw had drawn the second baseman away, and seeing that no Phillies were on the left side of the diamond due to the shift they'd put on to quell Teixeira, decided he'd take third.
At first, it looked like a blunder. Had Damon not seen that the fielder had the ball? Was he trying to be a hero? Why did he need third? Where was he going?
Moments later, when sneaky Damon had taken third, all was clear, and the Yankees were in prime position to close out the game.
The pressure was still on Teixeira, but Lidge took it off when his next pitch plunked Tex, putting men on first and third for the man the baseball gods have been summoning since last Wednesday.
Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez, come forth.
(Word play to not be taken seriously: Doesn't Emmanuel mean "God with us"?)
We've been saying it in June, in July, in the final days of September, that this A-Rod is the real deal. He's a team player; he's focused; he's ready to just play; he's firing on all cylinders. October showed up, and A-Rod bashed seven RBI in his final regular-season game to snatch 100 RBI and rev the motor for the playoffs. The postseason arrived, and he arrived with it, carrying the Yankees past the Twins and the Angels, breaking records and erasing years of terrible play.
But the World Series brought an 0-for-8 start, including six strikeouts. And even the two-run blast yesterday to pull the Yankees into the game wasn't a solace as A-Rod came to the plate against Lidge, who despite his foibles, had looked very good in striking out Jeter three batters before.
Strike looking. A-Rod is calm, serene, stepping back, then moving into the box again.
Nervousness grips the pinstriped faithful, for as much as they've hated him before, they don't want to hate him anymore. They want this one. They want it bad.
Take back what is rightfully our's. K-O the Phillies. Three games to one. Championship No. 27. Do it. Do it. Do it.
Swing — hard hit — oh, it's a hit — a good one — it's moving — Yankees ahead — A-Rod's for real — A-Rod's for real — A-Rod's for real!
Cannot believe it. The 1-for-13 batter just got it done.
A Jorge Posada single followed, scoring Teixeira and Rodriguez to put the game away (well, until Rivera's eight-pitch shut-down that blew away the three Phillies who'd had the air sucked out of them).
And there we go. A 7-4 win. A postseason edge.
27 outs away from No. 27.
Whew, I'm sure glad those 39 pitches Mo threw two games ago didn't let the Phillies figure him out like they said they would. Give me a break, Phillies. You're problem isn't Mo. It's not Sabathia. It's not even A-Rod, or Jeter, or Damon, or a rejuvenated bullpen.
You've met a collection of men called the New York Yankees, and they want this one.
Other Yankees Posts
Game Recap
Notables: Jeter was 2-for-4 with a walk, run, and RBI in a game where his stat line didn't reveal how insanely clutch this tight-pants-clad man is. ... Damon was 3-for-5, and officially absolved of the accusations that he brought the curse with him from Boston. ... A-Rod's double was his only hit of the night, and Teixeira was hitless again. ... Posada had just one hit but 3 RBI; he knows how to pick his spots. ... Cabrera may have pulled his hamstring after running out that grounder. He had to leave the game. ... Chamberlain got the win, with hopes it won't go to his head since his hat is already stretched to the seams (both literally and figuratively). He's also credited with a blown save, which is abbreviated "BS" in statistic-keeping. ... Rivera's save was his fifth of this postseason. ... The runs Lidge allowed were the first this postseason. Until now he was the last pitcher to not allow a run in the 2009 playoffs. ... Jimmy Rollins said the Phillies would win in five games.
It was the New York Yankees. The Bronx Bombers, the boys in pinstripes, the Evil Empire. The team that resides in New York, N.Y., collectively won Game 4 of the World Series tonight, and it was beautiful.
The action began in the first inning, as it always should, with Yankees captain Derek Jeter up to bat. He struck the second pitch of the night and ran for a single, and Johnny Damon followed behind with a pounding double.
Mark Teixeira, who has one hit to his name in the World Series so far, took a step in the right direction by lacing an RBI grounder down the right-field line. Teixeira was tagged out by first after a great Ryan Howard dive, but the Yankees were up 1-0 after six pitches.
(Irony: Teixeira and Howard are both first baseman and their team's leading sluggers, and both haven't been hitting in the Series but have played incredible defense.)
Alex Rodriguez came to the plate with his own redemption at stake. Since torching the American League Division and Championship Series, Rodriguez has been horrific against the Phils, striking out six times and getting just one hit (although it was a beauty, a two-run round-tripper). Clearly in the zone, A-Rod got in his stance and stared toward Philadelphia pitcher Joe Blanton, ready to send the runner on third home.
Blanton's first pitch skewed out of his hand and flew straight into the back of A-Rod's rib cage, a pitch so off the mark you had to think he was more shaken at the prospect of the ensuing at-bat than trying to plunk the hard-hitting cleanup man. A-Rod turned away, visibly angry — not so much at the pain, though. This man wanted to drive 'em in.
It was the third time Rodriguez had been hit in the last two games, with the two times he was beaned yesterday the first time since the 1960s that a player had been hit twice in a World Series game.
Jorge Posada came through with a sacrifice fly, putting New York up 2-0, and then it was time for CC Sabathia to get to work.
Sabathia looked rough early, allowing back-to-back doubles for a run, but he buckled down to strike out two and escape the innings. It appeared that the game might dissolve into a pitcher's duel, but in the bottom of the fourth, Sabathia allowed another run.
The Yankees' batters were ready.
Nick Swisher drew a four-pitch walk from the leadoff spot, a big feat for a guy who's been hitting nothing lately, sans yesterday's outburst. (Swisher ended up drawing two walks, a mix of hilarity and greatness.) Then, in a scene all Yankees fans could smile at, the camera cut to the on-deck circle to show Sabathia lopping his bat around, stretching/practice swinging, looking like a fat kid trying to imitate his father.
Melky Cabrera was up next, though, and he provided the Melky special with a man on first. Cabrera doesn't always hit it strong, but he finds ways to get on base, such as his legging out a bunt a couple games ago or his hit tonight, a grounder he outran.
Sabathia arrived at the plate wanting to pull a Pettitte and put his team ahead after letting the Phils catch up, but he came up short. No worries: Mr. November will take care of it.
Jeter hooked an RBI single to put the Yankees up again, 3-2, in the top of the fifth.
Damon followed, absolutely plopping the ball in the gap, and alert running by Cabrera helped him come all the way home once he knew the ball would drop, scoring a 4-2 run in a game that proved to hang on each run's importance.
With the Yankees bats finally, officially, unflukishly alive, all Sabathia had to do was hold the Phillies. The big man worked into the seventh and was an out away from sewing up the frame when Chase Utley came to the plate. Utley had already hit a first-inning RBI double off Sabathia to get Philly within one, and he was the one responsible for Philadelphia's Game 1 win, thanks to his two quads off of Sabathia while Cliff Lee held New York at bay (until the bullpen imploded, and New York destroyed itself).
Chase Utley did it again, chasing Sabathia with a solo homer that brought the Phillies, once again, within a run. 4-3 Yankees.
Sabathia left with six-and-two-thirds innings pitched, 107 pitches tossed, and six strikeouts. It wasn't a flawless game, but it was enough — just what the Yankees needed. New York didn't need dominance; it just needed him to work out of enough jams to let a decent bat effort win the game. You know, have him be part of the team rather than carrying everyone.
The bottom of the eighth brought a pitching change for the Yankees necessitated by a pinch batter, and manager Joe Girardi summoned Joba Chamberlain. Once the fireballing pride of the Bronx, Chamberlain has been caught in management's yo-yo routine between being an average starting pitcher and a dominating setup man to the point that he can barely do either now. But he seemed to have found his form again when he took the mound, striking out two and loading two strikes on Pedro Feliz.
Chamberlain was close to redemption, then boom, Feliz ripped one over the wall. In a game the Yankees had been controlling, with just one inning left, it was all evened up, 4-4.
Out of Philadelphia's bullpen, with the game on the line, came the Phillie with the biggest need of his own redemption: Brad Lidge. A year after being Philadelphia's savior, winning the town its first championship since 1983 by saving game after game with Mariano Rivera-like perfection, Lidge had imploded in the regular season, posting unsightly numbers and losing games.
But come October, he was the old Lidge, not allowing anything past him and closing out the tight Phillies games as the men in red recorded more of their vaunted comebacks.
It was the Yankees' first test against Lidge, and at first it looked like they were failing. Hideki Matsui went down on a popup, and Jeter struck out ugly on seven pitches. Damon came to the plate as the Yankees' final chance before an extra innings (or comeback) mess and worked up a nine-pitch, full-count single to put a man on first with two out and the American League's most prolific hitter in 2009 coming to the plate.
Problem is, the American League's most prolific hitter in 2009 has been one of the Yankees' worst postseason hitter. Teixeira has one hit so far in the Series, and his only other good stat (that first-inning RBI) was inches from being another chopped foul.
The pressure was on, and Teixeira — Sesame Street-face seriousness and all — was ready for it.
But the baseball gods wanted someone else to have a try at it. With a 1-0 count, Damon took off running for a steal of second, and the throw — while wayward — barely went to the right side of the bag as Damon slid in for an easy swipe. But Damon, realizing that the throw had drawn the second baseman away, and seeing that no Phillies were on the left side of the diamond due to the shift they'd put on to quell Teixeira, decided he'd take third.
At first, it looked like a blunder. Had Damon not seen that the fielder had the ball? Was he trying to be a hero? Why did he need third? Where was he going?
Moments later, when sneaky Damon had taken third, all was clear, and the Yankees were in prime position to close out the game.
The pressure was still on Teixeira, but Lidge took it off when his next pitch plunked Tex, putting men on first and third for the man the baseball gods have been summoning since last Wednesday.
Alexander Emmanuel Rodriguez, come forth.
(Word play to not be taken seriously: Doesn't Emmanuel mean "God with us"?)
We've been saying it in June, in July, in the final days of September, that this A-Rod is the real deal. He's a team player; he's focused; he's ready to just play; he's firing on all cylinders. October showed up, and A-Rod bashed seven RBI in his final regular-season game to snatch 100 RBI and rev the motor for the playoffs. The postseason arrived, and he arrived with it, carrying the Yankees past the Twins and the Angels, breaking records and erasing years of terrible play.
But the World Series brought an 0-for-8 start, including six strikeouts. And even the two-run blast yesterday to pull the Yankees into the game wasn't a solace as A-Rod came to the plate against Lidge, who despite his foibles, had looked very good in striking out Jeter three batters before.
Strike looking. A-Rod is calm, serene, stepping back, then moving into the box again.
Nervousness grips the pinstriped faithful, for as much as they've hated him before, they don't want to hate him anymore. They want this one. They want it bad.
Take back what is rightfully our's. K-O the Phillies. Three games to one. Championship No. 27. Do it. Do it. Do it.
Swing — hard hit — oh, it's a hit — a good one — it's moving — Yankees ahead — A-Rod's for real — A-Rod's for real — A-Rod's for real!
Cannot believe it. The 1-for-13 batter just got it done.
A Jorge Posada single followed, scoring Teixeira and Rodriguez to put the game away (well, until Rivera's eight-pitch shut-down that blew away the three Phillies who'd had the air sucked out of them).
And there we go. A 7-4 win. A postseason edge.
27 outs away from No. 27.
Whew, I'm sure glad those 39 pitches Mo threw two games ago didn't let the Phillies figure him out like they said they would. Give me a break, Phillies. You're problem isn't Mo. It's not Sabathia. It's not even A-Rod, or Jeter, or Damon, or a rejuvenated bullpen.
You've met a collection of men called the New York Yankees, and they want this one.
Other Yankees Posts
Game Recap
Notables: Jeter was 2-for-4 with a walk, run, and RBI in a game where his stat line didn't reveal how insanely clutch this tight-pants-clad man is. ... Damon was 3-for-5, and officially absolved of the accusations that he brought the curse with him from Boston. ... A-Rod's double was his only hit of the night, and Teixeira was hitless again. ... Posada had just one hit but 3 RBI; he knows how to pick his spots. ... Cabrera may have pulled his hamstring after running out that grounder. He had to leave the game. ... Chamberlain got the win, with hopes it won't go to his head since his hat is already stretched to the seams (both literally and figuratively). He's also credited with a blown save, which is abbreviated "BS" in statistic-keeping. ... Rivera's save was his fifth of this postseason. ... The runs Lidge allowed were the first this postseason. Until now he was the last pitcher to not allow a run in the 2009 playoffs. ... Jimmy Rollins said the Phillies would win in five games.
10.27.2009
World Series preview
I'm not sure I have the attention span for a full-fledged World Series preview, so I'm going to post bits and pieces as I think of them.
My #1 concern going into the series: the Yankees' bats and bullpen.
Let's start with the bullpen. I trust CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera completely, but I haven't been impressed with the bullpen this postseason. Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes should no longer be treated the way they were in the regular season, when they could be lights out. Instead, the few guys who have shown they can hold the seventh and eighth down should be called upon in the next four to seven games.
Some of this has to do with Joe Girardi's decision-making, but more of it has to do with some of these guys just not having it right now. I don't know if it's them being figured out after a long season or the jitters of the playoffs, but the bullpen's going to have to be stronger in the World Series.
Don't get me started on A.J. Burnett.
My other worry is the Yankees' batting woes. While slumpers Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher did come around (no pun intended) this last game, the Yankees' lineup from top to bottom has been horrid in the last two playoff series. Without Alex Rodriguez, timely hits by Derek Jeter, and the random hit every once in a while by everyone else, the Yankees could have easily been shut out.
Some guys have had bad luck, lining out or missing the gaps, but others have been horrid. Robinson Cano, Hideki Matsui, and Swisher have been the worst. Teixeira and Johnny Damon have been half and half. Jorge Posada has been hitting, but his getting on base is rarely rewarded. Melky Cabrera has held his own.
With only three or four consistent hitters, the Yankees are waiting to be feasted upon.
The good news is that this last game provided some great momentum. Most of the guys got a hit, and hopefully a little rest and refocusing can get the bats going again. As long as they're hitting the ball well, they won't have to rely on flukish errors and flubs by the other team to make the difference in tight games.
Other Yankees Posts
My #1 concern going into the series: the Yankees' bats and bullpen.
Let's start with the bullpen. I trust CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera completely, but I haven't been impressed with the bullpen this postseason. Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes should no longer be treated the way they were in the regular season, when they could be lights out. Instead, the few guys who have shown they can hold the seventh and eighth down should be called upon in the next four to seven games.
Some of this has to do with Joe Girardi's decision-making, but more of it has to do with some of these guys just not having it right now. I don't know if it's them being figured out after a long season or the jitters of the playoffs, but the bullpen's going to have to be stronger in the World Series.
Don't get me started on A.J. Burnett.
My other worry is the Yankees' batting woes. While slumpers Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher did come around (no pun intended) this last game, the Yankees' lineup from top to bottom has been horrid in the last two playoff series. Without Alex Rodriguez, timely hits by Derek Jeter, and the random hit every once in a while by everyone else, the Yankees could have easily been shut out.
Some guys have had bad luck, lining out or missing the gaps, but others have been horrid. Robinson Cano, Hideki Matsui, and Swisher have been the worst. Teixeira and Johnny Damon have been half and half. Jorge Posada has been hitting, but his getting on base is rarely rewarded. Melky Cabrera has held his own.
With only three or four consistent hitters, the Yankees are waiting to be feasted upon.
The good news is that this last game provided some great momentum. Most of the guys got a hit, and hopefully a little rest and refocusing can get the bats going again. As long as they're hitting the ball well, they won't have to rely on flukish errors and flubs by the other team to make the difference in tight games.
Other Yankees Posts
10.20.2009
In their heads
No one has ever said Alex Rodriguez isn't talented, that he isn't a great batter, that he isn't MVP-caliber talent.
But he has been accused of being an underachiever, a choke, a less-than-real Yankee.
That's why it was only fitting when A-Rod's fifth-inning home run to bury the Angels in a 5-0 hole also capped an incredible seven games of baseball, putting him in good company with a Yankee great.
Rodriguez's two-run shot made tonight's game the eighth game in a row (seven this postseason) with an RBI, a figure that ties Lou Gehrig for first place in playoff history.
Angel Stadium went silent after A-Rod's latest bomb, as this year's postseason leader for the Yankees led his pinstriped fellows into familiar territory: getting inside the Angels' heads.
The game started innocently enough, with Derek Jeter slapping an opposite-field single in the gap. But Jeter got caught off the bag trying to steal, and the Yankees looked ready to repeat their gaffe-filled ways from earlier in the series (which, until yesterday's extra-innings Angels win, had yet to result in a New York loss).
But tonight's game turned out to be more like the New England Patriots' victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. After opening up with some terrible play (Yankees: the Jeter mishap, Swisher getting called out for not tagging up soon enough; Patriots: stalling in the red zone, missing a field goal), both teams went off and blew away their opponents. The Patriots won 59-0 behind six touchdowns from Tom Brady. The Yankees stacked it on until the night ended with a 10-1 score.
If there's a trademark to this Angels-Yankees series, it's that even when the Yankees hand it to the Angels, the Angels can't seem to take it, and then the Yankees decimate them. In the first two games, it was late-inning heroics. The Angels shed their demons in the 11th inning of last night's win only to invite them back today, letting the Yankees into their heads despite serious mental lapses by the Bombers (see Jeter, Derek; Swisher, Nick; and Posada, Jorge, which led to Cano, Robinson).
(Side note: There were some terrible calls by the umps this game, but at least they didn't affect the outcome.)
With the Angels not taking advantage of the Yankees' ineptness, they had no chance of stemming the tide that was the unstopable A-Rod and CC Sabathia.
Before A-Rod's big homer, the Yankees had scratched together three runs, but there was no astounding hitting. The real hero of the game so far had been Sabathia, who was being the ultimate team player as he pitched on three day's rest and kept his pitch count low to be able to stay in the game. In one inning, he had about a third of the number of pitches the Angels' starter, Scott Kazmir, had totaled, and the big horse lasted eight innings overall and was able to strike out five while allowing just five hits (the one run coming from a homer).
At this point, people start saying that the Yankees are winning because all their players get paid so much, but getting paid a lot is nothing until you produce. Ask A-Rod.
From 2004-2007, he had four home runs and nine RBI. This year alone, he has five home runs and 11 RBI. (And this is the first season his regular-season numbers weren't as hot...do you hear anyone whining about that?) Plus, there's those terrible numbers he's had in years past with runners in scoring position.
Sabathia has followed suit, minus the years of frustration A-Rod had. He may not always pitch pretty, but eight innings means valuable rest for the bullpen and no need for a run-around in trying to find a fourth man to pitch.
Once Sabathia started dominating the Angels bats, and Rodriguez began to light things up again, the rest of the Yankees followed. Johnny Damon bolstered his case to stay with the Yankees for another season with a two-run blast that put the game away. Melky Cabrera slapped in a couple runs in the ninth inning, after A-Rod teased Bobby's Abreu arm by tagging up on a flyout then scoring on the errant throw. (Want to know why New York didn't keep Abreu? Yeah, look at that arm. Swisher may strike out and look silly most days, but he can throw a ball.)
It was a definitive win by the Yankees, the ultimate yes-we-did victory that will give this team enough momentum to hopefully end the series Thursday or else close it out in front of a raucous New York City crowd.
Sabathia's win was his third of the postseason, which leads all playoff pitchers, and his ERA is now 1.19 after allowing just one run today.
Rodriguez and Cabrera both went 3-for-4, although Rodriguez's two RBI were bested by Cabrera's four. Jeter had two hits, Damon's home run was worth two RBI, and Cano added the final RBI for the Yankees, which got a hit from each member of the lineup sans Hideki Matsui (0-for-5) and Swisher (0-for-2).
Rodriguez and Posada (!!!) both had stolen bases.
Angel Stadium hosts Thursday's matchup, set for 7:57 p.m.
A.J. Burnett is expected to start for the Yankees, and John Lackey wil try to take the Yanks after losing Game 1.
Other Yankees Posts
But he has been accused of being an underachiever, a choke, a less-than-real Yankee.
That's why it was only fitting when A-Rod's fifth-inning home run to bury the Angels in a 5-0 hole also capped an incredible seven games of baseball, putting him in good company with a Yankee great.
Rodriguez's two-run shot made tonight's game the eighth game in a row (seven this postseason) with an RBI, a figure that ties Lou Gehrig for first place in playoff history.
Angel Stadium went silent after A-Rod's latest bomb, as this year's postseason leader for the Yankees led his pinstriped fellows into familiar territory: getting inside the Angels' heads.
The game started innocently enough, with Derek Jeter slapping an opposite-field single in the gap. But Jeter got caught off the bag trying to steal, and the Yankees looked ready to repeat their gaffe-filled ways from earlier in the series (which, until yesterday's extra-innings Angels win, had yet to result in a New York loss).
But tonight's game turned out to be more like the New England Patriots' victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. After opening up with some terrible play (Yankees: the Jeter mishap, Swisher getting called out for not tagging up soon enough; Patriots: stalling in the red zone, missing a field goal), both teams went off and blew away their opponents. The Patriots won 59-0 behind six touchdowns from Tom Brady. The Yankees stacked it on until the night ended with a 10-1 score.
If there's a trademark to this Angels-Yankees series, it's that even when the Yankees hand it to the Angels, the Angels can't seem to take it, and then the Yankees decimate them. In the first two games, it was late-inning heroics. The Angels shed their demons in the 11th inning of last night's win only to invite them back today, letting the Yankees into their heads despite serious mental lapses by the Bombers (see Jeter, Derek; Swisher, Nick; and Posada, Jorge, which led to Cano, Robinson).
(Side note: There were some terrible calls by the umps this game, but at least they didn't affect the outcome.)
With the Angels not taking advantage of the Yankees' ineptness, they had no chance of stemming the tide that was the unstopable A-Rod and CC Sabathia.
Before A-Rod's big homer, the Yankees had scratched together three runs, but there was no astounding hitting. The real hero of the game so far had been Sabathia, who was being the ultimate team player as he pitched on three day's rest and kept his pitch count low to be able to stay in the game. In one inning, he had about a third of the number of pitches the Angels' starter, Scott Kazmir, had totaled, and the big horse lasted eight innings overall and was able to strike out five while allowing just five hits (the one run coming from a homer).
At this point, people start saying that the Yankees are winning because all their players get paid so much, but getting paid a lot is nothing until you produce. Ask A-Rod.
From 2004-2007, he had four home runs and nine RBI. This year alone, he has five home runs and 11 RBI. (And this is the first season his regular-season numbers weren't as hot...do you hear anyone whining about that?) Plus, there's those terrible numbers he's had in years past with runners in scoring position.
Sabathia has followed suit, minus the years of frustration A-Rod had. He may not always pitch pretty, but eight innings means valuable rest for the bullpen and no need for a run-around in trying to find a fourth man to pitch.
Once Sabathia started dominating the Angels bats, and Rodriguez began to light things up again, the rest of the Yankees followed. Johnny Damon bolstered his case to stay with the Yankees for another season with a two-run blast that put the game away. Melky Cabrera slapped in a couple runs in the ninth inning, after A-Rod teased Bobby's Abreu arm by tagging up on a flyout then scoring on the errant throw. (Want to know why New York didn't keep Abreu? Yeah, look at that arm. Swisher may strike out and look silly most days, but he can throw a ball.)
It was a definitive win by the Yankees, the ultimate yes-we-did victory that will give this team enough momentum to hopefully end the series Thursday or else close it out in front of a raucous New York City crowd.
Sabathia's win was his third of the postseason, which leads all playoff pitchers, and his ERA is now 1.19 after allowing just one run today.
Rodriguez and Cabrera both went 3-for-4, although Rodriguez's two RBI were bested by Cabrera's four. Jeter had two hits, Damon's home run was worth two RBI, and Cano added the final RBI for the Yankees, which got a hit from each member of the lineup sans Hideki Matsui (0-for-5) and Swisher (0-for-2).
Rodriguez and Posada (!!!) both had stolen bases.
Angel Stadium hosts Thursday's matchup, set for 7:57 p.m.
A.J. Burnett is expected to start for the Yankees, and John Lackey wil try to take the Yanks after losing Game 1.
Other Yankees Posts
10.18.2009
"Classic," defined.
This kid has only been here since July, but Jerry Hairston Jr. knows what it means to be a 2009 Yankee: "We knew we were going to win this game."
Hairston was the baserunner for the Yanks in the bottom of the 13th, the random cog left from New York's postseason-shrunk roster who scored on a Melky Cabrera slapshot up the middle that the Angels bobbled. The Yankees won the second game of the American League Championship Series 4-3 but more importantly kept their hex over an Angels team that doesn't appear to be able to beat them, even with the game handed over on a silver platter.
Los Angeles left 28 men on base tonight, committed two errors and saw its everyone-hits-over-.300 lineup bat .170.
But the Angels faults were of secondary concern, for their failure was a reaction to the Yankees, who squandered most of the game until gutting out the win four innings past the end of regulation, in nasty conditions of heavy rain and whipping winds. New York had already committed three errors of its own, putting Angels on base with no outs due to walks, wild pitches, errors and muffed catches. Even the vaunted Yankees lineup left 20 men on base, with the 2009 Murderer's Row bleeting just .271 with hardly any runs to show for it.
The Angels left the door open, and the Yankees charged through. Pie in hands, ear-warmers in their pockets, Anaheim on their minds, New York took the contest by the neck once the game went to extra innings and produced what can be called nothing other than a fall classic.
It was a win so good you could barely touch it, with soaked fans in rally caps watching the new version of the New York Yankees sketch a picture-perfect win the same way Yankees teams have done in the postseason 26 times before.
Every New York starter had a hit in the marathon, sans Mark Teixeira (who was busy earning his paycheck by devouring every ball that came near first base). Robinson Cano, who appeared eager to become the team goat with two terrible errors, put the Yankees up early with an RBI triple.
Derek Jeter's solo home run gave New York a 2-0 edge before A.J. Burnett's wild throws let the Angels back into the game.
But New York's bullpen was phenomenal, and after Alex Rodriguez continued his postseason rampage with an equalizer in the bottom of the 10th, the Yankees calmly held on before squirting the winner across in the 13th, breaking the Angels' will.
Maicer Izturis lost the game for the Angels the same way the Pirates lose every season: trying to be the Yankees, when you really, really can't be. Izturis tried to throw across his body and get the runner on second, pulling a "Jeter" (the classic spin and throw move from the New York shortstop). Instead, he threw the ball, and the game, away.
Damon and Cabrera were the only Yankees with two hits. Jeter, Rodriguez and Cano had the three RBI (the final run scoring on an error).
Although his usual erratic self on the mound, Burnett threw some good stuff, too, picking up four strikeouts against only two walks in 6.1 innings of work.
Mariano Rivera worked a little longer than usual, logging 2.1 innings in the 13-inning contest.
The series now shifts to sunny California, with three games scheduled. Judging by the mood of the Yankees clubhouse, and all that shaving cream Burnett is stuffing in his duffel, though, the Angels' season could easily end in two.
Mrs. October? A tribute to the 2009 version of A-Rod
Photos from tonight's game
Other Yankees Posts
Hairston was the baserunner for the Yanks in the bottom of the 13th, the random cog left from New York's postseason-shrunk roster who scored on a Melky Cabrera slapshot up the middle that the Angels bobbled. The Yankees won the second game of the American League Championship Series 4-3 but more importantly kept their hex over an Angels team that doesn't appear to be able to beat them, even with the game handed over on a silver platter.
Los Angeles left 28 men on base tonight, committed two errors and saw its everyone-hits-over-.300 lineup bat .170.
But the Angels faults were of secondary concern, for their failure was a reaction to the Yankees, who squandered most of the game until gutting out the win four innings past the end of regulation, in nasty conditions of heavy rain and whipping winds. New York had already committed three errors of its own, putting Angels on base with no outs due to walks, wild pitches, errors and muffed catches. Even the vaunted Yankees lineup left 20 men on base, with the 2009 Murderer's Row bleeting just .271 with hardly any runs to show for it.
The Angels left the door open, and the Yankees charged through. Pie in hands, ear-warmers in their pockets, Anaheim on their minds, New York took the contest by the neck once the game went to extra innings and produced what can be called nothing other than a fall classic.
It was a win so good you could barely touch it, with soaked fans in rally caps watching the new version of the New York Yankees sketch a picture-perfect win the same way Yankees teams have done in the postseason 26 times before.
Every New York starter had a hit in the marathon, sans Mark Teixeira (who was busy earning his paycheck by devouring every ball that came near first base). Robinson Cano, who appeared eager to become the team goat with two terrible errors, put the Yankees up early with an RBI triple.
Derek Jeter's solo home run gave New York a 2-0 edge before A.J. Burnett's wild throws let the Angels back into the game.
But New York's bullpen was phenomenal, and after Alex Rodriguez continued his postseason rampage with an equalizer in the bottom of the 10th, the Yankees calmly held on before squirting the winner across in the 13th, breaking the Angels' will.
Maicer Izturis lost the game for the Angels the same way the Pirates lose every season: trying to be the Yankees, when you really, really can't be. Izturis tried to throw across his body and get the runner on second, pulling a "Jeter" (the classic spin and throw move from the New York shortstop). Instead, he threw the ball, and the game, away.
Damon and Cabrera were the only Yankees with two hits. Jeter, Rodriguez and Cano had the three RBI (the final run scoring on an error).
Although his usual erratic self on the mound, Burnett threw some good stuff, too, picking up four strikeouts against only two walks in 6.1 innings of work.
Mariano Rivera worked a little longer than usual, logging 2.1 innings in the 13-inning contest.
The series now shifts to sunny California, with three games scheduled. Judging by the mood of the Yankees clubhouse, and all that shaving cream Burnett is stuffing in his duffel, though, the Angels' season could easily end in two.
Mrs. October? A tribute to the 2009 version of A-Rod
Photos from tonight's game
Other Yankees Posts
Mrs. October? A tribute to the 2009 version of A-Rod
You want him to do it. He comes to the plate, and you say, "Come on, A-Rod. Over the fence."
And he does it, effortlessly. In his prettier-than-springtime swing, he sends the ball sailing out of the diamond. Left field, right field, deep, short — a homer's a homer, and Alex Rodriguez is hitting them whenever they're needed.
Rodriguez took the monkeys off his back last week as the Yankees steamrolled the Minnesota Twins behind half a dozen A-Rod RBI.
Tonight, he pulled the Yankees onto his back by keeping them in a game they blew numerous chances to win.
New York had been clipping along fine, with Robbie Cano smashing a triple to score a run, then Mr. Postseason hitting a homer (Derek Jeter, who is not much of a power hitter, smacks round-trippers in the postseason like a kid raiding the cookie jar once his parents have left the house).
But scattershot-throwing A.J. Burnett let the lead slip away. A walk and a wild pitch with hits interspersed vaporized the 2-0 New York edge.
Both teams hung tough and piled men on the bases. Both teams saw unusual errors fall from their usually golden gloves. Both teams also got gutsy pitching and good fielding to keep it all close.
At first base, Mark Teixeira showed he was worth every penny of his $172 million with play after play. Stretching, lunging, scooping — any ball tossed within 10 feet of the bag fell into Tex's mitt.
Johnny Damon made a great catch in left, and Yankees speedsters Freddy Guzman and Brett Gardner were available to spare the old legs.
But New York couldn't break the tie. And then Los Angeles went ahead by a run.
The Yankees have had 51 come-from-behind wins this year (out of 103 total wins) and 15 walkoff shots. Signs in the outfield seats read "WE WANT PIE" as the rain fell harder and Burnett, the team's resident walk-off baker, watched his squandered lead loom larger.
Enter A-Rod.
The cleanup batter was 0-for-4 so far in the game, the first game of this postseason he didn't have an RBI in yet.
But when Alex Rodriguez shows up in October, he really shows up. The 2009 A-Rod changes games, bails his team out, pierces the challengers to the heart.
A-Rod fell behind 0-2 in the count, but looking as calm as he has every other time he's altered a game in the past two weeks, he stepped back into the box for another pitch.
Connection. It's in the air, a line drive at least. It'll drop in right. No wait, it's carrying. It's carrying! It's in Bobby Abreu land (that's a good sign this won't be a catch).
It's gone. How on earth did he do that — again?
Bottom of the 11th, game tied, a few more scoreless frames to follow. (Including one where A-Rod fails to drive in a go-ahead run with the bases loaded; does he only work October magic when tying games?) I don't think there's anyone in New York, or the rest of baseball, doubting A-Rod anymore. Monkeys off the back, team on it.
I'm not ready to anoint him Mr. October — he still runs like a girl. Could this be Mrs. October?
Yankees 4, Angels 3 game recap
Other Yankees Post
And he does it, effortlessly. In his prettier-than-springtime swing, he sends the ball sailing out of the diamond. Left field, right field, deep, short — a homer's a homer, and Alex Rodriguez is hitting them whenever they're needed.
Rodriguez took the monkeys off his back last week as the Yankees steamrolled the Minnesota Twins behind half a dozen A-Rod RBI.
Tonight, he pulled the Yankees onto his back by keeping them in a game they blew numerous chances to win.
New York had been clipping along fine, with Robbie Cano smashing a triple to score a run, then Mr. Postseason hitting a homer (Derek Jeter, who is not much of a power hitter, smacks round-trippers in the postseason like a kid raiding the cookie jar once his parents have left the house).
But scattershot-throwing A.J. Burnett let the lead slip away. A walk and a wild pitch with hits interspersed vaporized the 2-0 New York edge.
Both teams hung tough and piled men on the bases. Both teams saw unusual errors fall from their usually golden gloves. Both teams also got gutsy pitching and good fielding to keep it all close.
At first base, Mark Teixeira showed he was worth every penny of his $172 million with play after play. Stretching, lunging, scooping — any ball tossed within 10 feet of the bag fell into Tex's mitt.
Johnny Damon made a great catch in left, and Yankees speedsters Freddy Guzman and Brett Gardner were available to spare the old legs.
But New York couldn't break the tie. And then Los Angeles went ahead by a run.
The Yankees have had 51 come-from-behind wins this year (out of 103 total wins) and 15 walkoff shots. Signs in the outfield seats read "WE WANT PIE" as the rain fell harder and Burnett, the team's resident walk-off baker, watched his squandered lead loom larger.
Enter A-Rod.
The cleanup batter was 0-for-4 so far in the game, the first game of this postseason he didn't have an RBI in yet.
But when Alex Rodriguez shows up in October, he really shows up. The 2009 A-Rod changes games, bails his team out, pierces the challengers to the heart.
A-Rod fell behind 0-2 in the count, but looking as calm as he has every other time he's altered a game in the past two weeks, he stepped back into the box for another pitch.
Connection. It's in the air, a line drive at least. It'll drop in right. No wait, it's carrying. It's carrying! It's in Bobby Abreu land (that's a good sign this won't be a catch).
It's gone. How on earth did he do that — again?
Bottom of the 11th, game tied, a few more scoreless frames to follow. (Including one where A-Rod fails to drive in a go-ahead run with the bases loaded; does he only work October magic when tying games?) I don't think there's anyone in New York, or the rest of baseball, doubting A-Rod anymore. Monkeys off the back, team on it.
I'm not ready to anoint him Mr. October — he still runs like a girl. Could this be Mrs. October?
Yankees 4, Angels 3 game recap
Other Yankees Post
10.16.2009
Yankees take the opener
CC Sabathia, the old workhorse, went eight innings and 113 pitchings in a game where the Yankees were clearly flummoxing the visiting Angels.
Countless dropped balls and missed opportunities led to L.A.'s demise while the steady puttering of the Yankees machine gave the home team the 4-1 victory edge.
In a game devoid of home runs, New York won it the old-fashioned way. Hideki Matsui went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI (that man's legs are truly old-fashioned), and Alex Rodriguez knocked in a run on 1-for-2 hitting.
Derek Jeter (RBI) and Johnny Damon went 2-for-5. Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira knocked in the other two hits.
Doubles by Matsui and Damon were the only extra-base hits.
Sabathia was the true star of the game, however, muscling his way through eight strong innings while only allowing four hits. He struck out seven and walked just one.
The Yankees also kept the speedy L.A. runners off the basepaths.
Tomorrow night the two teams play again in another 7:57 nightcap, with A.J. Burnett throwing to try to take the Yankees to Anaheim with a 2-0 edge.
The Yankees Not-So-Gaudy Playoff Statistics:
Alex Rodriguez: .462, 7 RBI, 2 HR
Derek Jeter: .400, 3 RBI
Hideki Matsui: .333, 4 RBI, HR
Jorge Posada: .286, 2 RBI, HR
Melky Cabrera: .214
Mark Teixeira: .188, game-winning HR
Johnny Damon: .176
Robinson Cano: .133
Nick Swisher: .125
CC Sabathia: 1.23 ERA, 15 Ks, 14.2 IP
A.J. Burnett: 1.50 ERA, 6 Ks, 6.0 IP
Andy Pettitte: 1.42 ERA, 7 Ks, 6.1 IP
Mariano Rivera: 0.00 ERA, 8 Ks, 3.2 IP
Other Yankees Posts
Countless dropped balls and missed opportunities led to L.A.'s demise while the steady puttering of the Yankees machine gave the home team the 4-1 victory edge.
In a game devoid of home runs, New York won it the old-fashioned way. Hideki Matsui went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI (that man's legs are truly old-fashioned), and Alex Rodriguez knocked in a run on 1-for-2 hitting.
Derek Jeter (RBI) and Johnny Damon went 2-for-5. Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira knocked in the other two hits.
Doubles by Matsui and Damon were the only extra-base hits.
Sabathia was the true star of the game, however, muscling his way through eight strong innings while only allowing four hits. He struck out seven and walked just one.
The Yankees also kept the speedy L.A. runners off the basepaths.
Tomorrow night the two teams play again in another 7:57 nightcap, with A.J. Burnett throwing to try to take the Yankees to Anaheim with a 2-0 edge.
The Yankees Not-So-Gaudy Playoff Statistics:
Alex Rodriguez: .462, 7 RBI, 2 HR
Derek Jeter: .400, 3 RBI
Hideki Matsui: .333, 4 RBI, HR
Jorge Posada: .286, 2 RBI, HR
Melky Cabrera: .214
Mark Teixeira: .188, game-winning HR
Johnny Damon: .176
Robinson Cano: .133
Nick Swisher: .125
CC Sabathia: 1.23 ERA, 15 Ks, 14.2 IP
A.J. Burnett: 1.50 ERA, 6 Ks, 6.0 IP
Andy Pettitte: 1.42 ERA, 7 Ks, 6.1 IP
Mariano Rivera: 0.00 ERA, 8 Ks, 3.2 IP
Other Yankees Posts
10.09.2009
AAAAAA-Rod!
In the sixth, with the Yankees up for their licks in the bottom of the inning after breaking up a Minnesota no-hitter one frame before (thanks, Robbie Cano), the game went like the front office planned it when they snatched Johnny Damon and Alex Rodriguez half a decade ago.
Yankee captain Derek Jeter did his usual job, getting on base with a double. Then Damon drew a walk. Mark Teixeira, this year's big-name addition, pounded a big hit down the right field line only to see it skew foul before flying out.
Alex Rodriguez.
It's a name hated by baseball for the pompous salary it gathers, a name hated by New York fans for the ineptitude it represents when in the batter's box with runners in scoring position in a playoff game. It's a name the front office expected to come up big on the way to championship No. 27, only to see it go 0-for-30 with runners in scoring position in the playoffs.
When Rodriguez drilled a couple hits, with 2 RBI included, on Wednesday night, everyone shrugged and said he was lucky. This is the man that freezes once October brings the cold playoff air.
But this year's A-Rod has been different, as I've said so many times before. And just days after showing his October spirit with a seven-RBI, two-homer performance to close the season, and then his first playoff RBIs since 2004, he came through again tonight.
With two outs and a 1-0 count, all eyes were on A-Rod as he lopped a pitch through short to send Jeter scurrying home, tying the game at 1.
The seventh inning's starting. I don't think we have to worry about the the No. 4 spot coming up with the game on the line anymore.
Other Yankees Posts
Yankee captain Derek Jeter did his usual job, getting on base with a double. Then Damon drew a walk. Mark Teixeira, this year's big-name addition, pounded a big hit down the right field line only to see it skew foul before flying out.
Alex Rodriguez.
It's a name hated by baseball for the pompous salary it gathers, a name hated by New York fans for the ineptitude it represents when in the batter's box with runners in scoring position in a playoff game. It's a name the front office expected to come up big on the way to championship No. 27, only to see it go 0-for-30 with runners in scoring position in the playoffs.
When Rodriguez drilled a couple hits, with 2 RBI included, on Wednesday night, everyone shrugged and said he was lucky. This is the man that freezes once October brings the cold playoff air.
But this year's A-Rod has been different, as I've said so many times before. And just days after showing his October spirit with a seven-RBI, two-homer performance to close the season, and then his first playoff RBIs since 2004, he came through again tonight.
With two outs and a 1-0 count, all eyes were on A-Rod as he lopped a pitch through short to send Jeter scurrying home, tying the game at 1.
The seventh inning's starting. I don't think we have to worry about the the No. 4 spot coming up with the game on the line anymore.
Other Yankees Posts
9.20.2009
Yankees 10, Mariners 1
An update from the previous post:
After a sneaky 3-2 comeback win last night to the Mariners, the Yankees left no room for error and trounced Seattle 10-1 behind seven innings of scoreless ball from CC Sabathia (eight strikeouts) and a 4-for-5 performance from Mark Teixeira (5 RBI).
Robinson Cano was also 4-for-5, and Johnny Damon went 3-for-4 (RBI) in a strong night for the Bombers.
The Yankees are a comfortable six games up on the Boston Red Sox in the American League East with 13 games left to play. Boston has already pretty much nabbed the wild card, though, with Texas nine games behind them.
New York still has the best record in baseball by six games.
Other Yankees Posts
After a sneaky 3-2 comeback win last night to the Mariners, the Yankees left no room for error and trounced Seattle 10-1 behind seven innings of scoreless ball from CC Sabathia (eight strikeouts) and a 4-for-5 performance from Mark Teixeira (5 RBI).
Robinson Cano was also 4-for-5, and Johnny Damon went 3-for-4 (RBI) in a strong night for the Bombers.
The Yankees are a comfortable six games up on the Boston Red Sox in the American League East with 13 games left to play. Boston has already pretty much nabbed the wild card, though, with Texas nine games behind them.
New York still has the best record in baseball by six games.
Other Yankees Posts
9.15.2009
A little tussle in the Bronx
Apparently, the Yankees read my post, because they came out fighting in the bottom of the eighth — but not the kind of fighting I was looking for.
Jorge Posada apparently tackled the Jays' catcher, and manager Joe Girardi emerged from the scuffle with a cut and a bruised head.
Way to show some fire, Yanks.
It's a shame I missed the fight. There's nothing like a sewer rat of a catcher taking down a blue bird. (The guy at the desk next to me here at the sports department of the Daily News Tribune says he hopes Posada didn't ruin his mug. Ha.)
Johnny Damon squandered a bases-loaded situation in the same inning, and the Yankees lost 10-4. Sergio Mitre was the unfortunate pitcher in the five-hole for New York, getting shellacked for seven earned runs through five innings while Roy Halladay held off the Bombers.
Brett Gardner, newly returned to the team, was great in his starting role tonight. He went 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI. Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter were also 2-for-4 with an RBI apiece.
Other Yankees Posts
Jorge Posada apparently tackled the Jays' catcher, and manager Joe Girardi emerged from the scuffle with a cut and a bruised head.
Way to show some fire, Yanks.
It's a shame I missed the fight. There's nothing like a sewer rat of a catcher taking down a blue bird. (The guy at the desk next to me here at the sports department of the Daily News Tribune says he hopes Posada didn't ruin his mug. Ha.)
Johnny Damon squandered a bases-loaded situation in the same inning, and the Yankees lost 10-4. Sergio Mitre was the unfortunate pitcher in the five-hole for New York, getting shellacked for seven earned runs through five innings while Roy Halladay held off the Bombers.
Brett Gardner, newly returned to the team, was great in his starting role tonight. He went 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI. Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter were also 2-for-4 with an RBI apiece.
Other Yankees Posts
9.09.2009
Derek ties Lou, Yankees notch another comeback win
Derek Jeter snapped his 0-for-12 hitting streak and had three hits tonight to tie Lou Gehrig for the most hits in Yankees history. Gehrig's record of 2,721 had stood since his last hit on April 29, 1939.
Meanwhile, Jeter and company came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0.
Jorge Posada pinch-hit in the bottom of the eighth and blasted a three-run homer that gave the Yankees their winning margin. Nick Swisher batted home the Yankees' other run after his big game last night, and Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez both went 2-for-4 in the win.
Johnny Damon had the only other New York hit.
Joba Chamberlain, in his third straight three-inning start, allowed two earned runs again. (His last three games have been exactly three innings, and exactly two earned runs: see it here.) Four Yankees relievers, including the always-sharp Alfredo Aceves, held the Rays scoreless for the rest of the game.
The Yankees get a day off tomorrow before hosting the Baltimore Orioles for a three-game set this weekend.
Other Yankees Posts
Meanwhile, Jeter and company came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0.
Jorge Posada pinch-hit in the bottom of the eighth and blasted a three-run homer that gave the Yankees their winning margin. Nick Swisher batted home the Yankees' other run after his big game last night, and Hideki Matsui and Alex Rodriguez both went 2-for-4 in the win.
Johnny Damon had the only other New York hit.
Joba Chamberlain, in his third straight three-inning start, allowed two earned runs again. (His last three games have been exactly three innings, and exactly two earned runs: see it here.) Four Yankees relievers, including the always-sharp Alfredo Aceves, held the Rays scoreless for the rest of the game.
The Yankees get a day off tomorrow before hosting the Baltimore Orioles for a three-game set this weekend.
Other Yankees Posts
9.02.2009
Sweep's up
Not content to merely sweep their series with the Baltimore Orioles by way of a 3-2 pitcher's duel win tonight, the Yankees explode for seven runs in the top of the ninth, dropping the O's 10-2.
Every New York player had some fun tonight, with constant singles in the last frame sending every Yankee to the plate at least once. And CC Sabathia won his 16th game of the year, which leads the bigs.
Alex Rodriguez had the best night. He singled twice with men on second and third, leaving him 3-for-5 with 4 RBI on the night.
Johnny Damon went 4-for-5 (RBI), Melky Cabrera (RBI) and Robinson Cano 2-for-5, Nick Swisher 2-for-3, Jose Molina 1-for-4 and Derek Jeter (RBI) and Hideki Matsui (RBI) 1-for-5. Eric Hinske (1-for-2, RBI) tied the game for New York in the top of the third with a solo home run, with Baltimore leading 1-0 since the first.
The Yankees had just eight of their 17 hits going into the last inning in a game that was tied 1-1 for three innings before the Yankees took the lead in the top of the seventh on a Rodriguez two-RBI single. Sabathia pitched seven full innings, logging nine strikeouts in the process.
New York carries its league-best 85-48 record into Toronto next.
Other Yankees Posts
Every New York player had some fun tonight, with constant singles in the last frame sending every Yankee to the plate at least once. And CC Sabathia won his 16th game of the year, which leads the bigs.
Alex Rodriguez had the best night. He singled twice with men on second and third, leaving him 3-for-5 with 4 RBI on the night.
Johnny Damon went 4-for-5 (RBI), Melky Cabrera (RBI) and Robinson Cano 2-for-5, Nick Swisher 2-for-3, Jose Molina 1-for-4 and Derek Jeter (RBI) and Hideki Matsui (RBI) 1-for-5. Eric Hinske (1-for-2, RBI) tied the game for New York in the top of the third with a solo home run, with Baltimore leading 1-0 since the first.
The Yankees had just eight of their 17 hits going into the last inning in a game that was tied 1-1 for three innings before the Yankees took the lead in the top of the seventh on a Rodriguez two-RBI single. Sabathia pitched seven full innings, logging nine strikeouts in the process.
New York carries its league-best 85-48 record into Toronto next.
Other Yankees Posts
8.31.2009
A NYY column: The reason behind their success
On why captain Derek Jeter is the reason the Yankees are earning their pinstripes this year.Early in the New York Yankees’ 8-3 win over the Chicago White Sox this Sunday, the television commentators were engaged in their usual banter. They talked about all the jersey numbers the Yankees organization has retired, about Jorge Posada anchoring the plate, about Joe Girardi’s managing style, and, of course, the favorite topic whenever the Yankees play on a major network: Mr. Derek Jeter.
"Jeter" is one of those names imagined, bred, and birthed for sports, meant to be yelled as a one-word epithet, in gloating or in hatred. He’s been a player for the Yankees for 15 years, the captain seven years, an irreplaceable contributor every year.
Early in the New York victory on Sunday, though, Jeter was showing why he’s more than all that this year. Simply put, "Numbah Two," Derek Jeter, has been the main reason for the Yankees success this season.
His resurgence over the summer, in particular, has marked the return of the Bronx Bombers as real contenders.
Consider the bottom of the third inning in Sunday’s game. The score was closer then — with New York down 2-1. Jeter stepped into the batter’s box, complete with the usual repertoire of wriggling and shifting that does Broadway proud. Before his lurching legs were even planted, he was swinging at the first pitch — a liner over the infield’s heads that landed in the outfield grass with the nearest fielder 50 feet away.
The single looked routine, and even unimpressive. Such a hit is nothing compared to the slap-shot doubles that come off Johnny Damon’s bat, the sweeping perfection of Alex Rodriguez’s home run stroke, or the loose, hip-swinging cut of hard-hitting Robinson Cano. But Jeter was on first. And one pitch later, he was on home plate, having completed his job as the leadoff batter.
That was exactly how it was supposed to work; Jeter did his job, then Damon did his — scoring them both with a rightfield homer.
The single was Jeter’s second hit of the night. He led off the Yankees’ half of the first frame with a double, on which he was also able to score, thanks to a sacrifice fly from the number three batter, Mark Teixeira.
After Jeter returned to the dugout in the third inning, having accounted for enough runs to tie the game, neither team scored for three innings. (The game might have ended with that one-run margin if not for a five-run explosion by New York in the seventh.) Jeter hadn’t been just a strong leadoff man; his runs were almost it for the home team.
Sunday’s win was exemplary of the types of games Jeter has been having all season — especially this summer — and the positive effect his performance has had on the team.
Remember, this is a lineup with troves of All-Stars, former MVPs, Cy Young winners, and would-be-the-top-player-on-any-other-team guys. It’s easy to forget how good Jeter is, how solid he’s been throughout the years, how important he is to this New York team.
People can be quick to dismiss the Yankees, with their millions invested in the payroll and their 26 World Series championships. They’re expected to be good, to win — but it’s not like the Babe or Joltin’ Joe are actually in that clubhouse anymore. Each Yankees generation has to prove itself, to overcome its hurdles of the times, to be just as good as the uniforms it wears.
That task has never been hard for Jeter. He entered the league as a hot prospect in 1995 (1996 was his first full season) and promptly won four championships in the next five seasons. He’s a lifetime .317 hitter, averaging 111 runs, 193 hits, 75 runs batted in, 16 homers and 21 steals a season. He fields at a .976 clip and is knocking down Yankees and league records systematically. And he’s also known for his standing in the community, his excellent attitude, his good-guy image, and his ability to never let frivolity affect the way he handles his life, or slip into his status as a Yankee. He is a professional, as a player and more, with little to tarnish his legacy. But he is also aging. Critics have enjoyed the last couple years, when they’ve been able to talk down his ability as a fielder. Old, old, they say. Still playing that spot on the field because he’s Jeter. A flea on the back of four championships, not the legs that made them.
Jeter, in his usual Jeter way, hasn’t rebutted any claims, staying silent instead. Yankees manager Joe Girardi backed his shortstop, then gave him a vote of confidence that met accusations head-on — he moved Jeter to the leadoff spot in the lineup, where he’d have to leg out infield singles and steal second on hard-thrown fastballs. That’s not an assignment for an old, slow player.
Jeter has piled up 23 steals so far this season (he’s had more in only three seasons). And although he has only 60 runs batted in as he hits from the No. 1 spot, he’s stacked up 93 runs already (ninth in Major League Baseball). His best statistic: a hot .335 batting average, which is fifth out of all American League players and seventh overall. (If it holds, it will be Jeter’s fourth-best batting average in 15 years in the majors.)
But forget his numbers — look at the Yankees. It’s a cliche that a team should perform as its captain does, but that’s exactly what’s happened in the Bronx this year.
For years, Jeter has been good, but not awesome. As the sprightly shortstop on the 1990s’ victory train (his first five full seasons), he batted around .323 and had 199 hits, 120 runs and 81 RBI a season. But in the last few years, as the Yankees have fallen short of their ultimate goal for nearly a decade, it’s been .312, 192 hits, 108 runs and 74 RBI (not including this season).
The Yankees have followed suit, being good, but not great. This New York team of the past couple years is the first one in a while to make its fans nervous — and legitimately so. The front office spends and spends; the "Bombers" choke and choke (or, bad pun: bomb and bomb). They can’t come back from a deficit; Rodriguez is horrid in the clutch; they’re absorbing double-digit losses.
The worst, of course, has been the early playoff losses — or last year, when there were no playoffs at all. That may have been added motivation for Mr. Derek Jeter.
This year, he’s on pace to break all his season averages. That includes a .357 batting average in July, and .374 in August. Some are saying he should be the American League MVP — but I won’t get into that here.
The point is that now, for the Yankees, anything can happen.
New York has had 11 walk-off wins this year, and a load of come-from-behind victories. Rodriguez has actually driven in runs when the Yankees are behind, and late in the game, too.
The Bombers have ripped through their schedule and racked up 82 wins (soon to be 89 in just one week — you read it here first) — four more than their closest challenger, the National League’s Los Angeles Dodgers (conveniently managed by ex-Yankees manager Joe Torre).
Go ahead, critics, complain about the Yankees again — they are finally as good as their paychecks and their pinstripes.
Top of the fourth, Sunday: Jeter spears a line drive. A little while later, he fields another ball and does "the Jeter" — a move named after the man who (may have invented and definitely) perfected it: snaring a grounder, planting, and flipping the ball, mid-air, to first, all in one motion, without a pause.
He may be slower; he is 35. But he’s also making the plays when he needs to, and hitting how he needs to, and getting his team to where it needs to be.
He’s as good as the lauding pundits say, as good as the paychecks read, as good as the pinstripes demand.
All the way this year, Jeter. It’s time for Numbah Two to get Number 27.
8.24.2009
Yankees blast Beckett
It was supposed to be a pitcher's duel, but the bats came out again tonight in the matchup between New York's CC Sabathia and Boston's Josh Beckett. The Yankees had the upper hand, homering off Beckett five times (the most home runs he's allowed in a game in his career), and New York won 8-4.
Sabathia now leads all Major League Baseball pitchers with 15 wins. He pitched into the seventh inning and struck out eight.
Derek Jeter homered in his first at-bat and overall had another stellar night, going 2-for-5 and making an awesome (classic Jeter) grab, twirl and throw to first for an early-inning out.
Alex Rodriguez was 1-for-4 with 3 RBI, including a homer that cleared the Green Monster.
Hideki Matsui (2 RBI, home run) and Johnny Damon (RBI) both went 2-for-4.
The Yankees have a homestand against the wild-card-pursuing Texas Rangers next, starting Tuesday night.
Other Yankees Posts
Sabathia now leads all Major League Baseball pitchers with 15 wins. He pitched into the seventh inning and struck out eight.
Derek Jeter homered in his first at-bat and overall had another stellar night, going 2-for-5 and making an awesome (classic Jeter) grab, twirl and throw to first for an early-inning out.
Alex Rodriguez was 1-for-4 with 3 RBI, including a homer that cleared the Green Monster.
Hideki Matsui (2 RBI, home run) and Johnny Damon (RBI) both went 2-for-4.
The Yankees have a homestand against the wild-card-pursuing Texas Rangers next, starting Tuesday night.
Other Yankees Posts
8.20.2009
Mark that W
Mark Teixeira batted in all three of the Yankees' runs tonight, putting New York over Oakland 3-2 with a two-run homer and an RBI groundout. The A's edged within one after starting pitcher Chad Gaudin was chased in the fifth, but Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera combined to close the game for New York.
Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon both went 2-for-4 as the Yankees salvaged the series 2-1.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox have proved they are still very, very alive. With a 6-1 win over the Blue Jays tonight (which followed a 10-9 late-inning win last night), Boston is revving up for what will be a hot weekend series in Beantown against the Yankees. The Sox are seven games back, holding almost even with the Yankees since the sweep in New York (Boston has been 6-3, the Yankees 7-3).
Other Yankees Posts
Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon both went 2-for-4 as the Yankees salvaged the series 2-1.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox have proved they are still very, very alive. With a 6-1 win over the Blue Jays tonight (which followed a 10-9 late-inning win last night), Boston is revving up for what will be a hot weekend series in Beantown against the Yankees. The Sox are seven games back, holding almost even with the Yankees since the sweep in New York (Boston has been 6-3, the Yankees 7-3).
Other Yankees Posts
8.19.2009
Let's hear it for the Jete
Derek Jeter is now batting .330 after his third straight game with three hits. (He's batting 20-for-36 (.556) over the last nine games.) Tonight his RBI sparked a five-run sixth inning, leading the Yankees to a 7-2 win over the Oakland Athletics.
CC Sabathia picked eight strong innings for New York, breaking the team's two-game losing streak and winning his 14th game this season, which ties him for the Major League lead (with Boston's Josh Beckett, of all people, and the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright).
Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Melky Cabrera all went 2-for-4 in the win. Jorge Posada collected 2 RBI on a double.
The only bad news was that the Yankees scored a mere seven runs after loading the bases in the first, fourth and sixth innings. A total of 20 men were left on base throughout the night.
After one more game against Oakland tomorrow night, the Yankees get a day off before going into Boston for a three-game series over the weekend.
Other Yankees Posts
CC Sabathia picked eight strong innings for New York, breaking the team's two-game losing streak and winning his 14th game this season, which ties him for the Major League lead (with Boston's Josh Beckett, of all people, and the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright).
Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Melky Cabrera all went 2-for-4 in the win. Jorge Posada collected 2 RBI on a double.
The only bad news was that the Yankees scored a mere seven runs after loading the bases in the first, fourth and sixth innings. A total of 20 men were left on base throughout the night.
After one more game against Oakland tomorrow night, the Yankees get a day off before going into Boston for a three-game series over the weekend.
Other Yankees Posts
8.15.2009
73, 38, you know
New York collected its 73rd win tonight, the 38th time this season the Yankees have come from behind to win. They beat the Seattle Mariners 4-2.
Mark Teixeira broke the 2-all game with a long homer in the top of the ninth.
Andy Pettitte, despite pitching through six innings and striking out a season-high 10, didn't get a decision since the game was tied when he left the game. (Pettitte has never been flaming hot this season, with a middling ERA, even win-lose numbers, and an average strikeout total. But in 23 games, he's gone five innings or more all but twice. And the Yankees are 15-8 when he starts, despite his 9-6 record.)
Every starter except Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui had exactly one hit, with an RBI each from Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, and Jerry Hairston Jr.
Phil Hughes got his fifth win of the season while striking out two of the three batters he faced in the eighth, and Mariano Rivera got his 34th save in 35 tries, which leads the majors.
Other Yankees Posts
Mark Teixeira broke the 2-all game with a long homer in the top of the ninth.
Andy Pettitte, despite pitching through six innings and striking out a season-high 10, didn't get a decision since the game was tied when he left the game. (Pettitte has never been flaming hot this season, with a middling ERA, even win-lose numbers, and an average strikeout total. But in 23 games, he's gone five innings or more all but twice. And the Yankees are 15-8 when he starts, despite his 9-6 record.)
Every starter except Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui had exactly one hit, with an RBI each from Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, and Jerry Hairston Jr.
Phil Hughes got his fifth win of the season while striking out two of the three batters he faced in the eighth, and Mariano Rivera got his 34th save in 35 tries, which leads the majors.
Other Yankees Posts
8.14.2009
HRs all around
It's home runs all around and an 11-1 drubbing for the Yankees as they visit Seattle in the first of a four-game series.
Hideki Matsui went yard twice, driving in five runs in a stellar 4-for-5 night. The Yankees also got a long ball from Derek Jeter, who, despite being plunked on the foot yesterday, went 2-for-4.
The real story, however, was the three-hit, one-run masterpiece from CC Sabathia, who is hitting his stride late in the season once again. Sabathia's 13th win (tied for 2nd in the bigs) came from a valuable eight-inning performance from the increasingly valuable, oversized lefty. Sabathia's 10 Ks and penetration deep into the game not only sealed the win but also took weight off the bullpen.
Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira both went 2-for-4 on a night when New York collected 15 hits.
Other Yankees Posts
Hideki Matsui went yard twice, driving in five runs in a stellar 4-for-5 night. The Yankees also got a long ball from Derek Jeter, who, despite being plunked on the foot yesterday, went 2-for-4.
The real story, however, was the three-hit, one-run masterpiece from CC Sabathia, who is hitting his stride late in the season once again. Sabathia's 13th win (tied for 2nd in the bigs) came from a valuable eight-inning performance from the increasingly valuable, oversized lefty. Sabathia's 10 Ks and penetration deep into the game not only sealed the win but also took weight off the bullpen.
Johnny Damon and Mark Teixeira both went 2-for-4 on a night when New York collected 15 hits.
Other Yankees Posts
8.12.2009
Downing the Jays
In a game when they were out-hit 14-6, the Yankees held onto a 3-3 tie into the 11th inning before Robinson Cano hit a walkoff single to win the game for New York, 4-3.
(Better yet, I saw that Cano was up to bat with a man on first and second, and the score was tied, and I wrote the above sentence, hoping it would come true. Then he fulfilled my prediction. That's what I'm talking about!)
A.J. Burnett absorbed most of the damage, allowing 10 hits and three runs over six innings. He also struck out seven.
Cano was 2-for-5 with two RBI, and Johnny Damon went 2-for-4 with an RBI off his solo shot in the third.
Derek Jeter left the game after being hit by a pitch on his right foot. He ran the bases and scored a run before being replaced.
With a 2-1 series win over the Blue Jays in its pocket, New York now heads west to Seattle for a series against the Mariners.
Other Yankees Posts
(Better yet, I saw that Cano was up to bat with a man on first and second, and the score was tied, and I wrote the above sentence, hoping it would come true. Then he fulfilled my prediction. That's what I'm talking about!)
A.J. Burnett absorbed most of the damage, allowing 10 hits and three runs over six innings. He also struck out seven.
Cano was 2-for-5 with two RBI, and Johnny Damon went 2-for-4 with an RBI off his solo shot in the third.
Derek Jeter left the game after being hit by a pitch on his right foot. He ran the bases and scored a run before being replaced.
With a 2-1 series win over the Blue Jays in its pocket, New York now heads west to Seattle for a series against the Mariners.
Other Yankees Posts
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
