Tagged: The Great Mariano
Yanks Win Opener 6-3, “By The Script”
So, on a far from perfect weather day in the beautiful Bronx, New York, a new baseball season began yesterday at The Stadium with the Yankees taming the Tigers 6-3, by perfectly executing their 2011 “playbook script” that hopefully will be repeated many times this year, leading the Yanks to their 28th World Championship.
The Yanks received a solid start from their ace CC Sabathia, who tossed 106 pitches over six innings, allowing three runs (two earned), on six hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts, leaving the game with the score tied 3-3. Manager Joe Girardi then called on the bullpen to follow a script that was written well before the start of spring training. And the key relievers delivered by building and completing a perfect “bridge to victory”.
Joba Chamberlain (W,1-0), pitched a scoreless seventh; Rafael Soriano nailed down a scoreless eighth, rolling out a diamond studded carpet for the “Great Mariano” who closed out the 6-3 win by pitching a perfect ninth inning, recording his first save, and 560th save of his Hall of Fame career.
The Bronx Bombers also lived up to a script that was written in stone many years and championships ago by blasting two homeruns: a three-run shot by Mark Teixeira, off Detroit starter Jason Verlander in the third, that gave the Yanks a 3-1 lead; And a leadoff homer by Curtis Granderson in the seventh, off former Yankee Phil Coke (L,0-1), that broke a 3-3 tie, and proved to be the game-winning hit and run of the game.
The Yankees scored another run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Derek Jeter that scored Russell Martin that upped the Yanks lead to 5-3. The Captain did not get a hit in this game, and remains at 2,926 career hits, still 74 short of the magic 3,000 total.
In the eight inning, the Yankees scored their final run on a RBI single by Nick Swisher that drove home Alex Rodriguez with run number six. A-Rod reached second in this inning on a long shot to right-center that he though was going into the bleachers for a homer. But the ball ended up hitting the base of the wall, and then rolled back towards center with the Tigers outfielder trying to chase it down.
Rodriguez was in his homerun-trot at this time looking into the Yankees dugout as he headed to first base; then he realized the ball was not going out, so he hustled to second for a double on a hit that should have been a triple. Anyway, A-Rod did end up scoring the run. But for sure, a play like this is not part of the Yankees playbook, and hopefully will not be repeated by any Yankee player this season.
Finally, special mention must be offered about the outstanding defensive plays made by Curtis Granderson – three great plays by the defensive star of the game … A diving catch in the first inning; Another diving catch in the sixth; and, A beautiful over the head, running catch in the ninth with Mariano Rivera on the mound. Five Stars For Granderson !!!!!
So, overall, it was a great “Opening Day” for the New York Yankees.
And on a “cold and rainy” not so perfect day in the Bronx, it was a perfect way to start this new baseball season.
– Jimmy Curran, “BY&L” – Baseball, The Yankees, and Life …
Hank And Hal Dictate Soriano Signing
Just like their father, “The Boss”, George, the Steinbrenner boys, Hank and Hal, made their presence felt loud and clear by overruling GM Brian Cashman, ordering the signing of the Rays All-Star closer Rafael Soriano to become the Yankees “Bridge-to-Mariano” during the upcoming season, and hopefully in 2012. By 2013 if the “Great Mariano” retires, Soriano could become the next Yankees closer replacing the sure “first-time ballot” Hall of Famer, Mariano Rivera.
The above account of this move was reported in the Saturday, January 15, 2011 edition of the New York Daily News by Hall of Fame baseball writer Bill Madden, and Roger Rubin, a day after the Yanks announced the signing of Soriano.
As reported by Madden and Rubin, this turn around of the Yankees decison to sign Soriano goes back to “less than a week” ago when, “GM Brian Cashman had said he wouldn’t give up the first-round draft pick required to ink Soriano. But Hal and Hank Steinbrenner didn’t agree with this game plan – according to a source familiar with the Yankees’ thinking – and overruled him, giving the righthander a deal that could ultimately go to three years and pay him $35 million.”
The article goes on to say, “The overwhelming concern among the Yankees brass, the source said, was that the club was going into the season with an uncertain starting rotation and little protection for closer Mariano Rivera. The move leaves the team without the draft pick Cashman coveted, but with one of the best bullpens in baseball.”
Also, “According to the source, the Steinbrenners were bothered by Cashman’s blueprint. One of the big issues was that Joba Chamberlain, a prized prospect yet to reach an expected high ceiling, was going to be Rivera’s primary set-up man.”
“Cashman had maintained his confidence in homegrown relievers Chamberlain and David Robertson, but Bombers’ braintrust did not. If nothing else, they saw Soriano, coming off a career best 45-save season with a 1.73 ERA, as a premium insurance policy they couldn’t pass up.”
Along with the re-signing of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera, the signing of Rafael Soriano is also one of the Yankees most important moves of this very disappointing off-season, so far. Not getting Cliff Lee, who signed with the Phillies; And not pursuing Carl Crawford, who signed with the Red Sox, really have been two major set-backs for the Yanks. Also, it looks like Andy Pettitte is leaning towrads retirement. So this leads to many interesting decisions that have to be made during spring training.
I praise Hank and Hal Steinbrenner for taking charge of the Soriano signing, like they should have.
Now I hope Hank and Hal will also settle another very pressing matter regarding the Yankees pitching staff by sending down the orders to put Joba Chamberlain in the starting rotation during spring training, to “finally” give Joba every opportunity to succeed as a starter this season.
After CC Sabathia and Phil Hughes, the Yankees starting rotation is “very weak” and “uncertain” as of this date. Surely Joba Chamberlain can fill the role of the fourth or fifth starter very nicely this season if he is given the chance, that, in my view, he really has not been given [so far] in his brief major league career.
Again, I say: “Let the great Joba debate continue” !!!
– Jimmy Curran, “BY&L” – Baseball, The Yankees, and Life …
What A Relief For Yanks Bullpen
Well, it has been a very quiet winter (off) season for the New York Yankees so far. But on this freezing cold Bronx day in the middle of January, the Yanks announced the completion of a major bridge-building project by signing the Tampa Bay Rays “All-Star” closer, Rafael Soriano, to a three-year, $35 million deal, to become the Yanks eight-inning, “Bridge-to-Mariano”, set-up man.
There are player options built into the contract that would allow Soriano to leave the Yanks after each season if he chooses. But if the “Great Mariano” does decide to retire after the 2012 season, Soriano would be the leading candidate to become the next Yankees closer in 2013, replacing the “unreplaceable” Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer in baseball history, and a certain “first-time ballot” Hall of Fame inductee sometime in the year 2018.
Soriano, 31, led the American League with 45 saves last season, allowing just 36 hits in 62.1 innings, with 57 strikeouts, and a 1.73 ERA. These are perfect numbers to solidify the eight inning relief workload for the Yanks, setting the stage for Mariano to close out victories in the ninth.
But with only 31 days remaining until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the Yankees have many question marks regarding their pitching staff.
The starting rotation is very uncertain at this time with only CC Sabathia, Phil Hughes, and A.J. Burnett slated to be in the rotation. Cliff Lee decided to sign with the Phillies, even though the Yanks did make a better offer for him to pitch in the Bronx. Javier Vasquez was not re-signed [a smart move by the Yanks]. And Andy Pettitte is leaning towards retirement.
So that leaves Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre as the “front-runners” to win the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation. And I’m sure we will all see a full complement of a various random amount of “cast of characters” also battling it out for one of the starting spots.
Without Cliff Lee and Andy Pettitte, though, the Yankees starting rotation looks very weak, at this point in time, only a month before spring training starts.
The closing end of the bullpen in the eight and ninth innings is set, and very solid.
This leaves the middle relievers, in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, to complete the bullpen and hold the score when they enter the games. Right now, these roles would be filled by: David Robertson; Boone Logan; Pedro Feliciano (with the Mets in 2010; signed for two-years); and, of course, Joba Chamberlain.
Ah, yes. Joba Chamberlain.
There are many pitching decisions that must be made by the Yankees braintrust during this upcoming spring training. And with the “weak” state of the starting rotation, in my view, the Yankees should give Joba every opportunity to start this year !
Let the great “Joba Debate” begin once again !!!
— Jimmy Curran, “BY&L” – Baseball, The Yankees, and Life …
Yanks Rise Up From The Dead; Cut Texas’ Lead To 3-2
The Yankees cut the Texas Rangers lead in the ALCS to three games to two, with a 7-2 win in Game Five at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The series now heads back to Texas for Game Six, and, hopefully, Game Seven.
CC Sabathia did not have his best stuff in this “must-win” game, but pitched well enough to earn the victory. CC tossed 112 pitches over six “battling” innings on the mound, allowing only two runs, on 11 hits, seven strikeouts, and “zero” walks.
The key to victory for the Bronx Bombers, though, was taking an early lead, scoring three runs in the second inning. And increasing that lead to 5-0 in the third on back-to-back homers by Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano (his fourth of this series). Curtis Granderson also hit a solo homerun in the eight inning to cap the score at 7-2.
Sabathia gave all the effort an “ace” could give through six innings. Then it was time for the bullpen to take over. Kerry Wood delivered two scoreless innings of relief in the seventh and eight, building a solid “Bridge to Mariano Rivera”. The “Great Mariano” then entered the game, and closed out this victory by pitching a scoreless ninth to keep the Yankees alive in this series.
So, everything looks a little brigher for the Yankees and all in the Yankees Universe today, as the Bronx Bombers get ready to play Game Six tomorrow night (Oct. 22) in Texas.
And the 2010 ALCS continues …
“Go Yankees” !!!
— Jimmy “BY&L” – Baseball, The Yankees, and Life …
Not Wild About Yanks Wild Card Finish …
But …
The Yankees did hold on to make the Playoffs, even though they finished the season with a (9-17) record over the final 26 games.
This weak finish resulted in the New York Yankees (95-67) not winning the AL East, the toughest division in all of Baseball, which placed the Bronx Bombers in second place behind the first place Tampa Bay Rays (96-66), who also did not play very well down the stretch. Thus, the Yankees entered the 2010 post season via the “wild card” route.
Overall, though, it was a great season for the Yankees. And with all the talk about who the Yanks MVP was this season, in my view, that honor belongs to CC Sabathia (21-7) with a 3.13 ERA. This opinion also extends to CC being honored with the American League MVP Award, as well as the AL Cy Young Award.
Without Sabathia’s great pitching performances throughout the 2010 season, the Yankees would not be playing in the post-season this year. CC was “Money” all year long. Especially considering A.J. Burnett’s (10-15) lost season on the mound; Andy Pettitte’s injury at mid-season; And Phil Hughes not pitching as well in the second half of the season as he did in the first half. The rest of the starting rotation was okay at best, while CC was the Yanks “Ace”, “MVP”, and should be awarded the AL “Cy Young Award”, and AL “MVP” Award.
My opinion about CC being the Yanks MVP takes nothing away from the Yankees great lineup which was “awesome” this season. It’s just, I think, without CC Sabathia pitching as well as he did this year, the New York Yankees would not be playing ball this October. CC was the main key to victory for the Yanks in 2010. He was the one Yankee, at least in this season, and in my opinion, that was “indispensable”, even more so than the “Great Mariano” Rivera.
Anyway, its great that September finally ended. There were way too many “mixed messages” being sent out by the Yankees braintrust about wanting to win the AL East. But if the Yankees finished second, that seemed to be okay with Manager Joe Girardi and General Manager Brian Cashman, as the Yanks would enter the playoffs as the wild card team. And so, that ended up being the result. A second place finish by the Bombers. A wild card berth into October baseball.
Of course, the ultimate goal for the Yankees every year is to win the World Series. Anything less would be a failure. So seeing the Yankees playing important games in October once again puts their second place finish this season into a distant memory.
Another “Fall Classic” is clearly in sight for the Yankees. And when the sun sets on this Baseball Season, all Yankee fans hope the #27 will fade into the horizon of the great Yankees history and tradition, with a new number, #28, raising up to take its place center stage in the Yankees Universe, “shining” for all to see, and glowing proudly …
“New York Yankees, 2010 World Champions” !!!
Enjoy the “Playoffs”, everybody …
– Jimmy Curran, “BY&L” – Baseball, The Yankees, and Life …
Eight Wins In-A-Row For Bronx Bombers
The Yankees (86-50) continued on their path to another first place finish in the AL East by taking the first two games of their three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-3 and 7-5, in the Bronx, increasing their winning streak to eight games, and upping their lead to 2.5 games over the second place Rays (83-52). The third place Red Sox (76-60) lost a day-night double-header by an identical 3-1 score in both games to fall 10 games out of first, and 8 games behind the Rays in the wild card race.
The Bronx Bombers are on a late-season roll.
In the first game of this series, the Yanks were led to victory by another fine performance by Curtis Granderson, (2-for-3), with two walks, one run, and three RBI’s. Granderson continues his hot hitting ways since working on his swing with hitting coach Kevin Long. A great game by Brett Gardner, (1-for-3), with two walks, three runs, and one RBI, also contributed to the 7-3 win.
The Yankees bullpen also delivered a solid effort after starter Ivan Nova was replaced on the mound after throwing only four and two-thirds innings. Kerry Wood (W,3-4) was awarded the win by the official scorer for pitching the best of the Yankee relievers [in the opinion of the scorer]. The win could have easily been awarded to Mariano Rivera who closed out the victory by tossing a six-pitch scoreless ninth.
Berkman was (2-for-4); Pena was (2-for-4), with one RBI; and the rookie Nunez, who played short for Derek Jeter [who had a day off], raised his batting average to .308 with a (2-for-4), one run, day.
Derek Jeter was the major topic of discussion in the sports sections of the New York newspapers, and on Sports Talk radio, this past week. More on Jeter in another post.
In Game Two of this series, Manager Joe Girardi provided more controversy when he replaced starter Javier Vazquez in the fifth inning, with two outs, and runners on first and third, with the Yankees in the lead 5-3.
Over-managing by Girardi? Maybe, as this was the third time over the last couple of weeks that the Yankee manager has replaced his starting pitcher with only four and two-thirds innings of work on the mound. Nova in the first game of this series, and Dustin Moseley in his last start, were the other two starters to fall victim to Girardi’s quick hook.
Ironically, Moseley, who was called into this game to replace Vazquez, was taken out of the rotation and sent to the bullpen after his last start. And Vazquez, after two good bullpen appearances, was placed back into the rotation in Moseley’s spot to make this start against the Blue Jays. Sounds very confusing and over-calculating by the Yankees braintrust, doesn’t it?
At any rate Moseley replaced Vazquez in this game. And just as quick as one of Girardi’s hooks of late, he allowed a two-run double to Lyle Overbay that tied the score 5-5.
Vazquez could have been just as ineffective, or maybe he could have gotten out of the jam. At least he should have been given the opportunity to get the final out, and complete five innings that would have given him a possible chance to earn the win as the starting pitcher. Probably Vazquez should have just remained in the bullpen at this time since he has been effective in that role in his previous two appearances.
Well, the game remained tied until the seventh inning when Marcus Thames blasted a two-out, two-run homer (#11), that drove home Robinson Cano who kept the inning going with a two-out single, moving the Bombers into a 7-5 lead.
Thames has been just as hot at the plate as Granderson in recent weeks, hitting .314 with seven home runs and 13 RBI’s over his last ten games in the lineup.
Other than Moseley the bullpen was very solid the rest of the way in this game, as Logan, Chamberlain (W,2-4), Wood, and Rivera all pitched a scoreless inning each from the sixth inning on.
The Great Mariano closed out this 7-5 victory by recording his 29th save.
Anyway, when all was said and done, the Yankees ended up winning their eight straight game to stay atop the AL East by 2.5 games.
Even with the best record in baseball there is always room for some controversy.
– Jimmy Curran “BY&L” – Baseball, The Yankees, and Life …
Yanks Make Statement In 7-6 Comeback Win In Texas
As the second game of this two-game mini-series against the Texas Rangers entered the sixth inning, it did not look very good for the New York Yankees. Cliff Lee was cruising along to another complete game victory. Javier Vazquez was terrible; already out of the game after allowing six runs, on eight hits, two walks, and “no” strikeouts, in four and a third innings. And the Yanks were losing 6-1 in what surely looked like the Rangers would end the night with a two-game sweep of the Bombers.
Then, the Yanks scored a run in the sixth to cut the score to 6-2. And got a couple of RBI hits by Lance Berkman and Brett Gardner in the top of the seventh to tighten the score even more, but still in favor of the Rangers, 6-4.
More importantly, though, Lee was not going to pitch any further than the seven and a third innings he already tossed. Lee’s night ended in the seventh, like U.S. Grant was leading the charge. But making a powerful charge, comeback, and statement were the Yankees – the Yankees from the Bronx.
Until the seventh, Lee was pitching like the pitcher the Yankees had thought they made a trade for a few weeks ago. Brian Cashman tried to work out a deal, but better players from the Rangers brought the ace to Texas. The Yanks will have to wait until this winter before Lee starts seraching for houses in the New York area, again. Certainly the wait will be worth it. But Lee would have been a very important addition to the Yankees starting staff right now, even after seeing him leave yesterday’s game way too early. Of course, way too early as far as the Rangers were concerned.
Cliff Lee left the mound after throwing 106 pitches over seven and a third innings, in which he allowed four runs, on eight hits, “no” walks, and “eleven” strikeouts. Still a much better outing than Vazquez.
Lee’s departure started a parade of six relievers from the Rangers bullpen.
Marcus Thames (3-for-5), with two runs, and two RBI’s, blasted a home run, his fourth this season, in the top of the eight, to close the score to 6-5.
After Mitre and Wood held the Rangers scoreless in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings, this game entered the top of the ninth with the Yanks still trailing 6-5.
Texas Manager Ron Washington mixed and matched pitchers in the ninth, starting with closer Neftali Feliz.
Feliz walked Berkman, which was followed by a single by Brett Gardner (2-for-4). Derek Jeter (3-for-5) was up next, and was set to bunt the runners over. But Feliz threw a wild pitch which did the same job a bunt would have done – advance both runners.
Curtis Granderson was now in the game as a pinch-runner for Berkman, and scored the tying run on a RBI single up the middle [of a drawn-in infield] by Jeter.
The next batter, Nick Swisher, struck out.
Thames was up next and faced new reliever Alexi Ogando.
And, Marcus Thames delivered once again, by lining a RBI single to leftfield that moved the Yanks into the 7-6 lead.
The Yanks battled all the way back from being down 6-1, to now taking the lead into the bottom of the ninth inning.
Enter The “Great” Mariano Rivera.
The inning started like the night before for Mariano, by giving up a hit. This time a triple to Elvis Andrus.
So, with the tying run at third, Mariano retired Michael Young on a fly ball to right for out number one; Got Josh Hamilton to hit a soft ground ball to the mound for the second out; And, ended the game by getting Vladimir Guerrero to hit a grounder to third for the final out, which earned The Great Mariano his 24th save.
Game over. The Yankees win 7-6, completing their comeback and statement.
– Jimmy Curran “BY&L” – Baseball, The Yankees, and Life …
Moseley “Dust-in-Time”. Replaces A.J.; Beats Sox 7-2
A.J. Burnett was supposed to start Game Three of the four-game series against the Boston Red Sox; but, Burnett suffered some back stiffness in a throwing session before the game. So, Joe Girardi decided to scratch the struggling starter, and move up Dustin Moseley one day in the rotation to replace A.J. and start the ESPN Sunday Night Game vs. the Sox.
This move also affected Phil Hughes, who will also be moved up in the rotation to start the final game of this series on Monday afternoon. Burnett is expected to start Tuesday’s game against the Rangers when the Yanks begin a six-game road trip in Texas [two games vs. the Rangers; and, four games against the Kansas City Royals].
There were many story lines in this game, but the brillant pitching performance by Moseley was the lead story.
Dustin Moseley (2-1), delivered a solid six and a third innings on the mound, allowing two runs, on six hits and two walks, while striking out five. Boston scored their runs on a fifth inning solo homer by Bill Hall (#13), off Moseley; and, a pitch-hit RBI single by Mike Lowell in the seventh off reliever Joba Chamberlain.
Joba was not effective in his outing, as he also walked a batter before a not-too-happy manager Joe Girardi replaced him with Boone Logan who got out of the late-inning jam.
The Yankees took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Lance Berkman doubled, and scored on an infield hit by Brett Gardner, that included an error by second-baseman Hall, which allowed the first run to score. And, then, Derek Jeter stroked a solid line drive RBI single to center that plated Gardner with the Yanks second run.
This was Jeter’s 2,874th career hit, which passed the great Babe Ruth on the all-time hit list, positioning the captain in 39th place on the historic list. The New York Giants Mel Ott is next on the list, as Jeter continues on his path to becoming the first Yankee player to reach 3,000 lifetime hits, and many more, depending on how long Jeter decides to play for the Bronx Bombers.
With the score 2-1 as the Yanks entered the bottom of the fifth, the Bombers exploded for five runs to break this game wide open.
Mark Teixeira led off the the inning with his 25th homer, making Teix only the fourth Major League player to hit at least 25 homeruns in each of their first eight seasons in the bigs. The other players to achieve this rare stat were Eddie Mathews, Darryl Strawberry, and Albert Pujols. Very cool, indeed !!!!
The Yankees then scored the rest of their runs in the fifth when Robinson Cano crossed the plate on an error by catcher Kevin Cash on an attempted pickoff throw; A RBI double by Berkman who was (3-for-4) in the game, finally breaking through with the production the Yankees expect from him; And, a two-RBI double by Jeter, that capped the five-run inning, giving the Yanks a 7-2 lead, which completed the scoring in this contest.
Red Sox starter Josh Beckett (L,3-2), was knocked out of the game in the bottom of the fifth, after a very poor showing in this game. The Yanks pounded out 11 hits, and walked twice, in route to scoring their seven runs off Beckett, which increased his ERA to 6.21.
The bullpen was effective the rest of the way for the Sox, as Delcarmen ended the fifth inning with a strikeout. And, Tim Wakefield delivered three scoreless innings in the 7th, 8th, and 9th. But, the Sox could not produce a comeback rally, and the score stayed at 7-2 in favor of the Yanks.
Alex Rodriguez returned to the lineup playing third base for the Yanks. And showed no ill effects from the batting practice ball that was hit off his left ankle before Saturday’s game. A-Rod was (1-for-3), with a walk and run scored, and, also, a stolen base, the 300th of his career.
David Robertson recorded the first two outs of the ninth, including walking a batter, which inspired Girardi to bring in Mariano Rivera to get the final out in this very important game, even though it was not a save situation.
The Great Mariano delivered once again by throwing one pitch which resulted in out number three, preserving another Yankees victory.
And, so it goes.
The Yankees (69-41) remain in first place in the AL East by 2.5 games over the Tampa Bay Rays (67-44), who lost 1-0 yesterday against the Toronto Blue Jays, in a game in which the Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow had a no-hitter with two-outs in the ninth inning that was broken up by an infield single by Evan Longoria. Morrow stayed in the game after the hit to earn a 1-0 complete game shutout, which is just as rare as a no-hitter these days in baseball. The three-game sweep by Jays continued a five-game losing streak by the Rays.
With their loss in the Bronx, the Red Sox (63-49) stay in third place, seven games behind the Yankees, and five games behind the Rays.
The Yankees now look to win this series from the Red Sox with a victory in Game Four at the Stadium, Monday afternoon, in the Beautiful Bronx, New York.
– Jimmy Curran “BY&L” – Baseball, The Yankees, and Life …
CC Aces Red Sox 5-2, Recording 150th Career Win
It was a big week for CC Sabathia and his family, as he and his wife Amber were blessed with their fourth child on Thursday. Then, on Saturday, CC recorded his 150th career victory in Game Two of a four-game weekend series against the Boston Red Sox, leading the Yankees to a 5-2 win on the “Fox Game of the Week”.
The Sox scored first in the top of the second on a solo homer by Victor Martinez, and back-to-back doubles by Adrian Beltre and Mike Lowell to take an early 2-0 lead.
The Yanks struck right back to tie the score against Bosox starter John Lackey (L,10-7), in the bottom of the second on a RBI triple by Curtis Granderson, and a groundout RBI by Ramiro Pena … Pena was playing third in place of the injured Alex Rodriguez, who was hit on the left ankle by a line drive off the bat of Lance Berkman in batting practice.
In the fifth inning, the Yankees took the lead on four straight two-out singles by Nick Swisher, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, and Jorge Posada, moving ahead in the game by a score of 4-2.
Pena stroked a RBI single in the sixth inning to drive home the final run of the game, framing the score at Yankees 5, Red Sox 2.
Sabathia (14-5) had a very solid outing, throwing 101 pitches over eigth innings on the mound, allowing [only] the two runs in the second inning, on six hits, one walk, and four strikeouts, lowering his ERA to 3.14.
CC retired the final 20 of 24 batters he faced, before the “Great Mariano” closed out this victory by pitching a perfect ninth for his 23th save.
This victory, combined with the 17-11 Tampa Bay Rays loss to the Toronto Blue Jays [a game in which the Blue Jays hit eight homers], upped the Yanks (68-41) lead over the Rays (67-43) to 1.5 games in the AL East, and dropped the third place Red Sox (63-48), to six games behind the Bronx Bombers.
A very fine week and day for CC Sabathia. And, a great game by the New York Yankees.
– Jimmy Curran “BY&L” – Baseball, The Yankees, and Life …
Phillies Win Game 5; Yankees Still Lead Series, 3-2
No second guessing [here] on my part regarding Joe Girardi’s decision to pitch A. J. Burnett on three games rest in Game 5 of the World Series against the Phillies. Even though A.J. was terrible in his start … in my view, Girardi, and the Yankees braintrust, made the right move in sending Burnett to the mound because basically: what other options did they have?
Chad Gaudin, the only possible fourth starter for the Yanks in this series, has not pitched in about a month. He would have pitched no more than three to five innings. So, it would have made very little sense in taking a chance with Gaudin on the mound instead of Burnett, especially, with all the ineffectiveness out of the bullpen.
A.J. was brought to the Bronx to pitch big games for the Yanks, and it seems very clear to me: Game 5 of the World Series was a “big” game. Since Burnett was available to pitch on three games rest, then, there really was no other choice for Girardi, but to pitch A.J. over Gaudin. Period.
There is no way to sugarcoat A.J. Burnett’s performance, though — he was awful.
A.J., who had a solid outing in Game 2, lasted only two innings, allowing, six runs, on four hits, four walks, and two strikeouts.
He was replaced by David Robertson with no outs in the third inning, after walking Utley and Howard, and, then, allowing RBI singles to Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez before being taken out of the game. Robertson allowed one more run to score for a 6-1 Phillies lead before getting out of the jam without any further damage.
The Phillies took their first lead, 3-1, in the bottom of the first inning on a three-run homer by Chase Utley after the Yanks scored a run in the top of the inning.
In the seventh inning, the Phillies increased their lead to 8-2 on solo home runs by Utley and Ibanez. Utley’s homer was his fifth of the series, tying Reggie Jackson’s record of five homers in the Yankees victory over the Dodgers in the 1977 World Series.
In the meantime, Phillies starter, Cliff Lee pitched seven solid innings before getting into trouble in the top of the eight inning.
Johnny Damon led off the eight with a single which was followed by a single by Mark Teixeira and a two-RBI double by Alex Rodriguez that cut the Phillies lead to 8-4.
Lee (2-0), was replaced by Chan Ho Park with no outs in the eight.
Park faced Nick Swisher, who advanced Rodriguez on a ground ball out. A-Rod then scored on a sac-fly by Robinson Cano that made the score 8-5.
The Yankees scored their final run in the top of the ninth, before Ryan Madson closed out the Phillies 8-6 victory.
The 2009 World Series now heads to the Beautiful Bronx for Game 6, with the New York Yankees leading the series “three” games to “two” over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Another classic pitching match-up is on tap …
Andy Pettitte, (Yankees) vs. Pedro Martinez, (Phillies).
In my view, I think both starters will pitch well, with Andy out-dueling Pedro into the seventh inning.
But, the key for a Yankees win will be a solid bridge directly from Pettitte, with seven strong innings pitched, to the “Great Mariano” Rivera, closing out the Yankees World Series winning final game by recording a two-inning save, pitching a scoreless eight and ninth innings.
Andy to Mariano is: “THE BRIDGE TO VICTORY” !!!
And, a final note: I look for huge offensive numbers by: Hideki Matsui, Jorge Posada, and Mark Teixeira in tonight’s game.
“GO YANKEES” !!!
ONE MORE WIN FOR #27 !!!
Enjoy the game tonight …
— Jimmy, “BY&L”
Baseball, The Yankees, and Life... 