Cliff Lee made it look easy as the Phillies cruised past the Yankees 6-1 in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series. Heading into the 9th inning, Lee had given up just 4 hits (and no walks!) through 8 innings while striking out 8. After giving up singles to Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon to start the inning, Lee induced Mark Teixeira to hit into what should have been a double play. But Jimmy Rollins error allowed Jeter to score and Teixeira to move up to 2nd base with 1 out. But instead of getting flustered, Lee simply struck out Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada swinging to end the “mini” threat. Phillies 6, Yankees 1, Advantage Phillies with the 1-0 lead. The Lee – Sabathia duel was a good one, but Lee was just that much better. To not walk a single Yankees batter while pitching 9 innings is simply incredible. Lee never seemed out of sync and he never seemed to be intimidated by pitching in the Bronx.
Sabathia pitched well for the Yankees, but not good enough. He only gave up 4 hits and 3 walks in 7 solid innings of work. But 2 of the hits were solo home runs to Chase Utley. The Phillies only broke the game open after Sabathia departed after throwing 113 pitches in 7 innings. Phil Hughes promptly walked the only 2 batters he faced in the top of the 8th inning. Both runners came around to score on Raul Ibanez’s clutch 2-out 2-run single against David Robertson. That gave the Phillies a daunting 4-0 lead with just 6 outs left for the Yankees. Brian Bruney and Phil Coke did not fare much better in the top of the 9th inning. The 2 pitchers allowed 2 more insurance runs to score on Shane Victorino’s single and Ryans Howard’s double.
All in all, it was a solid start for the Phillies. They showed they were not intimidated by the Yankee “aura”. They showed the could score runs against the Yankees best pitcher. And they showed that they were in this for the long haul.
There’s not too much time to dwell on the Game 1 loss for the Yankees. Game 2 is tonight at 7:57PM EST on FOX. Pedro Martinez will surely be greeted with a lot of boos as he tries to pitch the Phillies to a 2-0 lead against A.J. Burnett. I hate to say there is a must-win game this early in a series, but it would serve the Yankees well to find a way to get a W tonight in the Bronx. Heading back to Philly for Game 3 on Saturday night down 2 games to none is not the game plan that Manager Joe Girardi and the Yankees drew up before the start of the 2009 Fall Classic.
Tags: A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, Joe Girardi, Pedro Martinez, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino
Is there trouble in JOBRO land? Rumors are swirling that the Jonas Brothers are breaking up. Teenage girls are crying and holding vigils all throughout the country to try to keep the trio together. The country financial crisis – who cares! The Swine Flu Epidemic – who cares! The only thing that really matters – will the Jonas Brothers stay together?
Our sources have discovered that Nick Jonas has started his own band – Nick Jonas & the Administration. Nick’s new group is recording an album set to be released in 2010. Does that mean the end for the Jonas Team? Maybe, maybe not. The group is still finishing up their world tour as they are currently playing in Venezuela. Each of the brothers had something to say about the rumors:
Nick: “We’ve said from the beginning of our career as the Jonas Brothers that anything we do outside of the group is a side project because you can’t break up brothers.”
Joe & Kevin together in a joint statement: “We are so proud of our brother Nick… A 3-chord strand is not easily broken, and one thing’s for sure… this 3-chord strand is stronger now than it’s ever been.”
Wow – not only can they jam and rock, they can speak in metaphors. These guys are much more talented than I thought. Stay tuned Jonas Team fans – we’ll keep you posted when we hear the latest on the status of the Jonas Brothers…
