World Series
MLB Action Starts Tonight — Yankees @ Red Sox @ Fenway Park
Sunday, April 4th, 2010 | 2010 Schedule, Boston Red Sox, College Basketball, Final Four, MLB, NCAA College Basketball, New York Yankees, Sports, World Series | No Comments
After a long spring, MLB action finally starts tonight as the defending World Series Champion New York Yankees invade Boston to take on the Red Sox at Fenway Park. What better way to kick off the 2010 MLB schedule with a battle between these 2 bitter rivals.
Yankees ace CC Sabathia squares off against Red Sox ace Josh Beckett in an epic match-up. Sabathia led the Yankees to their 2009 World Series crown, while Beckett led his squad to the 2007 crown with his stellar post-season pitching run. It doesn’t get better than this.
Enjoy the start of baseball season tonight on Sunday Night ESPN baseball. Throw in live MLB opening day action all day on Monday and then the NCAA Final Four Championship Game pitting Duke against Butler on Monday night and you have yourself a sports Nirvana the next 36 hours!
Matsui, Pettitte Lead Yankees to World Series Title
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 | 2009 Fall Classic, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports, World Series | No Comments
Pedro Martinez just couldn’t get Hideki Matsui out on Wednesday night. In the 2nd inning, Matsui gave the Yankees an early 2-0 lead with a 2-run HR off of Pedro. In the 3rd inning, Matsui extended the Yankees lead to 4-1 with a 2-run single off of Martinez. Matsui capped off his amazing night – this time against Phillies lefty J.A. Happ – with a 2-run double that blew the game open in the 5th inning. After Matsui’s 3rd crushing blow of the night, the Yankees led 7-1 and they would cruise to an easy 7-3 victory in World Series Game 6. The win clinched the 27th World Series Championship for the storied franchise.
For his efforts, Matsui was named the World Series MVP – even though he only started in 3 of the 6 games played. Matsui finished the series with 8 hits in 13 at-bats, with 8 RBI’s and 3 runs scored, including 3 homers. His phenomenal Game 6 performance clinched it – no other player had ever had 6 RBI’s in a single World Series game.
Although Andy Pettitte did not have his best stuff – 3 ER on 4 hits and 5 walks in 5 2/3 inning – Pettitte worked out of jams and avoided the big inning that allowed the Yankees to keep extending the lead as the night progressed. It was Pettitte’s 18th career post-season win and his 6th win to end a playoff series – both major league records. Shockingly, Pettitte also started and won the game-clinching game in each of the Yankees series’ wins this October/November – against the Twins, Angels and Phillies. No other player has ever done that in MLB history.
Mariano Rivera – what can you say. Although he did not get a save on Wednesday night, he did get the final 5 Phillies outs of the game. He came in with 1-out in the 8th inning and gave up a double in that inning and a harmless walk in the 9th inning. For the series, Rivera appeared in 4 of 6 games – 5 1/3 innings pitched, 0 ER, 3 hits, 2 walks and 3 K’s. Rivera allowed just 1 ER in his 12 2009 post-season appearances. For his career, in 88 post-season appearances, he has allowed more than 1 run in a game only once! Pretty amazing.
Congrats to the Yankees – as much as it pains me to say. The happiest/luckiest guy around is Manager Joe Girardi. If the Yankees had not won, or if had gone to a Game 7 where CC Sabathia would have had to pitch on 3 days’ rest, Girardi could have been on the hot seat for his moves. Now that they’ve won, he gets a reprieve and looks like a genius for “knowing his players and their limitations.” Girardi – a 3-time World Series winner as a Yankee player – had this to say about the accomplishment – “To be able to deliver this to the Boss, the stadium that he created and the atmosphere he has created around here is very gratifying for all of us.”
World Series Game 6 – Pedro Martinez, Phillies @ Andy Pettitte, Yankees
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 | 2009 Fall Classic, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports, World Series | No Comments
Can’t wait for World Series Game 6 tonight in the Bronx. Should be a blast to watch.
Can’t believe that Pedro Martinez and Andy Pettitte are going to duke it out on the main stage. The 2 pitchers have faced each other 6 times in their careers, but never in the post-season. In those 6 games, each pitcher has won 3 times and lost 3 times. The visiting team has won each game (advantage Phillies) and Pedro has a better ERA in those games – 3.86 to 5.88. Pedro has pitched better than Andy in this World Series. In Game 2, Martinez worked 6 innings, giving up 3 ER on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 8 (he took the loss against A.J. Burnett). In Game 3, Pettitte worked 6 innings, giving up 4 ER on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7 (he got the win against Cole Hamels). Further, Pettitte does not pitch well on 3 days’ rest – in 18 career starts on 3 days’ rest, Pettitte is 5-7 with a 4.18 ERA. Pettitte has pitched well this post-season, however – 3-0 in 4 starts with a 3.24 ERA.
Plus – you gotta love the quotes from the 2 starters – -
Pedro: “Two old goats out there doing the best they can and having fun with it. I don’t have enough words to describe how excited I am about being here. This is just a great gift to me.”
Andy: “I think everybody knew it was going to be a great Series. I think everybody knew it was going to be a tough Series. And it looks like it’s living up to that.”
Fasten your seat belts baseball fans. It should be a fun, but bumpy ride tonight in the Bronx…
Utley, Lee Force Series Back to New York: Phillies 8, Yankees 6
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 | 2009 Fall Classic, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports, World Series | No Comments
It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win, especially when a loss sends you home for a long winter break…
The Phillies defeated the Yankees on Monday night, forcing the World Series back to the Bronx for a Game 6 on Wednesday night at the New Yankee Stadium. Cliff Lee rose to the challenge and picked up his 2nd win of the Series. After giving up a single run in the 1st inning on an Alex Rodriguez double, Lee held the Yankees scoreless until Johnny Damon’s RBI groundout in the 5th inning. By that time, the Phillies led 6-2 and looked like they were going to cruise to victory. But Lee gave up hits to the 1st 3 batters he faced in the 8th inning, and Manager Charlie Manuel was forced to go to his troubled bullpen after A-Rod crushed Lee’s 112th pitch for a 2-run double that cut the lead to 8-4. But Chan Ho Park rose to the challenge, getting the next 3 outs and limiting the threat to just 1 more run. Manuel then opted to go with Ryan Madsen instead of closer Brad Lidge in the 9th inning. After a double and single to start the inning brought the tying run to the plate, Madsend induced Derek Jeter to hit into a run-scoring double play. Johnny Damon singled to prolong the inning, but Madsen rallied to end the game by striking out Mark Teixeira. You’d hate to see what will happen if the Phillies have a 1-run lead heading into the 9th inning. Given how Lidge and Madsen have pitched thus far, you might just want to leave your starter in the game.
Lee ended up with a ho-hum night – 7 innings pitched, 5 ER, 7 hits, 3 walks and 3 K’s. It was only a matter of time before the Yankees middle of the lineup got to him. But he did what he had to do to keep the series going. And given the way Cole Hamels has pitched this post-season, if the Phillies had not acquired Lee from the Indians mid-season, we might be looking at a different National League representative in the World Series.
The other big story – Chase Utley – can’t believe it took me this long to get to him. Utley answered A-Rod’s 1st inning double with a 3-run home run of his own to stake the Phillies to a 3-1 lead. He also hit a solo home run in the 7th inning that extended the Phillies lead to 7-2. On the night, Utley went 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 home runs, 4 RBI’s and 3 runs scored. Utley is hitting .333, with 5 home runs, 8 RBI’s and 6 runs scored for the Series. Utley and former Yankees slugger Reggie Jackson are the only 2 players to ever hit 5 home runs in a single World Series. If the Phillies somehow come back and win this World Series, he and Lee will be sharing the MVP trophy.
What it all boils down to – Game 6 – Andy Pettitte on 3 days’ rest v. Pedro Martinez on full 4 days’ rest. Pettitte gave up 4 ER on 5 hits and 3 walks in Saturday night’s World Series win, but he does not have a good history of pitching on 3 days’ rest. Martinez pitched as well as could be expected of him in Game 2 in New York last week. Although he took the loss – 3 ER on 6 hits and 2 walks in 6 inning – he lost to the better pitcher that night – A.J. Burnett. Could Martinez outduel Pettitte? You betcha…
Should be fun to watch, especially if the Phillies can force a Game 7. Sabathia is definitely going for the Yankees, but who will get the shot at glory for the Phillies – Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Lee? Ah the suspense…
Yankees in Driver’s Seat with 7-4 Game 4 Win; World Series Title in Sight!
Monday, November 2nd, 2009 | 2009 Fall Classic, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports, World Series | No Comments
The New York Yankees are in the driver’s seat. With their 7-4 win on Sunday night, the Yankees now lead the Phillies 3-1 in the 2009 World Series. One more win, and the Yankees will have the franchise’s 27th World Series Championship.
Sunday night’s game was a game for the ages. CC Sabathia pitching on 3 days’ rest. Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel going with Joe Blanton instead of his ace Cliff Lee on 3 days’ rest. Lead changes galore. Home runs, hit batsmen – what more could you ask for.
The Yankees struck 1st with 2 runs in the top of the 1st, but the Phillies answered with single runs in the 1st and 4th innings to tie the game at 2. The Yankees jumped back on top with run scoring singles from Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon in the top of the 5th inning. The Yankees still held that 4-2 going into the bottom of the 7th inning, but the Phillies would not be denied. Chase Utley hit a solo home run off of Sabathia (his 3rd off of Sabathia in this series) in the 7th inning and Carlos Ruiz tied the game at 4 with his solo shot off of Joba Chamberlain in the 8th inning.
Manuel opted to go with his closer – Brad Lidge – in a tie game to start the 9th inning, and that move proved to be costly. Although Lidge got the 1st 2 outs of the inning, Damon singled and stole second to get into scoring position. After Lidge plunked Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez delivered the big blow just as he had done the night before (he hit a 2-run HR off of Cole Hamels to get the Yankees back in the game and was also hit by pitches twice). A-Rod’s double gave the Yankees a 5-4 lead and Jorge Posada followed that up with a 2-run single that plated Teixeira and A-Rod for a 7-4 Yankees lead. Just like that, the air left Citizens Bank Ballpark – Phillies fans knew it was over.
Cliff Lee will try to avoid letting the Yankees celebrate on their home turf. Lee outdueled Sabathia in Game 1 of the World Series, but he will go up against A.J. Burnett this time around. Burnett stymied the Phillies in Game 2 of the World Series, but will be pitching on 3 days’ rest, something he has not done so well in his past. If the Phillies can somehow win tonight, it will be Andy Pettitte for the Yankees on 3 days’ rest on Wednesday night in the Bronx. Pettitte does not like pitching on 3 days’ rest, so the Yankees will not be bringing their best lineup in Game 6. Tonight is the key – if the Phillies win, it would not be surprising to see the Phillies take this thing to a dramatic Game 7 in NY. Sabathia would make his 3rd start of the series and we would likely see Cliff Lee for a few innings out of the bullpen on just 2 days’ rest. Bring on the drama…
Lee, Phillies Cruise Past Yankees 6-1 in World Series Game 1
Thursday, October 29th, 2009 | 2009 Fall Classic, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports, World Series | No Comments
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.
World Series Starts Tonight: Lee, Phillies v. Sabathia, Yankees
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 | 2009 Fall Classic, MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports, World Series | No Comments
Fasten your seat belts and get ready for the 2009 Fall Classic. Cliff Lee & the Philadelphia Phillies take on CC Sabathia & the New York Yankees tonight at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Tonight’s match-up is a dream match-up. 2 aces who used to be teammates, 2 pitchers who have been spectacular thus far in the post-season, 1 team looking to repeat as World Series Champions, and 1 team looking to recapture that glory and win its 27th championship in franchise history. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Tune in tonight on FOX at 7:57 Eastern time for the 1st pitch of the 2009 Fall Classic. Not sure where most people are going, but I’m taking the Yankees in 7 games of an epic World Series battle. I like the Phillies lineup better than the Yankees, but I just feel like the Yankees starting pitching is a little bit deeper. Sabathia is great, Burnett is above average and Andy Pettitte brings that experience that makes him so tough to beat in October (and November this year). There’s a reason that Pettitte has the most post-season wins in major league baseball history with 16. After Cliff Lee, Pedro Martinez is a crapshoot, especially with the pressure of a game in the Bronx. Cole Hamels has not been himself, and likely won’t be until he gets the necessary rest this off-season. Joe Blanton? No thank you. It should be a great series – now let’s just hope it lives up to the hype…
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