Cole Hamels
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…
Burnett, Rivera Even Up World Series with 3-1 Win over Phillies
Friday, October 30th, 2009 | MLB, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Sports | No Comments
Not that it was a must-win, but the Yankees must sure be thrilled that they defeated the Phillies 3-1 on Thursday night at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Going down 2-0 and heading to Philadelphia would not have meant the end of the World Series, but it would have been a mighty hill to have to climb to win 2 out of 3 in Philly and then 2 at home in New York to pull off a 7-game World Series win.
A.J. Burnett’s 7-inning gem allowed Manager Joe Girardi to keep his bullpen off the field. Burnett gave up just 1 earned run on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 9. After 108 pitches, Girardi called upon Mariano Rivera to get the Yankees a 6-out save and preserve the 3-1 lead. Rivera came up big in the 8th after 2 men were on with just 1 out. Rivera induced Chase Utley – the Phillies’ Game 1 hero – to hit into an inning-ending double play to end the threat. Rivera allowed the Phillies to get the tying run to the plate when Raul Ibanez doubled with 2-out, but he struck out Matt Stairs swinging to end the game. And then the celebration began in the Bronx.
Pedro Martinez did about as well as he could given the circumstances – he pitched 6 innings, giving up just 3 earned runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. He also had 8 strikeouts. But he gave up solo home runs to Mark Teixeira in the 4th inning and Hideki Matsui in the 6th inning that gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Martinez even started the 7th inning, but Manager Charlie Manuel removed him after he gave up leadoff singles to Jerry Hairston, Jr. and Melky Cabrera. Brett Gardner – who ran for Hairston – ended up scoring an insurance run when Jorge Posada singled off of reliever Chan Ho Park.
Andy Pettitte will square off against Cole Hamels at Citizens Bank Ballpark on Saturday night in Philadelphia. And as it stands now, it looks like we could see a rematch of Game 1 on Sunday night, as CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee are penciled in to start in Game 4 of the World Series on Sunday night. This is really turning into the Classic Epic World Series Battle that we hoped for…
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…
Hamels, Phils Set To Bring World Series Title to Philly
Monday, October 27th, 2008 | MLB, Sports | No Comments
The Philadelphia Phillies are 1 game away from bringing the 2nd World Series title to the city of brotherly love. The Philadelphia Phillies lead the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 in the World Series and will send ace Cole Hamels to the mound to finish off the job and bring home the first World Series Championship to Philadelphia in 28 years. 42 teams have led 3 games to 1 in the World Series, and 36 of those teams have gone on to win the Championship. After losing World Series in 1983 and 1993, however, Phillies fans aren’t taking anything for granted.
Cole Hamels has been as close to perfect as you can expect during the 2008 post-season. Hamels has gone at least 7 innings in each of his 4 post-season starts this year. He has not given up more than 6 hits or 2 earned runs in any of those starts. He beat the Rays 3-2 in World Series Game 1, striking out 5 while only walking 2 Rays’ batters. Hamels will go up against the Game 1 loser Scott Kazmir. Kazmir did not have the best command of his pitches in Game 1, but was able to work out of jams to keep the Rays in the game. Kazmir gave up 6 hits and 4 walks in only 6 innings of work, but yielded only 3 earned runs. His performance made it possible for the Rays to work a comeback, but the Phillies pitching was just too good.
If the Rays have any chance in Game 5, Kazmir will have to be at the top of his game. The Phillies’ bats exploded for 12 hits and 10 runs in World Series Game 4. Ryan Howard blasted his first 2 home runs of the World Series and Jayson Werth and Joe Blanton also hit home runs. The Phillies’ batters were also patient at the plate, drawing a total of 5 walks from 4 Rays’ pitchers. Kazmir will have to keep the Phillies’ batter off-balance and utilize his off-speed pitches to keep Howard and the rest of the wrecking crew in the ballpark.
At this point, it will be hard to imagine this Series going back to the cowbell heaven of Tropicana Field, but anything is possible. All season long, when critics started to write off the young, upstart Rays, that’s when they would go off on one of their long winning streaks. It would take an almost-perfect performance from both the Rays’ batters and pitchers in order to pull off the improbable, but that’s why they play the games. Hamels took home the NLCS MVP honors for his 2 victories against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and I’m thinking adds the World Series MVP trophy to his mantel with his 2nd win over the Rays tonight.
Unsung Heroes Lead Phils to 7-5 Win Over Dodgers
Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 | Sports | No Comments
The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-5 in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Monday October 13th. The Phillies lead the Dodgers 3 games to 1 in the best of 7 series. Trailing 5-3 entering the 8th inning, the Phils used 2-run home runs by each of Center Fielder Shane Victorino and Pinch-hitter Matt Stairs to vault into the 7-5 lead. Reliever Ryan Madson picked up the win in relief, pitching 1 2/3 inning allowing only 1 hit and 1 walk. Fellow relievers J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge closed the game out for the Phillies, as Lidge picked up his 3rd save of the NLCS. After a shaky 1st inning in which Dodgers starter Derek Lowe allowed 2 earned runs, he settled down through 5 innings of work to put his team in a good position to win the game. But the bullpen could not hold onto the lead – Hong-Chih Kuo and Jonathan Broxton each allowed earned runs in relief, while Cory Wade allowed 2 earned runs to take the loss. Manny Ramirez continued his hot hitting – he had 2 hits and an RBI and was walked by the Phillies 3 other times. Dodgers 3rd baseman Casey Blake hit a solo home run in the 6th inning. The Dodgers now have their backs up to the wall – needing to win each of the next 3 games to advance to the World Series. The Phillies will throw ace Cole Hamels in Game 5 of the NLCS on Wednesday October 15th. Hamels won game 1 of the NLCS by allowing only 5 hits and 2 earned runs to the fiery Dodgers offense. The Dodgers will put their season in the hands of Chad Billingsley, who gave up 3 earned runs on 7 hits in Game 2 of the ALCS.
Phillies top Dodgers 3-2 in NLCS Game #1
Friday, October 10th, 2008 | Sports | No Comments
The Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in the 1st game of the National League Championship Series played on Thursday, October 9th. Phillies Ace Cole Hamels pitched 7 strong innings giving up only 2 earned runs on 6 hits. Hamels struck out 8 and walked only 2. Hamels picked up his 2nd victory of the 2008 post-season, and Brad Lidge worked a perfect 9th inning to record the save and preserve the all-important NLDS Game #1 victory. Los Angeles Dodgers starter Derek Lowe was effective until the 6th inning when he gave up a 2-run home run to Chase Utley and a solo home run to Pat Burrell. Lowe didn’t make it out of the 6th inning and only struck out 2 Phillies batters. Manny Ramirex continued his torrid post-season hitting, delivering 2 hits including an RBI-double in the 1st inning to open up the scoring.
NLDS Game #2 is scheduled to start at 4:35PM EST on Friday, October 10th. Chad Billingsley will start for the Dodgers while the Phillies count with veteran Bret Myers.
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