Baseball On Deck

Players of the Day for Wednesday, November 4, 2009

NY Yankees 7, Philadelphia Phillies 3

Prior to the 2003 season, the New York Yankees acquired Hideki Matsui from Japan's Yomiuri Giants with the promise of delivering more World Series glory to the team. Seven years and more then 3300 at-bats, Matsui delivered on that promise with a magnificent Game 6 performance, taking out the Phillies by a 7-3 score, 4 games to 2.

Matsui wasted little time making his presence felt. In the 2nd inning, with no outs and Alex Rodriguez aboard, he took Pedro Martinez out to right field, his two-run homer giving the Yankees an early 2-0 lead.

With Martinez struggling to stay alive in the 3rd, Matsui stepped up with the bases full of Yankees and stroked a single off a two-strike, two-out high fastball. 4-1 Yankees.

By the 5th inning, with Martinez out of the game, replaced by reliever Chad Durbin, it was becoming apparent that New York was on their way. After Derek Jeter doubled to lead off the inning and scored on Mark Teixeira's single, Rodriguez walked and Matsui appeared again at the plate, this time driving a double to right center, plating both of his teammates for a 7-1 lead. Matsui had driven in 6 runs with a single, double and home run in 3 at-bats.

Andy Pettitte protected the lead well until the 6th inning, allowing just one run in the 3rd inning until Ryan Howard finally got untracked with his first homer of the series. with Chase Utley aboard, Howard drove the ball into the left field stands, cutting the Yankee lead to 7-3.

Yankee relievers Joba Chamberlain and Damaso Marte came on to work the last out in the 6th, the entire 7th and the first out in the 8th inning before manager Joe Girardi brought on closer Mariano Rivera. When Rivara induced a weak ground ball from Shane Victorino to second baseman Robinson Cano, the verdict was in: the New York Yankees had captured their 27th World Series championship.

Andy Pettitte took the win, his second of the series. Pettite completed a remarkable post-season, which began by breaking a tie with John Smoltz for the most career post-season wins when he pitched the clincher in the divisional series sweep over Minnesota. It was Pettitte's 16th win in the post-season. He also won the ALCS clincher against the Angels, plus the two World Series wins for 18 post-season wins, a record that likely will stand for a long time. After Smoltz, who is probably pondering retirement, there are no active players listed among the leaders.

Matsui was named Series MVP shortly after the game. He batted an incredible .615 (8-for-13), with 3 home runs and 9 RBI.

Tomorrow: That's a wrap on the 2009 season.

Labels: Andy Pettitte, Hideki Matsui, NY Yankees, World Series

Players of the Day for Monday, November 2, 2009

Philadelphia Phillies 8, NY Yankees 6

Chase Utley socked a three-run homer in the first inning off Yankee starter A.J. Burnett and launched a solo shot in the 7th - his 5th home run of the series, tying him with Reggie Jackson for the most all-time in a series - as the Phillies took Game 5 by an 8-6 score, sending the World Series back to New York for Game 6.

The anticipated pitcher's duel between Burnett and Philly starter Cliff Lee never materialized as the Yankees struck for a run in the first inning when Derek Jeter scampered home from first base on Alex Rodriguez' RBI double.

After Utley's first blast gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead, Phillies batters added three more in the third off RBI singles by Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez and a fielder's choice ground out by catcher Carlos Ruiz. Burnett was chased from the mound, never recording an out in the 3rd inning, officially tagged with all 6 earned runs on 4 hits and 4 walks.

Lee fared better, eventually being lifted in the 8th after allowing a 2-RBI double by Rodriguez with no outs in the inning. Lee finished with 5 earned runs on 7 hits and 3 walks, but did earn the win, his second of the series, without a loss.

The series now shift back to New York for Game 6 on Wednesday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:57 pm ET. Andy Pettitte gets the nod for the Yankees, against Pedro Martinez for the Phillies. The Yankees had the best home record in the majors during the regular season (57-24); the Phillies were tied with the LA Angels for the best road record in the majors at 48-33.

Labels: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies, World Series

Players of the Day for Sunday, November 1, 2009

NY Yankees 7, Philadelphia Phillies 4

With one more win, the NY Yankees will become the 2009 World Champions, their first claim to such a title since 2000, when they beat the Mets, 4 games to 1. The Yanks could produce a similar result when they take the field in Game 5, Monday night in Philly.

The critical moment in Game 4 came in the top of the 9th inning, with the score tied at 4-4. Solo homer by Chase Utley in the 7th and Pedro Feliz in the 8th set the stage as the Phillies rallied from a 4-2 deficit.

With Brad Lidge on the mound for the Phillies, seemingly in control after getting Hideki Matsui and Derek Jeter for the first two outs, Johnny Damon (left) stroked a clean single to left field. Damon's hit was no big deal by itself, but it brought Mark Teixeira to the plate. A dead pull hitter, the Phillies swung their infielders around toward first base, with second baseman Utley playing a rover-like position in short right field and all but third baseman Feliz on the 1st base side of second.

With Teixeira taking all the way, Damon broke for second and easily swiped the bag on a one-hop throw from catcher Carlos Ruiz. He popped right up and took off for third, which, due to the shift, was unattended, allowing Damon to take the base uncontested. Feliz had actually collected the throw from Ruiz and chased Damon for a few steps before giving up.

Lidge, clearly rattled, hit Teixeira with his next pitch, and then gave up the biggest hit of the series, when Alex Rodriguez lashed a double down the left field line, scoring Damon and leaving Teixeira on third and A-Rod on 2nd base. Jorge Posada stroked a single to left center, plating both of his teammates before being thrown out trying to advance to 2nd.

The rest of the script is easy. The Yankees brought in Mariano Rivera to pitch the 9th inning, and the Sandman retired the deflated Phillies in order for the 7-4 win and his 2nd save of the series. He also set a record with his 23rd appearance, passing another Yankee, Whitey Ford.

Game 5 is on for Monday night at Citizen Bank Park in Philadelphia. Yankee A.J. Burnett will start against the Phillies' Game 1 hero, Cliff Lee. Lee pitched a complete-game, 6-hitter for a 6-1 Philly win. Since then, they've lost three straight. One more and it's over. Only 6 teams have ever come back from a 3-1 deficit. The last time it happened was in 1985, when the KC Royals took the final three games from the St. Louis Cardinals. Of the 42 teams which have had 3-1 leads in the world Series, 36 have gone on to capture the title.

Labels: Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, NY Yankees, World Series

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 31, 2009

NY Yankees 8, Philadelphia Phillies 5

Just when it seemed the Phillies had Andy Pettitte and the Yankees on the ropes, Alex Rodriguez changed Game 3 into a runaway for the boys from Gotham.

Pettitte was touched up for 3 runs in the 2nd inning on a Jayson Werth solo homer, a bases-loaded walk to Jimmy Rollins and a Shane Victorino sac fly, but in the top of the 4th, with Mark Teixeira on first base, Alex Rodriguez launched a high fly down the right field line that at first glance seemed to bounce high off the wall for a double, advancing Teixeira to third.

Standing on second base, Rodriguez motioned to the umpires and manager Joe Girardi that his shot was actually a home run, and, when the umps checked the tape - which was playing over and over again on the big screens at Citizen Bank Park - sure enough, A-Rod's ball had caromed off a TV camera protruding slightly over the wall near the right field foul pole. They ruled that the hit was a homer as they had discussed prior to the game that any ball hitting the camera would be a home run. Tex and A-Rod trotted home with the first 2 runs for New York.

With Pettitte settled down, the Yankees went to work, scoring 3 more in the 5th and adding single runs in each of the 6th, 7th and 8th innings. Besides Rodriguez, the main catalyst for the Yankees was Nick Swisher, who came into the series batting just a shade over .100 in the post season. Swisher doubled and scored in the 5th and belted a solo homer to left field in the 6th as the Yankees built their lead.

Pettitte took the win, his 17th career post-season victory, the most by any player all-time and also drove in the tying run in the 5th with a bloop double. Cole Hamels, the MVP of last year's World Series, was the loser, mostly due to his odd pitching behavior, suddenly switching to curve balls - which Yankee batters hammered - in the 4th inning after keeping them check with his slider and fast ball over the first three.

Jayson Werth homered twice for the Phillies, both solo shots, as the Phillies tallied their 5 runs on just 6 hits. Werth has 7 post-season homers. Meanwhile, the big thumper batting in front of him, Ryan Howard, has just 2 hits in 13 series' at-bats (.154), and has struck out 9 times over the three-game span.

Game 4 is scheduled to start at 7:57 pm ET in Philadelphia, with Game 1 starter, C.C. Sabathia going up the hill for the Yankees on three days rest. The Phillies will start Joe Blanton, who hasn't pitched since October 19, Game 4 of the NLCS, when he allowed 3 earned runs over 6 innings to the LA Dodgers and did not earn a decision. The Phillies won that game, 5-4.

Labels: Andy Pettitte, Nick Swisher, NY Yankees

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 29, 2009

NY Yankees 3 Philadelphia Phillies 1

Pedro Martinez was good, but A. J. Burnett was even better, holding the Phillies to a single run over 7 solid innings, allowing just 4 hits and 2 walks, fanning 9 batters in the process, including getting Ryan Howard on strikes three times. Burnett had Phillies' hitters flailing at his exceptional curve ball, keeping them off-balance by changing speeds and staying ahead in the count. Nibbling at the corners and consistently moving the ball up and down, Burnett threw 68 of his 108 pitches for strikes and left after completing seven innings.

The only run allowed by Burnett came in the 2nd inning, when Matt Stairs, hitting in the DH spot, drove in Raul Ibanez from second on a smash past 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez. Ibanez had reached on a bloop ground-rule double which bounded off the left field foul line and into the stands.

Mark Teixeira tied the game with a solo home run off Martinez in the 4th inning, and a two-out, 6th inning solo shot to right field by Hideki Matsui gave New York their first lead of the series. The Yankees added another run in the 7th on Jorge Posada's RBI single, chasing Martinez before he could register an out in the frame, but the Philly relievers shut the door, keeping the game close.

Mariano Rivera earned the save, pitching two innings - the 8th and 9th - allowing a hit in each inning and a walk in the 8th, but he induced a double play ball to finish the 8th and struck out Ryan Howard in the 9th, completing a poor effort by the Phillies' slugger, as he struck out in each of his 4 plate appearances.

After a day off Friday, the series moves to Philadelphia on Saturday for three straight. Game 3 begins at 7:57 pm ET, with Andy Pettitte starting for the Yankees against Philadelphia's Cole Hamels, who was 7-5 with a 3.76 ERA at home in 2009. Pettitte, the ultimate big-game pitcher, with more post-season wins (16) than any other pitcher all-time, was 8-4 with a 3.71 ERA away from Yankee stadium this season.

Labels: A. J. Burnett, NY Yankees, World Series

Players of the Day for Wednesday. October 28, 2009

Philadelphia Phillies 6 NY Yankees 1

Game 1 of the 2009 World Series went to the reigning champion Phillies, even though they were playing on the challenger's field.

Cliff Lee was virtually untouchable, stopping the Yankees cold on 6 hits while twirling a complete game and striking out 10 without issuing a walk. Lee, matched against former Cleveland Indian teammate C.C. Sabathia, proved the master, blanking the Yankees over the first 8 innings of the game.

The one run scored was harmless and unearned. After Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon stroked back-to-back singles to start the 9th, Mark Teixeira lashed a shot up the middle, handled by second baseman Chase Utley, who flipped to Jimmy Rollins, forcing Damon. Rollins threw wildly to first, however, allowing Jeter to score and Teixeira to stand at second.

Lee (left) calmly struck ut the next two batters - Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada - to end the game as he had started it, completely in control.

Utley (right) stroked two solo homers - one in the 3rd and one in the 6th - to nearly the same spot in right field to give the Phillies an early lead. Once Sabathia departed, the Phillies tacked on 2 runs in the 8th and 2 more in the 9th.

The win erases home field advantage for the Yankees and sets up a nearly must-win condition for New York, as they prepare to face an old nemesis - Pedro Martinez - who will start game 2 for the Phillies. Losing two straight at home to begin a series is the kiss of death, especially since the following three games are played in the opponent's stadium.

A.J. Burnett will be on the mound for the Yankees. Game time is 7:57 pm EDT.

Labels: Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies, World Series

The 2009 World Series begins Wednesday, October 28, at Yankee Stadium in New York with the defending world champion Phillies visiting the Yankees for the first of their seven-game series. There's little doubt that these are the two best representatives of their respective leagues, as the Yankees finished the regular season with the best record in baseball and stormed through the playoffs, beating the Twins 3 games to none and the LA Angels 4 games to 2.

The Phillies easily captured the NL East by 6 games over the Florida Marlins before taking out Colorado, 3 games to 1 and the overhyped LA Dodgers for the second straight year in the NLCS, 4 games to 1, blasting LA by a combines score of 35-16 over the five game span. The Phillies wrapped up their series with the Dodgers last Wednesday, and come into the series well-rested, with a full week off.

This series has all manner of story lines, such as the emergence of Alex Rodriguez as a major post-season threat, the question of whether the Yankees, with the highest salary in baseball, can finally buy their way to a World Series win, and whether the Phillies can become the first National league team to repeat since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds.

The Game One match-up includes two pitchers who weren't with their current teams last season, and in fact were at one time teammates on the Cleveland Indians: New York's C.C. Sabathia and Philly's Cliff Lee. That pitching engagement shoudl be one of the best in recent memory, though both will be facing lineups loaded with solid power hitters. The two teams led their respective leagues in home runs, and with the smallish ballparks in New york and Philadelphia, there should be no shortage of bombs, especially to right field in both arenas.

New York manager Joe Girardi will opt for the three-man rotation, with A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte following their workhorse, Sabathia, to the hill in games 2 and 3. Pedro Martinez will start game 2 for Philly, with Cole Hamels slated for game 3. Once again, Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel hans't exactly tipped his hand over his game 4 starter. He could use Lee again, or opt for J. A. Happ or reliable Joe Blanton.

Besides Rodriguez, players to watch on the Yankee side are, naturally, leadoff hitter Derek Jeter, along with first baseman Mark Teixeira, who struggled mightily under playoff pressure thus far. Others who will have impact on the outcomes are catcher Jorge Posada, who is tough in the clutch and has home run power, and Robinson Cano, whose smooth stroke adds pop at the bottom of the lineup.

For the Phillies, the goal is to get Ryan Howard to the plate with runners aboard as often as possible. Howard was among the home run and RBI leaders in the NL, and was a monster at the plate in the playoffs. Batting ahead of him are Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley, three of the best contact hitters in the game. If Howard doesn't get the job done, Yankee pitchers will have to deal with Jayson Werth, who is likely the most improved player from last season on either team. He has demonstrated extreme power at the plate and a tendency to deliver in the clutch, both at bat and in the field.

Further down the Phillies' order are more maulers, in the form of Raul Ibanez, who can be a one-man gang when he's hot, and catcher Carlos Ruiz, who emerged during the playoffs as a steady, if not spectacular, performer.

Much has been made of the bullpen dilemma facing the Phillies, especially in closer Brad Lidge, ho encountered a series of blown saves late in the regular season, but seems to have found his best form in the NLCS. What may be more of a problem for both teams is the middle relief. Both teams struggled to get to their closers, but the Yankees seemed pressured when they had to use either Joba Chamberlain or Phil Hughes. Once past them, Mariano Rivera, arguably the best closer ever, is generally nails in the final innings.

This should be a series full of fireworks, and if any of the games are low-scoring, it would be when either or both Sabathia and Lee are on the mound, but even then, each of these squads are capable of multi-run innings, home run barrages and scores of 10 runs or more. A couple of 12-10 or 11-7 games would surprise nobody.

In the final analysis, the Phillies actually look like the better team. They all, except Ibanez, have World Series experience from last season, and can draw on that to guide them through the games. All of the pressure is on the Yankees. They have to prove they can win it all. The Phillies already have their rings, but they'll have to be dragged down, beaten and bloodied before they relinquish their title. They have slightly better hitting overall and maybe even an edge in starting pitching due to the depth of their staff. If Cole Hamels and Jayson Werth come up big, this series could be over in 5 games, but it will more than likely go to the Phillies in 6. If it goes to seven games, the Yankees have a fighting chance, being that they'll have home field, and that's the only way the Yankees win it, in seven.

Labels: NY Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, World Series

Players of the Day for Sunday, October 25, 2009

NY Yankees 5 LA Angels 2

When the Yankees have needed a big game to close out a series, more often than not, they've had reliable Andy Pettitte ready for a championship effort. He was there in the late 90s when the Yankees won the World Series three times in four tries and he was there on Sunday night, a day after torrential rains had forced game 6 to be played a day later.

Matched up against the Angels' Joe Saunders, Pettitte proved to be as solid as ever in the clutch, working 6 1/3 innings of exceptional pitching, allowing the Angels just one run on 7 hits while striking out 6. Pettitte won for the 16th time in the post-season, a major league record, passing John Smoltz, who has 15 post-season wins.

The Yankees scored 3 times in the 4th inning, highlighted by Johnny Damon's 2-run single and Alex Rodriguez's bases-loaded walk. After the Angels scored their second run of the game in the top of the 8th to close to 3-2, New York responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning as the Angels fell apart defensively, mishandling two sacrifice bunts. Howie Kendrick dropped the ball when covering first base on Nick Swisher's sac bunt, and Scott Kazmir tossed the ball over Hendrick's head when Melky Cabrera laid down another bunt. The miscues resulted in two unearned Yankee runs and seemed to signal an end for the Angels, who went down meekly in the ninth with super-saver Mariano Rivera closing out the game.

The Yankees closed out the ALCS, winning 4 games to 2 over the Angels, and head to the World Series to face the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies. Game One is scheduled for Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium. Probable pitchers are C.C. Sabathia for New York and Cliff lee for Philadelphia.

Labels: Andy Pettitte, NY Yankees

Players of the Day for Thursday, October 22, 2009

LA Angels 7 NY Yankees 6

Down 3 games to 1 and facing elimination, the LA Angels put on a gutsy performance to take game 5 of the ALCS and send the series back to New York for game 6 and a possible game 7.

John Lackey pitched admirably for the Angels, keeping the Yankees' powerful lineup in check through 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball. Leading 4-0 in the 6th with the bases loaded and 2 outs, manager Mike Scioscia nearly made the managerial gaffe of the playoff season, lifting Lackey for reliever Darren Oliver, who immediately - on his very first pitch - surrendered a bases-clearing double to Yankee first baseman Mark Teixeira, cutting the lead to 1 run. The Yankees were hardly through, however, scoring 3 more runs in the inning to take a 6-4 lead.

LA battled back in the bottom half of the frame with three runs of their own, reclaiming the lead at 7-6, and keeping it with solid relief in the final two innings of Yankee at-bats.

In the middle of both Angel scoring outbursts, was center fielder Torii Hunter (left). when the Angels jumped on Yankee starter A.J. Burnett for 4 runs in the first, it was Hunter's single which drove in the first two runs and Hunter who scored the third. In the fateful bottom of the 7th, Hunter worked a two-out walk off Phil Hughes with one run already in, to keep the rally alive. He later scored the final and go-ahead run on Kendry Morales' single to right.

Hunter reached base every time he stepped to the plate, drawing two walks and singling twice. He scored two runs and drove in a pair.

The series now shifts back to yankee Stadium, where the Yankees will try to wrap it up when Andy Pettitte starts against Angel hurler Joe Saunders. Game time is 8:07 pm EDT on Saturday.

Labels: LA Angels, Torii Hunter

Players of the Day for Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Philadelphia Phillies 10 LA Dodgers 4

It wasn't even close.

When it came down to it, LA's pitching staff was no match for the bludgeoning of the Phillies' hitters, who outscored their West coast counterparts, 35-16, over the course of five games. The only game the Dodgers won was a 2-1 decision in game 2, in which the Philadelphia bullpen gave away a superb 7 innings of shutout work by Pedro Martinez. Other than that gaffe, the average winning margin for the Phillies was 5 runs. It really was as one-sided as the 4 games to 1 margin indicates.

The Phillies got on the board early against LA starter Vicente Padilla. After Cole Hamels gave up a 1st inning home run to Andre Ethier, the Phils responded with 3 runs of their own, all of them on a massive blast by Jayson Werth (left), who also singled and scored in the 4th and launched a solo shot in the 7th to go 3-for-4 with two homers, 4 RBI and 3 runs.

Philadelphia scored all of their runs on just 8 hits, thanks to 3 hit batsmen (Jimmy Rollins twice) and 4 walks issued by LA hurlers. 6 of Philly's hits went for extra bases, including home runs by Raul Ibanez and Shane Victorino.

Ryan Howard's streak of consecutive RBI post-season games was snapped at 8, tying him with Lou Gehrig and Alex Rodriguez, but Howard was named the series MVP. Howard batted .333 over the five-game span, with 2 homers, a double, a triple and 8 RBI.

The Phillies advance to their second straight World Series, hoping to repeat against either the LA Angels or the Yankees. New York leads the series 3 games to 1, with a chance to wrap it up tonight in LA.

The last National League to repeat as world champions was the 1975 and 1976 Cincinnati Reds, who beat Boston in 1975 and the Yankees in 1976.

Labels: Jayson Werth, NLCS, Philadelphia Phillies