Yankees Even Series on Burnett Mound Effort

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.

Lee, Utley, Too Much for Yankees

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.

World Series Preview: NY Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies

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.

Pettitte Pitches Yankees Past Angels, Into 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.