Yankees Win 27th World Series

The Yankees 2009 season started with a trip to the pool hall on an afternoon during spring training. It ended with a World Series championship. The new Yankee Stadium’s inaugural season started with a Boston fan named Gino Castignoli burying a Red Sox jersey under the structure. It ended with champagne and the Commissoner’s Trophy. The 2009 season started with an A-Rod press conference and ended with A-Rod coming up clutch in big postseason at-bats. February was a long, long time ago.

The Yankees needed everyone to win the championship. Not everyone had Hideki Matsui numbers in the World Series but it took a complete team effort to get to October and get through the ALDS and ALCS. Phil Hughes had a tough postseason but was a big reason why the Yankees had such a strong regular season. Robinson Cano didn’t have many hits in the postseason but batted .320 in the regular season.Then there’s Damaso Marte who had an injury plagued regular season and became Girardi’s go-to-guy with outstanding pitching in the postseason.

There’s also the guys that are consistent; The “Core Four”. Jeter, Rivera, Posada, Pettitte were good all season and their postseason experience shined in 2009. Rivera was the only closer in the postseason not to blow a save. Pettitte was the starter in each of the Yankees three series clinching games. Posada came back from an injury riddled 2008 season and led the pitching staff and clubhouse. Jeter was Jeter. What else can be said about the Yankees captain.

On to the newcomers. Sabathia, Burnett, Teixeira, Swisher. The Yankees don’t make it to the World Series without acquiring these guys. Sabathia was incredible in the postseason. He went 3-1 in five starts with a 1.98 ERA in the postseason. Teixeira led the AL in home runs during the regular season with 39. He also had two big postseason home runs. Remember back to the first month of the season and Nick Swisher kept the Yankees going when A-Rod was out with injury and the bats were as cold as the April and May weather.

Finally, A-Rod. He was clutch. Nobody can say he chokes in October anymore. He put his critics to rest. He batted over .360 in the postseason with six home runs and 18 RBI. A-Rod was a big reason why the Yankees won number 27.

The Yankees broke in the original Yankee Stadium with a World Series championship in 1923. In 2009, the Yankees broke in the new Yankee Stadium with a World Series championship.

Yankees World Series Game Four 9th Inning

Johnny Damon’s two-out single in the 9th inning off of Brad Lidge was just the first big play in the inning by Damon. His next big play was stealing two bases on one pitch. With the Phillies’ defense shifted toward right field for Teixeira, Damon stole second, which was being covered by third basemen Pedro Feliz. Feliz caught the ball to the first base side of second base and Damon hopped up from his slide and dashed toward the uncovered third base bag. The Phillies and Lidge were shocked. Lidge especially. Lidge didn’t retire another Yankee out by himself. The third out of the inning was made throwing Posada out at second base trying to turn a two-run single into a double. Lidge recorded the first two outs of the inning with ease.

“It all happened so fast,” Lidge said.

Damon’s heads up baserunning will be a talked about for a while if the Yankees go on to win the World Series. So will A-Rod’s double that drove in Damon to give the Yankees the 9th inning lead. After the game Damon praised A-Rod and A-Rod returned praise for Damon for their contributions during the 9th inning.

“He’s the reason why we’re sitting here right now in Philadelphia. He’s been driving in the big runs,” Damon said referring to A-Rod.

A-Rod referred to Damon’s 9th inning at-bat as “an unbelievable, tenacious at-bat by Johnny Damon.”

Damon and Lidge battled hard in that 9th inning at-bat and Damon came out on top. With guys like Teixiera and A-Rod hitting behind Damon, all Damon needed to do was get on base to give them a chance to bat.

Lidge said, “The whole thing came down to a really good at-bat by Damon. He fouled off some real good sliders. We kind of kept going back and forth. And finally, he got a fastball away and did a really good job of serving it out to left field.”

Lidge could have never expected Damon would be standing on third base one pitch later with Teixeira not even having to take the bat off his shoulder.

“I’m just glad that when I started running, I still had some of my young legs behind me,” Damon said.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, “That’s instinct. You’ve got to be sure, when you’ve got Teixeira and A-Rod coming up behind him, but that was a great instinctual play by Johnny.”

Than Yankees now lead the World Series 3-1.

Yankees Win Game Four of World Series in Dramatic Fashion

A-Rod may have gotten the biggest hit of his life tonight. With a tie game in the top of the 9th, A-Rod drove a double to left that put the Yankees up 5-4. With Mariano Rivera hovering in the bullpen, one run probably would have been enough. Another two runs would be more than enough. Posada added to the Yankees lead with a two-run single in the next at bat. The Yankees didn’t get down after Joba Chamberlain blew the Yankees 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 8th. They reached deep and answered with three runs in the 9th off of Phillies closer Brad Lidge.

It’s fitting that the Yankees won this game the way they did. This is how they have played all season long. They have so many weapons and so many smart baseball players. Credit Damon for heads up baserunning in the 9th inning. Also credit Damon for putting together a great at bat with two outs in the 9th, ending with a single that allowed him to record that two stolen base play. Johnny Damon went 3-5 in the game with two runs and an RBI.

CC Sabathia pitched on three days rest and gave the Yankees a great effort. He left after 6.2 innings and the lead. Damaso Marte got the final out of the 7th inning and Joba Chamberlain pitched the 8th but made one mistake, which left the ball park and tied the game. Pedro Feliz bombed one off of Joba with two outs in the inning to tie the game.

Mariano Rivera made easy work of the Phillies in the 9th inning, throwing just eight pitches. Expect Rivera to be ready to pitch in game five.

Another dramatic finish to a Yankees game and the Philadelphia crowd, loud all game and series, go home stunned.

Yankees Beat Phillies in Game Four of World Series 7-4

A-Rod may have been hit by more pitches (3) than he has hits (2) in the World Series but his two hits were huge.

Tied at 4-4 in the top of the 9th, Johnny Damon singled with two outs. Damon grinded out the at bat and ended up with a hit into left-center field. With Teixeira up next, the Phillies had a defensive shift on and the Phillies third basemen was just to the left of shortstop. Damon stole second and bolted for third knowing nobody was covering the bag. Damon was credited with two steals on the play. Teixiera was hit by a pitch, giving A-Rod the opportunity to bat. A-Rod took full advantage. He ripped a double down the left field line to drive in Damon and out the Yankees head 5-4. Posada drove in Tex and A-Rod with a hit to left-center in his at bat that gave the Yankees some more insurance. Mariano Rivera didn’t need the insurance runs as he set the Phillies down in order in the 9th.

This Yankees team fights until the final out. The Yankees have terrorized yet another closer this postseason. They now are up three games to one over the Phillies. AJ Burnett goes for the Yankees in game five against Cliff Lee, who stifled the Yankees in game one. Both pitchers were dominant in their first starts this series. The Yankees are in the drivers seat and need one more win in three chances to be crowned champions.

Yankees Beat Phillies 8-5 in Game Three of World Series

The momentum has shifted in the Yankees favor during the last two games after Cliff Lee dazzled the Yanks in game one. After the Yankees tied the series with a huge outing by AJ Burnett, the Yankees won game three in Philadelphia by a score of 8-5 behind some big home runs and a gutsy pitching performance by Andy Pettitte.

Yankee bats awoke from their slumps as A-Rod, Damon and Swisher all came up with big hits. Even Andy Pettitte helped his own cause with an RBI single. A-Rod hit a two-run homer to get the Yankees on the board after they were down 0-3. The original call on A-Rod’s home run was a double but replay clearly showed the ball hitting a camera that was over the fence. The umpires reviewed the play and made the right call. Pettitte’s single tied the game and Damon had a two-run double that put the Yankees up 5-3. Swisher, who went 2-4 in the game, hit a solo home run that gave the Yanks a 6-3 lead. Posada had an RBI single in the 7th and Hideki Matsui, coming off the bench as a pinch hitter, hit a solo home run in the 8th in his only at-bat. The Phillies added to their three runs with two solo home runs in the late innings.

The Yankees are feeling good heading into game four. They have their ace on the mound and a 2-1 game advantage in the series. It was only a matter of time before their bats woke up. They still have some guys struggling like Cano and Melky. This series isn’t over by any means but the Yankees have things set up and the advantage going into game four.

A-Rod Not Only Yankee Hitter to Blame

By now you can recite the statistics. A-Rod is 0-8 with six strikeouts in the first two games of the World Series. A-Rod may be the person that everyone focuses on but other players need to start hitting too. Teixeira is 1-7 with a solo home run and three strikeouts. Johnny Damon is 1-8 and Robinson Cano is 1-7. What the Yankees really need to do are string together some hits. They haven’t been able to do that so far in the World Series.

The Yankees’ 2-3-4 hitters have combined for two hits in the first two games. With A-Rod’s supporting cast not hitting, it allows the Phillies to not give him anything good to hit. A-Rod is swinging at a lot of bad pitches. Someone hitting behind A-Rod needs to start hitting and intimidate the Phillies. This way they won’t be so inclined to throwing A-Rod garbage. It falls on A-Rod too because he needs to lay off the bad pitches and work the count into his favor an draw walks.

The Yankees as a team need to walk more. They walked only twice so far in the series and were struck out 22 times. That’s an incredible statistic for a team that lead the Majors in walks during the regular season and also had the 4th fewest strikeouts of any team in baseball.

Angels Beat Yankees in Game 5, Force Series Back to the Bronx

The Yankees and Angels are two teams you can never count out of a game until the final out is recorded. Game five proved it once again. With a couple of questionable, if not just dumb, moves by both managers, the late innings were entertaining to watch and people will be second guessing there calls until the next game.

The Angels scored four runs off AJ Burnett before they made an out. From that point until the 7th inning, the game took it’s course and neither team put up any runs. Lackey was superb through seven innings but it was the 7th inning when the game took a wild turn.

John Lackey was taken out of the game, to his discontent, with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the 7th.

You could read Lackey’s lips when Angels coach Mike Scioscia went to the mound to take Lackey out.

“You’re (expletive) me,” Lackey said. “This one is mine!”

Scioscia didn’t think so. Scoiscia called on Darren Oliver to replace Lackey and Oliver’s first pitch was pounded by Mark Teixeira to left center for a bases clearing double. The Angels intentionally walked A-Rod and Hideki Matsui followed with a single that drove in Teixeira to tie the game at 4-4. Oliver’s day was over without being able to get that last out in the 7th. Kevin Jepsen replaced Oliver and gave up a triple to Cano that gave the Yankees a 6-4 lead. Swisher popped out to end the inning.

Mark Teixeira couldn’t have picked a better time to get his first hit with RISP this postseason. The Yankees scored six runs in the 7th inning, all with two outs.

AJ Burnett gave up four runs in the first inning before recording an out. After the Yankees broke out for six runs in the top of the 7th, Girardi left Burnett in to start the bottom half of the 7th. Burnett gave up a single and walk and was taken out. Those two baserunners came around to score, being charged to Burnett. The Angels tacked on a go-ahead run with a Kendry Morales single and the Angels had a 7-6 lead.

Both teams knocked on the door the rest of the game but weren’t able to score anymore runs. The game ended when Swisher, who has been struggling mightily, popped up to shortstop with the bases loaded, a full-count and two outs in the 9th.

The series heads back to the Bronx for games six and seven, if necessary.

Yankees Win Game Four

Joe Girardi goes from being New York’s most ridiculed man to a genius in 24 hours. A day after Girardi was blamed for the Yankees game three loss by mishandling the Yankees’ bullpen, he sends out CC Sabathia on three days rest and it pays off. Sabathia rewarded Girardi with a brilliant eight inning dominating performance. He gave up one run in eight innings on five hits.

The Yankees offense put up 10 runs, including another big day from Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod went 3-4 with a two-run home run, two RBI’s, and three runs scored. Melky Cabrera, the Yankees number nine hitter, went 3-4 with four RBI’s and a run scored. Swisher and Matsui went hitless and the Yankees still were able to put 10 runs on the board.

Sabathia and A-Rod were the stars tonight and have been the stars throughout postseason. They have been dominating in the postseason.

The Yankees have a 3-1 lead over the Angels. AJ Burnett goes up against John Lackey in game five. The Yankees can close out the series and earn a trip to the World Series with one more win.

Yankees Lose ALCS Game 3 in 11 Innings

The ALCS may have shifted coasts but that didn’t stop the Yankees and Angels from going into extra innings for the second straight game. The Yankees hit four home runs, all solo shots, and lost the game 5-4 on a Jeff Mathis RBI double in the 11th.

The Angels were able to avoid a 3-0 deficit and make it a doable 2-1 series. The Yankees just couldn’t get things going on offense other than their four solo home runs. They weren’t able to string hits together and it cost them. Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon, A-Rod, and Jorge Posada each went deep for the Yankees. Posada’s home run came after pinch runner Brett Gardner was caught stealing on a pitchout. The Angels offense came from a solo home run by Howie Kendrick, a two-run homer by Vlad Guerrero, a sac fly, and the eventual game winning double by Mathis.

Alfredo Aceves, who gave up a run to the Angels in the 11th inning in game two, gave up the game winning run in the 11th inning of this one. With two outs in the 11th, Joe Girardi pulled David Robertson, who got the first two outs of the inning, for Aceves. Aceves gave up a single to Howie Kendrick and a game winning RBI double to Jeff Mathis. Just like that, the series is 2-1 in favor of the Yankees.

This should make Girardi think twice before bringing in Aceves again in this series. Joba Chamberlain also didn’t have a good outing, giving up a go-ahead run in the seventh inning on a sac-fly by Maicer Izturis. Girardi went to the ‘pen often again and this time, unlike most times this year, it backfired on him.

In 6.1 innings of work, Andy Pettitte gave up three runs on seven hits including a two-run homer to Vlad that tied the game at three in the 6th inning. Girardi didn’t handle his pitching staff too well in this game other than bringing in Mariano in the 10th after Phil Hughes gave up a leadoff double. Mo got out of the inning after he had runners on the corners with no outs. For the second straight game, Girardi used up his entire bullpen except for Chad Gaudin.

The Yankees go to Sabathia on short rest in game four. Scott Kazmir is slated to start for the Angels.

Yankees ALCS Game Two Notes and Quotes

Derek Jeter’s third inning solo home run was his 19th career postseason home run giving him sole possession of third place on the all time postseason home runs list. He currently ranks behind Bernie Williams (22) and Manny Ramirez (29).

Mark Teixeira said after the game, “It was cold and it was nasty. I was like, ‘Man, let’s have a quick pitchers’ game tonight and win 2-1 and get out of here in an hour and a half.’ It definitely didn’t happen like that.”

About mobbing Jerry Hairston Jr. at home plate, Nick Swisher said, “I didn’t mean to, but I think I knocked Jerry down. The last thing you want to do is have somebody get all busted up in one of those things. But I think he’s good. At that point in time, I don’t think he felt anything.”

A-Rod said, “Wow, what a game.”

A-Rod also said at the after game press conference, “I know you guys are probably looking for something profound. I mean, I’m just in a good place. I’m seeing the ball, and I’m hitting it. I mean, that’s about it.”

The game lasted 5 hours and 10 minutes.

Fans didn't leave until Hairston got pied