The Yankees took a 3-1 lead in the World Series last night with an incredibly gutsy win in Philadelphia. Yanks take the crowd of the game early by scoring two in the first. CC, on short rest, again battles like a man and leaves the game with the lead. Game tied in the 9th. Two outs. Damon has one of the best and most important at-bats of his life and then gets what could end up being the most important stolen base in Yankees history. Then, on a heads-up play, immediately dashes to third where no one is covering. A-Rod gets what he later calls the biggest hit of his life (and he's has quite a few huge hits this postseason) and Jorge adds some insurance. Mo slams the door. A great, great win.
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Did you see Jorge comforting Joba in the dugout after the 8th. He was practically hugging him. It looked like he was saying "You were great. It was just one pitch. You were great. We will need you again in this series. Don't change a thing." That's awesome. That's why Jorge is one of the greatest leaders the Yankees have ever had.
Lots of people are talking about how Damon going to third on the steal was huge because it forced Lidge to throw A-Rod fastballs rather than sliders. The theory is that Lidge was afraid to throw the slider - his best pitch - out of fear of the past ball. Bobby Valentine said on ESPN that this notion is ridiculous, and that if you're afraid to throw your best pitch at what might be the biggest moment of your career, it must not be your best pitch and you don't belong on the field. Valentine was really killing the Phillies on this.
What blows my mind is that Damon said after the game that's why he did it. He said he knew if he got to third, it would force Lidge to go to the fastball. That is amazing to me that he'd have that type of presence of mind at such an intense moment. If it's true, he is one smart baseball player.
Can we finally put all of this stuff about the great Philly crowd to rest? Here's what happened:
1) Fans were up and rowdy at the start of the game.
2) Fans got quiet when Yanks took early lead.
3) Fans stayed quiet for most of the game. Team is losing, and is down 2-1 in the series. They were nervous. Understandable.
3) Fans got loud when Phils get a run and later tied it.
4) Fans got quiet when Yanks re-take lead.
Sounds like a typical baseball crowd to me. Nothing wrong with that, but there's nothing special about them either. Twins fans might be louder, but without the venom. Extra security had to be brought into the Phils stadium because fans were throwing things at the Yankee players during the game.
Some of them - not all - are idiots, and they're really quite ordinary.
Some of the Phils look like they are starting to press a bit. If the Yanks can somehow scratch out a few early runs tonight, this thing might be over.
Yanks must stay loose and focused. They must continue to try and work counts, but stop taking the first pitch strike so often. They seemed like they were in a great frame of mind on the postgame coverage on YES and ESPN.
One inning at a time ...
memo to Yankees hitters;
you can't hit the 12-6 curve. sit on Lee's fastball
Very weak lineup tonight ... no Posada or Matsui, and it looks like it's Garder if Melky is hurt. The 1-5 guys are going to have to get it done. Maybe Tex or A-Rod will hit a bomb, or Cano will finally do something.
Many on WFAN are questioning pitching AJ on short rest tonight. They say take a shot at Lee tonight, but if you lose, come home with AJ and Andy on full rest for games 6 and 7, with CC on deck on short rest for game 7. I hope none of it matters. Phils will fold tonight if we can get an early lead.
Would like to see them win tonight to fulfill Rollins' five game prediction :)
Of course, the Philthy fans are already crying and whining about the Yankees buying all the good players. This..coming from fans of a team who went out and got two ringers right before the playoffs. I mean..this thing would have been over in 4 otherwise. Who would they have pitched? Hamels three times? How about his quote when the press got on him a bit after game 3 - he wishes this season were over already. WOW. Can you imagine a Yankee player saying that?
Lee is great, but he has been known to go on some bad streaks. Let's hope he's feeling the heat tonight. We already took 2 in their place, so we're playing with the house money tonight..cool and relaxed! Can't wait!!
Should the Yankees win this thing, and you encounter any Philly fans that whine about the payroll and use it as an excuse, kindly remind them - or inform them - that their payroll was more than double that of the Tampa Bay Rays last year and exceeded it by more than $54 million dollars.
Explain to them that if they really feel a big difference in payroll somehow taints a championship, they can simply throw their 2008 World Series trophy in the Schuylkill.
For some reason, I don't think they will.
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