Monthly Archives: October 2004

The game went according to plan for the Twins. Their ace Johan Santana pitched seven shut-out innings, and the back-end of the Minnesota bullpen pitched two scoreless to finish it off. Torii Hunter made two characterisitcally deft defensive plays and the Twins scrapped together just enough offense to win. In theory, the game also went according to plan for the Yankees as well. Mike Mussina allowed two runs over seven innings; Flash Gordon pitched a scoreless eighth and Mariano Rivera did the same in the ninth. The offense had a runner on base in each of the first eight innings and they racked up nine hits against Santana.

So wha’ happen? Well, five, count em’ five, double plays killed the home team, who were shut-out for the second consecutive time in the post-season. According to Joel Sherman:

With runners moving in the first inning, Bernie Williams struck out into a double play. The combination of Jorge Posada’s slow legs and Torii Hunter’s powerful arm merged to produce an improbable out at home in the second inning. Miguel Cairo failed in two sacrifice attempts in the fifth. And Ruben Sierra swung on a 2-0 pitch with two out and none on in the ninth with the Yanks down two runs.

Did we mention the Yanks produced five double plays, and went 2-for-15 with men on base, hitless in six at-bats with runners in scoring position?

It was a frustrating night for the Bombers and their fans. The crowd had to sit on its hands as the Yankees failed to come up with a big hit. Ruben Sierra, who hit the ball hard in his first three at-bats, hit a home run foul, which was initially called fair. The fans started to cheer and then held their breath as the umpires huddled and eventually made the proper call. Vexed again. (As an aside, the playoffs always attract a ritzy crowd in New York. Did you get a look at the corporate fatheads sitting behind home plate last night in the “rattle your jewlery” seat? It’s enough to make a true-blue Yankee loyalist empathize with those who regard New York as US Steel.)

Mike Mussina pitched a good game. In fact, his stuff seemed sharper than Santana’s did. But an RBI single by Yankee-killer Shannon Stewart and an opposite field solo home run by Jacques Jones was enough to do him in. He was a hard-luck loser once again. According to the Daily News:

Mussina’s most glaring mistake came in the sixth inning, when Jacque Jones hit a one-out homer to left field. He said he threw the ball on the outside part of the plate and doubted that the ball would go out when it left Jones’ bat.

He also suggested that he wouldn’t take that pitch back, or change anything else he did last night, since it should have been good enough.

The Yankees hit the ball hard but again, failed to come through with a timely knock. Hideki Matsui had two hits, as did Alex Rodriguez. After a cheap infield single, Rodriguez stroked a line drive to center in his third at-bat and was robbed of an extra base hit by Hunter in the eighth. Gary Sheffield was 0-2 with two walks; Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams were each 1-4. Give Santana credit for winning on a night when he was far from his best. There are two ways to look at the game. Either it was just bad luck on the part of the Yankees, and if they play the same way again tonight, things should fall their way, or, they squandered a golden opportunity to beat Minnesota’s ace when he was vulnerable. Should they face him again, what are the chances that Santana will be off his A-game?

But it is just one game. According to Larry Mahnken:

And as disappointing as the loss was, I don’t see it as being much more than that — a disappointment. A letdown, a lost opportunity, but hardly a demoralization. They knew what they were facing here going in, and that if they didn’t beat Santana they’d have no margin for error. They’ve have to beat Radke twice and Silva. They can beat those guys, and they can get good pitching out of Lieber, Brown and Vazquez. But now they need it.

The Yankees are looking a huge game tonight while the Twins are playing with house money. Who would have thought that it would come down to Jon Lieber? The Bombers have lost plenty of Game One’s in recent years. But they’ve never had such uncertainty with their pitching staff either. Big game in the Boogie Down tonight. Keep the faith and Let’s go Yanks.

Open Thread

It’s going to be mad chilly in the Boogie Down tonight. I won’t post my thoughts on the game until tomorrow morning, but for those of you who are following the game within typing distance of your computer, feel free to start a conversation in the comments section below.

Let’s hope for a good game tonight. I’m headed out to Brooklyn after work to get a hair cut from my favorite barber. Figure I’ve got to represent and look sharp: it’s the Yankee way, right? Before the game I’ll say the same prayer I say every year as the post-season starts–although two games will already be in the books by the time the Yankee game begins: that is, no matter what happens, I just hope the Fates don’t have it out for some unsuspecting zhlub. I know we love to have heroes now, and that means somebody will be labled as the goat as well. But please, don’t let anyone–even if he’s a Red Sox–become the next Fred Merkle or the next Bill Buckner. I don’t wish that on anyone, least of all a Yankee. (Shudder.)

Enjoy the game and stay warm.

If anyone is following the Angels-Red Sox game this afternoon and wants to share their observations and impressions, feel free to do it in the comments section below. I’m going to miss it, and y’all know that I love to hear how the other have lives.

The New York papers are replete with previews, puff pieces and predictions this morning. While there is nothing especially remarkable, Jack Curry has an informative piece on Johan Santana. Meanwhile, Aaron Gleeman, Seth Stohs preview the series from the midwest. I asked a couple of writers about their thoughts on the Yanks-Twins match-up. Here is what they’ve got to say:

Allen Barra (author of “Brushbacks and Knockdowns: The Greatest Baseball Debates of Two Centuries”):

To tell you the truth, I feel the Yankees will win, but that they’ll win in some way that is just not apparent to me.
Though the Yankees swept the Twins last week, the unpleasant truth is that they were behind in both games (as I recall) when both Santana and Radke were lifted, which doesn’t bode well for this series.
Yet, I’ve got to hand it to Mussina. After a horrible first inning, he gutted it out and kept the Yankees in a position to win. I don’t suppose he’s likely to have a second stright game with a horrible first inning, particularly at Yankee Stadium. My gut feeling tells me that the Twins will probably be tougher than whoever the Yankees play in the second round.

Tim Marchman (NY Sun):

I think this will be a really telling series for the Yankees. Their offense is structured around the walk and the home run, and Santana and Radke are going to take away the walk. (Carlos Silva will, too- 70-some Ks and 35 BBs in 200+ IP! An unnoticed and bizarre season.) Theyíre not good at hitting for average and theyíre not going to get much better at it with the Twinsí defense in the picture, and that leaves them with the home run.

For a team that hit 241 HRs, this isnít a team of power hitters. Matsui, Jeter, Sheffield and Rodriguez all wait out the pitcher and swing for line drives, which often go over the wall. If they can change their approach, swing at more fastballs early in the count and swing for the fences, I think theyíve got a decent shot at winning one against Santana and a great shot at splitting the other two. Whether they can do that is an open question, and, I think, points up how remarkable the OíNeill/Martinez Yankees were, because what they did better than anyone was adjust their approach to take advantage of their opponentís weaknesses. The Twins arenít a great team, and past Santana Iím not even sure theyíre a very good one, but in my mind theyíre the slight favorites here. (Of course, I said the same thing last year

The Yankees beat the Blue Jays 3-2 in the final regular season game of the 2004 season, giving New York 101 wins on the year. Not bad for an old team with lousy pitching, right? While no offensive player–with the exception of Hideki Matsui–had a career year, Gary Sheffield, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Bernie Williams all had interesting, productive campaigns. Miguel Cairo, Ruben Sierra and Tony Clark were all valuable role players. While the pitching wasn’t as good as we’ve seen in recent years, Mariano Rivera had one of his greatest seasons, and Tom Gordon was terrific too. The return of Orlando Hernandez made for a good story, though his status for the post-season remains in doubt. Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez and Mike Mussina have had their moments but overall, they’ve been inconsistent. Moose has been sharp of late and will start Game One. Along with the surprising El Duque, only Jon Lieber has pitched up to pre-season expectations.

As expected, the Yanks will host the Twins begining Tuesday night in the Bronx. They will have to deal with Johan Santana and Brad Radke, not to mention Minnie’s deep bullpen, and scrappy offense. For the first time in a long while, many prognosticators see the Yanks as ripe for the taking. While it is hard to disagree with the fact that New York’s pitching is indeed suspect, I’m sure the Twins–and their fans–aren’t getting ahead of themselves just yet.

It was sunny but chilly in New York today. It feels like the playoffs. Hopefully, there is still some good baseball ahead of us. Anyone excited yet? I’m feeling calm myself. Talk to me on Tuesday afternoon, and I’ll be jumping out of my skin, ready to go, geeked, but cautiously optimistic as always. It’ll be great to see the Yanks play in some big games again, but of course, Mr. Santana is waiting too. It won’t come easily for New York, but then again, if it were easy it wouldn’t be as much fun, right? Here’s to them being up for the challenge.

Lets go Yank-ees.

While the Yankees JV team dropped two games in Toronto, there are more serious matters transpiring around baseball. The Cubs and the A’s played themselves out of the playoffs. The Giants are hanging on by a thread after a devastating loss to their arch rivals in Los Angeles yesterday. So while things are looking up in Los Angeles for both the Dodgers and the Angels, I’m been more consumed with the failures in the Bay Area and the Windy City. (I am pleased for Jon Weisman and the Dodgers fans, less excited for the Angels fans, simply because I don’t like Anahiem…still, if they wind up playing Boston, that should be some kind of serious.) Maybe it’s because, like Roger Angell says, baseball, like life, is more about failure, about losing rather than winning. It’s funny, but more than anything, I’m feeling for my fellow team-oriented bloggers. Down goes Ruz and Alex, there goes Athletics Nations, and Mark and Elephants in Oakland…John Perricone is teetering.

I can only imagine how difficult it must be for fans of the Cubs and A’s who watched their team’s bullpens let them down this past week. (Of course, both teams had other problems, but the bullpen disasters are tangible and dramatic from a distance.) I’ve tried to put myself in their shoes and ask how would I be feeling if this were the Yankees? Man, as much as I can empathize with a Chicago fan, there is no way I’m presumptuous enough to suggest I know how they feel. There is just no way. But if anything, following the fates of the Cubs and A’s closely the past week has made me feel a whole lot better about the Yanks, who have a shaky bullpen themselves. Hey, at least the Bombers are still playing. No matter what happens in the playoffs, at least they’ve got an opportunity to entertain us, or break our hearts–or like in 2001, both. At this point, every game (excluding today’s regular season finale, of course) is gravy, every win is something to savor.

El Duque wasn’t effective on Friday night and there is no telling if his shoulder will hold up enough to get him through a post-season start. However, Kevin Brown pitched well enough last night for him to be a suitable replacement. Mariano Rivera also threw a scoreless inning yesterday, which brought his season ERA to 1.94. Unless he pitches again this afternoon and get’s lit up, he’ll end the season with an ERA under 2.00. And that’s a small, good thing.

I stayed late at work last night and then strolled down to Murray Hill to see an old friend. Actually, he’s a former boss. I loaned him a book years ago and recently was overcome with the urge to get it back. I followed the Cubs game on Gameday and was thoroughly upset for my labelmates Ruz, Will and Alex C when those not-so-lovable losers found a way to sperl a gem by Mark Prior. It was a pleasant autumn evening in New York, not quite chilly yet, but cool enough to need a jacket. I hadn’t been in Murray Hill for a minute, and there a lot more restaurants and bars along 3rd avenue in the 30’s than I remembered. Almost each one of them had a series of big-screen televisions, all showing the Yankees-Twins game. (As I passed by, the Twins were up 1-0.)

I hadn’t seem my erstwhile employer in a few years and was taken aback when he greeted me at the door. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans and wore a light green bandana on his head. His head was shaved. The reason this was striking is because he usually sports a head of big hair. “Nice doo,” I told him. “Yeah, well, it’s a long story.” “Jesus. You have cancer.” “Yeah. I think I’m in the clear now, but it was a bad summer. Yeah, a really bad summer.” This coming from a guy who doesn’t ever complain. “God, are you really pissed?” “Yeah, I’m filled with rage.”

He invited me in and he found my book, “The Faulkner-Cowley Letters.” We chatted for about twenty minutes, catching up. He was as aimable as always. He isn’t the sort of guy to delve into his personal problems, so our conversation was light. How is so-and-so, what are you working on, my brother has a kid, that kind of thing. He looked good all considering. And though he isn’t so much of a baseball fan, yet I could hear the game on the TV in the other room. His ten-year old kid was in his pjs getting ready to watch the debate. I left hungry, but pleased that I finally had my book back. I passed by the bars and the score was now 2-0, Twins.

By the time I got home the lead had changed hands several times. Emily was sitting on the couch sorting through some bills. I had time to take my jacket off and then Godziller Matsui tied the game with his 31rst dinger of the season. I settled in, watched the home plate ump upset both teams with questionable strike calls and finished a quick dinner. After Matsui walked with one-out in the bottom of the ninth I turned to Em and said, “Wouldn’t it be fitting if Bernie ended it right here?”

Then he did just that, smacking a line-drive homer over the left-centerfield fence. Alex Rodriguez and Kenny Lofton were the first teammates to grab him as he approached home plate. Derek Jeter was next. The team celebrated, having clinched the American League East once again. Williams’ homer set the team record for long balls in a season by a Yankee team (241). It was the 100th win of the year for New York. I thought that it would have been cool to be walking past those bars down in Murray Hill, just to feel the excitement in the air. But truth be told, I was content right where I was: at home, with my girl, where I’ve been all season.

While the Yanks swept the Twins, Minnie will be a formidable foe should the two teams meet up again next week. The Yankees won’t sleep on them, not with Santana pitching, not with their bullpen. Still, it last night was a good night in the Bronx. The team celebrated in a tempered manner. They weren’t business-like or morose; they were smiling and happy. Emily enjoyed watching the locker room interviews. I am too spoiled by the team’s success to get too excited about a division-clinching celebration. To be honest, I also started thinking about my friend having cancer. Our conversation was so casual, so typical, that it was easy for me to forget the seriousness of his condition, even if his diagnosis looked good.

I woke up in the middle of the night and thought about him for a good while. Then I tried to distract myself with the Yankees, the memory of Bernie rounding the bases. It’s been another terrific year for us Yankee fans, no matter how much we worry about how the team is lacking, no matter what happens in the playoffs. As the fans celebrated the win, the YES cameras showed a woman in the stands who held up a hand-written sign which read, “Thanks Yanks.”

Amen to that.