Yankees baseball blog

Yanks won't face Lee in game 4

The doubters screamed when Phillies manager Charlie Manuel named Pedro Martinez as his Game 2 starter. Now he's giving them more fodder.

Manuel has tabbed Joe Blanton as his World Series Game 4 starter instead of bringing back Game 1 hero Cliff Lee on three days' rest. The decision is questionable considering Blanton's history against the Yankees and Lee's Game 1 dominance.

Manuel rolled the dice once in this series, and Martinez gave him a strong outing. Now he's gambling again.

"I think Blanton fits for us because I think we want to keep [J.A.] Happ right now in the bullpen, especially kind of in the middle where he could do some innings, and also Joe pitched last year in the World Series, and he's got a little bit more experience," Manuel said. Continue

AJ shuts down Philly O, series 1-1

A.J. Burnett and Mariano Rivera altered the mood in the Yankees’ universe last night better than any drug could have.

Armed with a filthy curveball he was able to throw for strikes, Burnett earned his October pinstripes by allowing the Phillies a run and four hits across seven innings, and Rivera supplied two shutout innings of relief as the Yankees evened the World Series with a 3-1 Game 2 victory before a Yankee Stadium crowd of 50,181.

With the best-of-seven Series tied 1-1, Game 3 is tomorrow night in Philadelphia, where Andy Pettitte opposes Cole Hamels, last year’s World Series MVP the Phillies were wary of pitching in The Bronx.

Instead they went with longtime Yankees villain Pedro Martinez, who allowed three runs and six hits in six-plus innings despite not feeling very well. Continue

 

Lee and Utley domiante Yanks, win opener 6-1

Cliff Lee’s evil arsenal and control good enough to consistently hit a gnat’s backside combined with Chase Utley’s biceps to put the Yankees in a World Series ditch last night in Game 1.

Lee handcuffed the high-powered Yankees lineup across nine innings, turning it into “The Dead Bat Society,” and Utley homered twice off CC Sabathia to lead the Phillies to a 6-1 victory that was witnessed by a Yankee Stadium crowd of 50,207 that had nothing to get excited about.

“You have to tip your hat to the other guy,” Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland said. “That’s the best pitching performance we have seen all year.” 

Lee went the distance, gave up an unearned run in the ninth, didn’t issue a walk and fanned 10. He is 3-0 with a 0.54 ERA in four postseason starts.

“He pitched really well, if he is going to pitch like that, you aren’t going to score many runs,” said Mark Teixeira, who fanned twice. Continue

 

 

Rollins talkng smack

Mariano Rivera’s liquid brown eyes went cold when asked about Jimmy Rolllins’ bold prediction that the Phillies will whip the Yankees in the World Series that opens tonight at Yankee Stadium.

“I could care less what he said,” Rivera stated with the same death stare he fixes on hitters from the mound. “That’s not what is going to happen.”

Appearing on Jay Leno’s show Monday night, the talkative Phillies’ shortstop and leadoff hitter predicted Philly fans will witness the Yankees getting run out of Philadelphia.

“Of course we are going to win. If we are nice, we will let it go to six,” Rollins said. “But I am thinking five, close it out at home.”

Rivera said Rollins has the outcome wrong.

“That’s what he says. What he says and what’s going to happen is far from that. You know what I mean?” Rivera said. “That’s the way it is. Coming from him, I would expect nothing less. We’ll see what happens.” Continue

Yanks pursue #27 for the boss

The Boss has lost something off a Hall of Fame fastball, but that doesn't mean the need to win has been sucked from his marrow.

"It's the old George, the focus is on nothing but winning," a friend of Steinbrenner's told The Post yesterday. "This has put him in very good spirits. He wants to win."

"This," of course, is the Yankees' first appearance in the World Series since 2003.

Game 1 of the "Amtrak Series" against the NL champion Phillies is tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium.

Steinbrenner, who hasn't been to the Stadium since the home opener, and didn't attend the closing ceremonies across the street last year, is slated to be on hand to watch CC Sabathia pitch against Cliff Lee in a meeting of ace left-handers. Continue

Yankees back to the big show

When it comes to possessing a thirst for winning World Series, the apple didn't fall far from the Steinbrenner tree. Instead, it hugged the bark on the way down.

Not long after Derek Jeter poured a river of Chandon champagne over him and his sister, Jennifer Steinbrenner Swindal, Hal Steinbrenner showed while he might not have the bluster his pop had, the son has similar needs.

"We expect to win a championship," Hal, the Yankees' managing general partner, said after the Yankees punched their ticket to the World Series against the Phillies that opens Wednesday in The Bronx by handing the bumbling Angels a 5-2 loss in Game 6 of the ALCS last night at Yankee Stadium.

So, with their eyes stinging and their heads on the way to a monster hangover,the Yankees were presented with the final challenge of what so far has been a magical 2009 season. Continue

It is still up to Andy

Joe Girardi made another controversial decision Saturday night, one that could lead to massive second-guessing if the Yankees can't find a way to close out the ALCS.

After Game 6 was postponed due to inclement weather, Girardi announced that he would stick with Andy PettitteSunday instead of starting CC Sabathia, who would have been pitching on regular rest.

"CC has been great, but Andy will pitch tomorrow," Girardi said. "Andy has pitched in a ton of big, big games in his career. We just like him in this spot."

The Angels will stick with Joe Saunders Sunday, hoping the southpaw can give them another solid performance after he held the Yankees to two runs over seven innings in Game 2 at the Stadium. Continue

Yanks rally but can't shut door, back to NY

Twenty cases of champagne sat outside the clubhouse waiting to be opened Thursday night. But as the Yankees headed for their charter flight back to New York, the corks remained tightly sealed.

That's because after staging an improbable six-run seventh inning to erase a four-run Angels lead, the Yankees watched as their bullpen melted down in a 7-6 loss in Game 5 that sent the ALCS back to the Bronx.

Many Yankees players had scheduled flights to their homes around the country, not planning on returning to New York until Sunday, when they figured the preparation for the World Series would begin. Instead, they boarded the cross-country flight Thursday night hoping they hadn't let their best shot at the Fall Classic slip away. Continue

AJ gets a shot to close out Angels

A.J. Burnettt didn't come to the Yankees to be a cream-pie throwing sideshow.

He accepted $82.5 million to complete a formidable 1-2 punch atop the starting rotation with fellow free-agent signing CC Sabathia and to pitch the Yankees back into the World Series for the first time since 2003.

Sabathia did his part once again Tuesday night, improving to 3-0 this postseason with eight innings of one-run ball on three days' rest.

And now Burnett, who has pitched well despite earning no-decisions in each of his two postseason starts this October, gets the first crack to win the pennant in Game 5 today at Angel Stadium. Continue

Yanks just a win away from return to the World Series

 If Joe Girardi was dumb Monday, he was a genius Tuesday.

Heavily criticized for the way he used the bullpen in an ALCS loss to the Angels on Monday, Girardi’s decision to start CC Sabathia on three days’ rest in Game 4 turned out brilliant.

Faced with pitching Chad Gaudin, Joba Chamberlain or Sabathia on short rest, Girardi wisely went with the staff ace and Sabathia responded with eight brilliant innings, hurling the Yankees to an 10-1 victory in front of 45,160 at Angel Stadium.

The win gave the Yankees a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-7 series and moved them within a victory of advancing to the World Series for the first time since 2003. Game 5 is Thursday night when A.J. Burnett faces John Lackey. If Games 6 and 7 are necessary they will be played at Yankee Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. Continue