October 19, 2009
The Monday Morning Quarterback
The New York Yankees look unstoppable right now. Five games into the postseason, the Yankees haven't lost since October began. After disposing of the Minnesota Twins in a three game Division Series shift, New York's road was supposed to get harder heading into a showdown with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Angels have been Yankee killers throughout the decade. In Joe Torre's 12 seasons as manager, the Angels were the only team in the majors to have a winning record against the Bronx Bombers, including a pair of playoff losses in 2002 and 2005. After two rain filled and very exciting games at the stadium, the scene shifts to Southern California where the Yanks are looking to take care of business and secure their first trip to the fall classic in six years. If you've been a fan of this team for the past decade or so, going into a series against the Angels had to make you nervous. Their past domination of the Yankees aside, the Angels are the real deal. They can pitch. They can hit with anybody in the league. They run the bases as well as anyone in the majors. They have a very solid defense, not to mention the best manager in baseball, Mike Scioscia. So they're a tough team to beat on any for any team. Personally, I thought the Yanks stood a much greater chance in the possible ALCS matchup with their arch rival, Boston Red Sox, but that wasn't in the cards. Instead the Angels swept Boston, a team who normally dominates Los Angeles/Anaheim, right out of the playoffs, setting up a showdown with the Yankees. Heading into Friday nights game, I was nervous, to say the least. With forecasts calling for rain all weekend, it was uncertain if games 1 and 2 were going to postponed. Major League Baseball did not want these games postponed as it would have created scheduling chaos, so on cold, wet Friday in the Bronx, the Angels and Yankees opened the ALCS. The rain was obviously more of a factor for the Angels in game 1 as three errors and a dominating 8 inning, 7 strikeout performance from C.C. Sabathia did the halos in, Yanks win 4-1. Game 2 was an absolute classic. A 13 inning thriller that Alex Rodriguez tie the game in the 11th with his third postseason home run, and Jerry Hairston score the game winning run on a Maicer Izturis error at 1:10 a.m. eastern time; Yanks win 4-3.
So now the series shifts to Anaheim, where game 3 on Monday afternoon is crucial to the Yankees' success in this series. I've said that about every game so far, but it's been true all along. Obviously, you want to win game 1 and immediately take control of the series, especially if you're the home team. Game 2 was important because, again, it was a home game and you want to hold on to that home field advantage. Also, you don't want to send the Angels back home in a tie series, with all the momentum. This became more true in an extra inning classic where, had the Angels won, they would be "flying high" heading back home. As it is, the Yankees have all the momentum heading into game 3 and they don't want to give it back. If the Angels win and the momentum shifts, New York could be in some trouble. In that case the series is now 2-1. Not quite as comfortable as 3-0. Then they have to play game 4 in Anaheim Tuesday, with Sabathia going on three days rest. Friday's game 1 not getting postponed allowed the Yankees three man pitching rotation to stay intact and set up Sabathia to pitch game 4 on short rest. I feel better with Sabathia on short rest with a 3-0 lead than 2-1 lead, so game 3 is huge.
Now, with all that being said, I feel great about the Yankees' chances in this series. Andy Pettitte is pitching game 3. Big game Andy. There is nobody I would rather have start this game. He has been doing this with the Yankees for years. Throughout his career, Pettitte has been the stopper. You need a win, give the ball to Andy. Then it will be Sabathia in Game 4. I feel great about Sabathia, too. Even on short rest. He has been dominating for a few months now, and he's been at his best in the playoffs. He's pitching like he did last season with Milwaukee when he singlehandedly carried the Brewers on his back into the playoffs. He was pitching on three days rest for the last month of the season and he was untouchable. He ran out of gas in the playoffs, but that shouldn't be a factor this year as he pitched less innings overall and has pitched on normal rest all season. C.C. is a winner. I love the way he goes about his business. He's ready to go whenever you need him to and I expect him to come out throwing gas on Tuesday. Plus, you've got Mariano Rivera in the pen. The best ever, hands down. Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves, and now Joba Chamberlain is a very strong back end. But it's not just the pitching. How about Jeter and A-Rod? This would be a good time to officially welcome Alex Rodriguez to the New York Yankees. After years of being maligned for not being a "clutch" hitter, and not getting it done in the playoffs, and then the steroids catastrophe, it was looking pretty bleak for A-Rod. He has quieted his skeptics this year. There is no doubting how much better the Yankees, specifically Mark Teixeira, played and hit when A-Rod returned to the lineup in May. The team took off from that point on. You can see it in the way he plays. Rodriguez is much more comfortable out there. He plays loose instead of tense. He doesn't seem as obsessed with himself and what everyone else thinks about him. Dare I say that the steroids "incident" was the best thing that ever happened to him? I'll tell you this much, somewhere along that path, Alex Rodriguez became a real Yankee. His piece finally fits the puzzle. And what a very important piece it is. Without Rodriguez, the Yankees don't beat Minnesota in the Division Series. He tied game 2 in the 9th inning and game 3 in the 7th. Then he tied game 2 of the ALCS in the 11th. He's been doing it all year, all of it "clutch". At this pace, A-Rod is on his way to becoming a Yankee Legend, a la Reggie Jackson. And the there's Jeter. What is there to say about Jeter? The best hitter in the history of baseball, well on his way to 3,000 hits. It's ironic that before the season at the World Baseball Classic people questioned Jeter's ability to play shortstop, then he goes out there and has the best defensive year of his career. He's a guy whose "clutch" hitting and fielding (Flip play ring a bell?) has never been questioned. He's got four rings and he's the leader of this team. They're in very good hands. I can't forget about Mark Teixeira. He's been a huge addition this year. .292, 39 home runs, and 122 RBIs are terrific numbers. More than that, he is an outstanding defensive first baseman, like Don Mattingly. He saved as many runs with his glove as he produced with his bat. I can't help but feel extremely optimistic about the Yankees chances to go all the way this year.
I don't think the Angels are out of this thing. They are far too good for that. They have an entire lineup of .300 hitters and they're going back to sunny California, so I suspect that they left the errors in New York. That's exactly why game 3 is so big. I picked the Yankees in 6, but I think if they win Game 3, it will be a 5 game series. No matter what happens, I'm taking the Yankees to win the series. Even if they fall behind in this series. They'll just come back like they have all year. Just when it looks like they're beaten, they come right back. This lineup is far too strong. I don't see anybody in baseball stopping them, honestly. I see them just rolling on, like a tank. Game 3 is in about 8 hours, and the outcome will tell us a lot.
