Red Sox make a few moves; Trade Rumors around the Majors

The Philadelphia Phillies need a third baseman. Look no further than speedy Chone Figgins, a hitting machine who dazzled with the Anaheim Angels and is now a free-agent.

The Boston Red Sox were busy to begin the offseason, acquiring outfielder Jeremy Hermida from the Florida Marlins, and remained busy in their effort to build a championship-caliber team. General Manager Theo Epstein restructured Tim Wakefield’s deal, replacing a $4 million team option for 2010 with a two-year contract for the 43-year old knuckleballer worth a guaranteed $7 million. He also intelligently picked up the $7 million team option on catcher Victor Martinez. Then, he made another wise move, declining their $5 million team option on over-the-hill captain and catcher Jason Varitek.

The re-signing of Wakefield gives Boston two more years of dependability at the back-end of their rotation. Having a knuckleballer is a hit-or-miss proposition; he will get hit hard, then be unhittable. But for the most part, he pitches deep into games, allows a minimal amount of runs, and keeps the Red Sox in contention, which are the reasons why they have so much faith in the longest tenured member of the team.

His re-signing means either the fourth or fifth spot in the rotation is his. This leaves Boston with a formidable five-man rotation: Josh Beckett in a contract year, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, who is looking to rebound after an injury-plagued 2009, young Clay Buchholz, and Wakefield. If there is one drawback to the re-signing of Wakefield, however, it doesn’t give Boston the opportunity to sign a free agent pitcher. Unless they plan on using him just in long relief or for spot-starts, or unless they plan on using a 6-man rotation, they can’t pursue the likes of Rich Harden.

Harden would come relatively cheap solely because of his injury history. He has a world of talent in his right arm, but because of recurring arm injuries or other such setbacks he has had, there is no way to guesstimate how man starts he could make; he could make ten and spend the majority of the season on the shelf, or he could make thirty and contend for the Cy Young. If I was at the controls, I’d take the risk, considering what the 27-year old could do if injury-free.

Wakefield has had severe back problems throughout the latter stages of his career, so given that he isn’t a sure-thing either, the Harden possibility becomes much more plausible. I would rather see the Red Sox sign Harden for $7 million than have to commit an obscene amount of money t0 a star on the market, such as John Lackey, who would command at least a  five-year deal worth upwards of $80 million.

Picking up Matinez’s option is an obvious decision, as the 30-year old catcher hit .336 with a .405 on-base percentage to compliment his 8 homers and 41 rbi’s in 56 games with the Red Sox after being acquired at the July 31st trade deadline. He fit in immediately and gave Boston the power bat and dependability they were lacking from the catcher position.

Varitek was the catcher, but there was a reason why the Red Sox declined their team option. The captain hit just .209 last season, an offensive liability the team couldn’t afford to use on a daily basis; hence the acquisition of Martinez. The title of “Captain” carried a lot of weight the year prior and that stature along with the way he handled the pitching staff was the reason Boston stuck with him regularly until the Martinez trade. But they felt it was time to move on, and rightfully so, despite the overwhelming impact he had made to earn the “Captain” title.

He can still return, however, but it is his choice. The Red Sox declined a $5 million team option, clearly gesturing it was time to part ways, but he can excercise a $3 million player option in order to remain. Reports were as of Sunday night that he would do so and return, but Epstein informed the media on Monday that Varitek had not yet indeed picked up the option. According to Sports Illustrated Jon Heyman, Varitek will discuss the option with the devil of the Agent world, Scott Boras, his representative.

In other offseason news, The Philadelphia Phillies, instead of resuming talks of a possible trade for Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay, will focus on bulking their bullpen and finding a more suitable option at third base than Pedro Feliz. Feliz, who was serviceable, could return, but the team is seriously pursuing Chone Figgins to man the hot corner, according to Heyman.

Figgins, formerly of the Anaheim Angels (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, if you prefer), is an interesting target by Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr.. Despite struggling in the playoffs, the 31-year old is a very good hitter, and is extremely fast. He would give the Phillies three leadoff types, as Heyman mentioned: Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, a duo that sits atop their lineup, are built around speed, and are relatively light-hitting. This is not to say that Figgins would be a bad signing. I think it would be excellent, given their crop of power hitters–Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jayson Werth. Adding Figgins would bolster their offense considerably, and improve upon an already stellar power-speed combination.

Moving onto the team the Phillies lost to in the World Series, the New York Yankees have had internal discussions about bringing all three of their big free-agents back: outfielder Johnny Damon, who was a hitting machine all season long and throughout the playoffs, designated hitter Hideki Matsui, who won the World Series MVP, and pitcher Andy Pettitte, who won four of his five starts during the postseason. Re-signing all three would be wise for the World Series champions, not only because all three are very valuable to their success, but also because this might mean they–for once–aren’t looking to make a big offseason splash.

They still could; it’s the Yankees. Time will tell, as the offseason has just begun. Who knows what it is on the horizon, especially for the teams in Boston, Philly, and the Bronx.

Let the Offseason begin: Red Sox steal Hermida from Marlins

The Boston Red Sox hope they struck gold in acquiring Jeremy Hermida, who quite possibly may have been non-tendered by the Florida Marlins at month's end if not for the trade.

The Major League Baseball season began on April 5th. The season ended on November 4th with the New York Yankees popping champagne in celebration. That’s a span of seven months, from late spring to mid-fall. It was long, too long. But now it’s over. The offseason has begun.

The Trade Season started with a bang. The Boston Red Sox front office, having watched arch-rival New York finish off Philadelphia, decided to make a move, a sensible one at that. Before they traded Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Red Sox inquired about a three-way deal that would land them Florida Marlins outfielder Jeremy Hermida. That proposal didn’t gain any traction, and Hermida stayed with the Marlins, but despite missing out on his services, Boston remained infatuated with him and his potential, hoping he would someday be part of their quest for a World Series championship.

That someday was today. In need of outfield depth, General Manager Theo Epstein traded the organization’s 44th and 45th prospects, lefthanded pitchers Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez, to Florida for Hermida, who is only 25 years old. Hermida, a 6′3″, 200-pounder, is a former top prospect in the Marlins system, and in nearly 2,000 career appearances, has put up underwhelming numbers considering his hype: .265 batting average, 57 homers, and 210 rbi’s in 516 games.

Though he has had a disappointing first few years in the majors, disappointing enough for the Marlins to give up on him, the Red Sox believe a bright future is ahead. Epstein, upon making the trade, said “He hasn’t fulfilled his potential yet. We acquired him today to see if he can fulfill that potential.” Jones and Alvarez were a small price to pay for a low-risk player who could pay immense dividends in Boston. He has a fluid swing, plate discipline, and though he doesn’t hit for a substantial amount of power, the short porch in right field at Fenway Park, as well as the Green Monster in left, could go along ways to increase his production.

Designated hitter David Ortiz doesn’t have much left in the tank. Third baseman Mike Lowell can still hit, but a hip injury has slowed him considerably. Their lineup is getting old, and has players on the decline, so a young fresh face could do wonders for their wherewithal, especially if he succeeds as the Marlins once believed he could.

Boston seems keen on re-signing left-fielder Jason Bay, who, despite striking out nearly a third of the time last season, put up huge numbers with the team. This would be a smart move, and would allow the Red Sox to work Hermida into the system, give him some spot starts, see what he’s made of, and then give him the starting job in right-field once J.D. Drew’s contract runs out after the 2011 season.

Hermida welcomed the change in scenery:

“The change of scenery will be good for me,” he said. “Boston has a lot of older guys who can teach me about the game and we can talk hitting. I know Mike Lowell pretty well and I played with Josh (Beckett) a little. This is a great thing for me.”

“I feel rejuvenated. I had a feeling I’d be traded and going to Boston is better than I could have expected.”

The Red Sox acquired him on a whim, taking a risk that this “can’t miss” prospect that the Marlins were tired of waiting on turns into something. Having this optimism is a good start for the kid. Boston may have just found a diamond in the rough.

The drought is over: Matsui fuels Yankees 27th championship

The New York Yankees celebrate winning the World Series over the Philadelphia Phillies. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

With the Philadelphia Phillies batting in the bottom of the fourth inning of Game 6 of the World Series against the New York Yankees, Pedro Martinez sat alone in the Phillies dugout. Then manager Charlie Manuel came over. The 65-year old manager with a southern drawl talked to the 38-year old Dominican and future Hall of Famer. He said something amusing, and Martinez cracked a smile. He tapped him on the chest, and another amusing remark made him laugh. He took a step away, motioned back, tapped him on the chest again, and kept his pitcher laughing.

What made this moment so memorable was that Martinez’s night was already done, having struggled mightily against the Yankees. In Game 2, a tough loss, the velocity on his fastball ranged from 91-94 miles per hour. In Game 6, he was facing the team he loves to face once more, but his demeanor and velocity were drastically different. Instead of looking confident, appearing full of adrenaline, he looked queasy and uncharacteristically nervous. Instead of touching 94 on the gun, his fastball topped out at 89 miles per hour and spent a majority of the night in the 83-86 miles per hour range. The Yankees, smelling their 27th championship and first in nine years, teed off on Martinez, who was only a shade of his former self.

He didn’t dare throw Alex Rodriguez a fastball, given its lack of velocity, but four changeups resulted in a four-pitch leadoff walk in the second inning. This conservative approach brought up Hideki Matsui, with whom he wasn’t as timid regarding pitch selection. Matsui had five hits in his previous nine at-bats this World Series, and continued his torrid hitting in what might be his final game in pinstripes. Matsui, a veteran and accomplished hitter, faced Martinez, a veteran and accomplished pitcher, and dueled in exhilarating fashion. Matsui took changeup with surprisingly little bite for a called strike, fouled off a fastball, took two 85 mile-per hour lifeless fastballs, one high and the other outside, fouled back a fourth fastball that reached its pinnacle, 89 on the radar gun, and then a slider inside. The count that was once 0-2 in Martinez’s favor, was full. Martinez had thrown every pitch in his repertoire he was willing to throw to the Japanese legend, so he tried to put him away with the pitch that’s made his career illustrious, the changeup. But Matsui waited for it, calculated its movement, and fouled it off. Martinez tried his fastball, attempting to hit an outside target set by catcher Carlos Ruiz so to lessen the chance of Matsui, a pull-hitter, turning on the offering. He missed the mark, instead firing 89 right down the pipe. Matsui, holding an eerily clean white bat similar to that of Roy Hobbs in The Natural, swung powerfully. The ball rocketed off the sweet spot, right on the barrel, and shot off towards right field like a cannon.

The 56,000-plus donning Yankee black jumped for joy as the ball fell deep into the seats. It was a two-run homer by Matsui. He was just getting started. The fans, anticipating the end of a World Series drought, would be in for a busy night as well.

Martinez struck out Brett Gardner to begin the next inning, and then got himself into more trouble. Derek Jeter benefited from a misread by Phillies center-fielder Shane Victorino and reached with a single. Johnny Damon battled Martinez and coaxed a walk. This brought up a struggling Mark Teixeira, who didn’t get a chance to break out of his slump, as Martinez’s tailing fastball tailed in too much, hitting the Yankees $180 million investment first baseman squarely in the thigh. Alex Rodriguez followed by striking out, but this was one of the few bright spots of the night. Matsui was next, and things went good to bad very quickly.

He fouled off the first two pitches, and then, once again, connected soundly with a fastball, ripping it into center-field to score two runs. Manuel had left Martinez in too long. Reliever J.A. Happ was warming long before Matsui strode in for the second time, but Manuel turned into a subtler version of Grady Little, who infamously stuck with a fatiguing and ineffective Martinez in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series against these Yankees.

This Game 6 start may have been Martinez’s last World Series appearance. Manuel wanted to give him one last shot to pitch on the highest of stages, and give him the chance to beat the Yankees. Martinez pitched well enough in Game 2 to earn this start, but clearly wasn’t the same pitcher. Manuel wanted to win, and taking a Pedro Martinez on his last legs out gave his team the opportunity to fight back. Martinez just didn’t have much to offer here at perhaps the end of his outstanding career.

After Phillies shortstop and leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins couldn’t take advantage of a one-out walk by Yankees starter Andy Pettitte to Ruiz, grounding into an inning-ending double play, Chad Durbin replaced Martinez on the mound, and was similarly ineffective. He allowed a leadoff double in the fifth to Derek Jeter, a single to Mark Teixeira with one out, and then walked Rodriguez to load the bases, forcing Manuel to make the slow walk to the mound to remove him and put Happ in his place. Matsui was the hitter. He tagged Martinez for four rbi’s on two hits, and drove in two more off Durbin, lining a double into the left-field gap. He had a two-run homer, a two-run double, and now a two-run single. All that was missing was the two-run triple.

He wouldn’t complete the two-run cycle, but he had six of their seven rbi’s, which speaks for itself. Philadelphia, behind 7-1, received a two-run homer by Ryan Howard in the top of the sixth, but they couldn’t make the most of other opportunities, and the four-run deficit carried into the eighth.

After Howard compiled his 13th strikeout of the series to begin the inning against Damaso Marte, Mariano Rivera came in to attempt the five-out, World Series-clinching save. The Yankees were five outs away from winning their first World Series since the Subway Series of 2000, and they had the best closer of all-time ready to save his fifth championship. With the Yankee crowd on their feet in anticipation, Rivera struck out Jayson Werth and after Raul Ibanez socked a double to left, threw a cutter in to Feliz, forcing a defensive swing and pop-up. Now, three outs remained.

Rivera, looking for his 39th postseason save (39th!), took the hill in the ninth. Pinch-hitter extraordinaire Matt Stairs worked the count full, and nailed a frozen rope, but right at Jeter. Down to their final two outs, the Phillies continued to battle, refusing to hand the Yankees and The Sandman the World Series. Ruiz came after Stairs, and had an at-bat that made me and Rivera crack a smile. The catcher, who had a brilliant series at the plate and behind it, took a cutter over but low, and then one right down the middle. He had no intention to swing, presumably scared to make an out. He just wanted to get on, and hoped he could do so by coaxing a walk. He took a cutter just off the outside corner for ball-two, and then one just inside. He stared at strike-two, but his wish was granted as Rivera’s sixth pitch and sixth cutter missed inside.

Rollins wasn’t as patient, swinging at the second pitch. He hit it well, but right at right-fielder Nick Swisher, who celebrated the second out with the fans beyond the fence. Rivera and the Yankees were one out away from accomplishing a feat their organization has demanded annually for many decades. Shane Victorino, badly bruised hand and all, stepped in and took a first-pitch strike. A ball followed, and then the Hawaiian native swung through a cutter from the Panamanian. Anyone who wasn’t standing in Yankees stadium rose to their feet–one strike away. A cutter barely missed inside and the 50,000-plus let out a groan. Victorino fouled off the fifth pitch, then the sixth, seventh, and eighth. How painful, on this cold night in the Bronx, to foul off pitch after pitch with the hand, battered and bruised, taking the vibration over and over again. Victorino didn’t care about the injury. He wanted to battle to the end, try to extend the Phillies season. The ninth offering was well inside, but Rivera’s 41st pitch found the heart of the plate. With the cutter’s late movement, Victorino didn’t get good wood on it, pounding it into the infield, right at Robinson Cano at second.

Cano fielded the grounder cleanly and threw to Teixeira. The Yankees ran into the middle of the diamond from the outfield, the bullpen, the infield, and from the dugout, to meet Teixeira, Cano, and Rivera.  New York, the players, the fans, the city, jubilantly celebrated the 27th championship in franchise history.

Utley provides power as Phillies hold off Yankees to force a Game 6

Chase Utley (26), celebrates after clubbing a first-inning three-run homer with Jimmy Rollins (right). His shot gave the Philadelphia Phillies a jolt, fueling their Game 5 victory over the New York Yankees. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

New York Yankees starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, their $82 million man, shut down the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 of the World Series. His fastball was lively, and his offspeed pitches had their bite and sharpness, and were perfectly located. He tossed seven stellar innings, allowing just one run on four hits, walking one while striking out nine. Manager Joe Girardi hoped for a repeat performance in Game 6, choosing him to pitch in the potential World Series-winning game on only three-days rest.

The 32-year old righthander could not baffle the Phillies once more. Instead, he was erratic, clearly off his game on short rest. His fastball was grooved and though his curveball and changeup had some movement, they were poorly placed. From the onset, Philadelphia, needing a win to stay alive, wasn’t fooled.

By the beginning of the bottom of the first, the Phillies were already behind by one, but the deficit didn’t last long. Leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins singled to end a six-pitch battle, and then Shane “The Flyin’ Hawaiian” Victorino painfully reached after getting hit squarely on the hand by a first-pitch fastball from Burnett. The trainer came out to check on their energetic center-fielder, who shook off the sure-fire bone bruise or possible break, and took his base. Burnett missed his location by three feet against Victorino, and two feet with his first pitch to Chase Utley.

Utley hit two home-runs off CC Sabathia in Game 1, and another off the hefty lefthander in Game 4. The second-baseman who hit 31 home-runs during the regular season kept on hitting the longball, crushing an inside fastball that was meant to be outside that didn’t get inside enough, deep into the left-field seats. The fan who caught the souvenir thrust his arms in the air, and the other 46, 177 waving their rally towels followed suit in celebration of Utley’s three-run blast.

Phillies ace Cliff Lee, who tossed a complete game in the series opener, had a two-run lead with which to work. He wasn’t at his best, as his first inning indicated, but was certainly much better than his counterpart. He settled down after allowing a single, double, and a walk in the opening frame, shutting down the Yankees in both the second and third, then in the latter innings after his offense knocked around Burnett some more.

Burnett walked Utley to start the third inning, missing with five fastballs, but given a generous call on an outside offering. He was all over the place, unable to hit his spots. This happened periodically during the year, and he picked a bad time for his wildness to resurface. Utley stole second and Ryan Howard watched three curveballs miss badly, the pitch that worked wonders for Burnett in Game 2, to work the fourth walk issued by the Yankee. Burnett actually managed to get ahead in the count to the next hitter, Jayson Werth, but a hanging curveball added to his misery, as the Phillie with seven homers this postseason socked a rbi-single to center. Raul Ibanez then tried the left side of the field, ringing a single to Damon, scoring a hustling Howard from second. That lifeless fastball was Burnett’s final pitch. Of the fifteen batters he faced over the 2-plus innings, nine reached.

While Burnett, whose 2-plus innings worth featured 6 runs on 4 hits, and 4 walks, settled into his seat in the eerily silent Yankees dugout, Lee mowed down the Yankees through the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh before running into Burnett-like trouble in the eighth. He allowed a lone run in the fifth, which was countered by Utley’s fifth homer of the series and Ibanez’s first, both coming off New York’s third reliever, Phil Coke, in the seventh. So, he took a 8-2 advantage heading to the eighth.

The way he was pitching, the game could presumably be considered well in hand, but the Yankees didn’t back down. The second, third, and fourth-hitters in New York’s lineup–Damon, Mark Teixeira, and Alex Rodriguez–reached with a single and two doubles. The second double pushed across Damon and sent Lee to the dugout amidst cheers from the fans appreciating his outstanding effort. His relief, Chan Ho Park, had a pretty outstanding effort of his own as Lee waited nervously behind the dugout railing.

Park, who has been brilliant throughout this postseason, was once more, limiting the damage, allowing just a sacrifice fly in his inning of work. Philadelphia held a four-run lead entering the ninth. Closer Brad Lidge, who allowed three runs in Game 5, would presumably be summoned to pitch the ninth in an attempt to close the door and send the series back to New York.

He wasn’t warming up, though. Ryan Madson, their stellar middle reliever, was instead. He took the hill, and instead of making manager Charlie Manuel’s decision pay immediate dividends, he harnessed his inner Lidge. Jorge Posada nailed a 3-1 fastball to begin the frame off the top of the wall in right-center field for a double. This wasn’t the worst thing in the world, seeing as the Yankees needed three runs, but it was a bad start in his attempt to close out the game considering pinch-hitter Hideki Matsui was due next, and then the top of their very dangerous order. Matsui, making the most of his final at-bats as a Yankee, singled through the left-side to bring the tying run to the plate.

First and third, with nobody out, and Derek Jeter was the batter. Throughout his illustrious career, he has relished in these situations, giving him the appropriate nickname ‘Captain Clutch.’ Madson fell behind his third straight hitter before Jeter did something that entirely caught me off guard. He hit a grounder to Rollins, who then flung it to Utley “covering” second base (he pulled off the neighborhood play), who then fired to Ryan Howard, who was actually on the base, to retire Jeter. It was a double-play. Who would have thought Jeter would be the rally-killer?

Damon followed with a two-out hit in the now 8-6 game to keep the rally alive. But it was the Phillies who would stay alive in the series, as the Yankees last hope, Teixeira, took a called strike and then swung through two changeups, allowing all of Philadelphia to celebrate.

The Phillies, with solid pitching by Lee, a good recovery by Madson, and the power display by Utley, are headed to the Bronx, living to see another day. The Yankees wanted their next trip to New York to be for the World Series parade, but it will be for Game 6 instead, a game in a series Philadelphia believes they can win.

Rodriguez’s clutch hit sends Lidge, Phillies to brink

Alex Rodriguez came through once more, breaking an eighth-inning tie to put his New York Yankees one win away from their first World Series title since 2000. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

New York Yankees relief pitcher Joba Chamberlain’s fastball was at its best. He entered the game in the eighth inning with his team ahead by one and overpowered the first two hitters, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez.

Against Werth, who has 7 home-runs this postseason and tagged 30 during the regular season, he set him up with a 95-miles per hour heater down the middle–a good pitch to hit, but Werth was taking all the way. He missed wildly with a slider, but painted the outside corner with a fastball, which Werth fouled off. Ahead in the count 1-2, Chamberlain reared back and challenged Werth with everything he had, firing a 97-miles per hour fastball high in the strikezone. It was a hittable pitch, even for Werth, a low-ball hitter, but he swung right through and walked back to the dugout shaking his head in dismay.

Ibanez was next, and he suffered a similar fate. Chamberlain hit the outside corner with strike-one, missed with two sliders, and then Ibanez chased a third offspeed pitch. With a 2-2 count, he went back to his fastball, blowing Ibanez away with heat rarely seen out of the big Nebraskan. Chamberlain was now one out away from handing the ball to unhittable closer Mariano Rivera with a one-run lead.

Pedro Feliz strode to the plate with one idea, to muscle a Chamberlain offering amongst the Phillie fans and tie the game. He fell behind 1-2, swinging for the fences but coming up empty. Down to his last strike, he layed off two sliders that dipped low and outside. All of Philadelphia was on the edge of their seats, and then rose out of them as one when Chamberlain tried to power in a fastball. The 24-year old righthander attempted to brush Feliz back, presumably to set up a offspeed pitch outside, but didn’t get it in far enough, instead located high and slightly inside. Feliz turned on it, crushing the mistake to deep left. Chamberlain crouched down immediately, knowing the outcome and unable to watch the damage. Citizens Bank Park erupted in joyous cheer.

The tying blast was Feliz’s third hit of the game. Philadelphia was back in the game, with a distinct chance of tying the World Series at two games apiece. Closer Brad Lidge’s job now was to keep Game 4 notched at four.

He retired the first two rather easily, getting Hideki Matsui to pop-up and then Derek Jeter to strikeout, and was ahead in the count against Johnny Damon. The Yankees left-fielder and second-place hitter took a fastball high and another outside to work the count full. He then spoiled two fastballs, fouling each back. Lidge followed with a fifth-straight fastball, a pitch Damon didn’t miss. The Yankee veteran deposited the offering into shallow left field, reaching on a single as it dropped in front of the slow-footed Ibanez.

Damon took off for second on the second pitch to Mark Teixeira. Catcher Carlos Ruiz fired to second. No one was covering third base because of the defensive alignment for Teixeira, but someone should have been. Lidge ducked and watched Ruiz’s throw sail over his head, but watched the play unfold instead of doing his job. In that instant, he should have been running to cover third base just in case Damon tried to take an extra base. But he just stood there. Damon realized this, and though Feliz had caught Ruiz’s throw, he started for third. Feliz tried to run him down, but considering he had nobody to throw to, he had no chance to get the all-important final out.

Lidge made things worse for Philadelphia, turning into the pitcher who had 11 blown saves and a 7.21 ERA during the regular season. He hit Mark Teixeira with the pitch that followed his mental lapse, which forced him into an unenviable situation. Alex Rodriguez, who has been on fire this postseason, stepped in. New York’s star third-baseman and a suddenly clutch hitter came through yet again, nailing a Lidge grooved fastball into the left-field corner. Damon scored and Teixeira hustled to third base. The Yankees had retaken the lead and silenced a once rambunctious crowd.

Lidge’s collapse wasn’t complete. The Phillies 9, 1, and 2 hitters in their lineup were due in the bottom of the frame, and though Mariano Rivera was waiting to work his magic, they would have had a good chance to climb back off the Yankees somewhat overworked closer. That chance was thrown out the window once Jorge Posada clocked a 1-2 fastball into left-field to score both Teixeira and Rodriguez. New York’s lead increased to three, and with that, the Phillies chances became zero to none.

Never in his postseason career has Rivera given up three runs in an outing. I hoped the saying “a first time for everything” would apply, but I knew deep down the game was over. It usually is once Rivera, the best closer of all-time, graces the mound on the biggest of stages. Not surprisingly, he needed just eight pitches to record the final three outs. The game was over.

The Phillies and their fans filed out of a stadium just an inning prior was rocking with jubilation. The Yankees celebrated on the field, and the thought sunk in: one win away from winning the World Series. They have had this thought run through their minds before. In 2001, they were on the brink, only to see the Arizona Diamondbacks Luis Gonzalez send them home with the sickest of feelings. In 2003, they watched Florida Marlins ace Josh Beckett toss a complete game shutout, sending them home once more with the sickest of feelings.

Philadelphia will try to extend New York’s heartbreak, but they will need three consecutive wins to accomplish their goal and repeat as World Series champions.

Lee twirls masterpiece, dominates Yankees as Phillies easily take Game 1

Cliff Lee was dominant, utterly dominant in defeating the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Philadelphia Phillies lefthander Cliff Lee took the mound to begin Game 1 as Yankees stadium bustled, anticipating the start of the World Series. The relaxed 31-year old looked in at catcher Carlos Ruiz, nodded his head yes, and pumped in a fastball that New York Yankees captain and leadoff hitter Derek Jeter fouled off. His outing was underway, and what an outing it would be for Lee.

Jeter fouled off a tumbling curveball and then swung through a filthy slider for strike-three; three pitches, one out. Johnny Damon watched Jeter go down easily and, judging by Lee’s command of the first three offerings, knew he would be tough to beat. So, the Yankees left-fielder bunted. Lee gobbled it up and fired to first.

It was an odd decision by Damon. Usually, a bunt would come out of desperation, in the latter innings when behind and in need of a spark. But Damon knew something his fellow teammates would soon find out, and tried to jump-start his team the only way believed possible. Why else would he bunt as the game’s second hitter?

The power was due up for New York, but where New York saw power, Lee saw opportunities to create swings and misses. He had the repertoire, location, and ability to change speeds with regularity to baffle the American League champions. Without a nervous bone in his body, he stuck to his game-plan, intimidated, and mowed the clean-cut and exorbitantly rich Yanks down.

Mark Teixeira was up after Damon. He managed to work the count, force a couple of balls out of Lee, but in the end was sent back to the dugout shaking his head just like Jeter before him. The first baseman swung mightily at two-straight fastballs, biting Lee’s bait to end the frame.

Alex Rodriguez began the bottom of the second inning the way Teixeira ended the first. Lee started him off with two fastballs perfectly placed. Rodriguez stared at both, walked out of the box, and pondered what pitch would come his way. It was another fastball, and all the third-baseman could do was foul it back. Lee missed barely low with a fourth fastball, then disposed of his guessing opponent with a slider that dipped in and out of the strikezone and evaded his bat.

Lee had another five pitch at-bat, this time against Hideki Matsui after Jorge Posada had singled. In that five-pitch at-bat, he used his five different pitches. He missed with the first two, a two-seam fastball and a slider, but then battled back with a four-seam fastball for a called strike, a loopy curveball that was nicked foul, and a changeup woefully flailed at by the designated hitter.

His control was impeccable and his mixture of pitches and change of speeds kept the Yankees off balance. He was having fun, and just getting started. Given a run of support on a solo-shot in the third inning by Chase Utley off New York’s ace CC Sabathia, somehow he managed to improve. Two pathetic fly-balls started the third and a weak grounder ended the frame. He fell behind Teixeira, Rodriguez, and Posada in the fourth and retired all three swinging at strike-three. It was unbelievable–simply magical.

The Yankees had the best record during the regular season and the best offense. They also hit the most homers. All of their accolades were thrown out the window. This was the World Series, a stage their franchise hadn’t reached since 2003. They were lost then, losing to the Florida Marlins in Game 6 thanks to Josh Beckett’s dominant shutout, and were lost in Game 1 against Cliff Lee.

After Utley hit his second homer of the game off Sabathia in the sixth, Lee showed just how laid back he was. With Jeter on first, Damon got well under a fastball and skied it in the middle of the infield. It was headed towards Lee. Usually infielders call off the pitcher in this situation, but he was in total control. He watched the ball reach its peak in the dark New York sky, stuck out his glove and, motionless, made the simplest and most nonchalant catch I have ever witnessed. He showed no emotion as he knead the ball in his hand, but then smiled at Ryan Howard at first base before going back to work.

Teixeira went down quietly, grounding into a force-out, as did the three hitters Lee faced in the seventh. Rodriguez grounded out meekly. Posada tried to turn on a changeup, but dinked it up the first-base line. Lee came over, corralled the forty footer, and tagged the Yankees catcher a third of the way up the line. Posada walked back to the dugout shaking his head. The crowd was silent, and remained that way as Lee exchange balls with the home-plate umpire, chewed his gum, and walked back to the mound. The inning ended after another groundout, this one by Matsui. Lee was a major-leaguer pitching to little-leaguers. It was that easy.

As if he needed it, Lee was given two more runs of support in the seventh as the Yankees bullpen struggled. If New York had a fools hope down 2-0, they were certainly out of the running behind by four. Even still, they tried to get something going in the bottom of the eighth, though it didn’t look like it.

To start the frame, Robinson Cano hit a slider that appeared headed up the middle. Lee’s windup took him to the third-base side of the rubber, but that didn’t stop him from making a magnificent play. He reached behind his back with his glove and stabbed the sure-single out of thin air. Cano stopped dejectedly as Lee, still chewing his gum without a care in the world, tossed to Howard for the out.

His offense tallied two more runs in the ninth, making a Yankee comeback impossible. Lee, just over a 100 pitches, went out to finish what he started. He wasn’t sweating, and wasn’t even glistening. Once he gave up two singles to begin the frame, he motioned to his infielders as if nothing was brewing for New York. He watched shortstop Jimmy Rollins airmail Howard, allowing Jeter to score to end the shutout, but calm, cool, and collected Cliff Lee took little notice. He shook his head ever-so slightly in disappointment, as he wanted the shutout, yet stayed focused and ended the game in fitting fashion.

Rodriguez, with two strikeouts under his belt, notched a third, falling behind 0-2 and then flailed at a changeup. Lee started off Rodriguez with two fastballs, but started off the next hitter, Jorge Posada, with two changeups. Posada, like Rodriguez before him, was in a 0-2 hole. After fouling off a fastball, Lee threw his ’spike curveball.’ The pitch started off in the middle of the plate, then fell of the map. Posada swung, guessing where it might land. He missed, as the ball fell into Ruiz’s glove, which lay on the dirt.

Ruiz popped up, turned his catchers’ helmet around, met Lee, shook his hand, and said “Good job.” Even the celebration was bland between Lee and Ruiz. The Phillies ace, who was their Plan B at the Trade Deadline, had just thrown a complete game in Game 1 of the World Series. Nothing much was made of it by Philadelphia because, well, this was nothing new. What he had done in 12 starts with the Phillies during the regular season, and in three previously this postseason carried over to the biggest of stages–that’s all.

Poor pitch location late by Martinez helps Yankees even series with Phillies

Pedro Martinez pitched brilliantly, locating his full repertoire beautifully, but was done in by two swings by the Yankees, taking the tough-luck loss in Game 2. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Pedro Martinez has lost the velocity of his fastball as his Hall of Fame career has progressed, but nothing else. He still has arguably the best changeup in the game, and locates it, a 89 miles per hour fastball, and a snail-slow curve effectively. He has a whip-like delivery, which adds deception and puzzles the opposition as to what pitch is coming their way. By mixing his pitches, with the ability to throw any pitch in any count, he keeps hitters guessing. Throughout his illustrious career, opponents have often guessed wrong.

In Game 2 of the World Series, the New York Yankees guessed wrong early. Many of their hitters have experience against Martinez, but not this Martinez. When he pitched with the Boston Red Sox from 1998 through 2004, they faced him with regularity. But that was the Martinez who worked his offspeed pitches off his fastball. This Martinez, who was seeking revenge against a once-bitter rival, has pitched in the National League ever since he left Boston, and as he reached his late 30’s, he became more of a control pitcher, working his fastball off his devastating offspeed pitches. To begin his outing against Derek Jeter, the Yankee captain with whom he had many duels during the rivalry years, he threw a first-pitch changeup for a ball, and then three more. He worked in a curveball, and then another changeup to bring the count full. It wasn’t until the seventh pitch of the at-bat that a fastball was thrown, and it was a dandy, as Jeter swung right through the deception and movement.

He didn’t even feature a fastball to the next hitter, Johnny Damon, managing to strike him out with four changeups and a slider. He worked both sides of the plate to both hitters, and when he did challenge them, as he did Jeter with the last offering, the fastball had so much movement and pep to it that it was nearly impossible to make good contact, or even to make contact at all.

Matt “The Professional Hitter” Stairs, 41 years old and in his seventeenth year, broke a scoreless tie in the second with a two-out sharply hit single that snuck under Alex Rodriguez’s glove at third base. It was a play Rodriguez probably should have made, and maybe took that error officially scored a hit to him to the batters box. Or maybe it was just Martinez that stumped him. The slugger who struck out three times in Game 1 against an unbelieveable Cliff Lee fouled off two changeups to begin the bottom of the second, aggressively attempting to make up for Stair’s grounder with one swing. Martinez missed with a fastball evidently just low, and then Rodriguez continued to take his hacks, fouling off four straight fastballs.

Martinez knew who to challenge, and when to stop challenging them over the course of an at-bat. The fastball wasn’t fooling Rodriguez, and he threw it many more times consecutively, odds were Rodriguez would have connected and launched a shot deep. So, he mixed up his repertoire, throwing a slider that Rodriguez tapped foul, and then a fastball purposefully located high. He offset the heater with something Rodriguez didn’t expect, the first curveball of the battle. It began in Rodriguez’s kitchen, which made up his mind: swing. Then, the ball dropped off, landing in Rodriguez’s basement. Rodriguez missed it by a mile; strike three, one out.

Aside from benefitting from a great diving catch by left-fielder Raul Ibanez to thwart what could have led to a big second inning for New York, Martinez was in control for the next three innings. His only mistake over those three, and the first five altogether for that matter, was costly. He missed with a changeup barely off the plate inside against Teixeira to begin the fourth inning, and then tried the same pitch. The second changeup, unlike the first, rolled into the strikezone. It was located well, tailing to the outer portion of the plate, but the offering hung ever-so slightly. That was enough for Teixeira, who turned on it, whacking it into the left-field bullpen for the tying run and just his fourth rbi of this postseason.

Martinez stared blankly at the black-claden fans, pondering the small yet damaging mistake in location, but recollected himself and became the Martinez who tossed three scoreless frames. Rodriguez got under an inside fastball, flying out to left-field, and after a walk to Hideki Matsui, Robinson Cano flied out to center-field, and Jerry Hairston, who was thrown sliders and changeups in the second inning, saw all fastballs and struck out as Martinez’s fifth victim.

Martinez threw Melky Cabrera all changeups to begin the fifth, and sent him down swinging. His 12-to-6 curveball resulted in a weakly hit groundout by A.J. Burnett’s personal catcher Jose Molina. Then, after a double by Jeter, with the crowd on its feet, Damon skied a curveball to Howard at first, ending the frame and the threat.

To start the sixth , Martinez struck out Teixeira, throwing four changeups and a curveball, then struck out Rodriguez with an entirely different approach–three fastballs in succession and a changeup. He allowed nine home-runs during the regular season and all were solo-shots. He allowed one to Teixeira in the fourth, and another to Matsui in this sixth. He threw a good pitch, a curveball, but Matsui somehow managed to connect solidly with the pitch at his ankles and muscle it into the left-field seats.

At the 99-pitch mark after six innings, he talked to manager Charlie Manuel in the dugout and told him he felt fine and could pitch the seventh. He thought he had something left, just like in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series against the Yankees, but really didn’t. His over-confidence certainly didn’t work in the ALCS then, and not in Game 2 of the 2009 World Series, as he uncharacteristically left his pitches up, even his offspeed junk, which resulted in two singles by the Yankees to begin the seventh. These two hitters, Hairston and Cabrera were his final two.

He walked off the mound, pointed to the Gods, then as boos reigned throughout his favorite place to pitch, he looked into the hecklers eyes and cracked a wry smile upon entering the dugout. He pitched brilliantly. Teixeira and Matsui just put together a pair of good swings, and fatigue set in in the seventh. Pedro didn’t collect the win, nor did his Phillies, but though he would have loved to shut up the 60,000-plus and duplicate Lee’s complete game, he managed to make a majority of the Yankees lineup look ridiculous, and quiet the jeers from his favorite fans.