Not the kind of game you like to write about.
It was a great game. Two great pitchers, on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in the Bronx, one pitcher a world champion, the other a superstar with a monster contract, a man still in the process of proving he can excel in the limelight, went inning for inning and seemingly pitch for pitch. There were heroes on both teams. And in the end the Phillies triumphed in the 11th inning to win the 3 game series.
For the second day in a row the Yankees came roaring back in the bottom of the 9th, this time to tie it, off the bat of Melky once again. In both the 9th and 10th innings, the Yankees had the winning run in scoring position with less than two outs and didn't drive him in. Here are the Yankees who did not get the job done: Matsui, Gardner, Swisher, Teixeira, and Pena (the links are reminders of past heroics by these players. For Matsui you could start a website. And Swisher has yet to get that really big, pinstripe earning hit). Most of these guys have executed in the clutch before. It just didn't happen today, and we're hoping they redeem themselves in the near future.
One of the more memorable plays was the sawed off at the handle, broken bat home run by Teixeira, pictured above. I don't think I've ever seen a home run off of a completely broken bat before.
So that's the Phillies. They came to play, and won two out of three games. The good news is that the Yankees were not dominated. In a 7-game series one might give the edge to the Phillies right now, based on their lineup being healthier. But in October...I think a Yankee team with Nady and Posada would be the favorite.
Also, the Yankees finished this difficult stretch at 4-2. They're now 6 games over .500, and embark on a 6 game road trip through red hot Texas and ice cold Cleveland. 3-3 over the next 6 would be ok with me.
After this road trip the Yankees will get Texas, Tampa Bay, Boston, and the Mets. If the Yankees who did not perform today want to redeem themselves, they'll have plenty of opportunities against those four teams.
Here are the recaps for the three games the Yankees played against the world champs.
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