A Perfect (Almost) Opener

This was a day we've been waiting for since early November, when the Yankees captured World Championship No. 27.

When it comes to celebrating accomplishments and history, there is no team in sports that come close to matching the Yankees. The pomp, the circumstance, the celebration of the past, no one can compare --no matter how hard the Red Sox try.

A Grand Start

Curtis Granderson got his Yankees career off to a good start on Sunday with a home run in his first at-bat.

It didn't take him much longer to secure a big spot in the rivalry and win the hearts of Yankees fans everywhere.

Godzilla Delivers 27

After nine long years, it's just as sweet as I remember.

And hearing the words, "New York Yankees, World Champions," doesn't ever get tiring, either.

Hideki Matsui, the series MVP, homered and drove in six runs, Andy Pettitte gutted out 5-2/3 innings on short rest, and Mariano Rivera was where he belong, closing out the deciding game of the World Series as the Yankees beat the Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 Wednesday at Yankee Stadium to win world championship No. 27. It is their first championship since beating the Mets in 2000.

Yes, Yankees fans, as we woke up this morning, we woke up knowing that Hell, which had frozen over when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004 and again in '07, has thawed out and that world is once again back to normal with the Yankees once again ruling the baseball universe.


But this game will likely go down as the Godzilla Game because of Matsui's performance. His six RBI tied Bobby Richardson in 1960 for most in a World Series game. Richardson, however, did it in a series the Yankees lost to the Pirates on Bill Mazeroski's homer. Matsui did it the deciding game of a championship.

Just as Reggie Jackson's three-homer game in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series is his biggest Yankee moment, Wednesday's game will forever be Godzilla's biggest moment.

We just don't know if it will his last moment.

Matsui will be a free agent and the Yankees face a tough decision. This performance and this World Series (.615, 3 HRs, 8 RBI) only makes that decision tougher.

He is still a tremendously productive hitter, but his body is breaking down. He played the entire season as DH, but still needed to have his knees drained twice.

The head says bringing Matsui back could result only in diminishing returns and possibly a bad contract.

The heart says, he needs to finish his career in Pinstripes.

For seven years, he's been a perfect Yankee: unassuming, productive when healthy, clutch, well-liked, never in trouble. He would have been a perfect fit on the dynasty teams and of the Yankees not part of the Core 4 of Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Rivera and Pettitte, there was no one more deserving of a world championship.

He put the Yankees on his back Wednesday and got that championship.

It was clear from the start that the Man Who Would Be King, Phillies starter Pedro Martinez just did not have it. In a 13-pitch first inning, the three nothing back changeups and sliders. Not one fastball.

And when a pitcher who features a changeup is afraid or won't throw his fastball, that spells trouble. The changeup is only effective if a pitcher has a good fastball and keep hitters offbalance. Pedro, on this night though, didn't have a good fastball.

He finally threw one to Alex Rodriguez on ball four leading off the second. That heater lacked heat, measuring just 86 mph, according to mlb.com's Gameday.

And with a runner on base, Pedro was in trouble. He couldn't afford to fall behind, which meant he was forced to use that weak fastball more.

And that spelled trouble against Matsui, who had hit the go-ahead homer off Pedro in Game 2.

Matsui worked Pedro through an eight-pitch at-bat, taking the count full and fouling off pitches as he seemingly was measuring up Pedro, get down his timing.

And on the eighth pitch, Matsui timed an 89 mph fastball just right, turing on it and blasting it into the short portch in right to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead.

Pedro got through the inning with anymore damage, but found trouble again in the third as Jeter hit a one-out single before Pedro's control deserted him and he walked Johnny Damon hit Mark Teixeira.

Pedro managed to strikeout A-Rod, but that should have been it for him. He had nothing and Matsui was locked in on his pitches. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is similar to Joe Torre. He trusts his players and uses his gut.

He trusted Pedro too much.

Matsui fell behind 0-and-2, but then jumped on a 90 mph fastball and lined it to single to bring in two more runs and make it 4-1. However, Damon strained his calf on the play and had to come out of the game, replaced by Jerry Hairston Jr.

Pedro would get through the fourth, but was done after that, giving the Phillies a disappointing performance. He allowed four runs on three hits and two walks in four innings. He struck out five and threw 46 of 77 pitches for strikes.

Matsui, however, wasn't done as the Yankees blew the game open in the fifth.

Chad Durbin replaced Pedro and surrendered a leadoff double to Jeter, who legitimately could have been named World Series MVP after going 11-for-27 (.407) with five runs.

Hairston followed with a sacrifice and Teixeira brought in Jeter with a single to make it 5-1. A-Rod, who can no longer be called an unclutch and selfish player after hitting .365 with six homers and 18 RBI this postseason, drew a walk to knock out Durbin, who was replaced by lefthander J.A. Happ.

The lefty-lefty move, however, did not work out for the Phillies as Matsui jumped on a 2-and-2 slider and crushed it to the wall in right for a two-run double to give the Yankees an insurmountable 7-1 lead.

But what was most important about Matsui performance was that it took all the pressure off Pettitte, who was pitching on three days' rest for the first time in four years.

And because Pettitte is an older player, there were questions by some, such WFAN'S Mike Francesa, about how he would hold up physically. Would he be able to get the job done?

The answer was a resounding yes!

No, Pettitte did not have his best stuff. His breaking ball was rolling, this cutter not sharp, his fastball lucking to touch 90 mph and his control wasn't precise.

But Pettitte is a champion. He's a competitor and he knows how to make pitches on guts and guile.

And most importantly he knows how to win.

He allowed a run in the third as Carlos Ruiz hit a one-out triple and scored on Jimmy Rollins' sacrifice fly to right to make it 2-1.

Pettitte got through the next two innings before finally running out of gas in the sixth. Had the Yankees not scored three runs in the fifth, Joe Girardi might not have sent Pettitte back out there, but with a six-run lead, Girardi made the right decision. With that large of a cushion, every out Pettitte could get would be huge.

Pettitte got Shane Victorino to ground out to start the sixth, but he walked Chase Utley before throw a first-pitch slider that hung a bit over the outside corner for Ryan Howard to muscle over the wall in left to cut the lead to 7-3.

Pettitte came back to strike out Jayson Werth, who had homered twice of Pettitte in Game 3, but when he allowed a double to Raul Ibanez after that, Pettitte's gutty night was done.

He allowed three runs on four hits and five walks, striking out three and throwing 50 of 94 pitches for strikes. The result was postseason win No. 18, series clinching win No. 7, World Series clinching win No. 2 and World Series ring No. 5.

Pettitte also will be a free agent, but for the past several years, he has been considering retirment. Clearly, he still can pitch well, the question is whether he has the desire. If he does decide to walk away, Pettitte could not have produced a better farewell start.

Joba Chamberlain finished the inning by getting Pedro Feliz to ground out before getting two more outs in the seventh, be leaving with runners on first and second.

Girardi then turned to the hero of the bullpen this postseason, Damaso Marte. Who would have ever thought that would happen?

The guy wasn't good when the Yankees traded for him and Xavier Nady last year. He injured most of this year and largely ineffective, and for the most part, the trade was looking like a major bust.

But Marte was everything the Yankees were dreaming of in the playoffs. After a rough first appearance in the ALDS in which he allowed two hits with out recording an out, he's been untouchable, recording 12 straight outs with five strikeouts.

In the World Series, he ended up goin 2-2/3 perfect inning, mostly facing the heart of the Phillies order in Utley and Howard.

He was impressive. And that certainly was the case in Game 6 as he struck Utley on three pitches to end the seventh and then needed just three more pitches in the eighth to whiff Howard, who struck out a World Series record 13 times.

And with five out remaining, Girardi didn't mess around. It was time to go to Mo.

Early in the postseason, Girardi butchered his bullpen, overmanaging by mixing and matching when he really didn't need to.

But as this World Series wore on, Girardi settle down. The pitching changes grew less frequent as Marte was able to get into a rhythm and Joba as able to regain some effectiveness.

The thing is, he is now a World Series-winning manager. He owns this town now and he can expect and should receive a fat contract extension. He's grown tremendously since he took the job and has proven himself.

Is he perfect? No. He has made mistakes and he will make more going forward. But that happens to every manager. The thing is that he is a smart man and he does learn.

He is due a lot of credit.

But with Mo on the mound, the Series was all but over. Mariano is unlike any closer in the game today. Nothing rattles him and he knows how to pitch for more than one inning.

This was not a save situation, but in a game this big, there was no need to wait to bring him in. This was the moment to close the door on the Phillies and secure this World Series title.

He allowed a double to Ibanez with two outs in the eighth and a walk to Ruiz in the ninth, but nothing was going to stop him from closing the door, getting Victorino to ground out to Robinson Cano to start the celebration.

And so, the inaugural season of the new Yankee Stadium ends just like the first season of the original Yankee Stadium ended in 1923 -- with a World Series Championship.

Let hope that's a sign that this stadium will hold at least as many championships and memorable moments.

Runners In Scoring Position
World Series
13-for-43 (.302)
Game 6
3-for-8 (.375)
Game 5
2-for-8 (.250)
Game 4
4-for-11 (.364)
Game 3
3-for-7 (.429)
Game 2
1-for-5 (.200)
Game 1
0-for-4 (.000)
ALCS
12-for-64 (.188)
ALDS
6-for-17 (.353)
Regular Season
419-for-1,543 (.272)

Up Next
Friday, Parade down the Canyon of Hero, YES and local TV
Followed by Pitchers and Catchers in February and the start of the Quest for No. 28

Three-Man Rotation? Take The Risk

As the Yankees begin preparing for the World Series and their battle with the Phillies, WFAN's Brian Heyman and Sweeny Murti reported Monday that he Yankees are giving strong consideration to using a three-man rotation.

Given the alternative of giving Chad Gaudin a start in either Game 4 or 5, a three-man rotation should be the only consideration.

Gaudin has pitched well for the Yankees this year and the Yankees have won every one of his starts since they acquired him from the Padres in August.

But he hasn't made a start start since Sept. 28 against the Royals. In fact, he's made just two relief appearances since then and didn't even pitch two innings in either outing. That means it's been a month since Gaudin has pitched any significant innings.

Can Joe Girardi really afford to give a World Series start to a pitcher who likely wouldn't be able to go much more than four innings at best? Could he afford to drain the bullpen? If Girardi commits to giving CC Sabathia three starts in the series, is worth taking a start away from either Andy Pettitte or A.J. Burnett to give to Gaudin?

The answer to all of those questions is, "No, no, no and no!"

Of course, going with a three-man rotation in this era presents its own set of risks and making this move does not guarantee the Yankees anything at all.

Should Girardi go with a three-man rotation, Sabathia will be scheduled to start Games 1, 4 and 7, with Burnett likely to go in Games 2 and 5 and Pettitte in 3 and 6. Because there is no scheduled day off between Games 4 and 5, that means after their first turns throught he rotation, all three starters would have to make their subsequent starts on three days' rest.

Prior to Sabathia's Game 4 gem against the Angels in the ALCS, pitchers starting on three days' rest in the postseason hadn't had much success since 1995, going 20-35 in 85 starts with a 4.65 ERA, while averaging just 5.39 innings.

Those numbers don't inspire much confidence. In fact, looking at those numbers alone would be enough scare many managers away from using a three-man rotation. Asking the bullpen to get 10 or 11 outs in a playoff game is asking for trouble.

But managers can't make decisions like this on numbers alone. They have to take a long, hard look at their personnel, too, and determine if they have guys who have the physical ability and mental makeup to go on short rest.

In the Yankees' case, they actually do.

Sabathia has proven himself to be a horse so far in these playoff, going 3-0 with a 1.19 ERA. That includes his Game 4 start in which he allowed just one run in eight innings on short rest.

It wasn't the first time in his career he's done that. In four regular season starts on short rest, he is 3-1 with a 1.01 ERA, 0.825 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 26-2/3 innings (an average of 6-2/3 innings per start).

He does have one other postseason start on short rest, taking the ball on three days' rest for his fourth consecutive outing for the Brewers last year and getting bombed in Game 2 of the NLDS. Sabathia, though, has said that by that point, he was emotionally drained after carrying the Brewers into the playoffs. The Yankees haven't overburdened him this season and CC is ready and willing to go two straight times with short rest.

The questions you have with a three-man rotation is how Burnett and Pettitte will hold up.

With Burnett it's not a physical issue. He's actually made four starts on three days' rest in his career and has fared very well, going 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA, 1.074 WHIP and 24 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched.

With Burnett the issue, as always, is which A.J. you'll get. He can be very, very good -- or he can blow up in one inning as he did in Game 5. Of course, that's an issue the Yankees will face regardless of whether Burnett goes on normal rest.

The thing about Burnett is that he has proven that he does have pride. He got bombed in Boston in early June and responded with a seven-week stretch that was brilliant. He went winless in August, but bounced back in September and finished strong.

After losing in Game 5, Burnett wasn't happy. He told the media that if Girardi needed him in relief in Game 6 or 7, he was eager to take the ball. Something tells me that hunger, that eagerness is going to be there for his next two starts. He'll have something to prove and will be determined to shine, regardless of his rest -- who is catching (Jose Molina or Jorge Posada).

With Pettitte you don't ever worry about his makeup. He's not going to be shaken up by anything and won't get caught up in the moment. He'll go out and battle. His resume of a record 16 postseason wins with five series clincers proves that.

The question is whether Pettitte's arm can hold up on short rest.

Pettitte hasn't started on anything fewer than five days' rest since the Yankees skipped his turn in the rotation to give his sore shoulder a rest in mid-September. He hasn't had any problems with that shoulder since, but also hasn't overwork it. In fact, Pettitte threw just 194-2/3 innings in the regular season, the first time he's thrown fewer that 200 innings since 2004, when he was limited to 83 innings because of an elbow injury.

He made three more postseason starts, pitching 19 more innings, getting an extra day's rest prior to Game 6 because of Saturday's rainout.

Had Pettitte been pitching every fifth day through September and in the playoffs, I'd be very concerned. He's had arm issues in the past and that kind of workload would have been a lot to burden.

But the fact that the Yankees have been able to give Pettitte plenty of rest means he should be strong and should be able handle one start -- his final start of the year and at Yankee Stadium -- on short rest and do well.

No, this is not a the type of scenario you want heading into the World Series. Both choices bring risks, but in the end only the three-man rotation will give the Yankees the best chance to win in every game.

It's a risk Girardi and the Yankees have to take.

And So We Wait ... And Wait ...

... And wait.

The only thing worse than waiting through one off day in the during the postseason is having to wait through two.

That's the situation we find ourselves in following Saturday's rainout. No baseball Friday. No baseball Saturday. A full slate of football today before the Yankees and Angels finally take the field for Game 6 of the American League Championship Series at 8:20 p.m.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia will keep lefthander Joe Saunders on the mound for tonight's game, but the rainout will allow him to start John Lackey on three days' rest in Game 7, if it gets that far and if Lackey doesn't pitch in relief in Game 6.

Joe Girardi is sticking with Andy Pettitte for Game 6, holding back CC Sabathia for Game 7 or Game 1 of the World Series.

It is the right decision.

Pettitte is not some journeyman starter. He's an accomplished postseason pitcher who has pitched the most playoff games and innings in baseball history and has 15 playoff wins, tied for most with John Smoltz. In addition, he has closed out four playoff series, including the ALDS against the Twins this year.

He is well rested and a pitcher who is more than capable of doing the job and is properly being given that opportunity.

Should Pettitte succeed, the Yankees will be better off for the World Series. And if the Yankees don't win Game 6, well, their have their best pitcher on the mound and fully rested in Game 7.

It would have been pure folly to push Pettitte back.

But perhaps the player that will benefit most from the rainout is the struggling Nick Swisher.

To say it's been a bad postseason so far for Swish is an understatement. He's just 3-for-31 (.097). He's been pressing, though he did put together a tough at-bat against Brian Fuentes before popping out to end Game 5.

According to WFAN's Sweeny Murti, Swisher said the Angels have been pitching him backwards, throwing fastballs early in the count and then throwing offspeed stuff even if they fall behind. The result has been Swisher has been out in front and chasing pitches out of the zone.

Baseball is a game of constant adjustments. Swish has identified an adjustment he has to make and the rainout allowed Swisher to catch a break and spend Saturday working in the batting cages with hitting coach Kevin Long to get his swing and mind back on track.

That's exactly what Swisher needed.

I've always felt hitting coaches get too much blame for hitters' woes, especially on a team of veterans. But in a video interview with Locker Blogger's Mitchell Karasik, Long provides some good insight into the role of the pitching coach and how he works with veterans. Among things Long says is that he has the title of hitting coach, but all the hitters on the team help each other out with swings, especially Jorge Posada. It's an insightful piece.

We can only hope Long was able to identify and help correct any flaws in Swish's swing, and that the free-spirited right fielder can finally come up big today.

Something tells me, Swisher will.