A Team Effort Propels Yankees

It wasn’t just important that the Yankees defeated the Twins, 7-2, in Game 1 of the American League Division Series Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium.

What was impressive is the way the won, because if this team is going to win its first World Series title since 2000, it will need to have contributions from every one.

Wednesday night, they did.

There were the usual suspects that delivered big in October for the Yankees. Derek Jeter had a home run, scored three runs, knocked in two more. Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth. They did what they’re supposed to do in October.

They were not the only ones, however, who starred on this night. CC Sabathia, Hideki Matsui, Alex Rodrgiuez, even Joba Chamberlain, contributed in this one.

If the team is going to do anything this October, they will need to continue to produce.
Sabathia and Rodriguez are the perhaps the most critical pieces, and they each delivered in their own way last night.

Sabathia pitched 6 2/3 strong innings, allowing just one earned run with eight strikeouts and no walks. He also allowed a run on a wild pitch, but he handcuffed the Twins most of the night.

"I was able to hold them down," Sabathia said. "It got a little sketchy in the third, but I was able to come back and put up zeroes like I have all year - and these guys scored runs like they did all year."

Sabathia is crucial to the Yankees postseason plans. He’s their top starter, and with the unpredictable A.J. Burnett following him, the Yankees need him to be at his best. Sabathia came into the postseason with a shaky past – a 2-3 record with a 7.92 ERA – but he was superb Wednesday. He pitched the way he did during the regular season, when he was 11-2 with a 2.74 ERA after the All-Star break.

"This is what you come here for, to pitch in the postseason and play in October," Sabathia said. "It was electric tonight."

The other key figure in Wednesday’s win was A-Rod, who had two hits, two RBIs and scored a run. The numbers were gruesome. He was 0-for-29 with runners on base in postseason games dating back to Game 4 of the AL Championship Series. He hit .071 in the 2006 playoffs, and hit just .256 with six strikeouts in 14 at-bats in the 2007 divisional round.

It was just a pair of singles for A-Rod Wednesday, but it took the pressure off him. At least for a little while.

"I'm sure it makes him feel good inside," Girardi said. "Whenever you contribute, it's important. It puts you in a good place."

There were others, too. Hideki Matsui hit a two-run home run. Phil Hughes, Phil Coke and Joba combined to get four outs before handing the ball over to Rivera for the ninth. Steve Swisher, an overlooked component of the Yankee who had 29 home runs during the regular season, delivered an RBI single.

It was all good for the Yankees Wednesday against a drained Minnesota team that was playing less than 24 hours after beating Detroit in a playoff for the AL Central crown. Few people expected Minnesota would be able to win Game 1, and the Twins looked like a tired team.

Still, it was important for the Yankees to take that first step toward 11 postseason wins. What was impressive was not how they won, but in the way in which they did it. If they continue to get contributions from their entire roster, they might just win that elusive 27th World Series.

Yankees Coasting to Division Title

We all know there have been teams that have blown leads in September as the pennant races heat up in Major League Baseball.
The Mets did it just two years ago, when the Phillies came back from seven behind with 17 to play to steal the National League East division title. In 1964, the Phillies blew a big lead and lost the National League pennant by a game to the St. Louis Cardinals.
But don’t expect that to happen to the Yankees this year.
Heading into the final 32 games of the season, the Bronx Bombers have a commanding six game lead on Boston in the American League East race. They have 32 games left in the season, but the way the Yankees are playing, they would need a total collapse for the Red Sox to catch them. It’s not going to happen. Neither manager Joe Girardi nor anbody else on the team will say it, but this race is over.
There are some issues worth monitoring as the team heads down the stretch.
The most critical one is their pitching as the Yankees try to get their rotation set for the postseason. CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett are a formidable frontline, but Sabathia’s postseason history is not good (2-3 with a 7.92 ERA in five starts) and Burnett has not thrown a postseason pitch in 11 years in the majors. No one knows how he’ll do in October.
Andy Pettitte (14-9 postseason, 3.96 ERA) has a good history, but he’s not the lock that he was in his prime. The fourth starter will likely be Joba Chamberlain, and good luck trying to figure out what the Yankees have planned for him. He pitched three innings yesterday, giving up two runs and four hits, and wasn’t even in long enough to get the victory. The way the Yankees seem to be tinkering with the Joba Rules on the fly, there is no way to ascertain how effective the right-hander will be during the postseason.
The Yankees seem to have steadied their bullpen by inserting Phil Hughes into the set-up role for Mariano Rivera (36 saves, 1.83 ERA). If the starters are effective in getting the ball to Hughes, the Yankees will be fine. If they have to rely on other pitchers to get key outs in the sixth and seventh innings, they could be in trouble.
The other issue the Yankees will face is a difficult September stretch. They have six games left against a Tampa Bay squad that is fighting to make the playoffs. They also have a six-game trip to the West Coast that includes three games against the Angels, who have given the Yankees fits over the past few years. They also have three games at home against Boston in late September, and the Red Sox won’t concede the division easily.
With six games each against Baltimore and Toronto, and games against Seattle and Kansas City, the Yankees should have a big enough cushion to secure the division title.
That will put them back into the postseason after a one-year hiatus, and with them, that’s what will determine whether this season was ultimately successful. The Yankees can’t afford another early exit, and nothing less than a World Series victory will satisfy an ownership that has paid handsomely to win its 27th championship.

The division title may be within reach, and for some teams, that may be enough. The Yankees need to do more. October will be the time for the ultimate judgment on this team.