Yankees Haven't Won Any Thing Yet

This has been one terrific postseason run by the Yankees so far.

They took care of the Twins with ease, and defeated the Angels, the team they have had the most difficulty beating over the past 10 years, in six games.

The Bronx Bombers have been led by a resurgent Alex Rodriguez, who has quieted the critics who said he can’t do it in the clutch, along with the usual suspects, such as Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. There were questions about C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett and their lack of postseason credentials, but they have delivered as well.

All of which is great for Yankees fans. There is one other sobering thought, however, and that is this: the Yankees haven’t won any thing yet.

For all the chest-thumping and giddiness that has gone on in New York since beating the Angels to win the American League pennant, the truth of the matter is that the Yankees were expected to get this far. Heck, they are expected to win the World Series.

It will not be easy. When the Yankees meet the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 of the World Series tonight, they will be looking at a team that can match them in a lot of areas.

The Phillies can hit, can hit for power, and have a strong starting rotation and a decent bullpen. The weak link this season has been closer Brad Lidge, who has turned it around during the postseason. The Phillies also have something the Yankees do not, and that’s team speed. Any one of their top three batters – Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley – is a threat to steal a base.

The Yankees know this, of course, and aren’t going to say any thing to get Philadelphia fired up. In the button-down world of the Pinstripes, disrespecting an opponent is never in vogue. The Yankees would never stand for somebody like the Phils’ Rollins, who chirped that the Phillies would win the Series in five games.

“He’s been Nostradamus, that’s what I heard,’’ Yankees catcher Jorge Posada said. “He’s been (making) a lot of good predictions, so we’ve got to take that away from him.”

For the Yankees to win their first World Series since 2000 – really, it has been that long – they will need Rodriguez to deliver in the clutch. He has hit .438 during the playoffs with five home runs and 12 RBIs. He helped pick up an offense that struggled otherwise, as Mark Teixeira (.205, 5 RBIs), Robinson Cano (.229, five RBIs) and Johnny Damon (.238, 5 RBIs) have all struggled so far. The Yankees need A-Rod to continue his hot October run.

Just as important, the Yankees need to slow down the Phillies’ offense. Ryan Howard (.355, 2 home runs, 14 RBIs) has been Rodriguez’s peer in the postseason, and Utley, Carlos Ruiz and Victorino all have hit better than .300 this October.

It promises to be an exciting World Series, and many people consider the Yankees the favorite. If they do win their 27th World Series, then truly a celebration will be in order. But for now, the Bronx Bombers are still short of the goal that they, and their fans, have set.

Yankees Will Need to Play Better

There were more than a few encouraging signs from the Yankees in their American League Division Series sweep of the Minnesota Twins.

Alex Rodriguez finally produced some October magic, Derek Jeter delivered a big home run and another brilliant defensive play, and Mariano Rivera performed like, well, Mariano Rivera. The team even got contributions from A.J. Burnett and Joba Chamberlain.

All of that is fine, but here’s one other point to consider: the Bronx Bombers must play better if they are going to beat the Angels in the American League Championship Series. The Yankees swept the Twins, but it also helped that the Twins made critical mistakes that helped the Yankees. It’s not so much that the Yankees won, but the Twins made miscues that practically gift-wrapped the series for New York.

Such as? Glad you asked.

The most glaring was in Game 2, where the Twins summoned closer Joe Nathan to protect a two-run lead. The Yankees held a 1-0 lead in the series, and to that point had managed all of three hits against four Minnesota pitchers. Nathan surrendered three hits, including a two-run home run by A-Rod, and the game went extra innings.

In the 11th, the Twins loaded the bases with none out against Damaso Marte and David Robertson, but failed to push in the go-ahead run.

A lot of people complain about umpire Phil Cuzzi’s blown call on a ball hit by Mauer down the left field line, which he incorrectly called foul. Mauer should have been on second base, no question about it. Yet if the Twins can’t push across the go-ahead run in that inning, they didn’t deserve to win the game. And they didn’t, losing in the bottom of the inning on Mark Teixeira’s walk-off home run off of Josa Mijares.

In Sunday’s series clincher, the Twins took a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning on an RBI by Mauer. Carl Pavano, a former Yankees bust, kept his former teammates guessing through the first six innings. So what does he do when he gets a lead?

He promptly gives it up, yielding home runs to A-Rod and Jorge Posada, as the Yankees took the lead for good.

In the eighth, Nick Punto’s basesrunning mistake proved costly, as he was gunned down after a terrific play by Jeter, who saw Punto running through the stop sign at third. Punto was dead on the relay from Posada, and it killed the rally. The bullpen then promptly blew whatever chance the Twins had by allowing two tack-on runs in the 9th as the Yankees won, 4-1.

And while everybody pointed to A-Rod, did any one notice that few others hit for the Yankees? Johnny Damon and Nick Swisher hit .083, Melky Cabrera, Robinson Cano and Teixeira were at .167. Hideki Matsui was .222. Phil Hughes pitched all three games, but had an ERA of 9.00.

Rodriguez had a fantastic series, hitting .455 with two home runs and six RBIs. His postseason struggles are legendary, but his shot off Nathan in Game 2 changed the series, and he crushed another home run off of Pavano. The starting pitcher with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte was solid.

But if the Yankees think the Angels are going to make the same errors the Twins made, they have another thing coming. They need to dial it up even more in the ALCS, because unlike the Twins, the Angels won’t hand them any thing.

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.

A Typical Jeter Performance

The Derek Jeter Show finally re-emerged in Wednesday’s 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay, and the great Yankee captain showed why he’s poised to step into history.
Jeter collected three hits in the victory to tie Lou Gehrig for most hits in a career by a Yankee with 2,721. The shortstop can surpass the Hall-of-Famer in Friday’s game against Baltimore.
The way Jeter went about getting the hits showed why he’s also bound for Cooperstown.
In the first inning, he dropped a bunt down toward the third base line and beat the throw. The hit snapped a 0-for-12 drought, his longest hitting slump of the season.
"That's why I bunted in the first inning. I needed to get one hit, right?" Jeter said.
Then, showing the power that makes him such a dangerous threat, he hit a booming double to deep center field in the fifth that took one hop over the wall. He tied the Iron Horse with a sharp grounder to right field off of Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann in the seventh. It was the classic Jeter stroke, and the sellout crowd roared its approval.
"I really didn't know what to do because we were losing at the time and I didn't want to disrespect Tampa," Jeter said in an on-field interview with Kimberly Jones of the YES Network after the game. "I never dreamt about all of this."
It was a typical reaction by Jeter, who could give lessons on how to show class and humility in any circumstance. He didn’t showboat and didn’t embarrass the pitcher. The game didn’t become All About Jeter. It was just a historic moment in a taut game, and the Yankees were trailing 2-0 at the time.
The Yankees rallied for three runs in the eighth inning, capped by Jorge Posada’s three-run home run, for the victory.
In his final at-bat, Jeter had an opportunity to overtake Gehrig but walked against pitcher Grant Balfour.
Jeter settled for a share of the record with Gehrig – for now. Gehrig’s career ended in 1939, and even in the great Yankee legacy, no player has come close to toppling the record.
Until Jeter came along.
"He's one of the classiest people to ever play this game," Jeter said.. "It's just kind of mind-boggling to have my name next to his."
In the end, the night showed why Jeter is on the cusp of history. He showed his versatility with a surprise bunt, power with a booming shot to center and dexterity with the single to right, where so many of Jeter’s hits have landed before.
He did all of that while playing a flawless game at shortstop, leading the Yankees to another victory and doing it with dignity.
It was, in essence, the Derek Jeter Time Capsule game. It was a game to bottle for the archives, a typical Jeter performance that will one day pave the way for his path to Cooperstown.

Jeter On The Brink Of History

There are some critics of Derek Jeter who believe he’s slipping.

He’s not the player he once was, the critics say, and believe his skills have diminished significantly since he was named the American League Rookie of the Year in 1996.

Those critics haven’t been watching this year.

The future Hall-of-Famer is poised to step into history sometime over the next few days, when he will become the all-time Yankees hit leader. After getting another hit last night in a 9-6 win over Baltimore, Jeter is 10 hits away from surpassing Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,721 hits. He could surpass Gehrig this weekend in Toronto.

Don’t let that information pass without giving it some thought. In the history of the Yankees, baseball’s gold standard and the team with the most World Series championships, the team with legendary names such as Ruth and Mantle and Berra and DiMaggio and Jackson, Jeter will have more hits than any of them.

When Jeter’s career is over, he will have a lot more than all of them. He already owns the record for most career hits by a shortstop, passing Luis Aparicio earlier this year, and he’s among the candidates for the MVP award. Jeter has collected a lot of hardware, but never an MVP trophy.

This has been another vintage year for Jeter. He’s hitting .333, and ranks fifth in the American League in hitting. He’s second in the league in runs scored and hits, sixth in on-base percentage and ninth in total bases. Pick a hitting statistic, and you can usually find Jeter’s name among the league leaders.

When Jeter was a rising young star back in the mid 1990s, more than a few wondered who would be the better shortstop of the course of their careers: Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra or Miguel Tejada.

The conversation almost seems laughable now. Garciaparra and Tejada started off well, but their careers have slipped noticeably in recent years. Tejada is now with his third team, and rumors of performance-enhancing drugs have clouded his career statistics. Garciaparra is with his fourth team, and has played more than 120 games only twice in the past seven years. He is nearly 1,000 hits behind Jeter for his career, and is not even a shortstop any more.

Jeter, by contrast, continues to play almost every game at the most demanding defensive position. He has been in the lineup 2,111 times and will soon pass Yogi Berra for third for most games played with the Yankees. He has played 148 games more every season since 1996, except for 2003 when he missed 43 games with an injury.

Jeter’s name pops up frequently throughout the Yankees record book, but the career hits mark might be the most significant. With all of the Yankees legends that have worn the pinstripes over the years, Jeter will have more hits than any of them.

Hopefully we will have the privilege of watching Jeter play for a few more years. He is still a treat, and any critic who thinks No. 2’s skills are eroding simply isn’t paying attention.