Yankees vs. Phillies 2009 World Series Report

Yankees vs. Phillies 2009 World Series Report

What we know about the 2009 World Series thus far.

The Yankees lead the series 3-2 after the Phils escaped Philadelphia with a hang on for dear life 8-6 win that should not have been nearly as close as it was.

Chase Utley may be Mr. November this year, but the only way that moniker will stick is if the Phils pull off the improbable down three games to one comeback victory. Utley is doing his best for that to happen. He launched two home runs in game five including a three run shot in the first inning off AJ Burnett. By hitting his fourth and fifth home runs in this year’s World Series Utley has tied the legendary Reggie “Mr. October” Jackson for the most home runs hit in a World Series (Jackson hit five in 1977 for the Yankees when he famously hit three in a row in the series clinching game six). Five home runs in a World Series is where the comparisons between Jackson and Utley stop. Jackson had an ego even bigger than New York City and frequently clashed with manager Billy Martin. He was flashy, flamboyant, and most of all arrogant. Chase is workman like, a student of the game, and team first. Imagine Chase arguing with Charlie Manuel. Yeah, I cannot do it either. If Reggie decided to show up at game six wearing a Chinchilla, Chase’s wife Jen Utley might just take a Chase-like short compact swing at him, or at least throw a bucket of paint on it. The Utleys are proud members of PETA. It’d be nice to say the Phils never looked back from the 3-1 lead Chase staked them, and technically they never trailed, but they were certainly glancing over their shoulder when Cliff Lee finally came undone in the 8th inning. Relievers Chan Ho Park and Ryan Madson got through the final six outs, but it was not pretty.

Burnett could not perform on three days rest (This may have been noted by announces Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, but I tried to black it out after the first mention of it). Burnett dominated the action in game two and kept Phillies hitters off balance. The exact opposite was true in game five. Burnett threw 22 out of 26 first pitch strikes in game two and it was clear that the Phils had a game plan to jump on the first pitch from Burnett this time around. Jimmy Rollins led off the game by swinging at a first pitch fastball that came in letter high. He swung and missed, but eventually got a pitch over the middle of the plate and lined it to center for a base hit. Second batter Shane Victorino then squared as if to bunt and was smoked on the right hand (He eventually left the game in the 7th and this almost cost the Phils dearly as defensive plays were not made in the late innings). With runners at first and second Utley stepped to the plate. The rally towels in Citizen’s Bank Park were waving and Kashmir by Led Zeppelin was bumping from the sound system. Almost on cue, Utley smoked the first pitch he saw (a fastball down the middle) into the right field seats. 3-1 Phillies. Pandemonium at the Bank. An expletive from Burnett. If Ryan Howard had waited outside the batter’s box, Utley certainly would have had to accept the curtain call the fans were begging for.

Speaking of Ryan Howard. Where do you begin? The big man (no longer capitalized in this blog) has gone from one of the biggest tears of his career to one of the worst streaks of his career. Howard has tied the mark for most strikeouts in a World Series with 12. You might wanna put some fake money down that he will break that record the way he is swinging the bat over the past week. Ryan might need to lay off the subway as well as the chew you can clearly see protruding from his lower left jaw. I cannot confirm this, but I am an avid attention payer to whether or not a ballplayer dips, and I cannot remember the big man dipping in the past. Certainly not as much as he is now. Anyway, it has to be the chew, or the beard he has decided to grow that is throwing him off. It cannot be mechanics or lack of confidence. One more possible solution would be Rick Vaughn type glasses because he sure cannot seem to pick up the spin of a slider. SERIOUSLY!! TELL THIS GUY THAT THEY ARE THROWING HIM SLIDERS AND THAT HE CAN HIT THEM OUT TO LEFT FIELD!!!!! The majority of Howard’s 228 (counting the postseason) home runs have gone to left field. He has the ability. He just needs to apply it.

Two of my big keys to the series were the mighty Howard and of course the enigmatic former NLCS and World Series MVP Cole Hamels. Chase Utley has basically replaced Howard as far as the big man on Broad Street. Howard’s struggles are glaring but because Utley has been able to pick up the slack the Phils were able to force a game six. So that leaves Cole Hamels. Hamels was gifted an early three-run lead in a pivotal game three. He was seemingly in control early in the game as he cruised through the first three innings. Then Alex Rodriguez doubled with a man on. Or did he? Umpires got together and checked replay to confirm whether or not Rodriguez’s ball cleared the stands. Replays clearly showed that A-Rod’s ball smacked into a camera that was just beyond the fence and he was awarded a two-run home run. Sidenote – this ball hit the camera right in its lens. We saw every angle possible to show that it cleared the fence and every one agreed that it did. BUT WHERE WAS THE FOOTAGE FROM THIS CAMERA??? Even if it was not a great view of the entire play it still would have been pretty cool to see! That was it for Hamels. He got out of the inning physically, but not mentally. He unraveled in the fourth (despite still leading the game and opposing starter Andy Pettitte struggling) and the Phils fell behind for good. Hamels seems to be too effected by things going wrong. He is a perfectionist in a game where there have only been 16 perfect games since 1900. If he wants to continue to excel in this league he has to add a few layers of armor to his repertoire because he certainly has a dazzling fastball changeup combination that is capable of baffling any lineup ever assembled. So with Hamels loss, the Phils are down 3-2 instead of up 3-2. Others can certainly be blamed, but Hamels has been due for at least a seven inning less three runs performance and he has not given that to his team in the postseason. He, and all of Philadelphia, will be hoping he still can get that chance in a winner-take-all game seven. In order for that to happen…


Taking the ball in another do-or-die game for the Phils will be Pedro Martinez. Pedro has pitched more than solidly in his two starts thus far in the postseason. He started both game two of the NLCS and game two of the World Series. In the NLCS he pitched seven shut out innings and got a no-decision in a Phillies loss. In game two of the World Series he allowed three runs in 6 plus innings and kept the Phillies in the game despite being dominated by Burnett. If Pedro can give his team a similar performance in game six, the Phils should have more than a puncher’s chance. Andy Pettitte will be starting for the Yankees and looking to extend his all-time lead in postseason wins (17) and series clinching wins (5). He kept the Yankees afloat long enough for Hamels to sink in game three and escaped with a win despite not having great command of anything. Pettitte set a few other records in this game: mound conferences (11, catcher and pitching coach combined), TV-close ups (lost count after 79 in the third inning), and most times pitching with a five o’clock shadow and getting away with it under the Yankees’ clean-cut rule (36 in 39 career postseason appearances). Is any one else tired of looking at Pettitte cover his mouth when Posada comes out to talk to him? Can’t they just speak Italian and let people try to lip read that? Speaking of which, do Pedro and Chooch speak Spanish during their conferences? These are things I would like to know and Joe Buck and Tim McCarver could probably tell us. Instead we have to hear that Burnett is struggling most likely because he is pitching on three day’s rest and that somebody father was once a battery mate with McCarver. I digress…

The veteran pitching, serious star power, and possibility of a game seven should make game six great theater. The Yankee fans will no doubt be on their “Who’s Your Daddy?” tip. In game five it was Chase Utley. Who will it be in game six?

Go PHILS!