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MLB 2009 Season
- Thread starter zioxide
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^robo, I don't mean to sound like a douche. But could you stop excessively using the smilies?
Yeah, it's easy for us to say that the Yankees should have been more patient. What's more likely: that ALL of the Yankees suddenly became undisciplined batters? Or that Lee's pitches were so good that they looked far easier to hit than they were? Clearly Lee brought it last night.*
You've got to figure that Philly likes where they're at now. They already have at least a split on the road, so even if they lose, they'll have three more at home. Figure that NY wins at least one road game and that means they'll have to win again in NY. On the other hand, if the Phillies win tomorrow and forces the Yankees to win at least two in Philadelphia, that's a rough position to be in.
It's also just about the best scenario for Pedro to be in too. He could be rusty from the time off, but it's not a must-win game for Philly.
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* ESPN.com said last night that Lee's Game 1 win was the first ever 10K, no-walk, no-earned run game in postseason history. That's a little hard to believe if you think about it, but even if it it isn't, it's one of the best pitching performances in World Series history. Pretty cool.
I am not saying Lee got lucky when the Yankees just fell apart on discipline. But, for 6-7 innings, Lee used that curveball on almost all 0-2 or 1-2 counts and it always caused the Yankees to swing despite most of them being in the dirt. They should have saw that pattern back in the 4th inning by the latest and make Lee work and adjust and try to entice him to make mistakes like how the Phils did with CC. They didn't do that so Lee's confidence rose and he kept on throwing that pitch in the dirt and the Yankees always swung.
All of Lee's pitches though were nasty, but his 0-2 or 1-2 pitches were predictable, but the Yankees didn't lay off.
I think they meant outside of that.
What Cliff Lee did last night was nothing short of spectacular. We got pwned, plain and simple.
Larsen only had 7 strikeouts in that game (IIRC). You can manipulate stats to make anyone do something that has never been done before.
I bet I was was the only 6'5", shaven head guy, to sit in Office 531 and inform baseball fans on MacRumors that Larsen only had 7 strikeouts during his perfect game!!! Get Guinness!!!
Hickman
I think both happened.
Lee had an amazing pitching game. But it was also obvious that the Yankees were not hitting like they usually do. I still feel nervous for the Phillies with the lineup NY has. The best I could brag about now is that NY didn't sweep the Phillies and I can tell my NY fan friends that since they were so convinced it was going to be a NY sweep. Until last night's victory, I had a nagging fear that the NY fans could be right.
At the same time, because of this one great win, I am not going to take the offensive and say it will be a Phillies sweep. It's still no time to brag yet. Philly needs three more wins.
I think every game is a must win situation for any team going against the New York Yankees. No team in history can come from behind like the Yankees, whether it's some psychological factor, or their bought and paid for lineup.
Yankees 96 down 0-2 going to Atlanta, win the next 4, where was the bought and paid lineup then?
The Yankees were still the highest paid team in baseball that year. It wasn't as lopsided as it is today (ranging from 11% to 350% more than all other teams), but they were still throwing money around for their players.
http://www.baseballchronology.com/Baseball/Years/1996/Payroll.asp
Hickman
'04 Red Sox baby. 4 game ALCS comeback against the very team in question. Best series I have ever watched
With Atlanta's then strong pitching lineup, I was hoping they could get more WS wins.
I meant the Yankees had players that were paid very highly, and like usual, some of them former stars of other teams. NY does not offer a player a great sum of money, and then not have the cash. They can outbid anybody on the block.
Let's say Lee continues pitching this well, and has some great numbers next year. The Yankees, if they are smart, will give him an offer. It's their style. They got people from here, Bay Area's Giambi, they got Damon from Boston, and they got CC from the Indians. This trend will continue, and while every big acquisition does not live up to the money while on the Yankees, the former team that had that player is without them.
A player can be young, and the Yankees will spot their potential and buy him, or they can be old, some say too old, and still end up producing for the Yankees (Clemens). Somebody in the front office has some good eye for talent in NY.
They are not my Yankees. I am rooting for the Phillies. The Boston comeback was a very happy moment in baseball history, even for us California folk.
As for the Yankees, they have blue uniforms.
My Jr. High School, HS, and both colleges I went to have red as their color. When I was in Little League, we had Cardinals like uniforms. I am a 49ers fan. I root for Stanford in the Stanford-Cal rivalries. Stanford has crimson and/or red in most of their colors on their clothing.
Well, obviously it's a hand-picked stat. But the point is that it's an unusual combination of a lot of strikeouts, no walks, and no earned runs. That points to a very dominant game.
That's just how Philly fans avoid getting too excited about a one-game lead.
You've never seen a shortened link before? It's so that a URL can be copied easily without a really long string of characters.
All post season stats are useless, every team is different every year.
Swisher out Hairston in.
The Phillies need one game, just three more times. When looked at that way, especially against the Yankees, it's a huge ordeal.
Not only do I hope the Phillies win tonight, but have the possible psychological edge of doing it at New York. That being said, it comes down to how both teams play each game, and as much as a positive mental attitude helps, it does not strike out batters, hit off of a pitcher, or steal bases.
It would be a shame for the Phillies to win tonight, only to get clobbered in Philadelphia. The more I think about this WS, the more nervous I become. I would really feel more at ease for the Phillies if it was any other team representing the American League. Who can feel comfortable going against a 103 win team?
True, but the regular season win-loss record isn't everything...just think of the 2001 Mariners--116 wins, but didn't make it past the ALCS. (Granted, if it weren't for the Sept 11th delays, the other teams in contention wouldn't have gotten the chance to rest/compensate for Seattle's depth, but who knows if that would have mattered in the long run...)
Statistically, those are the exceptions or outliers, or outside of three standard deviations. While not as unlikely as getting hit by lightning, your odds of doing well on a scratcher and paying rent with those proceedings are better.
The Mariners did not go to the ALCS, but they showed everybody that their current lineup, not just Ichiro, are a force to contend with. Nobody can take away the great season that they had. It will be in articles, magazines, and books 100 years from now (or whatever medium people use for reading) where many an uneventful Yankees WS win will largely be forgotten or lost in the piles of championships they have.
Look at football for a second. Dan Marino. He has no Super Bowl wins but is perenially on the list of the greatest all time QBs in the history of football. When he retired, he had most of the meaningful records of his position. His legacy will live long after he is dead. The Mariners huge season will also be referred to forever. Records, or statistical outliers, could also notable for all time in bad ways lest we forget the Yankees losing their grip on a trip to the WS in the ALCS against Boston (when the Red Sox broke the Babe Ruth curse). This was the ultimate choke for the Yankees, or perhaps any team in baseball history.
If the Phillies were a bad team the Yankees losing would be considered a choke, the fact that they are evenly matched while disappointing can't be considered a choke job. Now if the 98 Yankees lost the world series that would of been a huge failure. Just because the Yankees won 103 games they are hitting a great team. The 98 team was playing a sub par Padres team.