September 30th @ The Red Sox

Serenity now.

OK, before that sets in - to the game tonight.

This season, Jorge Posada, Ruben Sierra, and Bernie Williams have been hot and cold at the plate - but, more often cold than hot. So, what does Joe Torre do in one of the biggest games of the year? He bats these three men back-to-back-to-back and they go 0 for 12 in the game (as a group). But, because they all trail each other in the order, that’s like giving the Red Sox pitchers a free pass in 4 innings - or close to half the game. Brillant.

And, of the three, Posada killed them the most tonight - failing twice with a runner on 3rd with less than 2 outs. And, by the way, the Yankees lost by two runs tonight - possibly the two that Posada left on the pond and dying to come home.

Hey, it was that kind of night for the Yankees hitters, outside of Matsui. They hit balls well at people in spots and let too many hittable pitches go by without doing damage in others.

Perhaps the game, offensively for the Yankees, was captured in this snapshot: Jeter homers in the 7th to make the score 5-3, and says to A-Rod, as he crosses home plate “Come on, let’s go.” And, what does Alex then do? Rodriguez whiffs - looking.

It’s too bad that Posada failed in the 1st with the sacks loaded with one out - because that could have been the spot to knock David Wells off his game. But, once that passed, Wells was dealing. Without question, Wells is one of the last men that you would ever want your daughter to bring home someday - but, the guy can pitch in a big game when he has a lead.

Speaking of pitching, I think Wang did OK - not great, not very good, but OK. After the 5th inning, I thought to myself “He’s gone five and allowed two. For a rookie, in Fenway, facing this line-up, in a game like this, that’s very nice.” But, then, thanks to some bad defense and walks, the game got away from him in the sixth. I still find it amazing that Jason Giambi cannot throw the ball 80 feet, at times.

So, now, it comes down to Randy Johnson. Tomorrow is the day that the Big Unit can earn every penny due over the life of his Yankees contract in just one day. Facing Wakefield, it will not be easy. And, I will make one prediction now - if the Yankees lose on Saturday, they will lose on Sunday as well, and go home with nothing. And, we will know then that the worm that turned last year never turned back again. Yes, now, thanks to tonight, tomorrow is that big.

Serenity now.

Damn, it doesn’t work at all.

September 30, 2005 | Filed Under Game Commentary 09/05

Comments

7 Responses to “September 30th @ The Red Sox”

JohnnyC on October 1st, 2005 12:20 am

Steve, I really want the Yankees to make the post-season but, god, I can’t take another minute of Torre. Jeez, what is it with him and Ruben Sierra? How many rings has Sierra won for him? Are the Yankees just a vehicle for his magnificent career? The only good thing that would come out of the Yankees being swept would be that it would irrevocably seal Torre’s fate. And, unlike a lot of fans, I am not that concerned about who replaces him. At this point, a bagel with a shmear could out-think him. He is pathetic. But, I do think he’ll finish 2nd in the Manager of the Year voting because, when you think about, it’s just another way for the national press to demonstrate their complete disdain for the Yankees. So when a Ken Rosenthal or Skip Bayliss says this has been Joe Torre’s best managing job, they’re really saying “Yankees suck.”
Steve Lombardi on October 1st, 2005 12:25 am

When Torre comments on Stein, at the end of the year, then I will comment on Torre - promise!
Don on October 1st, 2005 1:25 am

Yeah, its all Torre’s fault, what a laugh.

The players play and they either do it or they don’t.

Oh for a Paul O’Neill on this team………
JohnnyC on October 1st, 2005 11:11 am

Yeah, Paul O’Neill wouldn’t bat Posada-Sierra-Williams consecutively, giving Red Sox pitchers a 5 inning game to pitch while Yankees pitchers pitch a regulation 9 inning game. O’Neill for manager!
Bozo on October 1st, 2005 11:12 am

Enough with the Torre bashing. The truth is only 3 players stepped it up last night for the Yankees: Matsui, Jeter and Proctor(believe it or not). The rest of the team played horrible, except maybe Cano, he was trying.
Don on October 1st, 2005 2:16 pm

JohnnyC, the point went way over your head. An O’Neill type player is what this team lacks, the fire and intensity. There’s no fire and intensity from Matsui, Bernie (LOL), Sheffield, Giambi, Alex Rodriguez (now on his third team…. hmmmmmm), etc., etc.

The 1996-2001 team had far fewer so-called superstars. But they had fire and intensity and they hit in the clutch.

So go ahead, spread your anti-Torre venom all over the internet (two places that I know of anyway). Torre isn’t the reason they lost the game.
Raf on October 3rd, 2005 3:18 pm

Fire and intensity’s overrated. Get me someone who can play