The Bronx Bombers win their first World Series since 2000, and it solid fashion, winning with enough starting pitching and key relief work. Their offense, which is what they were known for coming into the series, was good, but the men on the mound were better. Congratulations to the New York Yankees for the win.
Player of the Game- Hideki Matsui. His performance in Game 6 may go down as one of the best in Yankee World Series history. 3-for-4 with a home run and six RBIs, including three different 2-RBI hits, a triple away from the cycle. Six of the seven runs scored by the Yankees came off of Matsui’s bat.
Player of the Series- Mariano Rivera. The MVP chosen was Matsui, but as great as he was with three homers in the series, the Phillies had no answer for the Yankees closer. Rivera pitched in all four Yankee wins, finishing all four with two saves and allowing no runs in 5.1 innings. Joe Girardi clearly needed him to finish the game each time, and he came through each time. Bruce–I clearly agree. How crucial is Rivera to this team. He closed out all 4 games. Girardi used him brilliantly. I guess the Orioles let Sherrill go because they really have no hope of competing with “The Best Team Money Can Buy.”
–Credit to Joe Girardi for doing what was necessary in Game 6. He did what a manager needed to do, not make decisions in case they had a Game 7, but win tonight at all costs. With a 7-3 lead in the 6th he went to the setup man Joba Chamberlain, had Damaso Marte against Chase Utley and Ryan Howard then went with Mariano Rivera with one out in the eighth the rest of the way. Some managers might have been more cautious, especially with the setup man into the 6th, but Girardi played the necessary moves with the lead. Also, Andy Pettitte pitched better tonight on three days rest than a fully-rested Pedro Martinez, who lost twice in Yankee Stadium this postseason.
–It is hard to put a lot of blame on the Phillies, but the main reason they lost was because the 1-5 of the order minus Chase Utley did not do much at all. Ryan Howard’s home run was much too late, plus he struck out 13 times. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino combined were near the Mendoza line during the series. The hitters had their chances but could not any consistency going for the scoreboard. The bullpen was not as effective either, relying on Ryan Madson in five games because Charlie Manuel did not trust Brad Lidge. The starting pitching deserves some mention, especially considering Philadelphia was 0-4 when Cliff Lee was not starting, but the hitting and bullpen were more the problem.
–Random thought that I’m sure people have said in Baltimore: The year Mike Mussina signs with the Yankees, the dynasty ends, and the season after his retirement, New York wins the World Series. Very strange.
Well, a good year of baseball wraps up. I hope for a better one from the Orioles next year.
Bruce—Translation of the headline–Matsui–Hero of the Series
Blog from Dave Vatz-09 Terrapin Graduate
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