Live from New York: It's Game Two
NEW YORK -- The Yankees try to avoid slipping into an 2-0 hole in the World Series tonight against the Phillies and it should be a wild night with Pedro Martinez on the mound. We've just had ear-pounding music from Alicia Keys and a huge standing ovation for Yankee hero Paul O'Neill's first pitch. Here's the lineups:
Philadelphia: Rollins, ss; Victorino, cf; Utley, 2b; Howard, 1b; Werth, rf; Ibanez, lf; Stairs, dh; Feliz, 3b; Ruiz, c;.....Martinez, p
New York: Jeter, ss; Damon, lf; Teixeira, 1b; Rodriguez, 3b; Matsui, dh; Cano, 2b; Hairston, rf; Cabrera, cf; Molina, c....Burnett, p
Courtesy of ESPN.com, here's a look at the press box chalkboard, where the lineups are posted each day. They brought it over from the old ballpark, where I bet it was on the wall longer than I've been on the planet. Way cool.
Keep it here for all your live updates.
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
Yankees win, 3-1: It's a six-out save for Rivera, who was touched for two hits and a walk, and a tied series heading back to Philly.
Bot-7th (3-1, Yankees): Mariano Rivera is up in the Yankees' pen. They have to win this game. They have a day off tomorrow. He hasn't pitched since Sunday. Do they go for the six-out save? The Yankees open the bottom of the inning with singles by Hairston and Melky Cabrera as Charlie Manuel channeled his inner Grady Little by keeping Pedro in the game. He finally wakes up and takes Pedro out with Posada announced as a pinch-hitter. Chan Ho Park is in and Posada strokes and RBI single. But the umpires short-circuit the rally as Damon lines into a double play at first. No, he didn't. Brian Gorman missed the short hop by Howard and no one else on the crew overruled him. Howard had thrown wide to second. Yankees would have had the bases loaded with one out. Mariano in for the 8th.
End-6th (2-1, Yankees): The Phillies kept Pedro in and he initially rewarded their faith, fanning Teixeira and A-Rod (who is 0 for 7 with 5 Ks thus far). But Matsui (right) then drove a 1-2 curveball over the wall in right to put the Yankees up for the first time in two games, 2-1. Matsui's second career WS HR (he had a three-run shot in the first inning of Game Two of the '03 set against Marlins). The pitching lines: Burnett 6-4-1-1-2-7 (97-59). Pedro is 6-4-2-2-2-8 (99-66). Howard, by the way, has also struck out five times in two games.
End-5th (1-1): That might be all for Pedro and J.A. Happ and Chad Durbin were up during that inning. Pedro gave up a two-out double to Jeter but got Damon on an infield popup to escape. Pitch counts: Pedro 83-54 (one more inning?), A.J. 86-52.
End-4th (1-1): Will a play by Jose Molina, of all people, change momentum? We'll see. Molina picked off Werth in the top of the inning and the Yankees tied it in the bottom when Teixeira led off by driving Pedro's 1-0 changeup over the wall in right (cue the "about time" remarks). Pitch counts: Pedro 75-47, A.J. 73-43
End-3rd (1-0, Philly): Already? That only took 1 hour, 16 minutes to play three innings. Lots of deep counts. We're going to see both pens tonight. Pitch counts: Pedro 59-37. AJ: 61-36. That's 120 pitches. Lee needed 122 to go all nine last night. Yeesh. My good friend and St. Bona grad Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post just unleashed this crack on his Twitter page: "This game is taking so long Steve Phillips has already relapsed three times."
End-2nd (1-0, Philly): Burnett was a pitch away from his second straight 1-2-3 inning and the crowd was up roaring for a strikeout of Ibanez. Instead, Ibanez looped a ground-rule double that landed right on the line in left (ump Joe West didn't Phil Cuzzi and got it right). Stairs followed by lashing a sharp one-hopper that hit A-Rod's glove and got through for an "RBI single." Come on, it's the World Series. That's an error, isn't it? Anyway.... Stairs, by the way, was 3 for his last 45. Should be 3 for 46, not 4 for 46.
Should have heard the groans here when Pedro got A-Rod to take a called third strike on a 72-mph curveball to open the second. Yes, 72. When Fox just did that Pedro montage and included his "Call the Yankees my Daddy" quote, everyone in here cracked up. Still hysterical five years later. Matsui singled but Ibanez speared Cano's liner to left-center with a headlong dive and Hairston popped to right.
Through two: Pedro 43 pitches-28 strikes. Burnett 37-24.
End-1st (0-0):
Then came Pedro. Shortly thereafter came the first "Who's Your Daddy?" chants of the night. Turn back the clock to '04. Still pretty darn funny to hear live. Nothing funny about Pedro's pitching. Jeter fans on a fastball, Damon whiffs on a curve and Teixeira pops to short. Why aren't more people talking about Teixeira's postseason no-show? He's just 8 for 44 (.182) with one homer and five RBIs.
