Archive for October, 2009
World Series, Game 2: Who Was That Guy? »
Sometime around the sixth inning, I think it was the exact moment Ryan Howard asked home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson if he could hit off a tee, I realized who the guy pitching for the Yankees reminded me of. The wirey build, the ink, the lizard-like features, that insane curve ball. This guy was just like A.J. Burnett, the Toronto Blue Jays star. I [...]
The Best That New York Sports Has to Offer »
All anybody’s talking about in the New York area is the Islanders’ first regulation win over the Rangers (though Jimmy Rollins predicted it on Monday). You can’t walk down the street without somebody stopping you and asking all about the hockey team from Long Island. Will they get on a roll? Is John Tavares the real deal? Islanders, [...]
Phillies-Yankees: A.J. Burnett Outduels Pedro »
So much for this being an offensive World Series. For the second night in a row we saw a pitcher’s duel in the Bronx. Last night A.J. Burnett out-dueled Pedro Martinez as the New York Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 3-1 to even their best-of-seven series at one game a piece. What you saw last night was two pitchers going about [...]
Yankees-Phillies World Series: A.J. Burnett Bests »
The Yankees had lost Game One of the World Series on Wednesday 6-1 to the Phillies. With Game Two of the World Series on Thursday, the Yankees felt a little pressure with their backs against the wall. The Yankees were sending up their No. 2 starter in A.J. Burnett, a guy some Yankee fans don't have complete faith in, but at times has the look of [...]
World Series: Pedro Martinez’s Poor Pitch »
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Pedro Martinez has lost the velocity of his fastball as his Hall of Fame career has progressed, but nothing else. He still has arguably the best changeup in the game, and locates it, a 89 mile-per-hour fastball, and a snail-slow curve effectively. He has a whip-like delivery, which adds deception and [...]
Dino Daddy: Godzilla Chases Pedro As Yankees Even Up »
The strategy when facing Pedro Martinez is always to just wait him out, get his pitch count up, then pounce on the relievers who take over for him in the seventh inning. In the fourth, everything appeared to be going as planned, as Mark Teixeira's homer tied the game and the Yankees started getting better swings against the future Hall of [...]
Phillies-Yankees: Teixeira, Matsui Lift New York To »
The New York Yankees gave a reason why they are Pedro Martinez’s daddy. Martinez pitched six innings giving up three runs in the 3-1 Game Two victory by the Yankees. Pedro allowed two solo homers, one to first baseman Mark Teixeira in the fourth and then another to Hideki Matsui in the sixth on a pitch that was practically in the [...]
Phillies-Yankees: New York Responds with Win Then Asks »
Wily. Deceptive. Vintage. And I'm not talking about Pedro Martinez. Just 24 hours removed from Cliff Lee's Game One masterclass, AJ Burnett pitched a gem of his own to send the Yankees to Citizens Bank Park with the series tied at 1-1. The lesser-heralded half of the Yankees' offseason acquisitions allowed just one run on four hits and two [...]
A Dominant World Series Performance while on the Mound »
An in-his-prime Cy Young Award winning pitcher was making the start in Game One of the World Series on the hill at Yankee Stadium (one of the few stadiums left that does not receive money for naming rights). He completely dominates the Bronx Bombers power laden lineup, and out dueled the Yankees ace left handed pitcher. Having won the prior [...]
New York Yankee Haters Unite: We’re Three Wins »
The year was 1995. I was 12-years old. And I fell in love for the first time. Hard. And anybody who was living in Seattle in the time can tell you who I fell for, because 1995 is perhaps the fondest year remembered in the modern Seattle era. The Seattle Mariners were going to the playoffs for the first time and it wasn't [...]