All squared at one
AJ squared away the 2009 World Series with a magnificent pitching performance in Game 2. His control, command and concentration were evident from the first pitch. In fact, every first pitch all night long!
Pedro? Well, Pedro was pretty good too. I actually thought the Yanks would rough him up a little more than they did. He was wily. He was calm. Pedro's experience showed with every batter and he made quite a few Yankees look a bit lame.
But, hey... enough about these pitchers. This is about hitters. Sure, pitching wins Championships as they say... but you can't win if you don't score runs and the pitchers don't score runs ; )
So, since those darn pitchers were so glaringly good.. let's talk about who is definitely not Yesterday's Hitter.
How about Ryan O'Howard. Hmm... O fer 4 with.... 4 strikeouts. Definitely not YH material.
Let's see.... Chase Ut-O? Nope. Not so good .. O fer 3.
Jayson Werth? Victorino? Naw.. .2 fer 8 between em... and one was a lil dribbler.
Raul Ibanez... not so bad. A couple of ringing doubles and scored the only run.
Matt Stairs... thankfully NY scored and erased the only productive hit on Philadelphia's side of the ledger. If you hit that same ball to O'Rod 10 times.. he'd catch it 9. At least!
Did I say O'Rod? Well, if the shoe fits... now O fer 8 in the Series with... 6 Strikeouts! No YH for you bud.
Pre-game hype had a host of speculation on Jose Molina catching and possibly switching Posada to the DH. Let's tip our hats to Girardi who made the right calls. Molina did a fabulous job of handling AJ... check.
Posada is NOT the DH (smart move) and enters to PH and assume the catching duties. Posada hits an RBI single.. Yes Joe, way to go. But, sorry no YH for Jorge.
Mark Teixeira. How could he not be? What an incredible moment and at bat for him in the 4th. After suffering through the wily ways of Pedro for what seemed like an eternity, the NY fans were even becoming disenchanted with their "who's your daddy" chant.
The place was like doomsville, until Mark hit that bomb to deep right center. What a swing Mark!
But.. sorry bud, no YH for you. You see, you can't win if you don't score more runs than the other guy. Mark? Well, he merely tied it. It was this guy that wielded the most potent bat of the night for New York.
Godzilla! He walked, he singled, he bothered the heck out of "your daddy" on every at bat. Until, finally Peter made a mistake. It wasn't much of one. In fact, maybe Godzilla was the only hitter that could take that ball off his shoe tops and drive it out of Yankee stadium. Well, maybe one other guy.. and just maybe.. the ghost of The Babe was digging Godzilla : )
Funny, watching the post game shows. We never saw Hideki interviewed. I imagine the language barrier had something to do with it. Or, possibly.. .Hideki was being mobbed by the Japanese media and never had a chance to breathe anywhere near a Fox camera.
Well, we're giving you the kudos now Hideki.
Congratulations Hideki Matsui - You are Yesterday's Hitter!
I too was impressed with Pedro holding his own last night. Godzilla just dug down and found some of that old flare. Ugh. That pic of Victorino and Werth makes Shane look like a midget.... and Werth looks like, well, ugly.
--Jeff
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Matsui was interviewed after the game (through a translator) and spoke for quite awhile (for him). He's such an unassuming guy that you hardly know he's there sometimes. But that one swing was huge. He golfed that inside pitch and was I ever relieved. Congrats to him!
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GODZILLA!
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okay it was kind of scary every time Matsui came up to bat, he deserved the winning RBI, and the YH...
~peter
Outside the Phillies Looking In
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Jane - huh.. never saw it.. perhaps I was taking a break from the tension : )
Jeff, Matt and Peter - Yea, a little scary.. just in time for Halloween : ) Godzilla!
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Good choice for the Yesterday's hitter. Hideki after all is the reason this series is tied 1-1.
Matthew Tang
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It's a bit odd about Matsui and the media. He's definitely been valuable and clutch for the Yanks this season but they probably won't resign him--he can't run around the outfield anymore, and they need to do something with Posada other than have him catch.
He'd look real good in a Blue Jays uniform. I think he's the player they need to get somewhere with all that talent, and he can help the younger players...but let's not assume anything before the season's over.
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I've heard some say that when AJ Burnett is spot on, there's no better pitcher. Well...he was spot on the other night, and the Phillies rather mammoth offense was sileneced.
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Mr. Roboto is Yesterday's Hitter! Alright! LOL. I'm excited for Game 3. I'm expecting big things, mostly from the Yankees' side, but I'd appreciate a good competition. I mean, a blowout would be welcome too, but, whatever... ;)
- Lisa
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I can't believe Howard stiking out again on a number occasions. Although he did look overmatched against Pettitte.
I also can't believe some New Yorkers trying to run Matsui out of New York. Another homer in game 3. The man is a professional hitter, good for at least 20+ jacks every year. They wouldn't be where they are without him, in my opinion.
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Caroline, Matt, Lisa and Homer - You can't deny the fact that Matsui can hit with the best of them. Sure, he's not a .300 hitter. So what? He produces.. just like last night!
Carol - AJ was indeed spot on. I just wish he had never plunked Jayson.. it caused his dismissal from LA.. and boy could they use that bat!
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