Fall Classic – Game 2 – Phillies v. Yankees

On the strength of an impressive outing by pitcher Cliff Lee, who threw a complete game, and Chase Utley’s hitting, the Phillies took Game 1 of the World Series 6-1 in their drive for back to back World Series championships. It was a masterful performance by Lee, even if his cocky fielding aggravated more than a few Yankees’ fans. Still, there is no denying he pitched a fantastic game with sufficient offensive support to get him the win. Phillies fans should be thrilled.

CC Sabathia made two mistakes last night – and Chase Utley made him pay for them with two home runs. That was all the Phillies needed last night. The one run the Yankees scored late in the game came on an error, thus does not affect Lee’s ERA.

As for the Yankees, Sabathia kept the game close, but the bullpen continued to dismay Yankee fans. They gave up 4 runs in just 2 innings after Sabatia gave up 2 in 7 innings. Girardi’s choice of relievers continued to puzzle the Yankee faithful, as did his decision to keep the outfielder, Nick Swisher, in the lineup. Swisher’s abysmal hitting has hurt the Yankees throughout the post season (Texeira has also suffered at the plate, but his stellar defense makes his presence on the field critical). The one bright spot for the Yankees was Derek Jeter, who had 3 of the Yankees’ 6 hits.

All in all, a great win for Philly. Still,the umpires managed to get several plays wrong, not to mention the variable strike zone of home plate umpire, Gerry Davis, for both teams. As I always say, I don’t care what the umpire decides is the strike zone is as long as it is consistent for both teams. But when it changes from inning to inning, sometimes pitch to pitch, it makes it hard on both the pitcher and the batter – no one knows what a pitch will be called (and this is not the first time Gerry Davis has had difficulty with consistency). Hopefully, tonight’s game will be free of questionable calls.

And speaking of tonight’s game, once again, it is at 7:57 p.m., again on Fox. The game pits Phillies pitcher Pedro “The Yankees Are My Daddy” Martinez (Regular season 5-1, 3.63 ERA; Post season 0-0, 0 ERA)) against A.J. Burnett (Regular season 13-9, 4.04 ERA; Post season 0-0, 4.42 ERA).

Yankees fans love to razz Pedro Martinez for his infamous statement, made all the worse for him since it came while he was a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Calling the Yankees his “daddy” was a high compliment, of course, but also a pretty funny thing to say. Martinez isn’t the same dominant pitcher he was then, but he is still mighty good. Expect to see some good pitches from this seasoned veteran. (AP Photo)

Honestly, I would be THRILLED if A.J. Burnett only gave up 2 runs. That would be something new and different for him. To say he has been shaky in his last starts pretty much sums it up. He is either great, or horrible, with little room in between. Personally, I’m hoping for a great start from him today, or at least for him to keep it close. Either would be a nice change of pace from his previous post-season starts. (Getty Images)

Once again, for those who are interested, feel free to come hang out here and discuss the game as it goes along, or anything else that’s on your mind. I hope to see you later!