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Jason Michael Barker
OK, I'll admit it -- I love it when the Yankees lose, so it was with great joy that I watched Friday's Game 3 of the ALCS, a game won by the Indians 6-1 to take the 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
With the score 2-1 Cleveland in the bottom of the fifth, it appeared we were in for a good old-fashioned pitcher's duel. Bartolo Colon was pitching very well for the Tribe, overpowering batters with a 90+ MPH heater, which on this day had great movement. Andy Pettitte had settled down after giving up two in the second inning, and appeared to be getting in a groove. Then it all fell apart.
After retiring Omar Vizquel and Dave Justice to start the fifth, Pettitte had retired eight straight batters. He made a good pitch, low and away, to Manny Ramirez, but Ramirez got enough bat on the ball to hit it out down the right field line. Pettitte then got ahead of Travis Fryman 0-2, but ended up walking him. Back-to-back homeruns by Jim Thome and "Hard Hittin'" Mark Whiten made it 6-1 Indians, and Pettitte was off to the showers.
Ramirez hit his homerun on a tough pitch, but those by Thome and Whiten came on very hittable fastballs up in the strike zone. Pettitte looked very much the pitcher who had struggled so much over the last two months of the season, when he allowed eight homeruns in just 58.2 innings with an ERA over six.
Yet while Pettitte reverted to his late-season form, Colon looked every bit the dominating pitcher he was during the first half of 1998, when he was 9-4 with a 2.46 ERA. His complete-game, one- run, four-hit performance was one of the best of this postseason. While he didn't put up great strikeout numbers, fanning just three, he dominated the Yankees all night, allowing just an infield single after the second inning. Even that hit was questionable after a great bare-handed play by Vizquel and a throw which beat Chuck Knoblauch, Tribe 1B Jim Thome dropped the ball and should have been charged with an error.
I doubt anyone's counting the Yankees out of this series, but they certainly have their work cut out for them.
Some miscellaneous thoughts:
- I hadn't watched Omar Vizquel in a while, and I'm happy to say he's playing as well as ever. He's incredible to watch in the field, from his bare-handed plays to accurate off-balance throws, as well as making the routine plays look oh-so smooth.
- I received e-mail recently from a reader who questioned my sentiment that good teams can't simply "turn it on" in the post-season. I assume he was referring to the Braves and Yankees, who coasted into the playoffs, only to sweep their first round opponents. Although some further research is needed, I'd still contend that no, they cannot. Both Atlanta and New York faced relatively weak teams in the first round, and both teams now trail in their respective series.
- It's far better to watch baseball on NBC than on FOX. For one, NBC's graphics don't make annoying "whooshing" sounds, nor do they have blinking lights. And say what you will about Bob Costas, but I'd much rather listen to him and Joe Morgan than the yahoos FOX has going.
You think the network execs are looking forward to a Cleveland-San Diego World Series? Me neither.
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