Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Cliff Lee Blows Away the Yankees in Game One

PHILLIES 6
YANKEES 1

So much for that great Yankee offense.

So much for the miracle comebacks.

So much for the dominance of C.C. Sabathia, the flaming bat of Alex Rodriguez, and the possibility that the Yankees would take it to the Phillies.

Instead it was Cliff Lee who mastered the Yankees, pitching a complete game six hitter, while striking out 10 Yankees. He was absolutely dominant in the effort, mowing right through the Yankees order like a knife through butter.

Lee never broke a sweat in the effort, making a lazy catch on the mound to record an out, and back-handing another out, as he spearheaded the defending world champions to a game one victory.

Lee's counterpart, C.C. Sabathia labored throughout the evening. In the first inning, Sabathia loaded the bases full of Phillies, before getting Raul Ibanez to ground out to second to end the Phillie threat.

That being said, Sabathia just didn't have it tonight. By the third inning he threw over 50 pitches, and by the time his night was over in the seventh, Sabathia threw 113. He was not good with his command, pitching to 3-2 counts for most of the night, and looked flustered with the strike zone.

The Phillies broke through in the third, when Chase Utley lifted a sinker and placed three rows deep over the right field wall to give Philadelphia a 1-0 lead.

In the sixth, Utley got into another Sabathia pitch, this one a fastball right down the middle, that Utley cracked deep into the bleachers in right to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

The Phillies would tack runs on in the eighth and ninth innings. Shane Victorino's single to right brought home Carlos Ruiz to make it 3-0. That was followed up by Ryan Howard's RBI double down the right field line to drive in Jimmy Rollins to make it 4-0 Phillies, all but ending this ball game. Box score.

The Phillies lead the best of seven series 1-0, and will look to Pedro Martinez tomorrow night against A.J. Burnett. The Yankees have to win this game if they have any intention of getting back into this series, otherwise it's lights out, especially with Cole Hamels and Lee looming for games three and four.

No comments:

Yankees Stay Busy Get Goldschmidt for First Base

 You can cross the Yankees off the list for former Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.  The Bronx Bombers came to terms on a one-year, $12.5 mil...