Cumberland Times-News

Baseball

October 29, 2009

Lee, Utley, Phils top Yanks in World Series opener

NEW YORK — Look out for Cliff Lee, Chase Utley and this New Red Machine.

Lee outdueled CC Sabathia, Utley homered twice and the Philadelphia Phillies kept rolling through October, beating the New York Yankees 6-1 on a misty Wednesday night in the World Series opener.

The defending champion Phillies shut down Alex Rodriguez & Co. in the first Series game at the new billion-dollar Yankee Stadium. Trying to become the first NL team to repeat since Cincinnati in 1975-76, the Phils’ 17-4 postseason run is the best in league history.

Big Red Machine, meet your match.

Game 2 is Thursday night, with wily Pedro Martinez pitching for the Phillies against jumpy A.J. Burnett.

Ryan Howard reprised his MVP performance, doubling twice and driving in the final run for the Phillies. Rodriguez, however, went hitless and struck out three times in his Series debut.

Lee bamboozled the Yankees with a spiked curveball, deceptive changeup and his usual pinpoint fastball, pitching a six-hitter while striking out 10 without a walk.

Lee blanked the Yankees until a run scored on shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ throwing error in the ninth inning. The lefty improved to 3-0 with an 0.54 ERA this postseason.

He really seemed to enjoy himself, too.

If Lee felt any nerves in his Series debut, facing the team that led the majors in wins, homers and runs, it didn’t show. And if the Phillies were supposed to be intimidated of the pictures of Babe Ruth and all the Yankees greats on the giant videoboard, it didn’t happen.

Pitching in short sleeves on a blustery evening, Lee worked a wad of gum while he worked his spell over the Yanks. He stuck out his glove hand for a ho-hum catch on Johnny Damon’s popup that left the Phillies chuckling, shrugged after a nifty, behind-the-back stop on Robinson Cano’s one-hopper and casually tagged out Jorge Posada on a comebacker.

Lee beat his good friend and former Cy Young teammate Carsten Charles Sabathia in the first game at this ballpark back in April, and got this chance after the Phillies traded four minor leaguers to Cleveland in July to get him.

Playing in their 40th World Series, and first in six years, the Yankees went quietly.

Utley’s solo home runs in the third and sixth innings gave Lee all the support he needed. Raul Ibanez hit a two-run single in the eighth and Shane Victorino added an RBI single in the ninth.

The Phillies’ may have been a bit overdue — in their only other October meeting, the Whiz Kids from Philadelphia got swept by the Yankees in the 1950 World Series and totaled just five runs.

Even though he’s an All-Star, Utley was an unlikely candidate to rock Sabathia, the MVP of the ALCS. Utley was 0 for 7 with five strikeouts against the big Yankees lefty going into the game.

Utley won a nine-pitch duel with Sabathia in the third, pulling a 95 mph fastball over the right-field wall. The shot was the first by a left-hander allowed by Sabathia at home this year.

Utley struck again in the sixth, sending another 95 mph heater deep into the right-center field bleachers.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel had little to do except watch from the top step of the dugout. Yankees manager Joe Girardi was more busy, bringing in five relievers after Sabathia left following the seventh inning.

First lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden were among the crowd of 50,207, as were a few specks of fans dressed in Phillies red. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner watched from an upstairs box — he has yet to see his team win in the palace he built.

After a rocky postseason, umpires faced just one tricky call and got it right. They huddled after Rollins trapped a popup and threw to first, and correctly ruled it a double play.

Neither team got a lot of good swings in the early innings. Lee and Sabathia had a lot to do with that, and maybe a light drizzle hurt the hitters. So did the fact that each club had played only 10 games in 3 1/2 weeks because of the scattered postseason scheduling.

There was plenty of postseason bunting for the opener. Red, white and blue decorations adorned the upper decks, and both Rollins and Damon bunted into outs in the first inning.

The Phillies loaded the bases with two outs in the first inning on two walks sandwiched around Howard’s double. Ibanez got ahead in the count 3-1 and swung away, hitting a routine grounder.

NOTES: Utley set a postseason record by safely reaching in his 26th straight game, breaking a tie with Baltimore’s Boog Powell. ... Rodriguez fanned three times in a game for the first time since July 30. ... The Yankees went 64-36 in Series games at their old park.... The only previous time Cy Young winners met in the Series opener was 1995 when Cleveland’s Orel Hershiser faced Atlanta’s Greg Maddux. ... The Yankees grounds crew wore T-shirts that said “Win it for the Boss.”



Text Only
Baseball
  • Miners advance to state final

    The Mountain Ridge Miners blanked Bohemia Manor, 3-0, in their Class 1A state semifinal late Wednesday night at McCurdy Field.

    May 24, 2012

  • Red Sox Orioles Baseb_Math.jpg Red Sox power past Orioles

    Daniel Nava and Kelly Shoppach hit sixth-inning homers to turn a tie game in Boston’s favor, and the Red Sox withstood two home runs by Nick Johnson in a 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.

    May 24, 2012 1 Photo

  • Nationals Phillies Ba_Math.jpg Hamels hurls Phillies over Nationals, 3-1

    Cole Hamels pitched eight scoreless innings, finishing up by retiring Bryce Harper on a grounder as the Philadelphia Phillies snapped a season-long four-game losing streak Wednesday night with a 3-1 victory over the Washington Nationals.

    May 24, 2012 1 Photo

  • WEB-SPTS-MLBPICTURE.jpg Ortiz leads Red Sox in comeback victory

    David Ortiz homered in the sixth inning to start Boston's comeback from a three-run deficit, and the Red Sox got three hits from Will Middlebrooks in an 8-6 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

    May 22, 2012 1 Photo

  • Salisbury loses in District playoffs

    Evan Appleby hit a grand slam on top of throwing a complete game to lead McConnellsburg past Salisbury by a score of 14-3 in the first round of the Pennsylvania District 5 Playoffs.

    May 22, 2012

  • Jones’ dozen strikeouts leads Lakeview

    Lakeview Auto Parts rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh and pitcher Trevon Jones struck out 12 in pitching a complete-game five-hitter in a 6-2 Hot Stove Baseball League win over previously undefeated Riverside Sports Monday at Bel Air Field.

    May 22, 2012

  • Strietbeck leads Mountain Ridge to region crown

    Dan Strietbeck kept Manchester Valley’s bats quiet and Mountain Ridge scrapped its way to four runs to win the Maryland Class 1A West Region baseball title with a 4-1 victory Friday evening at McCurdy Field in Frederick.

    May 18, 2012

  • Harrison single ends Verlander no-hit bid in 9th

    Justin Verlander came within two outs of his third no-hitter, allowing only Josh Harrison’s ninth-inning single in the Detroit’s 6-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

    May 18, 2012

  • spts - KERRY WOOD RETIRES.jpg Wood gets final strikeout, retires after 13-plus seasons

    Kerry Wood arrived in the majors 14 years ago, a fresh-faced kid with No. 34 on his back, slinging fastballs at 100 mph, delivering breaking pitches that were often unhittable and striking out 20 batters in just his fifth start.

    May 18, 2012 1 Photo

  • Miners upset Northern on Malone, Mills homers, 7-3

    Mountain Ridge added three runs to a 4-3 lead during the top of the sixth inning to pull away from top-seeded Northern as the No. 2 Miners played their way into the Maryland 1A West Region finals with a 7-3 win Wednesday at Northern.

    May 17, 2012