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October 28, 2009

Prospectus Today

Back from the Future

by Joe Sheehan

That was what we needed. After the previous five World Series had been played in just two games over the minimum, the Yankees and Phillies provided nine days of baseball that put the "Classic" back in the Fall Classic. After a postseason that had been thrilling and entertaining, but also sloppy and larded with controversy, the 2009 World Series reminded us of what baseball looks like when it is played at the highest level, with the most passion, for the most valuable stakes.

I was asked on the radio earlier today what my most vivid memory from the 2009 Series would be, what play we'd be associating with this Series 30 years from now, the way Kirby Puckett at a wall is the 1991 World Series, and Joe Carter in the air is 1993, and Reggie Jackson on one knee is 1977. Truth be told, the question stumped me. Under certain circumstances, you'd remember Derek Jeter tearing around third base in the 11^th inning of Game Five, carrying the winning run like he stole it, and beating Jayson Werth's throw by an eyelash to give the Yankees their first lead at 11-10. It was one of ten runs Jeter scored in the Series; his strong performance on the biggest stage gave the nation a chance to appreciate a player who has flown under the radar for so many years.

Then again, Game Five also gave us not one, but two confrontations for the ages between Ryan Howard and Mariano Rivera. The first came in the ninth, with the Phillies 90 feet away from repeating as champions, with the entire city of Philadelphia, the entire baseball world, on its feet, screaming at the top of its lungs and holding its breath at the same time. Rivera pounded cutters in on Howard for what seemed like hours in the damp Philly night, finally ending the eighth inning with his eighth pitch of the at-bat, getting the genial slugger to pop meekly to Alex Rodriguez. An hour later, the two met again, Rivera going deeper into a game than he had since he was a starting pitcher. This time, Howard worked a nine-pitch walk with two outs in the 11^th that briefly extended the game before Rivera closed it out by getting Werth to fly to right. Those 17 pitches could run on a loop on ESPN Classic all winter; no one would mind.

Howard had it rough, batting .148/.303/.407 in the seven games. The matchup was tough for him, as he faced either a left-hander or Rivera in 25 of his 33 plate appearances. He did manage a long home run off of Sabathia in Game One, and his big game against A.J. Burnett was key in Game Two, but he did little after that.

Game Five was the best of the Series, but the other six provided memories as well. Shane Victorino's back-to-the-infield catch in Game Four, which snuffed out the Yankees' only real rally against Cliff Lee, was the defensive play of… well, maybe the year, much less the series. Chase Utley bounced back from his poor defensive NLDS to remind everyone that he's arguably the best defensive player in baseball, making plays from deep in the 3-4 hole all the way to the second-base bag. Mark Teixeira continued to play defense in a way that made you forget he wasn't hitting, starting a 3-6-1 double play that helped the Yankees escape a bases-loaded situation in Game Six and picking at least three bad throws out of the dirt, including a full-stretch snag that kept Game Seven tied early on.