If you were a Yankee fan looking for a sign that Game Four was going to go differently than Game One did, Alfonso Soriano leading it off with a walk wasn’t a bad one. Unfortunately, Soriano’s was just about the last good plate appearance the Yankees had all game. As in Game One–and for that matter, as in most games this postseason–the Yankees treated their outs like the mashed potatoes at a Vegas buffet: eat all you want, someone will refill the tray. There was no refill, though; 27 outs later, the Red Sox had tied the ALCS at two games apiece.
This isn’t the same team that scored 877 runs during the season. The Yankees are drawing about one fewer walk per game, which doesn’t mean much in a four-game sample. The quality of their at-bats has fallen through the floor, however. With the exception of Bernie Williams, Yankee hitters have been jumping at the ball the whole series. They’re exhibiting no patience, especially with runners on base, throwing away at-bat after at-bat after at-bat. Look at the way they’re swinging: they’re out in front of everything and trying to hit every ball out of the park. It’s exactly the opposite of how they got here in the first place.
Right now, the Red Sox are playing better baseball than the Yankees are. They’re hitting for power and their pitchers are exploiting the Yankees’ sudden need to be the Cubs. The Sox won last night’s game not with the sacred little things, but with the big things: home runs, good starting pitching, dominant relief.
Milton Bradley was among the best CFs in the league this season, despite persistent rumors about his bad attitude. The Dodgers finally are let loose from coporate ownership. And the Mariners are just beginning their search for a new GM. All this and much more news from Cleveland, Los Angeles, and Seattle in your Tuesday edition of Prospectus Triple Play.
What’s a guy got to do to get suspended?
Seriously, I want to know. In the wake of the weird events of Game Three of the ALCS, MLB brought the gag inflatable hammer down. On Sunday, the Associated Press reported that Pedro Martinez was fined $50,000, Manny Ramirez $25,000, Karim Garcia $10,000, and Don Zimmer $5,000. There wasn’t a single suspension handed down, not even for a few days next season, or during spring training; nothing at all.
Don Zimmer can charge the starting pitcher, forcing Martinez to spill Zimmer, and the old guy’s fine is $5,000? George Steinbrenner is going to go insane: for those prices, he can have everyone on the roster go after Derek Lowe if he comes out in the first inning tonight throwing unhittable stuff. If it works, the team gets a shot at the middle relief; if it doesn’t, maybe Lowe is rattled. Either way, the total fines will be something the Yankees can pay out of petty cash.