By David Gibb, Sports Editor
In Game One of the World Series, the Phillies proved once and for all that they are legitimate champions of the National League and worthy contenders to repeat as Major League Baseball’s top team. In the face of bad weather on the road and the undeniably intimidating mystique of the Yankee legacy, the Phillies dominated in every sense: their pitching dominated Yankee hitting and their hitting dominated Yankee pitching.
History will remember this game as the night when Cliff Lee asserted himself as one of the league’s best left-handers. Lee pitched a complete game, giving up only a single run, which came unearned in the ninth inning. The Phillies’ southpaw struck out 10 Yankees and walked none, silencing the hot Alex Rodriguez, striking him out swinging three times.
Lee won the AL Cy Young Award and the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award last year while playing for the Indians, only one removed from a season in which he was exiled to the minors. In the last two years, Lee has fashioned himself into one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, dominating the American League for a year and a half before being traded to Philadelphia where he dominated the National League.
With his Game One victory, Cliff Lee secured his third win in four appearances this postseason, and lowered his ERA in the playoffs to a microscopic 0.54. He hasn’t allowed an earned run since the NL Division Series.
On the offensive end for the Phillies, the real difference maker was Chase Utley, who homered twice against the otherwise sensational Cartsen Charles Sabathia. Despite mustering only two hits against Sabathia aside from Utley’s dingers, the Philadelphia offense feasted on the highly touted Yankee bullpen. Phil Hughes started trouble in the eighth inning, walking the first two batters of the inning before being lifted without recording a single out. Damaso Marte relieved him, getting out two men without allowing either runner to score. With Jayson Werth coming up to bat, Yankee skipper Joe Girardi elected to remove Marte from the game in favor of David Robertson, who allow the runners to score, putting the game out of reach at 4-0.
Joe Girardi has been drawing some criticism for his modern-day “Captain Hook” tactics. Whether the fault falls on the relievers or on the manager is immaterial, as nothing matters other than result in the World Series. Regardless of whether the issue was personnel or coaching, the result the Yankees got from their bullpen Wednesday night was not a world championship effort.
The Phillies have every reason to be confident following Game 1, but from the Yankees’ perspective, there are a number of reasons why losing this game isn’t the end of the world. C.C. Sabathia helped establish the tone for the Yankee rotation, with a strong start of only two runs in seven innings. Despite A-Rod being stymied, Captain Derek Jeter had a strong night with three hits, including one to start a would-be comeback attempt leading off the bottom of the ninth inning. The Yankees also have another game at home to look forward to before they have to travel to Philadelphia.
Game Two of the World Series will be of paramount importance to both teams, but particularly to the New York Yankees. Despite their immensely talented roster, the Yanks can ill afford to fall two games to none in a best-of-seven series.