In a postseason of incredible excitement, this World Series looked like an anti-climax from the beginning. Many avid baseball fans simply don't care who wins. Craig's "a pox on both your houses" sentiment about the ALCS could easily apply to teams owned by the misunderstood Steinbrenner and the detestable Loria.
In Game 1, a lethargic Yankees lineup, no doubt emotionally drained by the awesome Boston series, couldn't solve Brad Penny or Ugueth Urbina, neither of whom had their best stuff, and Juan Pierre's wheels made the difference. Game 2 featured more typical Bronx Bombing and a superb start by Andy Pettitte, so it was too one-sided to be really intense. I'm expecting more passion on both sides this evening, but I won't be able to comment much (if at all) on the game thread. So here are a few thoughts in advance...
Florida's 23-year-old ace takes the mound in the biggest game of his brief career. Josh Beckett is more than just confident, he's cocky, to the point of annoying opponents and even some teammates. The Texan, whose idols growing up were Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, said immediately after his Game 5 win in the NLCS that there would be a Game 7, he would pitch in it, and the Marlins would win. That makes him a better prognosticator than most of us, who figured there was no way to beat Prior and Wood in consecutive games at Wrigley. The youngster isn't exactly in awe of tonight's assignment.
"I've pitched big games all my life," Beckett told Miami Herald columnist Dan Le Batard. "This is like pitching in the state championship in high school. People say it isn't the same, that it can't be, but it is. At the time, that was the biggest thing in the world to me. At the time, it was the World Series. The adrenaline is the same. There's a level where it tops out, and it doesn't matter if there are 70,000 people there or not."
Of course, Beckett shouldn't even be in this spotlight. He should be the ace of the Devil Rays staff, but instead of taking one of the greatest high school pitchers of all time (many scouts say the best ever) with the first overall draft pick, Tampa chose the wrong Josh -- outfielder Hamilton. That hasn't worked out so well for the Rays, but Beckett, the Marlins and their fair-weather fans are grateful.
In the New York Post, Kevin Kernan provides the Yankees' perspective on the flamethrowing righty. GM Brian Cashman said, "He's been their best pitcher. [Our scouting report] made him sound a lot like a young version of Curt Schilling." There's also a chart indicating Beckett's tendencies in pitch location -- while he moves the ball around against lefties, he's got the classic up-and-in, down-and-away approach to righthanded batters.
Though the Marlins probably wouldn't be here without Beckett's heroic four innings of relief work last Wednesday, just two days after pitching the game of his life, I'm wondering about the toll of 160 pitches in 72 hours. Sure, Game 7 was his scheduled day to throw a "side," but that's in the bullpen, at 80%, not against live hitters desperate to stave off elimination. If not for the double duty, Josh's next would have been with one extra day of rest on Saturday. One of my bushy eyebrows was raised when Trader Jack selected Redman to start Game 2; it suggested to me that Beckett's arm didn't bounce back too well. It's now nine days since his last start and six since he came out of the bullpen. So he's rested, but is he 100%?
Remember, despite his courage, Beckett didn't dominate in that relief appearance, giving up a homer and several fly balls to the warning track. He could be great tonight, like he was in the complete-game, 11 K shutout against the Cubs. He could be ordinary, like he was the start before, when he gave up eight hits, two homers and six earned runs in 6.1 IP in Game 1 of the NLCS. Or he could be very good but lose anyway, which is what happened when Jason Schmidt shut down the Marlins in the opener of the NLDS.
Florida, still without an extra-base hit in the Series, is not likely to explode against Mike Mussina. The Moose, whose postseason results have been disappointing, has shrugged that off by indirectly blaming his teammates. Not a way to win friends in the clubhouse, but true. He's 0-4 with a 4.58 ERA in his last seven postseason appearances, but one of those was a brilliant effort in the 2001 ALDS, when he traded zeroes with Barry Zito; the Yankees ended up winning 1-0 to turn that series around. Another was his incredible relief stint in Game 7 against the Red Sox five days ago.
The Yankees were already down 4-0, with Boston runners on first and third and nobody out. Mussina slammed the door shut, then proceeded to toss two more scoreless innings, which made the Yankee comeback possible. Though Grady Little's subsequent misplaced faith in Pedro Martinez got more attention, the Moose provided the turning point in one of the biggest games in baseball history.
The only Yankee batter who has faced Beckett is Aaron Boone, for a grand total of one at-bat. It was a good one -- he hit a three-run homer. A few Marlins are more familiar with Mussina, not that it figures to do them much good. Pudge Rodriguez is a mere 5-for-20 with a .600 OPS in their previous encounters, and Jeff Conine has a .692 OPS in 27 AB. Luis Castillo has managed two singles in nine trips (a .444 OPS) and Alex Gonzalez is 1-for-6, actually better than his abysmal 087/106/130 in 46 AB during this postseason.
Go ahead and laugh at my suggestion that Game 3 is a must-win for the Marlins, but it is. If the Yankees go up 2-1, this will be all over soon. Carl Pavano and Penny are not nearly as likely to shut down the New York attack as Clemens and Wells are to stifle the Fish, and Pettitte would return in Game 6. However, if Florida wins tonight, there's a strong possibility of a Game 7 rematch that would add some much-needed drama to this Series.
Perhaps all this is just an attempt to justify my "Yanks in five" prediction. I said before the Series began that Beckett would have a lot more trouble with the New York bats than he did with the Giants or Cubs. If he proves me wrong tonight, it's "game on" and I hope the Series does go the limit, because you can never have enough exciting baseball games.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20031021033741999