Baseball

I waited a few days before writing this piece so I could read most of the reports on the great Friday night comeback for the Yankees. Most of the talk in the papers, on the sports talk radio stations and on television was about the missed call on the ball hit by Joe Mauer and how it cost the Twins the game.

It goes without saying that the better team won this series.

The Yankees hit better with runners in scoring position over the three-game set; their three starters combined for 19 innings, a paltry four runs and fourteen hits allowed with  and twenty-one strikeouts. The defense saved three crucial runs in close games—including Teixeira's two outstanding defensive plays with the bases loaded in the 11th inning of Game Two.

But among all the missed opportunities that caused the Minnesota Twins' ouster, I'd like to take a moment to mention some of the things they did well.

With a slow grounder to to short, it was all over. The joy of game 163, the September magic, the 2009 season, baseball in the H.H.H. Metrodome, all of it.

It was a good run for the Minnesota Twins and in any evaluation of the season, that needs to be the foundation. The Twins beat their expected wins by six games and won a division in which they were projected to finish no better than third.

But, to borrow a line from the Bard, we come to bury the Twins, not to praise them.

Previewing the Yankees-Angels series position by position

Catcher

Jorge Posada and Jose Molina vs. Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis

Jorge Posada and Jose Molina make a more formidable tandem. Jorge has great offense, and Molina has a great rapport with A.J. Burnett. Jorge, mostly known for his offense, has hit .308 against the Angels, but Jose Molina has hit only .038 against the Angels. The Yankees will only need Molina to catch Burnett.

Let me state first and for the record. I am not a statistician or a sabermatician. What follows is no doubt flawed in a number of ways. It is a "quick and dirty" snapshot albeit it was definitely not quick work.

Some caveats are obvious and I''ll try to mention them as appropriate but no doubt you may spot some I don't mention. Please be aware that I am aware of the limitations of this sort of thing.

Part V, (season-finale) in a series. I'll do it again next year and compare it to this year.

So, at the beginning of this season I wrote that the Yanks had a shot. All the Bawston guys were yelling through their keyboards at me. Hmmm.

Turns out I was right. Turns out that having Texieria, Posada, Swisher, and Cabrera—all switch hitters—in one lineup is pretty annoying for opposing teams. The main hitters in this fall roundup are:

A-Rod: .455

Jeter: .400

Posada: .364

I was reminded during last nights game that when the temperature dropped into the 20’s why I left South Jersey 15 years ago to come and live in Las Vegas. That’s just too darn cold for my blood.

Of course that didn’t stop the Phillies bats as they won a thrilling game four 6-5 to take a 2-1 lead in this years NLDS.

First of all, it’s kind of funny that I call this list my Top 10 games, when the majority of them are Yankee wins and Mets losses. My original plan for this slideshow was to give my Top 5 Most Memorable Mets games of the 2009 season. I was going choose 5 of the 18 games I went to that had the most memorable happenings (i.e. Opening Day, the Castillo drop, etc.). However, after Friday night’s Yankees game that I was in attendance for, I’ve decided to do my Top 10 Most Memorable Baseball Games of the 2009 season.

The Minnesota Twins magical run is over.

After falling to the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series, the players can now head home for the winter and the front-office—lead by General Manager Bill Smith—can begin the work of ensuring the Twins are a contender again in 2010.

The pieces are already in place for a very good ballclub next season.

Perennial All-Stars Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Joe Nathan should all be healthy and ready to contribute.