Yankee Talk: Playoff Edition – Blown opportunity

Loss brings memories of ‘04


ANAHEIM – As you were watching the Angels creep back into this game, a game that the Yankees had dramatically rallied from a 4-0 lead in the top of the seventh inning by scoring six runs to take the lead and were nine outs away from winning the pennant, you were reminded of a similar moment just five years earlier.

It was Game 5 of the 2004 American League Championship Series. The Yankees trailed the Red Sox by 2-0 in the sixth inning and appeared as if they were not going to hit Pedro Martinez. They got one run on the board and had the bases loaded with two out and Derek Jeter was at the plate.

Jeter would drive in three runs with a triple to give the Yankees a 4-2 lead. All of the air was taken out of Fenway Park and as the outs began to dwindle, it looked as if the team’s 40th American League pennant was in reach if they could get nine more defensive outs without giving up two runs.

It never happened.

Boston got two runs in the eighth and the game winning run in the 14th to win Game 5 and bring the series back to New York for a Game 6 where Curt Schilling pitched the Red Sox into a Game 7 and completed their 0-3 comeback when they turned Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez into personal punching bags.

Here we were now, five years later.

The Yankees, anchoring one of the more dramatic comebacks you will ever see in a playoff game, had it all right in their hands. A two-run lead again with nine outs to get. A date with the defending champion Phillies in their sights and nearly a week of rest that came with it. All they had to do, just like five years ago, was get those final nine defensive outs.

It never happened.

When AJ Burnett, who blew up in the first inning as many predicted beforehand, spotting the Angels four first inning runs before recording out, took the mound to start the bottom of the seventh, he was a different pitcher than those first 12 pitches he threw to start. His pitch count was at 80 and in the world where pitch counts are the bible; he was able to go back to the mound because his “limit” had not been reached. Never mind the fact that he had been resting for over 30 minutes as the Yankees mounted their comeback.

Jeff Mathis started the inning with a solid single to left, his third hit off Burnett.

No pitching change made.

Then followed a walk for Erick Aybar, the Angels ninth place hitter.

Finally, Girardi comes out to make the move. Burnett was either obviously done, or the moment and enormity of the situation was getting to him just as it did in the bottom of the first inning. Enter Damaso Marte, who has not endeared himself much and he gets two outs as the Angels sacrifice to give up one out and then Bobby Abreu grounds out to drive in a run.

Now the score is 6-5 and Girardi turns to Phil Hughes, a man who was nearly unhittable during the regular season, but has not pitched well in October. All he needs to get is one more out to preserve the lead and get this game to the eighth inning and after having a day off yesterday and the potential for a weeks worth of rest, would have brought in Mariano Rivera for two innings.

Hughes convincingly walks Torii Hunter to load the bases and has Vladimir Guerrero down in the count 1-2 after flailing at a nasty curveball. All Hughes needed was one more strike. Hughes tries to elevate a fastball but it hung in the middle of the plate, ripped to centerfield for a single to tie the game. Kendry Morales then followed with a single to right to give the Angels the lead.

Just like that, it was all evaporated. An instant “Yankees Classics” production now being put on hold. Five years earlier, the Yankees lead by two runs in the eighth inning before David Ortiz homered off Tom Gordon, a walk, double and sacrifice fly tie the game and the Yankees never got control of the series again.

Only Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Alex Rodriguez and Hideki Matsui remain from that 2004 team who were on the field that night. Every fan watching had seen this story play out once before.

Now they were in the ninth inning. Brian Fuentes being called upon to preserve the Angels season and fly along with the Yankees back to New York for Game 6. He had already blown Game 2 when Rodriguez took his 0-2 pitch over the right field fence. Trailing by one run, there was no doubt the thought process would be the Yankees would find a way, any way of tying the score and eventually winning.

Johnny Damon hits a bullet right at Morales for the first out.

Mark Teixeira, who finally checked in for the first time in the series with a three-run double in the seventh, swings at the first pitch and flies out to right for the second out.

By fate or baseball gods, Rodriguez is the Yankees last hope. However, Mike Scioscia is going to see to it that he isn’t. After being burned once and seeing him hammer everything in sight, he is not taking the chance again as the famous four fingers are put up signaling for an intentional walk.

Now the Yankees have a slight chance. Matsui works a walk to put runners on first and second. In steps Robinson Cano who takes a curveball off his back to incredibly, load the bases.

Now Nick Swisher comes up. Swisher has been worse than having the pitchers spot in the lineup all postseason with only three hits in 31 at bats. However, in this situation, see what the Yankees have done all year coming from behind to win 52 times this season, with heroes sprinkled all over, it would be only good fortune that it could be him to finally erase off his struggles with a hit.

Fuentes quickly gets ahead 0-2 and that’s when the battle begins. Swisher begins to work that count and suddenly it goes to 1-2, 2-2 and now 3-2. The ghosts may have traveled with the Yankees out to Anaheim. From two outs and no one on base to bases loaded situation with a 3-2 count. A walk or wild pitch ties the game and a base hit all but clinches the pennant with Rivera set to pitch the ninth.

Instead, Swisher just misses on Fuentes’ fastball and pops it up to Aybar to end the game. It was highly reminiscent of when Tony Clark hit that double into the right field corner in the ninth inning at Fenway Park off Keith Foulke. Somehow, that ball bounced over the wall instead of staying in play that would have scored Ruben Sierra from third. He was forced to hold up and the Yankees never got that extra hit to put them in a position to win the pennant.

Just like last night.

Maybe this is all just another blip much like Game 3 when the Yankees could have went up 3-0 in the series. Perhaps the Angels are just prolonging the inevitable and the show finally closes in Game 6 back at Yankee Stadium.

Or perhaps this is all a repeat of a show we have seen once before. A horror tale that no one us wanted to relive. As they get ready for Saturday night and the first pitch, everyone’s mind will be of the belief that the Yankees will somehow choke this series away just as they did to the Red Sox.

Beating the Angels in this series only completes half of the circle. Beating the Phillies erases that bad memory.

It was a blown chance in 2004. Hopefully the Yankees don’t blow this chance now.