Bats come alive as Yankees win Game 3

Yankees 8-5 Phillies

Game 3 World Series

 Let me tell you. This game is the start of the World Series.

Games 1 and 2 were split between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. The Phillies rode SP Cliff  Lee's complete game outing and 2B Chase Utley's offense to win Game 1, while SP AJ Burnett's good side surfaced to lead the Yankees to a 3-1 Game 2 victory against SP Pedro Martinez (amidst "Who's your Daddy?" chants).

While the first two games were pitching gems from Lee and Burnett, Game 3 was an offensive fiesta just like the experts predicted it to be. Usually, bats come alive against Game 3 starters. And boy did they tonight. But, it was the Yankees offense that prevailed, pounding former World Series MVP Cole Hamels with 5 runs and the Phillies bullpen with 3 more. SP Andy Pettite's rocky start and defensive key errors allowed the Phillies to jump the gun 3-0 in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Early, it looked like Pettite was in danger of being chased out of the game early and Hamels turning his so-far un-MVP-ish postseason around.

The Phillies came out of the gates swinging as RF Jayson Werth continued to punish left-handed pitchers. He blasted two home runs, 2 off Pettite. Gosh, you should see how this guy approaches the ball--no leg kick, just a subtle swing of the hips-- and still is able to crush the ball deep. He looks like a video game. His homer  in the 2nd inning started the ball rolling for the Phillies. After an intentional unintentional walk and a bunt defense miscue later, the Phillies were up 3-0 and it looked like Hamels and the Phillies were in control.

But, the sleepers have woken up. Alex Rodriguez, hitless in the World Series, blasted a 2-run shot down the right field line in the top 4th. Rodriguez was originally awarded a double as the ball was seen to have bounced from the wall and back in play. But, Yankees manager Joe Girardi appealed to the umpires for another look. The replays showed that the ball hit the camera jutting out of right field (stupid interfering camera man) before caroming to Jason Werth in right field. As per MLB rules (I think...), any interference of that kind is ruled a home run. That put the Yankees 2-3.  In the top of the 5th, another slumping Yankee joined the seemingly rejuvenated offense that scored only 4 runs in their last two outings. RF Nick Swisher, who was benched in Game 2 for his sub-par performance in the postseason, drilled a double to left. And, the next sequence just proved that luck is on the Yankees side. Andy Pettite (yes, the starting pitcher) blooped a liner to that Bermuda triangle down shallow center that neither left fielder, center fielder nor shortstop could reach.  That allowed Swisher to score the tying run. Then, another Yankee bomber woke up as Johnny Damon, who has had a modest postseason so far, doubled this time to deep right center. This brought home Pettite and SS Derek Jeter who had a base hit after Pettite's RBI single.

And, the Bombers never looked back after that. They scored a run with Swisher's HR in the 6th to make it 6-3, Yankees. Hideki Matsui, who had to come off the bench because of the non-DH line-up played in the National League, belted another homerun shot in his lone at-bat of the game. C Jorge Posada, who has been a little bit absent-minded as of late, blooped an RBI single to drive in Johnny Damon. The Phillies threatened with a Werth HR in the 6th and another HR by Carlos Ruiz in the 9th against slumping pitcher Philip Hughes. But, the bullpen, particularly RHP Joba Chamberlain and LHP Damaso Marte, got the job done. Chamberlain, Marte and Hughes retired 7 batters in a row before Hughes allowed Ruiz to go yard to make it 8-5, Yankees. But, it was all too late as Girardi tugged on Mariano Rivera's strings to drive the loud Phillies crowd home in disappointment.

Despite the loss, it was still a productive outing from the Phillies. During high-scoring games like this, it is important that the losing team does not get shut out. It's better to lose scoring runs than to lose with nothing to show for on the scoreboard. Yankees manager Joe Girardi, on the other hand, has shown off his critics by making the right decisions in the past two games. In Game 2, he benched the then-struggling Swisher and went to utility man Jerry Hairston, Jr.. Hairston got key hits in that game. He opted to pair AJ Burnett with 2nd-string catcher Jose Molina which meant that a home-run bat in Jorge Posada was unavailable in the early innings. Aside from blocking troublesome wild pitches from Burnett, Molina made a spectacular snap throw to get Jayson Werth out in the 6th inning of Game 2. That seemed to have ignited the sleepy Yankees offense.  So far, his decisions have been money. He will again have another crucial game on his hands as SP CC Sabathia will pitch on short rest for Game 4. Although it can be argued that Sabathia is the best lefty in the game today, he's still on 3 days' rest and is not expected to last 7 innings.

The Yankees have come to play. The Phillies are raring to bounce back.

Crunch those knuckles. The World Series has begun.