Here’s the final out from the stands,
Although it seems like the Yankees win too many World Series titles the team actually hadn’t won in all since their string of 3 consecutive ending in 2000. 9 years is a long time for a team as stacked as the Yanks have been the last few years. I suppose its nice that ARod finally won a World Series… but I still think the guy is a douchebag! Read more about the victory from TSN.ca:
The New York Yankees bolted from the dugout even before the last grounder was scooped up. After waiting nine years for championship No. 27, no one would dare hold them back.
“It feels better than I remember it, man,” captain Derek Jeter said. “It’s been a long time.”
Hideki Matsui tied a World Series record with six RBIs, Andy Pettitte won on short rest and New York beat the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 in Game 6 on Wednesday night, finally seizing that elusive title — the most in all of sports.
Nearly a decade after their dynasty ended on a blooper in the desert, the Yankees are baseball’s best again.
Matsui, the Series MVP, powered a quick rout of old foe Pedro Martinez. And when Mariano Rivera got the final out, it was ecstasy in the Bronx for George Steinbrenner’s go-for-broke bunch.
What a way for Alex Rodriguez and Co. to christen their US$1.5-billion ballpark: One season, one World Series crown — the team’s first since winning three straight from 1998-2000.
“The Yankees won. The world is right again,” team president Randy Levine said.
The season certainly ended a lot better than it started — with a steroids scandal involving A-Rod, followed by hip surgery that kept him out until May.
“My teammates, coaches and the organization stood by me and now we stand here as world champions,” said Rodriguez, who admitted using steroids from 2001-03 while with Texas. “We’re going to enjoy it, and we’re going to party!”
For Chase Utley and the Phillies, it was a frustrating end to another scintillating season. Philadelphia fell two wins short of becoming the first NL team to repeat as World Series champions since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds.
Utley tied Reggie Jackson’s record with five home runs in a Series. But Ryan Howard’s sixth-inning shot came too late to wipe away an untimely slump that included 13 strikeouts, also a Series mark.
Meanwhile, Phillies pitchers rarely managed to slow Matsui and the Yankees’ machine.
“I told them that I loved the way they played. We’re fighters and never quit,” Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said. “We want to keep what we got as far as attitude and chemistry.”
For second-year manager Joe Girardi, a three-time Yankees champion as a player, it was the fulfilment of a mission. When he succeeded Joe Torre in October 2007, Girardi chose uniform No. 27, putting his quest on his back for all to see. His tenure didn’t start out so well, with New York missing the playoffs in its final season at old Yankee Stadium following 13 consecutive appearances.
“To be able to deliver this to the Boss, the stadium that he created and the atmosphere he has created around here is very gratifying for all of us,” Girardi said.
In a fitting coincidence, this championship came eight years to the day that the Yankees lost Game 7 of the 2001 World Series in Arizona on Luis Gonzalez’s broken-bat single off Rivera.
Steinbrenner spent billions trying to win another Series. At long last, his team did.
Fittingly, it was dedicated to the 79-year-old owner, who has been in declining health and didn’t make the trip from his home in Tampa, Fla.
Still, his presence was felt.
“Boss, this is for you,” the giant video screen in centre field flashed during post-game ceremonies while his son, Hal, the team’s managing general partner, accepted the championship trophy.
For the Four Amigos, it was ring No. 5.
Jorge Posada, Jeter, Pettitte and Rivera came up together through the minors and were cornerstones for those four titles in five years starting in 1996.
Yankees vs. Phillies. Game 1 of the World Series starts October 28th. Read about the Yankees series victory over the Angels from TSN.ca:
NEW YORK - They dashed from the dugout and in from the outfield, swarming Alex Rodriguez in a sea of pinstripes only steps from his spot at third base.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” he said. “I feel like a 10-year-old kid.”
Making it to the World Series for the first time after all those misses will do that to you.
The New York Yankees, baseball’s biggest spenders, finally cashed in with their first pennant in six years Sunday night, beating the Los Angeles Angels 5-2 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series behind the savvy pitching of that old October pro, Andy Pettitte.
Next up, New York hosts defending champion Philadelphia in the World Series opener Wednesday night. Cliff Lee is expected to face ALCS MVP CC Sabathia in an enticing pitching matchup between former Cleveland teammates — and the past two AL Cy Young Award winners.
Ridiculed in the past for his October flops, the three-time MVP played a huge role in helping his team advance through the playoffs, batting .438 with five home runs and 12 RBIs. Thriving under late-inning pressure this time around, the slugger earned his first trip to the Fall Classic during a 16-year career in which he’s accomplished almost everything else.
“That’s what you play for,” Rodriguez said. “In order to win a World Series, you have to get there first.”
Cameras flashed in the stands throughout the ninth inning as the crowd roared louder and louder with each pitch.
After Mariano Rivera fanned pinch-hitter Gary Matthews Jr. for the final out at one minute past midnight, Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter and most Yankees rushed to mob a jubilant Rodriguez near third base.
Rivera received a huge hug from catcher Jorge Posada in front of the mound. Then, Rodriguez and the Yankees partied with beer and bubbly in their swanky, high-tech clubhouse.
“I feared that I wouldn’t be able to contribute, so I had a lot of limitations,” Rodriguez said about his previous playoff failures. “The whole year for me was about trusting my teammates and being one of the guys.”
Last night the Yankees were three innings away from popping open their champagne bottles when the LA Angels proved that miracles do happen!
The Angels and all their fans now have a couple more days of hope as their win forced the Yankees back to their home town for game 6 rather than a celebration party.
Yankee fans are now praying that this won’t be a deja vu of the Yankees’ last big lead in an ALCS when the Boston Red Sox went from a 0-3 deficit in 2004, to winning the series with the most impressive comeback in baseball history.
Game 6 is Saturday night at Yankee Stadium, with Andy Pettitte facing Los Angeles’ Joe Saunders. A thunderstorm is in the forecast.
Read more about the game.
You gotta love this. Baseball seems to be the only sport left that features the good old fashioned bench clearing brawl. My favorite part is the pitch behind Posada! That ball is a good 2 feet behind him! Watch the action:
PLAY
