Que Sera Sera - Russakoff Rules - Comcast.net Sports

So I’m standing on the Yankee Stadium field, watching Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada celebrate … and I feel like I’m going to throw up.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. The Phillies were supposed to beat down these overpaid prima donnas and show that city to the north that the town down the turnpike can play some ball.

And yet here we are. The Yankees are World Champions … again. For the 27th time.

I’ll let the texts and tweets that came flowing in after the fifth inning – when it became obvious the Phillies would not win the 2009 title – speak for us all:

“I feel like I'm William Wallace's brother, in the crowd, watching William Wallace in the guillotine.”

“Great, now we get to watch four innings of death.”

“’How could God let this happen?”

“Cole Hamels is 12 outs away from living his dream.”

“This can't be how this ends. It just can't be.”

But it was exactly how it ended. And from the beginning, it never felt like it would end any other way.

Andy Pettitte had it. Pedro Martinez did not.

Game over.

You’d like it to be more complicated than that, more cosmic, more something. But in baseball, the three most important factors are starting pitching, starting pitching and starting pitching.

And throughout this World Series, the Phillies had just one reliable starter. It was Cliff Lee versus the world. And that’s not ever going to be good enough against the New York Yankees.

Pedro tried to be Lee’s wingman. The Phillies needed him to win at least once.

The 38-year-old did his best to turn back the clock. He pitched a very good Game 2, but A.J. Burnett was better. And then, in what would ultimately become the Yankees clincher, he just didn’t have the stuff to match Pettitte. Martinez was out of gas.

Pedro never had it Wednesday night. Phillies fans had to see it coming when his second pitch of the night left his hand. An 84 MPH fastball. That’s not going to cut it. It was so slow, MLB.com mistook it for a changeup. Yikes.

Pedro eventually got up to 90, but he struggled all night and left the game after just four innings with the Phillies buried in a three-run hole. It was pretty much the worst-case scenario for the Phightins.

When you don’t have it, you don’t have it. It’s not like you can fake it against the New York Yankees.

Especially against Hideki Matsui, the World Series MVP and Martinez’s arch nemesis. Matsui killed the Phillies all series (and he only started three games). He had the third-highest batting average ever in a World Series (.615) behind Billy Hatcher (.750, 1990) and Babe Ruth (1928). He slugged at 1.385, second highest ever in a Series behind Lou Gehrig (1.727, 1928), and his eight RBIs were the most by a Yankee since Reggie Jackson drove in eight in 1977 and 1978.

But Matsui left a special spot on his bat for Pedro. He always does when it comes to the postseason.

Godzilla hit just .143 in 28 career at-bats in the regular season against Pedro, but when it comes to the postseason, he wears Martinez out. It was Matsui who sparked all that Grady Little outrage in Boston when he doubled off Pedro in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS.

Matsui then homered off Pedro in Game 2, breaking a 1-1 tie and giving the Yankees a victory in a must-win game. And then Wednesday night, in the clincher, Pedro watched from the mound as Matsui launched two balls into the Bronx night off him. One left the yard in the second to give the Yankees an early lead, and then with the bases loaded and two outs in the third, Matsui dealt what would be the death-blow to Philadelphia’s hopes.

Three-for-four with six RBIs in Game 6. Domo Arigato.

As much as Phillies fans don’t want to admit it, the better team won this game. The Phillies weaknesses at starting pitcher (Hamels, Joe Blanton), closer (Brad Lidge) and off the bench (Ben Francisco, Matt Stairs, Eric Bruntlett) were all exposed by New York; each costing the Phillies at least one game. And it only takes four games to win the World Series.

Francisco actually tied a Greg Gross record for Phillies ineptness in the playoffs; going 0-for-11 – the most hitless ABs for a Phillie ever in a single postseason. Congratulations, Ben. Well done.

Were the Yankees beatable this year? Yes. They were so depleted at starting pitching that they were forced to go to a three-man rotation, their relief pitching aside from Mariano Rivera was suspect, and their NL lineup was almost laughable — especially when Melky Cabrera went down with a hamstring injury.

But the Yankees won two of three at Philadelphia anyway. Games 3 and 4 were both winnable for the Phillies, but the Yankees made plays when it mattered most, and the Phils did not.

That’s where this series was lost. Hamels blew Game 3 and Lidge blew Game 4. You are lucky if you get four chances to win games in the World Series, you can’t realistically expect six chances.

In the end, if you want to be a champion, you make big pitches and you make big plays. The Yankees did that. The Phillies did not.

Pedro’s Got the Wrong Stuff

The story of Game 6:

78, 84, 84, 81, 84, 80, 76, 79, 79, 81, 71, 76, 77.

Those numbers represent the miles-per-hour of Pedro’s 13 first-inning pitches.

I’m sure when the Phils coaches saw that, the alarm bells were ringing. But at that point, it’s not as if Charlie was left with any options. Manuel had to rely on the old man to wile his way through the Yankees lineup a few times.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t. Unfortunately, Matsui and the Yankees were again Pedro’s Daddy. And unfortunately, sometimes, that’s just the way it goes.

Chase Utley Is Still a Golden God; and Cliff Lee Is Pretty Good Too

The man hit five home runs in six World Series games. He tied Reggie Jackson’s record. Reggie Jackson. And Lee finished off a superb postseason by going 2-0 in the Classic. Just because the Phillies came up short doesn’t mean we should forget Utley and Lee’s heroics. Both games the Phils won this series, Utley and Lee won for them.

The dynamic duo were good enough to be champions. They just didn’t get enough help.

Chin Up, Phillies fans

I know you’re down right now. I know you feel like 2009 will be looked back upon as a missed opportunity. But buck up, folks. This is a good team. And it isn’t going anywhere.

The Yankees beat the Phillies. They were the better team. But this Phils team will be back next year. And it will be favored to return to the Classic in 2010.

In fact, Jimmy Rollins, master prognosticator, has already turned the page the 2010, saying, “It will still feel good to win it every other year."

Glad to see one setback hasn’t disturbed J-Roll’s ever-confident demeanor.

And Jayson Werth was no different, already setting his sights on next season, telling teammates in the locker room, “Only 97 days until spring training."

It’s actually more like 107 days until pitchers and catchers, Jason. But if you want to show up 10 days early, all us Phillies fans will be there to watch and cheer.

Two World Series in two years is nothing to be ashamed of. And hey, Jimmy’s right. Two titles in three years does sound like a pretty sweet deal.

Thanks for a great season, Philadelphia. See you in February.

Your Feedback How do you feel about the Phils' season? Did the best team win? Are you ready for pitchers and catchers yet? Sound off here.

Email me at russakoffrules@comcast.net; follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/russakoffrules.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.


Message Edited by ComcastSports on 11-05-2009 02:41 AM