Before the 1998 season started, the Yankees made a bunch of changes to their team which finished as the Wild Card the year before and lost in the Wild Card Round to the Cleveland Indians. They added Scott Brosius along with Chili Davis, Darryl Strawberry and Chuck Knoblauch (among others) to try to revamp the squad. That season they started out 1-4 and everyone questioned their team chemistry. Although they went on to go 17-6 through the rest of April, one game stands out to me: May 19, 1998 against the Baltimore Orioles.
The Yankees and Orioles used to play games like the Yankees and Red Sox play now: long games, lots of fireworks, big bats, scattered pitching performances and no lead safe. In 1996, these two teams played a 15 inning game that last 5:34, a 4:21, 9 inning game and a 3:56, 9 inning game (Yankees won 2, won the division, and beat the Orioles in the ALCS). In 1997 they played 9 inning games lasting 3:46, 3:47, 3:49, 3:50, 3:51 and 4:22 (O's won 4 and won the division). So whoever would win these epic battles in the regular season dictated the AL East.
On May 19, 1998, the O's were up 5-1 going into the 7th inning after scoring 5 runs off of David Cone. The Yankees scored 2 with doubles by Knoblauch and Paul O'Neill and an RBI single from Tim Raines off of reliever Sidney Ponson. So down 5-3 in the bottom of the 8th, the Yankees had 1st and 2nd with two outs for O'Neill. This is where these Yankee teams were dangerous. Down to their last 4 outs, they rallied. O'Neill singled to drive in one off of Norm Charlton. Ray Miller called on his 4th reliever, Armando Benitez. And Bernie Williams promptly homered off of him turning a 5-4 deficit into a 7-5 lead. Benitez, a hothead upset by what happened, drilled the next batter, Tino Martinez, on the very next pitch, right in the back (I don't know if Martinez's back was ever the same after). The Yankees had just taken the lead and could have just allowed the Orioles to react, but they took exception. The benches spilled and multiple players (including Graeme Lloyd, Jeff Nelson and Darryl Strawberry) tried to get a piece of Benitez. And when the melee finally quieted down, Tim Raines stepped up to the plate and hit a home run to end the game. The Yankees won the next 2 games to sweep the series and they never looked back on their way to 114 wins.
The 2009 Yankees had a chance to be that team and band together on Friday night. They went into Fenway and had a tremendously frustrating game, but they had a chance to win. The Red Sox have long since replaced the Orioles as their divisional rivals and the Yankees desperately needed to get the upper hand after missing the playoffs last year. Moreover, in the top of the 9th inning, they had a chance, like Tim Raines did in 1998, to put the game away. Red Sox reliever Javier Lopez had walked the bases loaded (via a HBP and 2 BBs) with Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera, two of New York's hottest hitters, coming up. Cano took one pitch and then hit into a double play (which got the force at home so no run scored) and Cabrera hit a foul pop to end the inning.
After Rivera blew the save (the Red Sox radio announcers said right before that the Yankees were 1,110-30 when leading after 8 innings under Mo's watch), the Yankees had runners in scoring position again in the 10th and 11th and had a chance to pick up their teammate. Except Mark Teixeira struckout to end the 10th and Melky Cabrera hit into a double play to end the 11th. And not surprisingly, the Yankees, who were 4 for 19 with runners in scoring position failed to win the game.
And this is not a one-game instance. On Saturday night, I watched from atop the Green Monster as AJ Burnett, arguably their best pitcher to date and their greatest threat against the Red Sox, blew a 6-0 lead. And on Sunday, they lost to a #5 starter, a bunch of rookie relievers and a closer (Takashi Saito) who is almost 40 and had been beaten around before last night. I've been watching it for years in fact. Ever since 2004.
I truly believe the 2004 ALCS turned around when Pedro Martinez threw one up and in to Hideki Matsui. Matsui had been killing the Red Sox up until that point and that pitch seemed to kill his bat. The year before, the Yankees responded multiple times when Pedro tried to throw at the Yankees players. Don Zimmer even famously went after Pedro who the Yankees accused of headhunting. Inexplicably, Joba Chamberlain is the only player that I believe has thrown at a Red Sox player since and no Yankees players since their famous brawls has taken exception to the domination the Red Sox have had over the Yankees (except maybe A-Rod in that embarrassing episode with Jason Varitek). And the problem isn't just that. It's that no player has shown leadership on this team when the team needs it most.
And that's where my biggest problem lies. I don't think you can fault Joe Girardi for how the team has played so far this season in some ways because of the fact they've had zero ABs from A-Rod and Chien-Ming Wang has an ERA over 34. But at some point the general has to rally the troops. Actually, as the weekend went on, the Yankees looked more and more lifeless. And I don't think Joe Girardi's constant moves are helping this team. He has a ton of arms in that bullpen but seems to switch up their use every game. Phil Coke has been a long man, a situational lefty, and a set up man. Same thing for Marte. JA was one of the Yankees best relievers but Girardi inexplicably removed him in the middle of an at bat in the 8th inning on Friday for Rivera (who them promptly blew the save after being made to work more than one inning). Some blame has to fall on him for all this overmanaging.
But you need to fault other guys on this roster too: Jeter for not really leading this team as its captain, Burnett for not holding down the Red Sox in a series changing game, Rivera for not being able to get the last out and end the Red Sox on Friday night, the hitters for being inept at time despite a huge breakout on Saturday, Teixeira for not doing more to carry the offense with A-Rod, Petttitte for not stopping Ellsbury from stealing home (the play that officially ended the series), Girardi and Cashman for not going with a long man in the bullpen and not having Mark Melancon available until last night, the bullpen for imploding multiple times this season etc, etc.
The truth is that this team needs to band together. They can't just be a bunch of paychecks. Do changes need to be made? Maybe. I don't think Joba-to-the-'pen makes any more sense now (actually less with Wang not being able to pitch). One co-worker suggested not only do the Yankees move Joba to the bullpen, but make him the closer against the Red Sox because of Rivera's problems as-of-late. That's WAY over the top in my opinion. I don't think Girardi should be fired yet, despite the fact that I have disagreed with a lot of his managerial moves. I feel like sometimes he needs to turn into Joe Torre and sit comatose on the bench. He makes me nervous on that bench and misuses his lineup (ie- why isn't Peña starting? because Ransom and Berroa are that much better? Can't we at least give Peña the chance?) and his bullpen, but I think we at least need to give him until the end of May. I don't think a trade is necessary because the Yankees have gotten killed by making panic trades (see: Mondesi, Raul).
But I think this team needs to figure out who/what it is. It has been difficult this year with a new Stadium, lots of changes on the team and some players hurt/ineffective. But this team needs to show up and it needs to show heart and it needs to pull together as a team and win games like that one in 1998. Especially against the Red Sox. Or else this could be a long, long summer.
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