Yankees Even Up The World Series With 3-1 Victory Over Phillies

OK Yankees fans. You can breathe now. The Yankees won and the World Series is tied at a game a-piece. I still can't believe how many people were so quick to write them off after one game. It's like they're watching baseball for the first time. It's like their watching the Yankees for the first time. Their MO this season was to come from behind. They wouldn't be the Yankees if they didn't.

I, like most people, had no idea what to expect from A.J. Burnett tonight. He hasn't been the pitcher we thought he'd be. He's been up and down all season. Tonight, he was up, he was on, and he was every bit the pitcher we all want him to be. He flat out dominated tonight. At one point he had thrown 1st pitch strikes to 22 of 25 hitters. That's unheard of. The 1st pitch strikes alone were a big reason he was so dominant. It's a lot easier to pitch when you're ahead in the count. It didn't hurt either that his curve was off the hook. When it's on, A.J. has one of the best hooks in the game. It was on tonight. That's for sure. Welcome to the party A.J.! It feels good, doesn't it? If the Yanks are still passing around the WWE Championship belt, which I assume they are, it better be in A.J.'s locker. He definitely deserves it. Nicely done. I hope you've got one more start like that in you. Tonight was definitely your best start as a Yankee. now go out and top it.

A.J. and CC have pitched extremely well against the Phillies. They've combined for 14 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits, 5 walks, and 15 Ks. A WHIP of 0.93 and an ERA of 1.93. That's what I call dominant. I wrote the other day that I thought the Yankees would be better off by starting Pettitte in game 2. I realized today if Andy started it would have been on short rest. Not sure where my head was on that one. I'm surprised nobody called me out on it. With the exception of A.J.'s start in game 5 of the ALCS, the Yankee starters have put together quite an impressive string of starts. With his start today, A.J. dropped his postseason ERA to 3.55. CC's is 1.52 and Andy's is 2.37. Wow. The trio's postseason ERA is 2.43. Again, wow. They're flat out dealing. It's your turn Andy. Keep it going.

The offense is still a little underwhelming. What the heck happened to A-Rod? He went from being the team's best hitter to their worst one. His World Series is not off to a good start. Alex is 0-8 with 6 Ks in the 2 games. Again I ask, what the heck happened to A-Rod. He's not going to hear the end of it from Yankee fans if he doesn't do something. Especially if they lose. My buddy Koob is already calling him "Choke-Rod." Be that as it may, the Yanks probably wouldn't be here if not for Alex. He's got at least 3 games left in him. Don't write him off yet.

I'm watching the post game show on YES. They're showing Pedro's press conference. I don't care what other people think. I kind of like Pedro. I have ever since he told the story about about sitting under the mango tree. His PG interview tonight was classic. He talked about how he chastised some dude in the front row for saying nasty things to him while holding his little daughter. It was pretty funny. I can't help but like and respect good old Petey. It certainly doesn't mean I root for him to do well. He just doesn't bother me.

It was nice of Mark Teixeira to finally join the party. I hope his HR sparks something from him. The team needs his bat, especially with A-Rod floundering.

I love Derek Jeter and all, but what the hell was he doing bunting with 2 on and no out in the 7th. That had to be one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. I really hate when Jeter plays the small ball approach. Derek is one of the best hitters in the game. I don't understand why he always feels the need to bunt runners over. It blew up in his face tonight when he bunted the ball foul for the 3rd strike. The whole "Yankee Twitterverse" was all over him, which was odd to see since everyone loves Derek Jeter. But that play? I just don't get it.

And what would a playoff game be without some bad umpiring? I've said many times that bad calls are part if the game and that in the end they usually balance out. Nothing is worse though than seeing bad calls in really big games. There were 2 bad calls tonight, both of which were bang-bang plays. Each team got hooked up. I don't usually get worked up about blown calls, especially when they're close plays. But the blown call that went against the Yanks bothers me a little. I'm referring of course to the DP the Phillies pulled off in the 7th. I know it was a tough call to make but the biggest indicator that the ball hit the ground came courtesy of Ryan Howard. Do you really think that if he caught the ball on the fly that he would have made a throw to 2nd as opposed to taking 5 or so steps to first base to step on the bag? I don't know either how the 1st base ump could make that call seeing that he was behind the play and out of position to tell. Howard's reaction should have tipped him off that it hit the ground. The Yankees should have had the bases loaded with 1 out. Instead the inning was over. The blown call on the flip side was the DP the Yanks turned in the 8th. As nice as it would be to get those calls right, they're pretty tough to make when they're that close. But as I said, blown calls are part of the game. Everybody benefits from them at some point.

It's painfully obvious that Joe Girardi only trusts one of his relief pitchers. If I need to tell you who that pitcher is, go to another blog. I was a little nervous, scratch that, a lot nervous, when the game got to the 7th. I've been very critical of Joe Girardi lately. I get scared when the game gets to the later innings and it's close because I know he's going to the pen. Using Mariano Rivera for 6 outs is a move I like. Mo's the GOAT. God bless him. It was definitely a tense ending. Mo, like he always does, locked it down. Again, God bless him.

So it's off to Philly for games 3-5. I like the position the Yankees are in. They're in the driver's seat if you ask me. The pitching macthups definitely favor the Yankees in the next 3 games. You've got the winningest playoff pitcher of all-time in Andy Pettitte going up against the shaky Cole Hamels. You can bet your life that CC Sabathia is starting game 4. The Yankees have a chance to win any time CC starts. I like the Yankees chances to take the 1st 2 games. Heck, I'll be happy if the Yankees take 1 of the next 3 games. I like their chances a lot if this series returns to the Bronx, even if the Yanks come back down 3 games to 2. Don't get me wrong, being up 3-2 would be much nicer, but being down 3-2 wouldn't be the end of the world.

I need to learn to write shorter posts. Sorry about the length, but it is the World Series.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie