A title for Joe G.
Peoria's Girardi guides Yankees to their 27th World Series championship
NEW YORK -- Sure, the New York Yankees' 27th World Series championship will go down as one more trip down memory lane for Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera -- the Core Four. It means a long-awaited ring for baseball's all-time highest-paid player, Alex Rodriguez. And it finally shows a return on an annual $200 million payroll investment.
But most of all -- after knocking off the defending World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies with a 7-3 victory Wednesday night in Game 6 at the new Yankee Stadium -- this was validation for manager Joe Girardi, the pride of Peoria who was actually considered on the hot seat in April.
(AP)
The Yanks and Girardi can thank designated hitter Hideki Matsui, who drove in a Series record-tying six runs to earn MVP honors, and a five-out performance from Rivera to close the 105th World Series.
Girardi picked No. 27 as his uniform number as a daily reminder of his mandate.
''It's just an unbelievable feeling,'' Girardi said on the infield minutes after the last out. ''This one is for the Boss [George Steinbrenner].''
Girardi, who was fired after his rookie season as manager of the Florida Marlins in 2006 and bumped out of contention by Lou Piniella for the Cubs job three years ago, took a giant step out of Joe Torre's shadow in the Bronx. A year after the Yankees failed to reach the postseason for the first time since 1993, Girardi led them to their first World Series title since knocking off the New York Mets in the 2000 Subway Series.
For Cubs fans who wished general manager Jim Hendry had hired Girardi that October 2006 instead of Lou Piniella, keep in mind Girardi wasn't the same manager then that he is now. His first year managing in New York made him a better manager, whether he'd admit it or not.
And he helped make the Yankees better.
''It's back,'' Jeter said as he held the World Series trophy over his head. ''Back where it belongs.''
It seems only fitting that the Yankees would win their title against longtime sparring partner Pedro Martinez.
If he wandered anywhere on the streets of Manhattan on Wednesday, Martinez had to catch a glimpse of the front page of the New York Post, which featured the veteran pitcher's head superimposed onto the body of a chubby baby wearing a diaper. The headline screamed: ''Spank him, Yanks.''
That, they did.
After his Boston Red Sox fell to the Yankees for the third time in his four regular-season starts in 2004, Martinez uttered the quote that will liver forever in Yankees-Red Sox lore: ''What can I say? I tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy.''
Each time since, Martinez has been greeted at Yankee Stadium with chants of ''Who's your daddy?''
So after Matsui launched a two-run homer into the second deck of the right-field seats to open the scoring in the second inning, the stadium filled with the now-familiar ear-ringing catcalls.
Martinez was gone after four innings and 77 pitches, having allowed four runs -- all driven in by Matsui with his booming two-run homer in the second and two-run single in the third.
Making his first start on three days' rest since Sept. 28, 2006, Pettitte took Girardi off the firing line by holding the Phils to three runs in 5 2/3 solid innings. Short rest? Not an issue.
And it seems fitting that Pettitte -- the old war horse from the dynasty days of the 1990s -- earned the victory for a franchise brimming with crowns.
The idea of winning 27 World Series is mind-boggling -- even if you don't call Chicago home. It's the greatest collection of championships in America's major sports.
Since the modern World Series era began in 1903, the White Sox have won three (1906, 1917, 2005), and the Cubs have claimed two (1907, 1908).
The Yankees didn't reach their first World Series until 1921, so the Cubs and White Sox have them beat there.
But since that 1921 loss to the New York Giants, which was repeated the next year, things have been mostly uphill for the Yanks, who have appeared in 40 of the 105 World Series.
Just as the original Yankee Stadium was christened with a World Series championship in its inaugural season of 1923, so is its $1.5 billion replacement across East 161st Street in the Bronx.
This is definitely baseball's classiest neighborhood.
And now Girardi is in the market for a new number.
''I have to see if anyone's going to charge me for 28,'' Girardi said. ''I'd be happy with No. 28.''
Philadelphia AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Rollins ss 4 0 0 1 0 0 .217
Victorino cf 4 0 1 0 1 0 .182
Utley 2b 3 1 0 0 1 2 .286
Howard 1b 4 1 1 2 0 1 .174
Werth rf 2 0 0 0 2 2 .263
Ibanez dh 3 0 2 0 1 0 .304
P.Feliz 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 .174
B.Francisco lf 3 0 0 0 0 2 .000
a-Stairs ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .125
C.Ruiz c 2 1 2 0 2 0 .333
Totals 30 3 6 3 7 7
New York AB R H BI BB SO Avg.
Jeter ss 5 2 3 0 0 0 .407
Damon lf 1 1 0 0 1 1 .364
Hairston Jr. lf 2 0 0 0 0 0 .167
Teixeira 1b 3 1 1 1 0 1 .136
A.Rodriguez 3b 2 2 1 0 2 1 .250
H.Matsui dh 4 1 3 6 0 1 .615
Posada c 3 0 0 0 1 2 .263
Cano 2b 4 0 0 0 0 2 .136
Swisher rf 3 0 0 0 1 1 .133
Gardner cf 4 0 0 0 0 2 .000
Totals 31 7 8 7 5 11
Philadelphia 001 002 000 -- 3 6 0
New York 022 030 00x -- 7 8 0
a-lined out for B.Francisco in the 9th.
LOB--Philadelphia 8, New York 7. 2B--Ibanez 2 (4), Jeter (3), H.Matsui (1). 3B--C.Ruiz (1). HR--Howard (1), off Pettitte; H.Matsui (3), off P.Martinez. RBI--Rollins (2), Howard 2 (3), Teixeira (3), H.Matsui 6 (8). SB--Rollins (3), A.Rodriguez (1). S--Hairston Jr.. SF--Rollins.
Runners left in scoring position--Philadelphia 6 (P.Feliz 4, Utley, Victorino); New York 3 (Posada, Cano 2).
GIDP--Rollins, Utley.
DP--New York 2 (Cano, Jeter, Teixeira), (A.Rodriguez, Cano, Teixeira).
Philadelphia IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
P.Martinez L, 0-2 4 3 4 4 2 5 77 6.30
Durbin 0.1 2 3 3 1 0 15 27.00
Happ 1 1 0 0 1 3 28 3.38
Park 1 1 0 0 0 1 17 0.00
S.Eyre 1.1 0 0 0 1 2 21 0.00
Madson 0.1 1 0 0 0 0 4 2.08
New York IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA
Pettitte W, 2-0 5.2 4 3 3 5 3 94 5.40
Chamberlain 1 1 0 0 1 1 21 3.00
D.Marte H, 2 0.2 0 0 0 0 2 6 0.00
Ma.Rivera 1.2 1 0 0 1 1 41 0.00
Inherited runners-scored--Happ 2-2, Park 1-0, S.Eyre 1-0, Chamberlain 1-0, D.Marte 2-0. IBB--off S.Eyre (Posada). HBP--by P.Martinez (Teixeira). WP--Pettitte. PB--Posada.
Umpires--Home, Joe West; First, Gerry Davis; Second, Jeff Nelson; Third, Brian Gorman; Right, Dana DeMuth; Left, Mike Everitt. T--3:52. A--50,315 (52,325).