Top Yankee Games of the Decade Part 3
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
With the decade coming to an end tommorow we look back at the best Yankee games of the past decade. Here are our #2 and 3 games we have chosen, which also comes from the best World Series of the decade:
3. November 1, 2001 Game 5 World Series "Deja Vu All Over Again": After a late-inning dramatic come-from behind win the night before, the Yankees and Diamondbacks were tied 2-2 with the winner being one game away from winning the World Series. Sh
ould the Yankees lose they would go back to Arizona where they lost the first two games. Mike Mussina pitched for the Yankees, going 8 innings giving up 2 runs. But Miguel Batista outpitched him going 7.2 shutout innings. In the ninth inning Byung Hyun Kim was looking for redemption after giving up the game tying home-run to Tino Martinez and game-winning home run to Derek Jeter the previous night. Just as in Game 4, Kim allowed one baserunner but managed to get two outs. He was one out away from sending the Diamondbacks up 3-2 back to Arizona. Then Scott Brosius came to the plate.
Brosius swung at a 1-0 pitch and drilled the ball down the leftfield line and into the stands for a home-run. The Yankees had done it again. The game was tied and the Yankees and their fans celebrated while the Diamondbacks were stunned. The game remained tied at two and eventually headed into the 12th inning. In the 12th Alfonso Soriano finished the job with a walk-off single scoring Chuck Knoblauch and the Yankees won 3-2.
Blowing leads and walk-off wins happen. But to do the same thing, in the same fashion, on the next night off the same pitcher in the World Series? Never again will you see that happen.
ould the Yankees lose they would go back to Arizona where they lost the first two games. Mike Mussina pitched for the Yankees, going 8 innings giving up 2 runs. But Miguel Batista outpitched him going 7.2 shutout innings. In the ninth inning Byung Hyun Kim was looking for redemption after giving up the game tying home-run to Tino Martinez and game-winning home run to Derek Jeter the previous night. Just as in Game 4, Kim allowed one baserunner but managed to get two outs. He was one out away from sending the Diamondbacks up 3-2 back to Arizona. Then Scott Brosius came to the plate.
Brosius swung at a 1-0 pitch and drilled the ball down the leftfield line and into the stands for a home-run. The Yankees had done it again. The game was tied and the Yankees and their fans celebrated while the Diamondbacks were stunned. The game remained tied at two and eventually headed into the 12th inning. In the 12th Alfonso Soriano finished the job with a walk-off single scoring Chuck Knoblauch and the Yankees won 3-2.
Blowing leads and walk-off wins happen. But to do the same thing, in the same fashion, on the next night off the same pitcher in the World Series? Never again will you see that happen.
2. October 31, 2001 Game 4 World Series "Mr. November": This game preceeded the one above so I kind of already explained what happened. But lets get a little more into it. The Yankees were in a 2-1 hole and no team wants to be down 3-1 in the World Series so this was a must win game. Curt Schilling and El Duque found themselves battling a pitchers duel. Each gave up 1 run while working into the seventh inning. Mike Stanton blew the tie score out of the bullpen in the top of the 8th giving the Diamondbacks a 3-1 lead. Bob Brenly called on closer Byung Hyun Kim in the bottom of the 8th who struck out the side.
Kim came b
ack out for the 8th and got two outs while giving up a single to Paul O'Neill. Now, I was at this game, and with two outs and Tino Martinez, who was hitless in his last 9 at bats up at the plate, we decided to start heading out to beat the rush out of the stadium. As we walked down the ramps of Yankee Stadium the crowd suddenly erupted with cheer. I swear I felt the stadium shake. I ran out to the next section and went to see what happened. Tino Martinez just tied the game with a home run. Well that turned us right around and back to our seats.
The game went to the 10th and Kim was still out there. Now as Derek Jeter came to the plate, the clock struck midnight and for the first time ever, there was baseball in November. Jeter worked the count full, then drove an outside pitch over the right field wall for the game-winning home run. An overzealous Michael Kay even added TWO extra See Ya's! on his home run call.
Now, the Yankees did not win the World Series. But what made these two games extra special was the fact that it happened right after 9/11. The Yankees in the World Series gave the people of New York something to take their minds off of. The way the Yankees won these two games in the aftermath of 9/11 was somewhat inspiring and gave the city of New York a positive energy and vibe.
Wow that was a lot of writing. I'm sure you've figured out what the best game is by now, but that should deserve its own separate post so you'll have to wait until tommorow.
Kim came b
ack out for the 8th and got two outs while giving up a single to Paul O'Neill. Now, I was at this game, and with two outs and Tino Martinez, who was hitless in his last 9 at bats up at the plate, we decided to start heading out to beat the rush out of the stadium. As we walked down the ramps of Yankee Stadium the crowd suddenly erupted with cheer. I swear I felt the stadium shake. I ran out to the next section and went to see what happened. Tino Martinez just tied the game with a home run. Well that turned us right around and back to our seats.
The game went to the 10th and Kim was still out there. Now as Derek Jeter came to the plate, the clock struck midnight and for the first time ever, there was baseball in November. Jeter worked the count full, then drove an outside pitch over the right field wall for the game-winning home run. An overzealous Michael Kay even added TWO extra See Ya's! on his home run call.
Now, the Yankees did not win the World Series. But what made these two games extra special was the fact that it happened right after 9/11. The Yankees in the World Series gave the people of New York something to take their minds off of. The way the Yankees won these two games in the aftermath of 9/11 was somewhat inspiring and gave the city of New York a positive energy and vibe.
Wow that was a lot of writing. I'm sure you've figured out what the best game is by now, but that should deserve its own separate post so you'll have to wait until tommorow.
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