Yankees depth main reason for 27th Series title

Posted November 5, 2009 • Flag!

So short on starting pitching that they began considering in September the option to use three starters for most, if not all, of the playoffs? Going through a World Series with the majority of the lineup struggling to hit .200?

It didn't matter. In the end, the Yankees had so many players with so much talent that inevitably someone would come through.

As Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire succinctly said as his team was being swept out of the first round by the Yankees, "Everyone is a stinking All-Star."

Still, the starting pitchers weren't exactly overwhelming. CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte combined for a 4.98 earned run average, but they had nearly unhittable Mariano Rivera at the end of games.

And that meant the Yankees offense had to produce enough runs. It did, despite a lot of statistics that might not seem to add up to a World Series victory.

Hideki Matsui hit .233 with one home run through the first two rounds of the postseason but then blasted his way to World Series MVP honors by hitting .615 with three homers and eight RBI — and as designated hitter he didn't even start the three games played in Philadelphia.

Derek Jeter (.407) and Johnny Damon (.364) hit at the top of batting order, but, even counting Matsui, the other seven starters in Wednesday's clinching game ended up a combined 26-for-120 (.217) in the Series.

But five of those seven had crucial RBI in Yankees victories.

"They played better, and they always seem to get hits in certain situations," Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard said.

Mark Teixeira batted .136 for the World Series but hit the home run that woke up the Yankees in Game 2, tying that score at 1 after the Phillies had won Game 1 at Yankee Stadium.

Alex Rodriguez, who walked around the field after Wednesday's game crying, hit .250 but hurt the Phillies with a two-run homer in Game 3 that started the Yankees back from an early 3-0 deficit. His two-run single in the ninth inning won Game 4.

Jorge Posada had five hits in the Series but drove in five runs.

Nick Swisher's homer provided the winning run in Game 3. Even pitcher Andy Pettitte had an RBI single in that game.

And that's the point. On a hot streak or in a slump, the Yankees kept sending players to the plate with résumés and bats to expect to succeed.

"We know how to work hard; we know how to have fun," said left fielder Damon, who also won a World Series in 2004 with the Boston Red Sox. "It's a lot like that (Boston) team.