Yankees' bats fall silent against Lee

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(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-30 09:46

NEW YORK: Fourth inning, big boppers due up for the powerful New York Yankees.

Philadelphia Phillies baserunner Shane Victorino (right) is tagged out at home by New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada in the ninth inning of Game 1 of the Major League Baseball World Series in New York on Wednesday. Philadelphia won 6-1. [Agencies]

Mark Teixeira, strike three swinging.

Alex Rodriguez, same thing.

Jorge Posada, another whiff.

Baffled all game by a quick-working Cliff Lee, Rodriguez and the Yankees went silent at the plate during a 6-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series opener on Wednesday night.

"We're going to have to figure out a way to beat him," Rodriguez said. "I don't think we need to overthink about tonight. Tonight was a dominant pitcher on the mound who dominated our lineup and probably would have dominated any lineup in baseball. So I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Rodriguez struck out his first two times up and never hit the ball out of the infield. Not exactly what the three-time MVP had in mind for his World Series debut - especially after putting on such a dazzling display of consistent clutch hitting in the AL playoffs.

The slugger finished 0 for 4 with three of New York's 10 Ks, his first three-strikeout game since July 30. That spelled the end of his 11-game postseason hitting streak.

Lee went the distance and became the first pitcher to strike out Rodriguez three times in a game since Philadelphia lefty Cole Hamels did it on May 24. Hamels is slated to start Game 3.

A-Rod waited 16 major league seasons to reach a World Series. Sixteen years ... for that?

"You move on - quick," he said. "You have to have a short memory."

Most of his teammates fared no better. New York managed six hits, one for extra bases, and went down meekly in most innings against Lee.

"He broke about 10 of our bats today, two of them mine. He didn't make any mistakes," Johnny Damon said. "They kicked our butts today. We definitely need to get the bats going."

The first time the Yankees put their leadoff man on, thanks to Hideki Matsui's single in the fifth, they botched their chance with a baserunning blunder. Matsui was doubled off first base when shortstop Jimmy Rollins nearly let Robinson Cano's popup drop before catching it as his glove scraped the dirt.

"I thought the ball bounced because I saw him step on second base, so I thought I was already out," Matsui said through a translator. "I didn't see the second-base umpire call the out right away."

With the crowd of 50,207 grumbling after every easy out, the Yankees hit one harmless popup after another. Lee kept them off-balance throughout, fooling and freezing them with off-speed pitches and fastballs alike.

"He was getting that low strike call, so when we saw that low pitch, if it was a curveball, we looked silly," Damon said. "If it was a fastball, we took it."

Soft grounders. Called third strikes. Not a single walk.

All with owner George Steinbrenner watching from his luxury box, no doubt disappointed.

"It was everybody tonight," said Posada, retired on an excuse-me, checked-swing roller to Lee in the seventh. "We can't pinpoint one guy. We really didn't hit today. He pitched a hell of a ballgame."

What happened to all those big Yankees bats, the relentless offensive machine that led the majors this season with 915 runs and 51 comeback wins? Where was the fearsome club that hit 14 homers in nine AL playoff games?

Derek Jeter was the only hitter who looked comfortable against Lee, going 3 for 4 with a double. New York's lone run came on a throwing error by Rollins in the ninth.

Until then, the Yankees had been shut out in 21 consecutive World Series innings at home, going back to Alfonso Soriano's two-run homer off Rick Helling in the fourth inning of Game 2 in 2003 against Florida.

When that Series returned to the old Yankee Stadium, Josh Beckett clinched it for the Marlins with a two-hit shutout in Game 6.

The new Yankee Stadium was a homer-haven all season. But in their first World Series game at the $1.5 billion ballpark, the Yankees looked overmatched at the plate as Lee outpitched fellow ace CC Sabathia.

"The ball was definitely getting on us and it was going in different directions. He's learned how to pitch over the past couple years," Damon said. "We're hoping he's not going to be this good the next time but we know better. Our guy is going to have to shut them down."