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October 11, 2005
Poorly Prepped Post-Season Starters
Here are the results of New York's starting pitchers in the last five "winner-take-all" American League post-season games for the Yankees:
Look at these results. In the last five "do or die" must win league playoffs games for the Yankees, their starting pitcher has failed to go five innings in any of their starts. In fact, in just two of these games did their starter manage to register two outs in the 4th inning - and the last time they were able to do that was 2001.
If this happens once, you say "He just didn't have it that day." If it happened twice in the last five, you'd say "You win some and you lose some." But, five duds in a row? And, these are "brand name" pitchers - so, it's not like it's just what happens when you throw sheep to the wolves.
Someone in the Yankees organization has been sleeping at their post in terms of ensuring that their starting pitcher, in the biggest game of the year, was ready for the game. And, they've been doing it now for five times in a row.
Posted by Steve Lombardi at October 11, 2005 01:24 PM
Comments
It is no one in the organization's fault. Prepare a pitcher? Like they don't know what to do by the post season?
Mussina, Brown and Clemens, veterans all and Pettite was a veteran as well.
Posted by: Don at October 11, 2005 02:23 PM
You saw the game last night, Moose was nickled & dimed to death. Botched fly ball? Flyball singles?
S#!t happens. Despite all that, with the exception of last year's ALCS, NY was in a position to win all of those games
Posted by: Raf at October 11, 2005 02:28 PM
Yeah, I agree with Don and Raf. I totally forgot Brown pitched game 7 last year. Good riddance.
Posted by: Patrick at October 11, 2005 03:16 PM
Maybe it's no one's fault. Out of the past ten years, 1996-2005, the Yankees have wone the whole enchilada 4 times, and come damn close 2 others. That's 40% of the WS, and 60% of the AL pennants. That is pretty good, especially when you consider that the other teams are very good teams as well, and they are trying to win too. Sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you. Last night, if A-Rod hits it a milisecond earlier, or the ball is in a milimeter different spot, it's a seeing eye single, not a GIDP. Yeah losing sucks, but I don't think it is necessarily failure on the Yankees' part more than the other teams can get hot/lucky at the right moment. We did get a big gift that one time from Jeffrey Maier.
Posted by: rbj at October 11, 2005 03:29 PM
The playoffs really do seem like a crap shoot, but I think that trend started in 2001. From 1996 to 2000, the best teams always won. Well, 1997 was the exception.
Posted by: JeremyM at October 11, 2005 05:10 PM
maybe the point that Steve's trying to make is that, by the end of a series, the opposing team had developed a better approach to pitchers they had seen at least once before, regardless of "stuff." in other words, they were better "prepared" to face the Yankees' pitcher than vice versa. and you ascribe that to luck or not. I tend to think it's...not.
Posted by: JohnnyC at October 11, 2005 10:52 PM
I think it a slap at Mel, that's all it was. If he meant otherwise let him say so or forever hold his peace.
Posted by: Don at October 12, 2005 03:26 AM
If this happens once, you say "He just didn't have it that day." If it happened twice in the last five, you'd say "You win some and you lose some." But, five duds in a row?
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Is it really 5 in a row? You have 5 different years, 4 different pitchers, 2 different levels of the playoffs.
Posted by: Raf at October 12, 2005 08:11 AM
I think Steve meant the last 5 winner-take-all games in a row, not necessarily in consecutive years.
Posted by: Jen at October 12, 2005 09:03 PM