Beckett, Marlins, Just Stupid Enough To Win


$180 million NY payroll comes up short

Marlins 2, Yankees 0

History's bunk, just ask the guy who has lived through most of it, Jack McKeon. The Marlins skipper and righty Josh Beckett have their first championship as they ignored a pile of stats that indicated putting a starter on the mound with 3 days rest in the World Series was foolish. I'm one of the fools that said so.


(Costanza's "Find A Diamond In The Infield Dirt" promotion was a huge success )

McKeon could've pulled Beckett --Jorge Posada led off the 7th with a double ; Soriano started the bottom of the 8th with a leadoff single. While Dusty Baker and Grady Little have been villified for leaving Mark Prior and Pedro Martinez in too long, McKeon would've been completely justified in making a move at either point in Game 6. That he didn't says less about his confidence in the Marlins bullpen and more about how well Beckett was pitching late into the game. While situations are hard to compare (Pedro was clearly tiring and has a history of blowing up when his pitch count advances far past 100, Beckett has way less mileage and was overpowering in the late innings).

That said, this was still a gutsy move --- both starting and sticking with a 23 year old with fewer career wins than Bruce Chen (!) let alone one whose first complete game shutout had yet to happen.

Andy Pettite pitched more than well enough to win last night, but Beckett was virtually unhittable. And that was difference enough in a series in which the Marlins starters were tremendous in the teams's 4 victories, aided in no small part by impatience on the part of the Yankee hitters last night. Having already faced Beckett in this series and given the 3-days-rest thing, you'd think there would've been a strategy to take lot of pitches, work deep into the count, tire Beckett out, etc., but there were several innings last night where Beckett barely broke a sweat.

Who knows what kind of rational thinking will be taking place in Yankee-land in the days ahead, but almost as glaring as the NY hitting failures in this series is their lamentable defense. The Derek Jeter of 3 years ago would've caught Juan Pierre's line drive single in the fifth (maybe even the Derek Jeter of March 2003), and Jorge Posada should've managed to get a glove on the sliding Alex Gonazalez in the same inning. Jeter's error allowing Jeff Conine to reach base in the 6th led to Florida's other run. Jeter, Soriano and Williams were all terribly inconsistent fielders during the post-season and you have to figure that the Yankee defensive alignment will change in 2004 ---- Jeter to 3rd if NY acquires Miguel Tejada, Soriano to right field, Bernie to DH, etc.

I suppose Jeffrey Loria can go ahead and raise ticket prices in 2004. Though seeing George Steinbrenner lose something he figures he already paid for in advance is very pleasant, Loria's crimes are such that watching him celebrate is stomach turning. I know this sounds a bit churlish considering how we've been blessed with such a terrific autumn of baseball, but if ever there was a World Series where I wanted both teams to lose (if not both owners), this was it.

Posted: Sun - October 26, 2003 at 07:00 AM      

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