The same problems alluded to in our last conversation with Tali exist. The Yankees strike out much too much, hit into too many double plays, and score almost one half of their runs by home runs. I told Tali that, looking at it from a different vantage point, unless the Yankees hit a home run, there is a fifty percent chance they will not score.
He came back at me and pointed out that in the first game against Arizona, rookie Marcus Thames hit a two run home run, Derek Jeter blasted a solo shot, and Shane Spencer won the game with an eighth inning grand slam. That was great, but the Yankees scored seven runs, all on home runs. No home runs. No runs scored.
The reality is that a team in the playoffs must score in various ways, such as hitting singles, working out bases on balls, sacrificing runners, stealing bases, and producing timely fly ball outs to score a runner from third base with fewer than two outs. The Yankees rarely do those things.
Winning the World Series takes skill and dedication, but injuries often play a major role. The Yankees have endured more than their share of them this year. Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez has been on the disabled list for about a month, and he was joined a few days ago by Mariano Rivera, possibly the best relief pitcher in the game’s history, and by rookie outfielder Juan Rivera, whom manager Joe Torre wanted to be the Yankees’ new everyday right fielder.
The Yankees have a deep pitching staff and can absorb even the loss of Mariano Rivera for a short time, but losing Rivera for an extended period hurts the team badly. On the positive side, Andy Pettitte is returning from the disabled list to pitch against New York’s other team this Friday, but Pettitte has missed almost the entire season and there have been conflicting reports about the severity of his elbow problem.
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