In order for that to happen the Yankees needed to set aside a Pesky Los Angeles Angels club that has been a thorn in New York’s side in what has seemed like forever.  The Angels took 2-of-3 in Anaheim to pull the series back to Big Apple and only trailing the Yankees 3-2.

As Angels center fielder Torii hunter said, “the pressure is all on them (Yankees).”  Pettitte took the ball and said ‘no problem.’

Pettitte faced off against Halos lefty Joe Saunders.  Saunders last appeared in Game 2 and pitched very well.  He threw 7.0 innings, surrendering 2 runs while striking out 5 and walking one.  The Angels bullpen, specifically Brian Fuentes and Ervin Santana, imploded and gave the Yankees a 4-3 win.

On the other hand, Pettitte started Game 3 and pitched well enough to keep his team in the game.  He was staked to a 3-0 lead before surrendering it and leaving the game tied after 6-1/3 innings of work.  The game went into extra innings and the Angels won it in the 11^th when new Yankee killer Jeff Mathis doubled in the winning run .

No one in the Yankees clubhouse wanted this series to reach a 7^th game.  It was an attitude of winning it now that permeated the team.  Girardi felt there was no better guy to give the ball to than Pettitte.  After all, “AP” had made 37 previous playoff starts and was tied with John Smoltz for career playoff wins at 15 apiece.

Pettitte was masterful in his approach toward the Angels lineup.  He reached back into his past and delivered a vintage Pettitte performance.  He bent , but never broke as he kept the ever dangerous Halos hitters in check.  Andy gave up 7 hits, but the Angels were only able to convert it into one earned run over 6-1/3 innings.  Pettitte surrendered a single to left fielder Juan Rivera before Girardi came and got his trusty lefty.

As Pettitte walked off the field toward the Yankees dugout the Stadium erupted into a din of cheers for the man who has given the pinstriped faithful so many wonderful memories.  Gratefully, Andy doffed his cap and waved it at the crowd before disappearing into the dugout.

Girardi called for embattled right-hander Joba Chamberlain.  It was a huge leap of faith Girardi was showing Chamberlain who entered the game with the Yankees holding on to a precarious 3-1 lead.  Chamberlain faced pinch hitter Maicer Izturis who grounded into a force play as 2B Robinson Cano got Rivera at  second, and then induced shortstop Erick Aybar (sans dreadlocks) to ground out to Mark Teixeira at first to end the inning.

As Chamberlain walked off the mound he thumped his chest as a sign of some personal redemption.

As the Yankees took the field for the top of the 8^th inning Girardi went to the one thing the Angels didn’t have, and that is the best closer in the history of the game.  Mariano Rivera entered the game to the strains of “Enter Sandman” and was asked to get 6 outs.

At age 40 Rivera is still doing things that other relief pitchers can only dream of doing.  At the end of the regular season Mo had recorded his 526^th career save, second only to Milwaukee Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman (591).  However, what separates Rivera from the rest is his performance in the post season where he has recorded 37 saves; more than twice the number of the second place closer, Philadelphia Phillies Brad Lidge.**

The never say die Angels opened the top of the 8^th with Chone Figgins blooping a weak single to left field.  Bobby Abreu grounded out to move Figgins to second, followed by Hunter who grounded to Cano for the second out.  Figgins was unable to advance.

It didn’t matter though as Vladimir Guerrero stepped in and shot a low 3-2 cutter into right field to score Figgins.  That would be the last Angel to cross home plate.  Kendry Morales grounded out to second to end the Halos threat.

In the bottom of the frame Angels manager Mike Scioscia brought in lefty Scott Kazmir after Ervin Santana walked Cano on four straight pitches.

Then in something right out of the Twilight Zone the Angels saw their playoff hopes dissipate as Nick Swisher sacrificed bunted Cano to second.  As Swisher was racing toward first, first baseman Morales picked up the bunted ball and fired to the bag being covered by 2B Howie Kendrick.  Kendrick dropped the ball and everyone was safe.

The speedy Brett Gardner replaced Swisher at first and then it was center fielder Melky Cabrera’s turn.  He laid down a bunt which was fielded by Kazmir.  Instead of firing the ball to first Kazmir lobbed it right over the head of Morales allowing Cano to score and it moved Gardner to third and Cabrera to second.

Derek Jeter grounded out to first as the runners stayed put and then Kazmir walked Johnny Damon to load the bases.  Teixeira hit a fly ball to center scoring Gardner  to make it 5-2.  Scioscia had seen enough and yanked Kazmir for Jered Weaver.

Weaver faced the dangerous Alex Rodriguez, but pitched around him; walking him on four pitches.  With the bases again loaded catcher Jorge Posada who had had a miserable game (hitting into two inning ending double plays) looked at strike three to end the inning.

Rivera took the mound for the Angels last stand.  The Angels went quietly into the night and into the winter as Kendrick grounded out to first, Rivera to fly out to right and as only Mo could do it struck out pinch hitter Gary Matthews, Jr. to end the game and the series.

The Yankees celebrated in the middle of their house before retiring to the clubhouse to enjoy the win and spray champagne on each other.  Honorary American League Vice President Jackie Autry presented the American League Championship trophy to Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner and lefty CC Sabathia was named series MVP.

For Andy Pettitte it was a game of satisfaction and new heights.  In addition to winning his 16^th career playoff game, breaking the tie with Smoltz, Pettitte set a new major league record with his 5^th career series closeout victory.

Like old times it was Andy Pettitte and Mariano Rivera leading the way for the Yankees to the promised land.

Today is a new day and now the Yankees turn their sights toward the City of Brotherly Love and the Philadelphia Phillies.  The Phillies have a boatload of hitters themselves, in Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and company.  They also have the pitching with Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, et. al.

The 2009 World Series is set to begin in the Bronx on Wednesday evening with FOX Sports televising the series in its entirety.  It will be Sabathia vs. Lee for Game 1 in what should be a classic pitcher’s duel.  The times will be announced by MLB later today.

Congratulations to the Yankees and to the Phillies.  May the best team reign supreme.

4=27.

**Source:  baseball-reference.com

However, that didn’t prevent the Renegades from spoiling the fun putting a damper on the Baby Bombers’ 2009 home opener- outpitching Staten Island (1-5) 3-1 before a disappointed packed house (7,171) at Richmond County Bank Ballpark in St. George Thursday night.

“It was nice. The fans did a good job of supporting us. It was nice to finally get a game at home but…would like to have had a different outcome but it’s early in the year,” Baby Bomber DH Luke Murton said.

The night began alright for losing starter Arodys Vizcaino, who retired the first six including an impressive five in a row by strikeout. However, the righty lost composure in a three-run (all unearned) Hudson Valley third. Given a one-run lead thanks to a wind aided two out second inning run scoring double by right fielder Zoilo Almonte, Vizcaino couldn’t handle prosperity committing a pair of costly errors that led to the only runs the Renegades scored.

Following a leadoff walk to Dustin Biell, a botched pickoff immediately put him in scoring position. Center fielder Chris Murrill followed up with an RBI single to left, tying it on Hudson Valley’s first hit of the night. A little disjointed in an otherwise sparkling debut, Vizcaino failed to field a sacrifice bunt and then loaded the bases with another walk. With nobody warming up, he got the next batter to pop out to short right and fanned Tyler Bortnick for the second out. But just one away from limiting the damage, he allowed a two-run base hit to Eli Sonoqui putting Staten Island behind for good.

That’s cause the Bombers had their hands full with Renegade starter Albert Suarez, whose only hiccup in four-plus came in the second. After Almonte’s RBI double, he retired the last nine batters before departing with two out in the fifth due to a leg injury which prevented him from getting the win. But Kyle Ayers came in and did a solid job tossing two and a third scoreless to pickup his first win.

“[Suarez] pitched well. He had good stuff. He threw a lot of his pitches for strikes. He did a good job but there were some times where maybe we could’ve done a better job swinging the bat as a team. But you gotta give their pitchers credit,” Murton added.

While their hitting shoes weren’t on held to a run on five hits, Staten Island certainly got inspired pitching from Vizcaino and a trio of relievers in Mike Solbach (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K’s), Gavin Brooks (1 IP, 0 HR, 0 R, BB, 2 K’s) and Ryan Flannery (2 IP, 2 K’s) with each giving them every opportunity for a comeback.

“I felt good today,” Solbach assessed while referencing a rough outing the day prior in a loss. “It was good to get back out there and throw the ball well.”

“The bullpen did a good job tonight keeping it at 3-1 like we’re supposed to do, trying to give the hitters a chance to come around. We’ll get it all figured out.”

While there weren’t a ton of chances, Staten Island twice brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh and eighth but couldn’t capitalize.

“We gotta stop stretching ourselves,” pointed out first baseman Rob Lyerly, who paced the home club with a pair of singles including a lead off hit to start the seventh before the next three went in order. “We’re still getting acclimated to everything around here. Especially to the curveball. So it’s a little bit of an adjustment here.

“We got a great team here. We just gotta start playing better.”

The Baby Bombers had one more chance after left fielder DeAngelo Mack’s double to start the eighth. But after being sacrificed to third by second baseman Hector Rabago, he was stranded there. Renegade closer Rich De Los Santos buckled down getting center fielder Francisco Santana to chase and shortstop Carmen Angelini to bounce into a 5-3 putout.

De Los Santos tossed a 1-2-3 ninth getting catcher Kyle Higashioka to bounce out to third, notching his third save.

New skipper Josh Paul emphasized how it’s the organization’s job to guide these kids along with many first-year players new to pro ball. The former veteran backstop has been around the block and understands what his pupils are going through.

“Exactly. That’s a perfect point,” he remarked to our insight about how pro ball gives players the chance to bounce back the next day. Something that’s not as prevalent in college. “Teams are gonna say, ‘Okay. That one’s over. Let’s move on.’ … The guys that succeed move on. So we got something to teach them.”

Notes: Vizcaino took the loss falling to 0-2 with all three unearned on three hits, walking a pair and fanning seven. In nine innings, Baby Bomber pitchers struckout 14 Renegades. … The start of the game was delayed nine minutes due to opening ceremonies. It took a manageable two hours and 27 minutes still finishing 15 minutes before 10. For one night at least despite hazy conditions, the rain held off.

… Following the game, traditional fireworks were set off lighting up the sky. They’ll also be on display later tonight when the same two teams get together. Cory Arbiso will get the start out of the pen and is on a 55 pitch count. … On this six-game opening homestand, the Bombers will host the Renegades twice more including Saturday before Aberdeen comes in for three starting Sunday afternoon at 4.

The organization wanted a ballpark that played large. Historically Shea Stadium was a pitchers park and there was no reason to make any changes as the team moved next door.

So they designed Citi Field to be a pitchers park. And it’s a good one – even better than Shea. Balls that would have been out in the newly minted parking lot, are either off the wall in the young edifice or caught on the warning track.

Look at the doubles by Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran yesterday. Both would have been out of Shea, yet bounded off the Citi Field walls.

What it’s doing is giving the Mets and their young staff a tremendous home field advantage. The starters are now willing to take chances, knowing they won’t get burned by too many mistakes.

“I tell all my pitchers, just throw strikes,” said pitching coach Dan Warthen. “You have such a large field and a gold glove center fielder out there.”

With Beltran catching almost everything hit to him, the Met pichers have gotten aggressive in the zone, not willing to dabble on the corners, which makes them much, much more effective.

“We have to use the ballpark to our advantage,” said yesterday’s winner Livan Hernandez. “We’ve got to help [Johan] Santana. He can’t do it all by himself.”

Hernandez said he is trying to help John Maine and Mike Pelfrey in order to get them to throw strikes. And it already has helped the youngster Jon Niese, who pitched very well at Citi Field on Friday.

“He threw strike one, That’s the biggest thing,” said Warthen.

Of course there has been an adjustment period with a lot of fly balls getting dropped on the corners. In left, that’s just the inexperience of impressive hitter Dan Murphy, but in right, there may be a blind spot due to the shadows as the sun goes down and also the light towers on the third base side.

Beltran denied this, but there just have been a number of catchable balls that seem to have been lost in the lights.

Yet, that’s another advantage for the Mets, since both teams have to play the same right field. The Mets will eventually learn the blind spots, but other teams may have trouble.

All of this means the Mets will have a tremendous chance to dominate at home. With the ability to take advantage of the home field, the team could become world beaters in Queens, while do well on the road as well, since the starters will continue with their smart pitching.

“I think the ballpark is giving our pitchers more confidence to throw strikes and pitch to contact,” said Mets manager Jerry Manuel.

Also as an added benefit, the new park will attract solid free agent pitchers, a rare commodity, while the Mets can fill the lineup with line drive hitters to take advantage of the gaps.

So much for the three-run home run, the Mets will be a small ball team, because they did this park right.

The road to making this team hasn’t been an easy one.  Gardner is a good old Southern boy born on August 24, 1983 in Holly Hill, South Carolina.  With a population of around 1,300 Gardner attended high school at the Holly Hill Academy and later attended the College of Charleston where he was as unrefined as a ballplayer that the school would only take him as a walk-on.

Gardner remained an undrafted player after his junior year and if drafted at all he was projected to go in the lower rounds of the Major League baseball draft.  It was in the second half of his final year at Charleston that teams started to take notice of his talent.

The New York Yankees called on Gardner and drafted him in the 3^rd round of the 2005 Major League draft.  He was assigned to the Short Season-A, Staten Island Yankees in the New York-Penn League.  Gardner played 73 games for the Yankees hitting .284.  He showed promise as a base stealer by swiping 19 bags in 22 attempts (86%), and helped the Yankees grab the McNamara Division title.  In the playoffs Staten Island beat the Auburn Doubledays in the finals to take the New York-Penn League championship.

In 2006 Gardner moved up the Tampa Yankees where he played in 63 games before moving up to the Yankees Double-A affiliate the Trenton Thunder.  Gardner finished the year playing in 118 games and batted .298 (.323 in Tampa and .272 in Trenton). He proved his prowess as a base stealer once again as he nabbed 58 bases in 70 tries (83%).  Once more Gardner helped his team as the Thunder took the North Division crown of the Eastern League before falling to the Portland Sea Dogs in the semi-final round.

Gardner started out the 2007 season with the Thunder where in 54 games he hit .300 and drove in 17 runs while getting caught stealing only 4 times in 22 attempts (82%)

Things got tougher for Brett when he moved up to the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barrie Yankees for the second half of the season.  Gardner’s batting average fell to .260 and he only knocked in 9 runs in 45 games.  However, he was still proving to be a threat on the base paths as he stole 21 of 24 bases (88%)

In 2008 Gardner had his dream come true as he was called up to the Bronx on June 30.  The dream turned into somewhat of a nightmare as Gardner found out there was a world of difference between the levels of talent at the Triple-A level opposed to the major leagues.  Gardner struggled mightily at the plate hitting only .161 in 56 at bats.

Gardner who had a reputation of being patient at the plate in the minors tried to use that same ploy in the majors, only to have it backfire.  Gardner turned patience into reluctance and pitchers threw pitches in for strikes often putting the young player into a 0-2 count.  Gardner struck out nearly once every 4 at bats (23.6%).  The one bright spot in Gardner’s time in New York was his speed and stealing ability.  When he did get on Gardner stole 13 times in 14 attempts.  That wasn’t enough to keep him around and on July 26 he was demoted back down to Scranton.

He had to wonder if he had seen his 15 minutes of fame.

Gardner used his time in Scranton to improve his game.  He worked with hitting coach Butch Wynegar to change his stance slightly by lowering his hands.

On Aug. 15, Gardner was recalled to the Yankees and hitting Coach Kevin Long continued to work on Gardner’s mechanics, taking out the stride in his stance, which allowed him to get to the ball quicker.  The changes paid off as Gardner finished the rest of the season batting .283 (.228 overall).

In the off season Gardner continued to work at his hitting.  Watching all of his at bats during the 2008 season along with continual batting practice has helped Gardner reinforce the corrections he’s made in his mechanics and also the areas he needs to improve.

So far, the result of hard work has paid off.  In the eight games Gardner has played in he has gone 8-for-21 for a .381 BA.  He hit his 3^rd home run of the 2009 pre-season equaling the number he hit in Scranton last year.  He has a lofty .435 OBP and a SLG% of .905.

“I’m seeing the ball well and my timing’s pretty good right now, just trying to take advantage of good pitches to hit,” Gardner said of his recent success.

Gardner is in a battle with Melky Cabrera who held the position most of last year until he was demoted to Scranton because of a substandard season.  Cabrera who had his own rough beginning when he was promoted to the Yankees in 2005 came back in 2006 and had a very productive season (.280 BA, 7 HR, 50 RBI).  He followed it up with another outstanding season in 2007 as Cabrera batted .273 with 8 HR and 73 RBI.

However, in 2008 Cabrera regressed at the plate and wasn’t showing the patience he had in the previous two seasons.  Cabrera’s average dipped to .249 and his OBP and SLG% plunged as well.  Cabrera was only hitting .201 with runners in scoring position when he was given a ticket to the minors.

When he went down, Gardner came up.

Cabrera returned to the club in September and had his first plate appearance on Sept. 17.  Cabrera finished the month hitting 6-for-13 for a .462 average and a .923 OPS.  There was something positive to build on in the off season.

Cabrera spent the winter playing ball, working hard in his home town of Santo Domingo and adding muscle to as he put it, “add strength and agility.”

The stage was set for a battle royal between Cabrera and Gardner in spring training.

We’ve seen Gardner’s numbers so far this spring, but what about Cabrera?  He knows he has to come out and sparkle otherwise he will be the odd man out and that could mean a trade.

Cabrera’s numbers have been solid, but so far not in Gardner’s universe.  Cabrera is hitting .278 with 0 HR, 2 RBI, a .381 OBP and a .389 SLG%.

In fielding percentage both Gardner and Cabrera are about dead even.  Cabrera has no errors in 14 total chances while Gardner has one error in 13 total chances.  Gardner has more speed, and both have good arms with Cabrera’s being slightly stronger.

Right now, it appears that Gardner has the inside track to start the season in center field, but keep in mind there is a lot of spring training left.

Manager Joe Girardi told reporters, “It’s still wide open. There’s a lot of things that can happen in the next few weeks. I don’t think it’s fair to really start judging too much now.”

The competition between Cabrera and Gardner should remain fierce and it will be a fun duel to watch.  Gardner knows that consistency and continued hard work will pay off in the end.  As for Cabrera, he knows he let down last year and now has to fight for the position that he’s already won before.

However, the ever upbeat Gardner put it this way.

“I hope that we both make the team and both make a positive impact.”