If the Yankees sweep the Red Sox out of the ALCS in four games, Jorge Posada will have to wait until the World Series to strap on the catching gear again.
When Joe Torre picked Joe Girardi to handle David Cone in last night’s 3-2, Game 2 victory at Yankee Stadium, Posada moved to the bench and will stay there tomorrow when Roger Clemens faces Pedro Martinez and Sunday when Andy Pettitte draws Bret Saberhagen. If there is a Game 5, Posada would work with Game 1 starter Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez.
“It’s nothing against Jorge because he is coming and he is going to be our No. 1 catcher,” Torre said. “Unfortunately, at this juncture, Joey seems to be catching more. But it’s basically been experience. Jorge has been catching Cone and Cone is probably the toughest one of the group to catch because he has so many different looks. Because he hadn’t pitched for so long (11 days), that’s why I chose to go with Joe because Joe has caught him more.”
While Torre said Posada was fine with the move, Posada admitted to taking a seat after catching Cone in his last eight regular-season starts was puzzling.
“That’s a good question,” Posada told The Post during batting practice when asked why he wasn’t in the lineup. “I wish I was in there, but I am not. I am ready to pinch hit.”
That will be the switch-hitting Posada’s role for the next two games since Girardi has long been Pettitte’s personal backstop and Torre made the move to Girardi on the days Clemens pitches in the second half of the season.
Posada, who went 0-for-4 in Game 1 Tuesday night, caught only the first game of the ALDS against the Rangers, going 1-for-4 with a double.
Girardi gives the Yankees better defense and is far more experienced in handling pitchers. However, he isn’t the threat at the plate Posada is. He went hitless in six ALDS at-bats before collecting two singles in three at-bats last night.
“I told Jorge there is a long way to go, to keep his chin up and that he will be a big part of it,” Torre said.
*With the Red Sox going with right-hander Ramon Martinez last night, Torre inserted Darryl Strawberry for Chili Davis at DH and used Ricky Ledee in left instead of Shane Spencer.
Davis and Spencer started Game 1 when lefty Kent Mercker started for the Bosox and they struggled. Davis went 0-for-4, was hitless in three at-bats with runners in scoring position and is 1-for-7 in the postseason. Spencer, who was added to the roster before Game 1, singled in his first at-bat but fanned in his next three.
In his first action since Game 3 of the ALDS last Saturday when he hit a three-run homer, Strawberry went 0-for-3 and fanned looking twice. Davis flied to center as a pinch-hitter in the eighth.
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How much excitement has been generated in Boston over the Roger Clemens-Pedro Martinez war at Fenway Park tomorrow? So much so that regular tickets were being scalped at $2,500 yesterday with bleacher seats going for as much as $500. Prices are expected to go as high as $3,500
*The Yankees’ 12th straight post-season victory matches the longest streak in baseball history. Yankees haven’t lost since Game 3 of last year’s ALCS against the Indians. Since then the Yankees won the final three games of the ALCS, swept the Padres in the World Series, swept the Rangers in this year’s ALDS and took the first two games of this year’s ALCS.
The Yankees also won 12 in a row in the 1927, 1928 and 1932 World Series. At 22-11 in 33 ALCS games the Yankees are one win short of the LCS record of 23 which is held by the A’s.
*Bosox received good news when X-rays on first baseman Mike Stanley’s right wrist were negative. Stanley was hit by a 2-2 pitch from Jeff Nelson in the eighth and was forced to leave the game.