TO INVIGORATE his lineup, Joe Torre went back to Plan A. He assembled the nine men he had envisioned using most often this season, albeit with Paul O’Neill as the DH and David Justice as the right fielder.
It was classic Torre, shunning statistical data and dubious seasons to manage the way he always does – by sense of trust. So despite being hobbled, O’Neill and Justice were in the lineup against lefty Mark Mulder and the dubious Chuck Knoblauch led off for a nine-man grouping that injury and ineffectiveness kept from appearing together very often this year.
But Plan A turned out like Plan B, Plan C and every other Nick Johnson, Shane Spencer, Randy Velarde plan Torre has tried this season.
If the dirty little secret was not out previously, it was broadcast in October primetime last night – the Yankee offense is more reputation these days than the patient, clutch band of recent memory. Maybe they will remedy that in the offseason by importing Jason Giambi.
But for now the free-agent-to-be slugger is still an Athletic and in Division Series Game 1 he hit one of three Oakland homers to launch a 5-3 victory that severely jeopardizes the Yankee dynasty.
Actually, Giambi does not address the Yankees’ greatest area of need, since Tino Martinez has been plenty productive as the first baseman this season, and was so again in Game 1. He hit a two-out, two-run homer in the eighth to draw the Yanks within two runs.
However, the problems that beset the Yankees this year were evident again yesterday even as they produced as many hits (10) as the A’s. In previous postseasons, in particular, the Yanks relied on patient at-bats and timely offensive moments. Last night, however, they drew no walks and enabled Mulder to get two outs into the seventh with just 110 pitches before being too quickly lifted by manager Art Howe.
Fewer walks means fewer baserunners, which increases the need to capitalize on opportunities and the Yanks were an unacceptable 3-for-14 with men on base, including 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The Yanks had the leadoff man in on each of the first three innings and did not score, setting the tone for the night. And maybe the series.
Are the Yankees in trouble? You bet. Oakland now has the home-field edge, and the A’s have won 17 straight at the Coliseum, including a three-game sweep of the 116-victory Mariners. They also are 6-0 at home this season against the Yankees.
Now the Yankees did lose Game 1 last year in Oakland, yet recovered to win Game 2 behind Andy Pettitte, who starts tonight, en route to winning the Division Series in five games. However, that was against a disheveled A’s rotation that had too much Gil Heredia and no Mulder, who limited the Yanks to one run.
Tonight the Yanks face Tim Hudson, who has the best winning percentage (.742) of any pitcher in the last century with at least 50 decisions, followed by Barry Zito, a lefty, curveballing nightmare who has a career 1.88 ERA against the Yanks.
The Yankee advantage in recent postseasons has been that their starters have almost always been better than the opposition, holding down the score until the offense chipped, chipped away. But this Oakland rotation is, at the least, the equal of the Yankees and much better last night when Roger Clemens had to leave in the fifth inning with a tight right hamstring.
If the Yanks do not have an edge in the rotation, it will put an even greater premium on their offense outdoing an Oakland lineup that is clearly better in slugging and patience. Oakland won the homer battle 3-1, the walk battle 4-0 and the game 5-3.
“You keep believing you are going to get the big hit,” O’Neill said. “But we didn’t.”
O’Neill and Justice were a combined 0-for-8 batting in the sixth and seventh holes. Justice struck out three times; O’Neill came up three times with men on base and did not deliver. Torre said after the game that both will be in the lineup again tonight.
That means Torre will once more manage by sense of trust, going with the men who have put jewelry on his fingers, men to whom he has grown loyal because they have performed for him year after year and – more important – postseason after postseason.
But it is postseason 2001. The past will not help. What will is patient, clutch at-bats. Are these 2001 Yankees capable of having them?