Bergen County Record
Monday, September 17, 2007
BOSTON -- The 27th out hung in the air for an infinity, or at least it felt that way while Derek Jeter was settling under it. The entire ballpark – make that all of Red Sox Nation, from Yawkey Way to the outer shores of Maine – had been counting on an 11th-hour miracle from David Ortiz. And judging by the way Mariano Rivera had lost the strike zone, the Yankees had every reason to sweat.
Everything was on the line as Big Papi loaded up with one of his characteristic monster swings: the Bombers' one-run lead in the ninth inning, their hold on the wild-card spot, Roger Clemens' crisp six innings, Jeter's massive three-run homer off Curt Schilling. The whole weekend.
There was no point in sitting down, not now, not with the bases loaded and the tying run just 90 feet away. The entire Yankee infield, as well as Joe Torre, had converged on the mound to bolster Rivera's confidence – he'd already given up a run-scoring double to Julio Lugo, hit Jacoby Ellsbury with a pitch and walked Dustin Pedroia – but the Yankee closer was all alone at the moment of truth.
It was just Rivera and Ortiz, one on one. A 94-mph cut-fastball against a man swinging for the planets.
And Rivera prevailed.
The Yankees' 4-3 win over the Red Sox paid dividends on many levels, beginning with the standings. The Bombers remained 2½ games ahead of the suddenly surging Tigers in the wild-card race. It also inched them to within 4½ games of first place, although with just 12 games left, the math says the Yankees shouldn't hold their breath trying to catch the Sox.
But there was still plenty of carry-over ammunition, now waiting in storage in case the Yankees collide with Boston in the AL Championship Series. Over the course of the weekend, the Bombers proved they could puncture the Sox' two best relievers, Jonathan Papelbon and Hideki Okajima. They learned that Joba Chamberlain is not afraid to pitch in Fenway, despite allowing his first earned run of the season.
Boston Red Sox' Jacoby Ellsbury (46) is out at first on a ground-out as New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens (22) covers first base in the fifth inning of their baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007.
And, most significantly, two of the Yankees' most important weapons, Jeter and Roger Clemens, can still be counted on with the walls closing in.
All Clemens did was outpitch Curt Schilling over six innings, limiting the Sox to two hits and no earned runs. And Jeter devastated the Sox with a three-run homer in the eighth inning that nearly sailed out of the ballpark. Talk about delivering a message: Jeter's blast off Schilling gave the Yankees a 4-1 lead, ensuring their fourth consecutive series conquest of the Sox.
It left Fenway in a state of shocked silence. Schilling? He watched the ball clear the Green Monster, then doubled over in emotional pain as Jeter rounded the bases. True to form, the Yankee shortstop deflected questions about his homer to the rivalry itself, saying, "We've been evenly matched over the years and we play each other so many times, I don't think it's coincidence that we're both at the top [of the division]."
Schilling, however, was far more blunt about the game's decisive moment.
"I missed horribly [with a splitter] probably in the most critical situation in the game. That's not something I can do anymore," Schilling said. "I can't overthrow the ball late in the game. This is an incredibly painful way to have to learn a lesson that you've already learned and you already know."
Schilling said Clemens "didn't look as sharp as he could be" earlier in the game, but the Yankees clearly disagreed. Torre, in fact, said, "He obviously knows how to pitch, how to compete." Had Johnny Damon not lost Ellsbury's fly ball in the lights in the first inning, leading to an unearned run, the Sox would've never laid a finger on the Rocket.
So what is it, exactly, that sets Clemens apart?
Torre says he loves Clemens' "passion" and "his need to win." It's a telling calling card for a 45-year-old athlete, playing out the final weeks of his career, with a diminished fastball and marginal ability to blow away hitters like he used to, still giving off such an intimidating vibe.
But that's always been Clemens' pitching profile. It's the legacy he'll leave behind. And it's what the Yankees have been (over) paying for him all along. When Clemens faced off against Schilling before a national TV audience, there was more at stake than just keeping the Yankees ahead of the Tigers in the wild-card race.
It's the Bombers' confidence-level that Clemens was guarding. That's no small assignment, given the warrior-ethos that already pervades the clubhouse. There are plenty of battle-tested Yankees who are unafraid of pennant races – Jeter and Jorge Posada at the top of the list – but there's still something special about Clemens that sets him apart.
Thing is, the Rocket's teammates have a hard time articulating what that "thing" really is. Part of it is Clemens' physical stature: He's bigger and thicker than just about any of his teammates, as imposing as an NFL lineman. There's Clemens' resume, too. He's one of the game's greatest right-handed pitchers, on his way to Cooperstown. But there's more to the man than just wins and losses, obviously.
When Clemens strides out to the mound, the Yankees have a built-in assurance that they're going to be in a close game. It doesn't matter if the Rocket has his elite fastball or not, "You just know Roger is going to find some way to get it done," said pitching coach Ron Guidry.
Luckily for the Yankees, Clemens was at his best Sunday night. Not only did he feature his No. 1 weapon, the splitter, but the fastball was clocked at 93 mph. Everywhere you look around the Yankees, the heat is on.
E-mail: klapisch@northjersey.com
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