Fitting end to perfect season for Bombers

By BOB KLAPISCH
BERGEN COUNTY RECORD COLUMNIST
November 5, 2009

NEW YORK – The night ended with a jungle of arms and legs at the mound, raised fists and the kind of shouting that men use as substitutes for tears. This was exactly how the Yankees envisioned the end of their magical season – in bedlam, with looks that needed no translation:

The universe is ours.

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 04: (L-R) A.J. Burnett #34, Jorge Posada #20, Derek Jeter#2, Mariano Rivera #42 (holding trophy) Robinson Cano #24 and Nick Swisher #33 of the New York Yankees against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Six of the 2009 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium on November 4, 2009 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The World Series became a billboard of the Yankees’ excellence, as their 7-3 victory in Game Six will be cherished for so many reasons: Andy Pettitte out-pitching Pedro Martinez, Hideki Matsui, the Series’ Most Valuable Player, driving in six runs, and Mariano Rivera finishing it all off with a five-out save.

Just how badly could the Yankees taste their first championship since 2000? Half a dozen of them poured out of the dugout even before Mark Teixeira had caught Robinson Cano’s throw retiring Shane Victorino.

Instantly, Queen blasted “We are the Champions” on the Stadium PA system while the riot on the field kept growing. Soon, it was Sinatra crooning “New York, New York” for the last time in 2009, everyone singing along, woozy from the baseball-high.

Joe Girardi would say, “it’s fitting that we won this at home in front of these fans” but the entire night was filled with precious irony: there was Derek Jeter taking a shot at Jimmy Rollins, saying, “a lot of people made predictions about this Series.” There was Pettitte getting a chance to pitch a championship clincher, and Matsui, probably playing his final game in Pinstripes, saying goodbye with a performance that bordered on Reggie-like greatness.

He crushed a two-run HR off Pedro in the second inning, and that was all the Yankees had to know. The Phillies had spoken bravely about a miracle comeback, but in their hearts they knew the Series was over the night Johnny Damon stole Game 4 from them with two stolen bases in the ninth inning.

The Phillies put up a better fight than the Twins or Angels, but in the end they, too, had no answer for the Yankees’ nuclear lineup. Only Cliff Lee had the guts to stare the Bombers in the eye; everyone else was dealing from a weakened hand – even Pedro. He never once reached 90-mph on the radar gun, which struck Charlie Manuel almost instantly. The manager said, “(at) 84, 85-mph, (Pedro) is better than that. He did not have a good fastball.”

No one had to explain that to the usually fearless Martinez. He was in crisis-mode pitching around Alex Rodriguez in the second inning, walking him on four pitches before taking his chances with Matsui. Pedro wasn’t just cautious, he was flat-out intimidated, knowing this was a night when any mistake would be costly.

Martinez gingerly worked the corners for seven pitches until Matsui finally wore him. Pedro left a four-seam fastball one over the plate. Matsui destroyed it, sending it screeching over the wall in right-center, on the way to a Series that will forever be remembered. The Japanese slugger finished with a .615 average and eight RBI.

He would later call it, “the greatest moment of my life” after “a long and difficult road” to a championship.

Matsui will leave exactly as he arrived in 2003 – humble and polite, an All-American kid who just happened to hail from the Far East.

“He’s as quiet a superstar as I’ve ever seen anywhere,” Bernie Williams once said. “He’s representing the whole Japanese culture here, it’s a lot of weight on his shoulders, and yet he doesn’t get rattled.”

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 4: World Series MVP Hideki Matsui #55 of the New York Yankees celebrates with the MVP trophy after their 7-3 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Six of the 2009 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium on November 4, 2009 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by David J. Phillip-Pool/Getty Images)

Not even when accepting the MVP trophy from Bud Selig Wednesday night. A podium had been erected at second base after the game, where the entire organization gathered to celebrate. No one had gone home – 50,000 fans shouted in unison as Matsui shook hands with the commissioner and told the crowd it was “awesome” to go out on a such a powerful note.

Alex Rodriguez, enjoying his first world championship ever, told the horde, “we’re going to party” and Pettitte just smiled that big, toothy grin of his and said, “this is what I came back here for.”

Pettitte had just won his 18th career post-season victory, cementing his legacy as the Yankees’ greatest left-hander since Whitey Ford.

Good old Andy, always a second-tier star among Yankee pitchers, always forced to live in the shadow of Roger Clemens or David Cone or, most recently, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.

It was impossible to watch Pettitte on Wednesday night and not think of the way the Yankees treated him over the winter – negotiating their way down instead of up as he pondered $10 million offer.

Pettitte was a free agent, free to test the market - or, if his family had pushed hard enough, retire. But he wanted one more year in Pinstripes, one more chance at a championship. One more season that would allow him to christen the new Stadium.

The Yankees knew Pettitte’s loyalty was unbreakable, especially this late in his career. There were no other teams circling, no other offers to take his eye off the target. It was the Bombers or no one else.

So they lowered their offer to $5.5 million and told him, sorry, you’re out of time and we’re out of money. GM Brian Cashman told his lefthander that the organization appreciated his years of excellence, but with $180 million being shelled out to Mark Teixeira and another $161 million to Sabathia, there were only a handful of dollars left for Pettitte.

Another pitcher would’ve spent the summer in a deep, angry funk. But not Pettitte, the most tolerant and forgiving man in the Yankees’ clubhouse.

Never once did he express regret at the way the Yankees conducted business. Never once did he consider going home. Once the contract was signed, skimpy as it was, Pettitte narrowed his focus to pitching, same as it ever was.

That’s what allowed him to come full circle – standing in front of an army of loyalists in the Bronx, shouting so loud he could he heard from here to Philly.

“This is a great, great night,” Pettitte said hoarsely, grinning broadly enough to turn his eyes into slits. That expression was priceless: the universe is finally ours.