Derek Lowe's two-out, two-strike fastball went whistling by Jorge Posada
in the ninth inning, which forced the Yankees into the rare ritual of
lowering their heads, retreating slowly to the clubhouse and looking for
enough amnesia to forget Monday night's 4-0 loss to the Red Sox.
It was a setback, but hardly a trauma -- more like a nick than a wound,
and certainly nothing that would derail the Yankees from eventually winning the
AL East for the fourth time in five years.
Repeat after the American League: Will this Bronx golden era ever end?
After taking three of four games from Boston, including the weekend sweep at
Fenway, the Bombers hold a thick, eight-game lead over the Blue Jays, and are all
but using the final 21 games as calisthenics for the postseason.
Of course, the Yankees are too smart and too politically correct to
declare the race over, but when even the ever-cautious Derek Jeter observes,
"We've taken days off the calendar," it's fair to turn our gaze to October.
Are the Yankees really good enough to win their third straight world
championship? Baseball executives concede the Bombers have more than just
talent; they have a certain pedigree that comes from years of winning
important games.
As Andy Pettitte put it, "When it comes down to it, everyone in this room
thinks we can win a big series when we have to. That's the kind of confidence
you find in here."
That might explain why the Yankees have literally re-made themselves in
the last two months, winning 22 of 32, and why they were able to crush the
Red Sox so emphatically over the weekend at Fenway.
In fact, it wasn't even the Yankees' ace, Roger Clemens, who outpitched
Pedro Martinez on Saturday. It was Pettitte, who, depending on how you view
the Yankees rotation, might not even be their No. 2 starter.
|  | | Orlando Hernandez struggled against the Red Sox on Monday. But just wait till October -- El Duque is 5-0 with a 1.02 ERA in the postseason. |
That's how powerful Joe Torre's pitching weaponry really is: Before
Orlando Hernandez was outpitched by Rolando Arrojo on Monday night, Yankees starters hadn't allowed more than two earned runs in their last eight starts.
At the hub of this surge, of course, is Clemens, who hasn't lost since
June 9 and is now second in the AL with a 3.38 ERA. The Rocket still isn't
Pedro, but there's no doubt he'll be standing on the mound for Game 1 of
the Division Series.
Or will he? The Yankees have utter faith in Clemens' fastball, which was
clocked as high as 97 mph in his victory over Boston last Friday. Pitching
instructor Billy Connors says, "Roger is throwing as hard now as he has at
any time in his career."
Still, it remains to be seen whether the Rocket is the same pitcher in
the promised land that is October, where, historically, he's evaporated. Before
winning Game 4 of the 1999 World Series, Clemens won just one of his nine previous
postseason starts -- which only proves there's more to conquering hitters
than setting radar-gun records.
It takes a savvy the Yankees say El Duque has, when healthy. Although he
doesn't possess Clemens' intimidation quotient on his fastball, Hernandez is
5-0 with a 1.02 ERA in six postseason appearances.
That's why they were so willing to forgive the two, two-run homers he
allowed against Boston on Monday night. After all, Hernandez said, "I feel much, much better"
than before an elbow injury placed him on the disabled list in late July.
El Duque had won three straight decisions before Monday -- a streak that
came to a thundering end when Jose Offerman sent a middle-of-the-plate
fastball into the right-field seats in the first inning. Soon after, Manny
Alexander did the same.
That was hardly the way the Yankees envisioned being beaten by the Sox,
since Offerman and Alexander had combined for just 11 home runs this season.
But in both cases, Hernandez said, "I made two very comfortable pitches. Bad
pitches. Both were mistakes."
So the Red Sox prepared for their coming street fight with the Indians, a
portion of their self-respect restored. As for the Yankees ... well, it'll be
three weeks of fine-tuning the bullpen, getting healthy, and pumping up the
pedigree that Torre says is so important to the Yankees.
Paul O'Neill could use the time to rest his strained right hip. David
Justice and Bernie Williams are also battling minor injuries. In any other
scenario -- if the Yankees were in a real, full-sweat race -- all three players
would be in the lineup.
But the Yankees have that formidable lead, and because of it, a no-stress
September awaiting them. Whether or not it makes for a successful
October ... well, time will tell.
But pedigree does count for a lot.
Bob Klapisch of the Bergen (N.J.) Record writes his Baseball in the Big Apple column throughout the season. | |
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Peter Gammons says the Yankees are a lock in the AL East.
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