For Phillies, Yankees' Matsui has meant frustration

share
email
print
reprint
font size
comments
19
options
 

NEW YORK - Dare ga Goshujin-sama da?

That, loosely, is how you say, "Who's Your Daddy?" in Japanese.

MICHAEL BRYANT / Staff photographer
Hideki Matsui connects for a two-run homer to give the Yankees the lead in the second inning.
1 of 54
LISTEN TO AUDIO
Derek Jeter 11/4/09

Such mockery never would fall from the lips of Hideki Matsui, an honorable Yankee, nor, probably, from his legion of fans.

And we don't know who Matsui's daddy is. But we know this.

It ain't Pedro.

Matsui's two-run homer in the second inning and his two-run single in the third pushed across the Yankees' first runs of the Yankees' 7-3 win in Game 6, clinching the World Series.

All came against Phillies starter Pedro Martinez, he who brought himself years of Yankee taunting after a loss to them as a Red Sox in 2004, when he called the Yankees his "Daddy."

Matsui's production last night completed a World Series ownership of Martinez. He singled, walked and popped the go-ahead homer in Game 2 of the Series here that Martinez lost. His six RBI last night tied the World Series record set by the Yankees' Bobby Richardson in Game 3 in 1960 against the Pirates - a series the Yankees lost but saw Richardson win the MVP.

Now, sai yushu sensh is another story. Matsui's fans will be chanting that one forever.

It means, "MVP."

That's the World Series award Matsui locked up in the fifth inning when he drove a two-run double to right-centerfield against lefty reliever J.A. Happ. Those were his fifth and sixth RBI, which tied Bobby Richardson's record total in Game 3 of the 1960 World Series against the Pirates.

A couple of hours after that hit, he was standing on a stage in shallow centerfield, handling both trophies.

"I can say it is the best moment of my life," he said soon afterward.

Matsui finished the series 8-for-13 with three homers and eight RBI. He is the only full-time DH to win the World Series MVP trophy – and, as such, he might not have won it without last night's explosion.

Happ was warmed up in the third when, with two outs, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel chose to keep Martinez in the game to face Matsui, who bats lefthanded.

Martinez gave up the single to Matsui, got the next out, cruised through the fourth and was done. Happ was the second reliever of the inning, inheriting Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez.

Happ was not the answer last night against Matsui, as good against lefties this season as he was against righthanders.

This is the difference Matsui can make.

When the Phillies returned to their National League home park and lost the designated hitter for the middle games of the World Series, they lost from their lineup Ben Francisco and his 15 home runs and 46 RBI in 2009, plus his zero career postseason production.

The Yankees lost Matsui, and his 28 homers, 90 RBI, not to mention his .303 postseason average in 55 playoff games, with nine homers and 33 RBI.

Page:   1  of  3  View All
1 |   2 |   3      Next»
share
email
print
reprint
font size
options
 
19
Comments   
Posted 10:59 AM, 11/05/2009
Gator Rich
If the Phils don't offer Lee Big $$$, he will sign with the team where his best friend plays. Yes, that's right!!! The Yankees. C.C. and he are great friends.
Posted 12:08 PM, 11/05/2009
cootie
As we said, YANKEES IN 6!!!!
Posted 12:17 PM, 11/05/2009
Kenny Junod
i had nightmares about that creator face.. he was impossible to get out.
Posted 12:23 PM, 11/05/2009
flavordave
Yankees are a nice little team. We'll see if they make it back next year with us.
Comment removed.
Posted 12:46 PM, 11/05/2009
atp2007
It's good thing that the Phils looked ahead and got a great clutch hitting DH for the Series before the trading deadline, oh wait, we forgot about that and relied on our poor to mediocre deadwood bench. Yankees never pitched around Utley and we never pitched around Matsui (oh, right they didn't have much deadwood in their lineup).
Comment removed.
Posted 01:01 PM, 11/05/2009
amgabber
it's Nov. 5th and the baseball season has mercifully ended...but don't despair...spring training is a scant 3 months away...oh nooooooooo!!!
Posted 01:12 PM, 11/05/2009
boxxxcutta
I blame Lidge and the cold bats.
Posted 01:34 PM, 11/05/2009
postcynic
The DH position gives AL teams too much of an advantage in the World Series. No NL team is going to pay a bundle for someone to sit on the bench most days. So the good hitters like Matsui are going to sign for a big DH contract. Then who do we have to fill the DH slot when we're playing away--Stairs? Francisco? Doesn't match up. Admittedly the Yanks were the better team and would have won anyway. But the fact that Matsui was series MVP points to how much the DH rule favored the Yankees in this series.
Posted 02:47 PM, 11/05/2009
DavePA
Yep, the DH really was huge when the Yankees won 2 of 3 in Philly!!!!
Posted 03:16 PM, 11/05/2009
ashley123
Matsui was huge for the Yankees. He deserved the MVP...plain and simple. As for the Phils, thanks for the great memories and Utley and Werth's gorgeousness. I'll take our eye candies over Jeter and A-roid's any day. See you guys next year.
Posted 04:48 PM, 11/05/2009
postcynic
DavePA, your retort is idiotic. I didn't say that the Yankees couldn't win without the DH. In fact, I said that they're a better team than the Phillies anyway. But having a real DH helps your team when you're playing at an AL stadium, which gives the AL team an unfair advantage IN THOSE GAMES. (I use caps because I suspect that lower-case letters confuse your tiny brain.)
Posted 10:06 PM, 11/05/2009
Don Logan
I have nothing against Matsui on any level, and the man can hit. However, the DH is one of the biggest jokes in all of professional sports. If you can't play offense and defense then you shouldn't be playing-just like every other sport.
Posted 09:03 AM, 11/06/2009
Old German
Philly fans are a bunch of whiners! Heaven forbid you acknowledge that the Phils lost to the better team. enjoy the off season, losers
Latest Sports Videos
Sign up to receive the daily sports newsletter