Those Guys had Been to The World Series Before

Those Guys had Been to The World Series Before

Reporting from:NEW YORK -- There is no face more familiar to those who watch playoff baseball than that of Andy Pettitte. For a decade and a half now, the camera has been zooming in on it -- 237 1/3 innings' worth of October close-ups. Even now, you can see it -- the dark eyes peering out between the brim of his cap and the tip of his black glove, the 5 o'clock shadow, the dimpled chin, the head-nod at the start of that long, muscular delivery.
The game that returned the New York Yankees to the World Series -- a 5-2 victory over the self-destructive Los Angeles Angels on Sunday night in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series -- ended, fittingly, with another familiar face of Octobers past, that of closer Mariano Rivera, who collected the last of his six outs at 12:01 a.m.
But it began where so many Yankee victories this time of year have begun -- though not so many of late -- with Pettitte, the veteran left-hander, on the mound, eating innings, getting the game to Rivera, carrying the Yankees onward.
And so, the Yankees are back in the World Series for the 40th time in franchise history, but the first time since 2003. They will meet the NL champion Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, in a delicious battle of ace left-handers: Philadelphia's Cliff Lee and New York's CC Sabathia.
For that, the Yankees can thank Pettitte -- as they have been for years. His victory Sunday night was his 16th in the postseason, the most all-time. It was also the fifth time he had won a clinching game in the playoffs, also a record. He has made more than full season's worth of postseason starts in his career -- Sunday night's was his 38th, dating from Game 2 of the 1995 AL Division Series.
The errors didn't cost the Angels the game Sunday -- veteran left-hander Andy Pettitte pitched brilliantly, giving up one run in 6 1/3 innings, and even after the Angels dinged closer Mariano Rivera for a run on Vladimir Guerrero's RBI single in the eighth, the Yankees had a 3-2 lead.But the miscues, one by second baseman Howie Kendrick, who dropped first baseman Kendry Morales' throw on Nick Swisher's bunt, and one by pitcher Scott Kazmir, who overthrew Kendrick on Melky Cabrera's bunt, left a bitter taste in the Angels' mouths.
"They capitalized on every mistake we made," center fielder Torii Hunter said. "We were sound defensively all season, and we got into the playoffs, and things happened. I don't know why. It's probably mental."We didn't play Angels-style baseball. We might have played it for one or two games, but we let things get away from us."Things got away from Saunders quickly Sunday -- 12 of the 23 batters he faced reached base, and he was fortunate to give up only three runs.
The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the third when Jeff Mathis led off with a double, his seventh hit in eight playoff at-bats, and scored on Bobby Abreu's two-out single to right.Saunders escaped two-on, two-out jams in the first and second innings but unraveled after walking Robinson Cano to open the fourth.Swisher, who was hitting .100 (three for 30) in the postseason, singled to left, and both runners advanced on Cabrera's bunt.
Derek Jeter walked to load the bases, and Johnny Damon lined a two-run single to left-center for a 2-1 lead. Mark Teixeira's infield single loaded the bases, and Alex Rodriguez walked to force in a run that made it 3-1.Scioscia pulled Saunders in favor of left-hander Darren Oliver, who got Jorge Posada to ground into an inning-ending double play and added a scoreless fifth and sixth.But Pettitte, with runners on second and third, knocked down Morales' comebacker and threw to first to end the sixth inning, and the Yankees pulled away in the eighth."It's frustrating, it stinks, to be honest with you, but they beat us fair and square," Hunter said. "We overcame a lot of obstacles this year -- the death of a teammate, a lot of injuries to key players -- and we just battled. We have nothing to hang our heads about."
"The Angels are a very tough team," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi, clutching the ALCS championship trophy. "The Phillies are a very tough team. We know that offensively, they're loaded. Their bullpen has thrown very well in the playoffs, and they were there last year."Obviously, they're a team with a lot of experience and a lot of momentum."
The Yankees finished the season 57-24 at home (the best home winning percentage in the majors) and have gone 36-8, including playoffs, there since the All-Star break.The Phillies won two of three games at Yankee Stadium in a May 22-24 series, outscoring New York 15-11.