Simple Answers I Would Prefer Not To Give
By Joe Sheehan, after discussing the de facto end of the series when dumbshit Brian Fuentes decided to throw Slappy an 0-2 meatball with a lead in the 11th:
It’s 2-0, but does anyone think this series is over?
Yes.
Look, a team that’s clearly inferior is down 2-0. And it’s not just that the Yankees are better in general: in the postseason the importance of power pitching, power hitting, and bullpens are magnified, and the Yankees have a modest edge in #1 and large edges in the other two. The only position at which the Angels are clearly better is centerfield, and even Hunter is a symbol of the problem (in that he’s a very good hitter for a CF but pretty unimpressive for a #3 hitter.) Yes, anything can etc., but the Yankees are going to win this series, and I think it would be an upset if it even gets back to the Bronx.
On a related note, via a commenter it’s safe to say that this hasn’t held up well. (Even at the time the premise was pretty silly; being merely the 3rd best team in the league after more than a decade of postseason appearances isn’t exactly compelling evidence that Brian Cashman is an idiot.)
..although, if the Halos are going to go down, it’s nice to see them knock around the greatest pitcher athlete in Yankee known human history a bit to take a lead…
..and marvelous work from Hunter in the 10th swinging at ball 3 and ball 4. The quality of atbats between the hitters in the heart of the order on the two teams in pressure situations tells you what you need to know…