Game 5 of the World Series felt a lot like Game 5 of the ALCS. The Yankees readied for the kill, but A.J. Burnett failed them early. In the ALCS, he allowed six straight base runners, leading to four first-inning runs. In the World Series, he allowed four straight base runners, leading to three first-inning runs. Burnett would be the goat in both games, even though he settled down in the ALCS. His seventh-inning performance in that game led to the loss, though in the World Series he didn’t wait that long, allowing two more runs in the third inning.
Yet when I got home after the game, and then again this morning, I noticed a sense of optimism from the Yankees fan base. I wasn’t the only one. As Ross from New Stadium Insider noted on his Twitter account, “Up 3-2 to the Angels, there was panic in the streets. Up 3-2 to the Phillies, people are planning a parade. What’s the deal?” It’s an interesting question. Why are Yankees fans optimistic now when they were less so in the ALCS?
I can’t answer for everyone, but here are my three main reasons.
1. The Yankees had a history with the Angels
During the Joe Torre era, the Yankees faced the Angels twice in the playoffs, losing both times. Those old feelings certainly lingered during the ALCS. There was panic when the Angels won Game 3 — though mostly because of the managerial decision that preceded the loss. The Yankees had a chance to go up 3-0 and they blew it. Even after a 10-1 drubbing, fans were in a panic after the Yankees dropped a winnable Game 5.
The negative feelings also had to do with how the Yankees lost Game 5 of the ALCS. Burnett put them in an early hole, but they rallied back in the seventh to take a two-run lead. But then the Yanks blew that and lost the game. It’s one thing if the team is losing the entire way, like Game 5 of the World Series. It’s quite another when they rally back from a big deficit and then give it back.
Beyond the history with the Angels, there’s the thought that they’re a better team than the Phillies. This isn’t a knock on the Phillies — they’re certainly the best team in the NL — but the Angels had a good season and put up a fight in the ALCS. Many thought that the battle of baseball’s best took place in the league championship, not in the World Series. It’s understandable, then, that fans would be in more of a panic after losing Game 5 to a team they thought best equipped to beat the Yankees.
2. The Yankees have beaten all of Philadelphia’s non-Lee starters
Cliff Lee is easily the Phillies best pitcher. The Yankees have faced him twice in the World Series and have lost both times. That can be disheartening if he’s scheduled to pitch a potential Game 7, but he’s not. Game 5 was his last start, and the Yankees have beaten the Game 6 and potential Game 7 starters. The lack of Lee, in other words, is inspiring in itself.
If the Yankees lost Game 6 of the ALCS, they likely would have faced the Angels’ best, John Lackey. If they lose Game 6 of the World Series, they’ll face either Cole Hamels or J.A. Happ, neither of whom is Philly’s best. But even before that, there’s plenty of confidence from Yankees fans about beating Pedro Martinez in Game 6. He pitched well in Game 2, but can he pull yet another rabbit out of his hat? It’s almost the same deal as with Joe Saunders, really.
3. The Yankees made statements by beating the Angels and taking three straight from the Phillies
The past certainly plays into this sense of optimism. After a panic following the Game 5 loss in the ALCS, fans were treated to a hell of a game back at the Stadium. They chipped away at Joe Saunders before finally breaking through. I think that win set up some intense optimism, and even a Game 5 loss in the World Series couldn’t completely destroy that. Because there is precedent, Yankees fans seem more confident in the World Series Game 6.
There is also lingering optimism from beating the Phillies in three straight games, two of them in Philadelphia. The Yanks out-pitched and out-hit the Phillies in those contests, and I think that instilled Yankees fans with a sense of confidence. It’s not like in the Angels series, where the Yankees lost two winnable games. They lost pretty definitively in Games 1 and 5 (even though they had a comeback chance in the latter).
Surely there are other reasons to remain optimistic, but for me these are the big three. The Yankees have played like the better team in each of their three postseason series. There’s no reason to lose confidence because they lost one game in Philadelphia. As with the ALCS, no one thought the World Series would be a cakewalk. It would have been nice to close it out last night, but there’s every reason in the world to be confident that the Yankees will do it on Wednesday evening.
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