or baseball fans
who bask in the proliferation of runs, 12-10 shootouts, and dilapidated
bullpens – I sincerely hope that you had the chance to witness last
Sunday’s pitcher’s duel, compliments of New York’s Roger Clemens and
Boston’s Pedro Martinez. This hurling classic was a crème de la crème
for those of us who still appreciate gems created by those players who don’t
need a Louisville Slugger to stamp their impact on a game.
The final score was a mere 2-0 Boston. In football, you’ve heard
announcers say that the team that will win is the team that doesn’t
commit the last turnover. Well, for Clemens, that turnover came in the
form of a 93-mph fastball that caught too much of the plate – and Trot
Nixon’s bat. Nixon’s ninth-inning, two-run shot accounted for all the
game’s scoring and put an end to the Martinez-Clemens battle, the likes
of which we might not see again this season.
Just ask the 55,339 fans that swarmed Yankee Stadium for a May game.
The teams were tied for first in the AL East race going in, but there was
more reason than that for the packed house that Ruth built. If you don’t
have time to read the rest of this column (God forbid), at least check out
these pitching lines:
IP H R ER BB SO
Martinez 9 4 0 0 1 9
Clemens 9 5 2 2 0 13
The long, storied history between these two clubs is well documented.
During the second decade of the 20th century, we have the famed
Curse of the Bambino – the trade that sent Babe Ruth from the Bosox to
the Yankees. Some Red Sox fans really believe that that trade alone might
be the single reason Boston hasn’t won a World Series since 1918.
The Yankees? Well, they’ve won more titles in the 1900’s than
anybody by far. From Ruth to Gehrig to DiMaggio to Mantle, their perpetual
successes turn a nose up at the Red Sox futility. The more immediate
chapter in the Red Sox-Yankees saga has featured Clemens himself.
After spending most of his career in Boston, Clemens skipped off to
Toronto for a couple seasons before joining the Yanks in 1999. As
intriguing as their historic rivalry has been, on Sunday Night, you only
needed to know two names: Martinez and Clemens.
Despite giving up the only two runs, Clemens was arguably the more
dominant pitcher Sunday. He fooled the Red Sox hitters all night, striking
out 13 and walking none. I wasn’t sure whether this was 1988, and
Martinez was thrown into the Clemens Dominance Time Warp, or if this
really was the 2000 version of The Rocket primed to steal the contemporary
stage from Martinez.
To the casual fan, both pitchers are known more for their velocity than
their finesse. When you can tally the radar gun at 93-97 mph, hitters must
be keenly aware of the fastball first. On Sunday, however, we learned very
quickly that their majesty lies in their ability to supplement their
fastball with a cornucopia of breaking pitches.
Like Clemens in his prime, Martinez throws strikes with his fastball,
change-up, "and" curveball. He’s confident with throwing any
pitch in any situation, and is liable to get you out three different ways
in three separate at bats. Against the Yanks, he didn’t disappoint.
Clemens’ approach was nearly as successful, but slightly different.
He appeared to throw as many split-fingered fastballs as regular ones. I
was waiting for the Red Sox hitters to coax a walk or two out of him. But
the velocity on Clemens’ fastball rivaled Martinez’ in this game, and
whenever a pitcher strikes fear with his fastball – and has sharp
control of it - hitters must assume fastball and adjust to everything
else. Well, that "else" was the splitter that looks like a
fastball for about 59-1/2 inches of its journey, then dips drastically
when it reaches home plate.
After seven innings, only two batters managed to get past first base:
Derek Jeter (double) and Nixon (triple). True to the game’s form, both
men died on base without further advancement. The result? A pair of donuts
(0-0) heading into the final frame.
In the top of the 9th, Boston catcher Jason Varitek made a
futile attempt at a bunt single. Clemens, showing he can still work the
glove, scooped up the ball and threw him out. With two men out, second
baseman Jeff Frye singled his way on before Nixon sent a 2-1 fastball over
the right field wall. On this one pitch, Nixon guessed right.
As if to make it fair, Martinez made his half of the inning very
interesting, nerve racking if you’re a Red Sox fan. As he is prone to
do, Martinez will miss "inside" with his pitches, always
challenging hitters to swing at the rising fastball that might nick their
chin. Unfortunately, increased adrenaline caused him to pluck two batters
in the same inning. Between beanballs to Chuck Knoblauch and Jorge Posada,
Martinez gave up a third hit to Jeter, struck out Paul O’Neill, and got
Bernie Williams out on a long fly ball.
Stepping into the batter’s box with the bases jammed and two down was
Tino Martinez. I don’t have the numbers, but I know Tino has hit a
couple of grand salamis in his day. Against Pedro, Tino reached for a
breaking ball, hitting a sharp grounder to Frye. Adding his own drama to
the script, Frye double-clutched the throw and beat Tino by just a step
with his toss to first. Pedro bent over in relief, and the Red Sox
commandeered sole possession of first place.
Believe it or not, I enjoy a 12-10 game too. But after the
Clemens-Martinez drama, my hope is for at least one curtain call sometime
this summer.
Any comments, criticisms, or condemnations on this sports column or
previous ones? Feel free to email me at andydan@milwpc.com
