I don't expect the New York Yankees to win every baseball game they play, but the way they lost the last game of this year's Subway Series was truly disappointing.
Just one strike away from a sweep of the Mets, who looked like they had been gutted by the loss of Jose Reyes and two defeats at the hands of their cross-town rivals, the Yankees couldn’t close the deal, not even with the great Mariano Rivera on the mound. Mo simply didn’t have it yesterday and the Yankees lost the game, which proves how dependent the Yankees are on their 41-year-old, irreplaceable closer.
But all those supposed Yankee fans who want to give Derek Jeter’s job away should pay careful attention to what happened yesterday. Ramiro Pena, subbing for the slightly injured Eduardo Nunez, who was subbing for the seriously injured Jeter, made two crucial errors late in the game. Brett Gardner and Russell Martin saved him from paying for the first error, but could do nothing about the second error, which gave Jason Bay the opportunity to go from Met goat to hero.
For Pena, whose defense is supposed to be his forte, it was his second terrible defensive game. And Nunez, who swung an ultra-hot bat against the Mets, hasn’t been any better defensively. He would have more than a dozen errors already if it wasn’t for the sleek glove work of one Mark Teixeira. Jeter may not be the Derek Jeter who clutch hit and fielded his way into the hearts of Yankees fans, but there is no question that these are plays he makes with no problems, no matter how much the sabermatricians insist that he is a bad shortstop.
But no worries. Jeter will come back tonight to reclaim his rightful place at shortstop and with Phil Hughes set to return to the big-league mound on Wednesday all will be right in Yankees world again. As long as they can get that bitter taste of yesterday’s loss out of their mouths.
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