Game one was all about Cliff Lee's brilliant pitching. Pitch after pitch, batter after batter, his command was dead on keeping the powerful Yankee attack speechless. Only one ball was hit soundly to the outfield. Were it not for some sloppy fielding, Lee would have earned the complete game shutout. The secondary story is the Yankees middle relief letting the game get away. Phil Hughes was a valuable "bridge" pitcher who has not pitched well in post season.
Tonight puts Pedro Martinez for Philadelphia verus A.J. Burnett for the Yankees. Pedro has a reputation in New York after the infamous brawl when he was pitching for Boston in the Championship series and threw aged coach Don Zimmer to the ground in a classic meltdown. Back then, getting to Pedro with the bats was miraculous. He's not that pitcher any longer waiting on the sidelines until Philadelphia signed him mid-season. How much does the old veteran have left in him and can he rise to the big game situation? Meanwhile, A.J. Burnett is superb when he's on but is a player who struggles with inconsistency. He must be on top of his throwing tonight or the Yankees will face the daunting task of realistically needing to sweep their games in Philadelphia to win the series. Tonight's game has a higher sense of urgency for the Yankees.
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