ESPN.com - MLB Playoffs 2001 - Desperately in search of some offense

Wednesday, October 31
 
Desperately in search of some offense
By David Schoenfield
ESPN.com

NEW YORK -- Yes, the starting pitchers have included all-time greats Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson; two potential Hall of Famers in Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte; and the game's hottest postseason hurler in Curt Schilling.

So, yes, you can expect the pitching to be spectacular.

Still, through the first three games of the World Series, the hitting has been ridiculous. The Yankees combined for only six hits in the first two games, the second-lowest total over any two games in World Series history. The Diamondbacks matched that ineptitude with only three hits in Game 3.

More facts? Here they are:

  • New York is hitting .144 (13-for-90), and threatening to break the all-time Series low. The 1966 Dodgers hit .142 in a four-game sweep to the Orioles, getting blanked the final three games.

  • Arizona is hitting .200 (18-for-90).

  • The two teams have combined for 55 strikeouts and just 11 walks.

  • New York's game-winning rally in Game 3 consisted of an infield single, a wild pitch and a broken-bat soft liner to left field.

  • Yankee leadoff hitter Chuck Knoblauch, who has scored only one run the entire postseason is 0-for-12 in the World Series. He's been benched for Game 4.

  • The Diamondbacks' leadoff hitters don't have a hit yet, either. The guys they have used their, Tony Womack and Craig Counsell, are a combined 1-for-23 so far with no walks and nine strikeouts. They are 0-for-22 since Counsell homered in the bottom of the first inning in Game 1.

  • Arizona's Luis Gonzalez, who hit .324 with 57 home runs in the regular season, is 3-for-11 but has fanned seven times in 11 at-bats and swung and missed at so many pitches he looks like Rob Deer hacking against Nolan Ryan.

    Child's play: Chuckie benched
    With Knoblauch struggling, Joe Torre bumped his leadoff hitter from the lineup, inserting Derek Jeter into the No. 1 hole and leaving Shane Spencer in left field. David Justice takes over for Knoblauch as the designated hitter. Paul O'Neill will hit in the No. 2 slot. He actually hit there 75 times this season and did quite well: .293 with a .520 slugging percentage, both well above his season marks (.267, .459 slugging). Jeter hit .324 in 105 at-bats in the leadoff spot this year.

    "I'm not happy with it. I obviously prefer to be playing," Knoblauch said before Game 4. "I'm sure Joe knows that when I'm not playing, I'm not happy. But I can't do anything about it. He's the manager. I just have to be ready."

    Justice also hit well against Schilling back in their NL days, going 10-for-28 (.357) with four home runs. He, however, went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts against Schilling in Game 1.

    "I'm just fiddling with (the lineup) to see if we can stimulate some offense here," Yankees skipper Joe Torre said before the game. "But I think the one thing Knobby has been doing, he's hitting a lot of balls in the air and that's not a good sign for someone who relies on his speed.

    Torre made a similar move in last year's World Series, when he benched Knoblauch in the games played against the Mets at Shea Stadium. Luis Sojo and Jose Vizcaino played second base and Jeter replaced Knoblauch in the leadoff spot in Game 4 and promptly led off the game with a homer off Bobby Jones. Vizcaino hit leadoff in Games 3 and 5.

    Arizona manager Bob Brenly also tinkered with his lineup. He moved Womack back up to the leadoff spot and moved Erubiel Durazo into the cleanup hole. Reggie Sanders, who had hit cleanup the first three games, was moved down to the No. 7 hole.

    Curt and three days
    Much has been made of Curt Schilling pitching on three days' rest for the first time in his career. Much has been made of the often-cited statistic that since 1999, pitchers are 1-9 with a 9.73 in 15 starts on three days' rest. However, Don Hartack of Stats, Inc. points out that from 1991 through 1998, starters went 16-15 with a 3.64 ERA on three or fewer days of rest.

    It also sets up Schilling to become the first pitcher since Jack Morris in 1991 to start Games 1, 4 and 7 of the World Series. You may remember how Morris did in that Game 7.

    Schilling is also looking to become the first pitcher to win five games in one postseason. The others with four:

  • Burt Hooten, 1981 Dodgers (1 DS, 2 LCS, 1 WS)
  • Dave Stewart, 1989 A's (2 LCS, 2 WS)
  • Jack Morris, 1991 Twins (2 LCS, 2 WS)
  • Orel Hershiser, 1995 Indians (1 DS, 2 LCS, 1 WS)
  • John Smoltz, 1996 Braves (1 DS, 2 LCS, 1 WS)
  • Livan Hernandez, 1997 Marlins (2 LCS -- one in relief, 2 WS)
  • David Wells, 1998 Yankees (1 DS, 2 LCS, 1 WS)

    Hershiser's Indians and Smoltz's Braves failed to win the World Series.

    Identification, please
    Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was spotted entering Yankee Stadium wearing his customary blue blazer and white turtleneck. Like everybody else entering the ballpark, the Boss was asked to show photo identification by the security guard.

    Steinbrenner did just that, to which the guard responded, "Welcome to Yankee Stadium, sir."

    Meanwhile, how did Arizona owner Jerry Colangelo spend the day? He was spotted at Saks Fifth Avenue department store by one member of ESPN.com's team of hard-working reporters (hey, we were buying gloves in case the weather turned colder). No word on whether Colangelo was checking out the jewelry section (and rings in particular).

    Also spotted entering Yankee Stadium was Spike Lee, wearing his Yankees hat and not missing a beat of the New York sports scene.




    • Series Page


     ESPN Tools
    Email story
     
    Most sent
     
    Print story