NEW YORK -- There may never have been two games that mirrored each other the way Games 4 and 5 of this World Series have. In both games, the Diamondbacks squandered opportunities, and in both games, the Yankees were down two runs with two outs in the ninth inning when two guys who are both going to be free agents after the season -- Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius -- hit dramatic home runs to tie the game.

In both games the torch was passed, as young guys Derek Jeter and Alfonso Soriano delivered game-winning hits after veterans Martinez and Brosius tied it up.

I picked the Yankees in seven specifically because of the bullpens -- that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Mariano Rivera has again been the difference-maker for the Yankee bullpen -- he is the greatest relief pitcher in the history of baseball. Although he did catch a break in the 11th -- when Soriano caught the shot by Reggie Sanders that otherwise would have scored two runs.

Mike Mussina looked good, but the guy who was really impressive was Miguel Batista -- he was sensational. The Yankees have made their living since 1996 by being the most patient hitting team in baseball -- they would never chase pitches out of the zone. But they must have chased 25 pitches out of the strike zone in Game 5 -- and the credit for that should go to Batista.

Of course, Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson have received and deserve a lot of praise for their respective outings in Games 1 and 2 that put the D-Backs up 2-0. But even when the Series shifted to New York -- Brian Anderson in Game 3, Schilling in Game 4 and Batista in Game 5 -- the Arizona starting pitching maintained its brilliance.

It came down to the bullpens. Mike Morgan gave up a bloop hit to Brosius in Game 3 that was the difference, and Byung-Hyun Kim became the first reliever in history to give up three home runs in a World Series. People will second-guess manager Bob Brenly for pitching Kim in Game 5 after he was taken yard twice in the last two innings of Game 4 for the game-tying and winning runs. But it is Kim's job to close out games, and he thrives on pitching a lot. Kim got two outs, but he threw one bad pitch to Brosius and it cost him dearly.

Joe Torre's decision in the eighth to leave Mussina in with a man on third, no outs and Craig Counsell and Luis Gonzalez coming up looked like a risky call. But Torre never seems to push a bad button. I heard a lot of people say he should bring in Mike Stanton at that point, but he left Mussina in and the Moose got out of it, while the D-Backs wasted yet another opportunity.

Lefties had killed Kim -- going 4-for 5 in the Series, while right-handers were 1-10. Torre had no move -- he had no left-handed batters on the bench to face Kim, and he still came out smelling like a rose when Brosius hit the huge game-tying home run.

The Yankee magic continues to amaze.

Dave Campbell played for eight years in the major leagues. He is an analyst for Baseball Tonight and color commentator for ESPN Radio.