New York – Here, courtesy of David Letterman, is one of the top 10 good things about playing baseball in New York: “Knowing that if we ever get to the seventh game of the World Series, that with one phone call, we could get the opposing pitcher whacked.”
No doubt about it, this is a tough town. Just ask Mets pitcher Steve Trachsel.
After the Cardinals shelled him in Game 3 – and he committed the cardinal sin of giving up a homer to opposing pitcher Jeff Suppan – the banner headline in the New York Daily News read: “Stevie Blunder.”
Mets lefty Tom Glavine, the loser in Tuesday’s Game 5 in St. Louis, said he’s learned it takes a thick skin to play baseball in the Big Apple.
“It’s a hard place to play, harder than most other places,” the two-time Cy Young Award winner said. “You know, you just have a higher concentration of media outlets that cover your team, and because of that there’s more attention paid – to both the good side of it and the bad side of it.
“If you do well in that town, then there’s nothing better than doing well in that town. But if you don’t do well, there’s not a whole lot worse. It’s a tough place to play when you’re not doing well, because there’s nowhere to hide.”
But, Glavine added, the rewards are pretty good.
“I’ve seen both sides of it,” he said. “I’ve been booed off the field, and I’ve been carried off the field by people cheering me. And I can tell you the bad side of it gets a lot more attention than the good side does, but the good side is pretty darned good.”
For the record, the Game 5 headline in Wednesday’s New York Post read: “Tom Bombs.” The Daily News’ read: “Tom’s Not So Terrific.”
Trachsel sent to pen
Even before the first pitch of Game 6, New York manager Willie Randolph made it clear that Trachsel’s role as a postseason starter was probably over. Randolph said he was delegating Trachsel to the bullpen. Trachsel went 15-8 with a 4.97 ERA during the regular season.
According to Newsday, if the Mets advance to the World Series, Trachsel would be left off the roster if Orlando Hernandez is healthy enough to pitch. A day before the playoffs began, Hernandez injured his right calf muscle. He was expected to miss the entire postseason, but has made a quick recovery.
Eckstein more than OK
Shortstop David Eckstein, the Cardinals’ 5-foot-7, 165-pound Energizer Bunny, got beat up in Game 5, but he was back in the starting lineup Wednesday night, playing with three bruised fingers and a sprained left shoulder.
He injured the fingers attempting to bunt in the eighth inning Tuesday and sprained his shoulder diving for a groundball in the first inning.
“When you consider his stature, I don’t know that I’ve ever been around a guy tougher than David,” Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said. “He gets blasted with foul balls, hit balls, hit by pitches, sliding into second base, diving. He’s fearless. Toughest guy I’ve ever been around.”
Pujols powers up
Cardinals all-star first baseman Albert Pujols is playing with a hamstring so sore that La Russa grits his teeth whenever Pujols runs the bases. But the injury wasn’t enough to stop Pujols from hitting a solo homer off Glavine on Tuesday.
“I feel fine at the plate, I’m concerned about running,” Pujols told reporters. “You guys are thinking about power. I’m thinking about getting on base and helping my team win.”
