NEW YORK — It had been nine years since Brad Pitt got the girl, since
Microsoft ruled software, since the emperor sat on the throne.
That was 2000, when baseball was defined by an iron fist. The Yankees are champions again, burying the Phillies 7-3 on Wednesday night in the World Series clincher in the Bronx.
Long live the king. Let everyone else eat cake.
The Phillies ate dust, trampled by a man whose nickname is fitting of the sport’s most powerful franchise.
Hideki Matsui — “Godzilla,” as he’s known in his native Japan — was a monster offensively in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium. He hit a two-run homer in the second inning, a two-run single in the third and a two-run double in the fifth. His six RBIs tied a World
Series record. Even his foul balls were hit hard. He just missed a double and a homer in his first two at-bats. His swings set off an after-hours party nine years in the making.
Not since 2000 have the Yankees celebrated with a parade down the Big Apple’s Canyon of Heroes — nine years since Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jorge Posada turned out the season’s lights with a dog pile on the mound.
This 27th title — that’s why manager Joe Girardi chose that uniform number — began taking shape over the winter. With the global economy tanking and teams going to fat-free budgets, the Yankees proved recession-
proof. They spent $423.5 million on free agents CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett, part of a $1.42 billion outlay in payroll since they beat the Mets in the Subway Series.
“We should win,” Johnny Damon said. “We have the best players.”
Teixeira predictably slugged, but his defensive contribution was immeasurable. Sabathia and Burnett provided the Yankees with pillars in the rotation, allowed them to correctly slot Pettitte. As third starters go, Pettitte ranks among the best. Certainly he’s the most clutch.
He’s won 18 career playoff games, including every clincher this postseason. He rolled up his sleeves on three days rest, and gave a hard-hat performance (5-2/3 innings, three runs).
The Yankees will be criticized as being the best team money could buy. But they have been that since 2000 and not won. Until now. The difference this year, players said, was improved chemistry, and better performance by their stars.
This fall was vindication for Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez. For many he will always be a cheater for admitting his steroids use in March. But A-Rod no longer can be called a choker. His 18 RBIs set a franchise record for the postseason.
And the Yankees are so good, so deep, he didn’t have any on the final night, standing on the curb watching the parade of runners driven home by Matsui. When he walked to the plate in the seventh, a triple shy of the cycle, the sellout crowd chanted “M-V-P!”
High praise for a guy who didn’t even start in the three games in Philadelphia, his balky knee making it impossible to play left field. Matsui left an indelible impression with his bat, particularly on Martinez (four innings, four runs, 73 “Who’s Your Daddy” serenades).
Matsui drove in six runs, tying the single-game World Series record set by Bobby Richardson in 1960.Rivera closed out the Phillies, a deserving and proud representative of the National League, in typical cold-hearted fashion. The final out marked the return of a new era.
Humility is gone. The Yankees are back on top.
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
