Sunday, October 28, 2001
Ugly night for the champs
PHOENIX — In response to recurring criticism that the World Series runs too late, the Arizona Diamondbacks saved everyone some sleep Saturday.
They did not merely beat the New York Yankees in the first game of the Fall Classic. They bludgeoned them. They pounded baseball's world champions, 9-1, and did it so early that an obscure reliever named Randy Choate was charged with defending the dynasty by the fourth inning.
Yankees starter Mike Mussina had been shelled and was headed for a shower. Choate would soon follow him having turned a romp into a rout. This was the Yankees' most lopsided World Series loss since they opened the 1996 competition with a 12-1 shortfall against the Atlanta Braves.
It was ugly. It was embarrassing. It was humiliating. It was ominous. It looked a lot like what the Yankees do to everyone else in October.
What it means, exactly, is unclear. The Yankees have a strange capacity to play one real clunker in a postseason series and then play as if it never happened. But after being dominated by Curt Schilling for seven innings Saturday, their task tonight is Randy Johnson.
Gulp.
The World Series is still a best-of-seven, and openers are not always indicative of conclusions. Yet if the Yankees found any solace in Saturday's stomping, it was that Schilling may have thrown too many pitches (102) to throw effectively on short rest later in the series.
Mussina had been the Yankees' best pitcher down the stretch. He was 8-1 in his previous 11 starts, and had held opposing hitters to a .172 batting average during that span. This time, though, the Moose was mauled.
Presented with a 1-0 lead before he took the mound in the first inning, Mussina made it stand up for precisely 11 pitches. It was then that Craig Counsell, who matched his career high with four regular-season homers, slammed Mussina's 2-1 pitch into the right-field seats.
“He has a presence about him that belies his — what is he 5-(foot)-5, 5-6?” Schilling said of Counsell. “He finds a way to be in the middle of every important situation whether he is at the plate or in the field.”
Mussina might have rationalized Counsell's shot as the dumb luck of a slap hitter. But the pitcher's command was consistently imprecise. Four of the Diamondbacks' six hits against Mussina came with two strikes. His out pitches, as often as not, became “ouch” pitches.
“He tried to put people away and he just wasn't able to do it,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said of Mussina. “He missed his spot quite often.”
Case in point: Leading off the Arizona third inning, Tony Womack fell behind, no balls and two strikes, and Mussina then plunked him with his next pitch pretty near the hitter's navel. A four-run rally followed.
Womack scored on a two-run homer by Luis Gonzalez — a 1-2 pitch. Reggie Sanders subsequently struck a single, behind 0-2, and Damian Miller later hit an 0-2 double.
“These guys have proven that just because they have two strikes on them does not mean that they are going to give away the last strike,” Arizona manager Bob Brenly said. “They are going to continue to grind, continue to battle and hope that that pitcher makes a mistake somewhere that they can get the head of the bat on it.”
Mussina's mistakes were many. Schilling's were scarce.
Contact Tim Sullivan at 768-8456; fax: 768-8550; e-mail: tsullivan@enquirer.com.
Reds Stories
Stakes high in Detroit today
Lions winless, but passing well
Curnutte - The Edge
Isolation Booth
20 years ago: Game Seven
Curnutte's NFL picks
Curnutte's NFL power ratings
Louisville 28, UC 13
UC basketball notebook
XU basketball notebook
Miami wins 6th in row
Nebraska on course for national title
OSU: Paterno sets win mark
Syracuse scores early, stops No. 5 VaTech's streak
Thomas More 33, Defiance 17
Manchester 16, Mount St. Joseph 10
Ohio Northern 40, Wilmington 20
Kentucky basketball notebook
Should he stay or should he go?
Big O video a standout
Top Of The Second - Power rankings
Hockey roundup
Tiznow repeats BC Classic victory
20 area teams make playoffs
Ohio football playoff pairings
Final Ohio computer ratings
Mount Healthy 28, Purcell Marian 26
Newport Central Catholic 28, Beechwood 23
Kentucky playoff pairings
Boys cross country regional
Boys cross country results
Girls cross country regional
Girls cross country results
St. X gets shootout wish
Boys soccer roundup
Coach diagrams perfect proposal
CovCath gets OT triumph over St. Henry
Holy Cross ousts NCC in shootout
Kentucky state volleyball tournament
• Return to Reds front page...
Ugly night for the champs
