After last night's Game 1 loss to the Phillies, the Yankees are hoping to even up the World Series. Now, manager Joe Girardi is benching Nick Swisher. The AP, which calls him the "slumping outfielder," says Swisher will be replaced by Jerry Hairston Jr. who "is 10 for 27 in his career against Phillies starter Pedro Martinez."
The NY Times' Bats Blog suggests pitching Martinez tonight is a "bold risk," because in spite of his nine regular seasons games with the Phillies, "it is difficult to know whether his 2009 statistics represent his current true talent level or a mere fluke of a small sample size. His disastrous performance in 2008, and the fact that he is a 38-year-old right-hander who struggles to break 90 m.p.h. cannot simply be ignored."
Facing off against Martinez will be A.J. Burnett (Jose Molina will be catching); Burnett said, "I'm going to prepare, yeah maybe, as if it's another game, but deep down, I know what it's about. I know how real it is and I don't want to change it. I want to go out there knowing it's my first World Series start." Molina told the News, "He has to come out and pitch the way he knows how to pitch, like the way he did in the last eight outings before that inning in Anaheim. He doesn't have to do too much, he has to trust himself, trust what he has, trust his stuff and just pitch."
Some people who don't mind last night's loss or even one tonight: Bar owners, who are raking in the bucks with fans flocking for some suds, camaraderie and TVs. One said, "I want New York to win, obviously, but I wouldn't mind if it took seven games."
