New York Yankees Flashback: Moose, Scott, CC, and Johnny’s Dash

New York Yankees, CC Sabathia
May 23, 2018; Arlington, TX, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia (52) leaves the game after pitching four and one third innings against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

The Yankees managed only five hits off Miguel Batista in World Series Game Five on November 1, 2001. Mike Mussina allowed only five as well, but two were singleton homers by Steve Finley and Rod Barajas in the fifth, and the Yanks entered the ninth inning down 2-0. Undaunted, Yankee fans spent the better part of an inning cheering Paul O’Neill, playing his last Yankee Stadium game, win or lose.

Everyone rooting back then remembers that Scott Brosius duplicated Tino Martinez‘s feat from the day before with a two-run, two-out, bottom-of-the-ninth, game-tying homer off Byung-Hyun Kim. Albie Lopez was the eventual loser when Alfonso Soriano singled in Chuck Knoblauch in the 12th, 3-2 Yanks. But in a perhaps forgotten detail, Soriano had made a diving catch of a one-out, bases-loaded, infield-in liner off Reggie Sanders in the 11th to keep the game going.

What took place on November 1, 2009, in Game 4 of the World Series in the City of Brotherly Love was special as well. With the Yanks up 2 to 1 in games, CC Sabathia outpitched Joe Blanton through two outs into the seventh when Chase Utley closed the score to 4-3 with a home run. Joba Chamberlain struck out two in the eighth, only to have Pedro Feliz tie it with a two-strike homer of his own. Unfortunately for the Phils, that’s when Johnny Damon took over. Battling to a two-out single in the ninth, he stole second and continued onto third when the shifted Philly infield failed to cover. Following a hit by pitch, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada doubles plated three off Brad Lidge, and Mariano Rivera saved the 7-4 Yankee win.

Duh! In one of the most obvious Cy Young selections ever, Ron Guidry was awarded the 1978 AL Award on November 1. Boston’s Jim Rice would edge Gator out in the MVP voting. Three decades later, it’s pretty clear that Gator’s 25-3 mark for a World Champion team should have surpassed even Rice’s fine offensive numbers.

“Bullet” Joe Bush (1974) easily earns first mention among Yankee players who have died on November 1, even if he did spend just the 1922-1924 seasons in New York during a career that spanned 1912-1928. The hard-throwing righty posted a 62-38-4 mark while pitching in 115 games (91 starts) for the Yanks, but won 195, lost 183, and saved 20 games overall, pitching more often than not for the A’s and the Red Sox.