Interleague sets up World Series Rematches for Yankees

 

The Yankees are right in the middle of their interleague games this season, and are heading west to play the D-backs and Dodgers, two former World Series opponents.

Their last two series have been against the Mets and Phillies who were also in the World Series against the Bombers.

The Phillies and Yanks faced off last October, with the Yankees winning the series four games to two in their unprecedented 27th championship. But it was the Phillies who took the three game series this year.

The final installment of this years Subway Series brought the Mets to Yankee Stadium, and both teams had first place in sight heading into this weekend.

The Mets won the first game, but the Yankees would go on to win the final two games of the series, and thus take the top spot in the AL East away form the Rays.  

This was also one of the few years that the Subway Series has had a lot of meaning for both teams at the same time, probably one of the most anticipated match ups between the Mets and Yanks since the 2000 Fall Classic.

Now in first place the Yankees can look forward to a few more World Series rematches out west.

Starting tonight, the Bombers take on the Arizona Diamondbacks in a rematch from that memorable 2001 World Series.

Arizona snapped the Yankees stretch of three straight World Series titles that year, but the regular season match ups between the two have been owned by the Yankees, who have won seven of the nine games against the   D-backs since 2001.

After their stop in the desert, the Bombers head to the west coast for a long awaited and much anticipated series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

This is a big series for several reasons, most of which is that it will be the first the Yankees will take on their former skipper Joe Torre.

The Dodgers also have a legendary “Yankee killer” by the name of Manny Ramirez, who the Yankees are not that excited to see I’m sure.

But the history between the Yankees and Dodgers goes back much further than Joe Torre and Manny.

The two iconic franchises have met in the World Series 11 times, more than any other AL and NL team in the history of the Fall Classic. 

Their first meeting was in 1941, while the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn, and the Yankees took the series four games to one. 

In fact the Yanks won the first five World Series match ups between the two, it wasn’t until 1955 that the Dodgers beat the Yankees.

Don Larsen threw the only no-hitter in postseason history against the Dodgers in 1956, and the Yankees won the title in seven games.

The Dodgers moved to L.A. in 1958, and swept the aging Yankees for the 1963 World Series crown behind the strong pitching of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.

The rivalry was renewed in the 1977 Fall Classic, the Dodgers looked like they were going to win it, but Reggie Jackson sealed the deal with his three home runs in game six, thus earning him the nickname Mr. October.

The Yanks beat L.A. again in ’78, and the Yankees had won back to back titles for the first time since since 1961 and ’62.

The Dodgers finally got their revenge in 1981 beating the Yankees four games to two in the last meeting between the rivals.

In 2004 the two met up in an interleague match up for the first time, and the Dodgers won two out of the three games in the most recent non-exhibition games between New York and L.A.

So the looming series out in Los Angeles has a lot more behind it than just the reunion between the Yankees and their former manager Joe Torre and nemesis Manny Ramirez.

Overall this years interleague slate for the Yankees has been interesting and challenging, and you can expect nothing less form the final two series against old NL rivals.

Damon to the Mets? I Don't Think So

Carlos Beltran is expected to miss the start of the season and probably not game ready at least until May, could the Mets turn their attention toward Johnny Damon? Ron Hart of Associated Content thinks it’s possible.

What Hart had to say:

“On paper, Johnny Damon to the Mets would make sense. When healthy, Beltran is one of the best all around center fielders in the game. But with his knee surgery this off-season, there is a good chance that he will not be ready until June, if at all. Damon is still a good offensive player, and while his defense would be more than a little suspect at Citifield, neither party has better options at this point.

But sometimes arrangements are most quickly made between two desperate parties. Both the Mets and Damon are desperate in a sense and both have needs that are roughly congruent. Damon is a defensive liability, to be sure, but his offense, charisma and big game ability will play well in New York.”

The fatal flaw of this idea is that Damon is a long-term solution to a short-term problem for the Mets. Hart seems to be expecting Beltran to be out until June which seems excessive. Typically arthroscopic surgery takes around 8-12 weeks to recover from and including rehab and time to make up for missing spring training it is realistic that he comes back by May, not June. It is possible, as with any surgery, that there can be complications, but in this situation it is unlikely.

The point is, the Mets will have a glut of outfielders by May if they sign Damon. Jeff Francour is in right and Jason Bay in left, the Mets just won’t have any at bats for Damon.

The fatal flaw might be overcome if Damon would be open to a position change, particularly to first base, but if that were to occur it would change the entire market for Damon and his options would expand beyond the reaches of Flushing.