In recent Yankee playoff past they've started out with pitchers who either had the numbers of an ace but weren't (Chein-Ming Wang) or the stuff of an ace but didn't want to be (Mike Mussina). And while they've tried to groom youngsters (Phil Hughes, Joba Chamberlain) bring back old friends (Andy Pettitte) and guys who suddenly became really old once October rolled around (Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson) it seems as though they have truly found that ace in one CC Sabathia.

The "CC" of course could've meant Championship Caliber as far as the Bronx faithful were concerned Wednesday night.  Sabathia hasn't looked this good in a playoff start since he was younger than those aforementioned studs in the bullpen as a 20 year old rookie for the Cleveland Indians in 2001 against the 116 win Seattle Mariners where he went six strong allowing just two runs on six hits with five strikeouts for the win.

Yet in this start CC's control was impeccable with a "David Wellsian" zero walks and eight K's over 6 2/3 against the Twins to christen the new Yankee Stadium with a playoff victory, his first since defeating his current team in 2007.

While Sabathia did get into some trouble in the third which saw Joe Mauer score on a p****ed ball, the MVP of October had something to say about that in the bottom half of the frame.

I suppose we call him Mr. .1000 now because that's what he's batting after Game One of the ALDS.  After Melky Cabrera reached on an infield hit, as if on cue Derek Jeter smacked a two-run shot down the line in left to square the game at two.  Jeter doesn't typically pull the ball to left when he homers, but that drive was historic for two reasons.  Jeter tied Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle for third on the all-time post-season home run list with 18, putting him only behind former teammate Bernie Williams (22) and Manny Ramirez (28).  The home run also the first post season dinger to be clocked in the new Yankee Stadium.

The very next inning Nick Swisher hit a frozen rope double to left, scoring Robinson Cano all the way from first to pump up the crowd and put the Yankees up for good.

In the bottom of the fifth after Jeter recorded a walk and moved to second on a fielder's choice, the man who hit the last post-season HR in the old Yankee Stadium Alex Rodriguez picked up a clutch two out RBI single to center, increasing the Yankees lead to 5-2. 

That chased Twins lefty starter Brian Duensing (the other left-hander wearing # 52) and brought on another young left-hander Francisco Liriano.  Perhaps someone should've told Minnesota Manager Ron Gardenhire that Hideki Matsui homers off lefties pretty well too, with nearly half (13) of his 28 coming in the regular season against such pitching. 

Hence Matsui whose first HR at the old Yankee Stadium came on a grand slam against the Twins and Joe Mays on Opening Day of 2003, oddly enough in the fifth inning, slammed a home run of the two run variety that bounced off the restaurant in center putting New York up 6-2.

From there Sabathia continued to roll before handing the ball off to Phil Hughes with two outs in the seventh.  Hughes who ended up with the last Yankee playoff win at the old Stadium in relief, was absolutely dominant.  Hughes struck out Orlando Cabrera who'd had two hits up to that point to retire the side.

In the bottom frame it was nearly the same formula as the fifth.  Jeter walked and A-Rod knocked in Jeter from third with another two out smash to rightfield to tack on another run, 7-2 Yanks.

As the game moved along to the eighth the Yanks bullpen made short work of the Twins, really short work.  After a Joe Mauer base knock, Hughes struck out Michael Cuddyer.  Then Phil Coke was brought on to face Jason Kubel and needed only one pitch to get Kubel to line out to first.  With two down Chamberlain came on and only needed two pitches himself to induce Delmon Young into an inning ending fielder's choice to short. 

By the way how much do those three relievers make Chip Caray?

Legendary closer Mariano Rivera came in to get some work in the ninth picking up two strikeouts and of course he slammed the door on the Twins, giving the Yankees a 1-0 lead in the 2009 ALDS.

Starting in 1995 the New York Yankees have made the playoffs 14 out of 15 times.  With Yankee Stadium II having ended operations after 2008, I felt it fitting to reflect and list my top 12 playoff moments at The House George Renovated before they christen the new yard with post season baseball for the first time.  With apologies to Reggie Jackson and Chris Chambliss, I'm naming the moments I've seen in my lifetime.

# 12.) 2001 ALCS Game 4, Seattle Mariners @ New York Yankees: After getting blown out in game 3 of the series at home 14-3, the Yankees led the best of seven 2-1.  In game 4 the Yankees had been held scoreless for seven innings, while the Mariners got on the board with a run in the top half of the 8th on a Brett Boone solo HR making it 1-0 M's.  However in the bottom of the 8th with one out, Bernie Williams took Arthur Rhodes deep to knot it at 1-1. 

  Then in the bottom of the 9th with one out and one on, Alfonso Soriano homered off of Kaz Sasaki to win the game 3-1, putting the Yanks up 3-1 in the series.

 

With their 116 win season on the line, the M's were clearly pressing, prompting manager Lou Pinella to boldly state they would be going back to Seattle for game six. 

 

# 11.) 2001 ALCS Game 5, Seattle Mariners @ New York Yankees: After this game the M's would be going back to Seattle, however there would be no game six.  New York which had suffered through the horrific attacks of 9/11/2001, seemingly let out all off their emotions and grief and the Yankees took it out big time on the Mariners.  The Yankees sent the Mariners packing 12-3 on the back of three homers by Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill and Tino Martinez.  The Yankees won their 4th AL Pennant in a row, the first and only AL team to do so in the modern playoff era.  It was the last HR for Paulie, but not for Tino... that's later down the list.

# 10.) 1999 ALCS Game 1, Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees: The first playoff series ever for the two blood rivals.  Seemingly tamer than recent years but intense nonetheless.  The Red Sox led most of the way, 3-2 going into the 7th until the Yankees tied the score.  The two sides then took it to the bottom of the 10th without scoring, until Bernie Williams went boom, leading off the 10th with a walkoff solo shot to dead center for the 4-3 win.  Other than a blip on the radar in game 3 at Fenway Park, the Yankees rolled up the competition in 1999 going 11-1, but their walkoff magic wasn't done as you'll see down the list.

 

# 9.) 2000 World Series Game 1, New York Mets @ New York Yankees: The first Subway Series, World Series game since the New York Yankees defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in game seven of that series at Ebbets Field.

 

This was a game in which the Mets mental errors cost them dearly.  In what was the first of two great pitching duels between Andy Pettitte and ex-Yankee Al Leiter, the game was ultimately decided with the team having better concentration.  In the top of the 6th the Mets had Pettitte on the ropes, when Todd Zeile doubled off the top of the leftfield wall.  With Timo Perez loafing around the bases, David Justice picked up the ball fired it to Derek Jeter who cut across and gunned it to Jorge Posada who tagged out Perez at home plate.

 

  Sparked by this the Yanks notched two in the bottom half of the inning making it 2-0.  The Mets however struck right back with 3 in the top of the 7th.  In the bottom of the 9th Paul O'Neill worked the biggest walk of this dynasty this side of Wade Boggs, off of Armando Benitez. 

 

Consecutive singles by Luis Polonia and ex-Met Jose Vizcaino set the stage for a bases loaded game tying sac fly by Chuck Knoblauch, making it 3-3.  Vizcaino would comeback to haunt the Mets once again in the bottom of the 12th with a bases loaded single to left, driving in Tino Martinez for the 4-3 victory. 

 

# 8.) 1995 ALDS Game 2, Seattle Mariners @ New York Yankees: Sure the Yankees eventually lost this series but for Buck Showalter's boys this was the biggest, craziest post-season win Stadium fans had seen in a long time.  It was a seesaw affair between the two clubs with the M's leading 2-1 in the 6th.  In the bottom half of the 6th Ruben Sierra the homered to tie the game up at two a piece.  Then it was bedlam in the Bronx as The Captain Don Mattingly smacked his first post-season HR to put the Yanks in front 3-2, sending the Stadium crowd into a frenzy, showering the field with debris and prompting manager Lou Pinella to pull his team off the field. 

 

After the back to back HR's in the 6th, Seattle struck back with two runs in the 7th to take the lead 4-3.  That didn't last for long, when in the bottom of the 7th, Paul O'Neill took Norm Charlton yard making it a 4-4 game.  Each team would trade runs in the 12th and played on until the 15th.  In the home half of the 15th Jimmy "The King" Leyritz took Tim Belcher deep with a two-run blast in the late night driving rain to cap off a late October win in the Bronx.  This of course was only a precursor of clutch October HR's to come in the career of Leyritz.

# 7.) 1999 World Series Game 3, Atlanta Braves @ New York Yankees: Upon getting roughed up in first two games down in Atlanta, the Braves were primed to do what the Yankees had done to them in 1996, come back and win the series in four straight after dropping the first two.  After knocking around Andy Pettitte early, just as they had in game 1 in 1996, the Braves had jumped out to a 5-1 lead through four innings.  The Yankees as they did on numerous occasions in the 1990's started to chip away.  Chad Curtis homered off of starter Tom Glavine, cutting the lead to 5-2 in the 5th.  In the 7th Tino Martinez added a solo shot of his own off Glavine, slashing the deficit to 5-3.  Then Chuck Knoblauch who'd tormented the Braves in the 1991 World Series as a member of the Minnesota Twins, also tagged Glavine with a two-run game tying blast to rightfield. 

 

Finally in the bottom of the 10th, Curtis clocked his 2nd HR of the game for the winner off Mike Remlinger to deep leftfield, circled the bases and on behalf of Pete Rose, promptly told reporter Jim Gray to stuff it. 

 

# 6.) 1998 World Series Game 1, San Diego Padres @ New York Yankees: If they didn't win this World Series they would've accomplished a lot for naught.  Having won 114 games in the regular season, anything less than a title to this group would've been an abject failure.  Ricky Ledee who ripped Padres pitching in this series, got the ball rolling in the bottom of the 2nd with a two-run double to rightfield off Kevin Brown.  Surprisingly though the Yankees ace that year David "Boomer" Wells, allowed five runs through the 5th including HR's to Greg Vaughn and Tony Gwynn putting the Padres out front 5-2.  In the bottom of the 7th though it was two moments of atonement which spurred the Yankees on to victory.  Chuck Knoblauch hit a game tying three run blast off reliever Donnie Wall making it 5-5.  Tino Martinez then took Mark Langston upper-tank for a grand slam, giving the Yanks a 9-5 lead, capping off a seven run seventh.  The Yanks went on to win 9-6 and swept the series 4-0.

 

# 5.) 1996 ALCS Game 1, Baltimore Orioles @ New York Yankees: After their first playoff series victory in 15 years, the Yanks made their first trip back to the ALCS since 1981.  On this day October day at the Stadium there was plenty of magic, mystique and Maier.  Setting the stage, Baltimore on the strength of HR's from Brady Anderson and Rafael Palmeiro, led 4-3 heading into the bottom of the 8th.  That's when all hell broke loose.  A child shall lead them and if that's not enough another one will help him.  Now I'll always maintain that if there had been no interference, given the trajectory of the ball it would've gone off the top of the wall for at least a double, because Tony Tarasco didn't leap for it.  But Derek Jeter with an assist from 12 year old fan Jeffrey Maier, tied the game on what was ruled a HR to rightfield, off Armando Benitez and as a result we see where both post-season careers of Jeter and Benitez have gone since.

With the game tied at 4-4 Bernie Williams went boom, leading off the bottom of the 11th taking Randy Myers deep to left to give the Yanks and exciting walkoff win.

 

# 4.) 2001 World Series Game 5, Arizona Diamondbacks @ New York Yankees: Between games 4 and 7 this one seemingly gets lost in the shuffle but shouldn't.  The Yankees off a comeback victory in game 4 made a sort of deja vu history once again.  Unfortunately their offense couldn't muster anything for eight innings against D-Backs pitching.  Rod Barajas and Steve Finley had taken Mike Mussina deep, spoiling his brilliant ten strikeout performance.  With the D-Backs about to steal back momentum and the series lead heading back to Arizona, the Yankees struck back for the 2nd night in a row in the bottom of the 9th.  Jorge Posada doubled to left to start off the inning, then with two outs and the Yanks on their last leg, Mr. Clutch since his arrival in 1998 Scott Brosius clocked a game tying homer to left off of Byung-Hyun Kim tying the game at 2-2. 

 

 As the game moved to the bottom of the 12th, Chuck Knoblauch led off with a single, Brosius bunted him into scoring position and Alfonso Soriano continued his 2001 playoff heroics with his single to right off Albie Lopez to plate Knoblauch for the 3-2 win.  The Yankees took the series lead 3-2 and this win gave them a record 10 straight World Series home victories.  It was also Paul O'Neill's final game at Yankee Stadium.

 

# 3.) 2001 World Series Game 4, Arizona Diamondbacks @ New York Yankees: While game 5 is great on its own, the magnitude just isn't the same without game 4.  With the game tied 1-1 the D-Backs took the lead 3-1 in the top of the 8th.  Things were looking pretty dire for the Yankee offense, until Tino Martinez made his first hit of the series his best one.  After Paul O'Neill had singled to left, Martinez drilled the two-out offering from Kim who as mentioned would be victimized a night later in the same scenario by Scott Brosius, over the wall to tie the game at three a piece. 

 

The very next inning in the bottom of the 10th also with two outs Derek Jeter became forever known as Mr. November hitting one into the short porch in right off Kim for the 4-3 walkoff win.

 

# 2.) 2003 ALCS Game 7, Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees: Given the scope, intensity, rivalry and nature of the game and its outcome, this may well have been the best baseball game I've ever watched and boy did it live up to the hype.  Everything was on the table, bragging rights, "The Curse of the Bambino," and more importantly the AL Pennant and a trip to the World Series.  In what was starting to look like Roger Clemens' last start ever, The Rocket got lit up for two homers by Jason Varitek and Kevin Millar that staked Boston out to a 4-0 lead in the 4th. 

 

Of course in game seven as far as pitchers, all hands are on deck.  In that 4th inning with two on, Clemens exited and Mike Mussina came on for his first ever career relief appearance.  Mussina struck out Varitek and got Johnny Damon to ground into a 6-6-3 inning ending double play, keeping the Yankees in the game. 

 

The Yankees then chipped away off Pedro Martinez when Jason Giambi connected for two solo HR's in the 5th and 7th cutting the lead to 4-2. 

 

When it finally looked as if the Yankees were back in it, the Red Sox came back with a solo shot of their own as David Wells surrendered a HR to David Ortiz making it 5-2 Boston going into the bottom of the 8th.  That's when the Yankees caught fire off Martinez.  With 1 out Derek Jeter doubled to center. 

 

Bernie Williams followed suit with a single to center of his own, knocking in Jeter and reducing the lead to 5-3. 

 

Hideki Matsui then roped a double to rightfield and Williams advanced to 3rd. 

 

With runners in scoring position, Jorge Posada blooped a two-run game tying double to shallow left-centerfield making it 5-5.  Posada was pumped and the Stadium roared. 

 

 Mariano Rivera then added to his Hall of Fame playoff legacy with three epic shutout innings of relief, that would eventually earn him ALCS MVP honors. 

 

Then with the game still tied 5-5 in the bottom of the 11th, the improbable Aaron Boone, Willie Randolph's sleeper pick, hit a lead-off, walkoff pinch hit homer to win the Yankees 39th AL Pennant and a trip to the World Series.  The Yankees won the game 6-5 and the ALCS 4-3.

# 1.) 1996 World Series Game 6, Atlanta Braves @ New York Yankees: Ok so I said the last game was the best I've ever seen, but the number one game to me has the most special meaning and significance.  It was the night the underdog Yankees completed their improbable run which included a slew of human interest stories and ultimately what was to be the birth of a dynasty. 

 

Everyone had counted them out, every step of the way.  They'd just come off a crushing series loss the year before, Joe was supposedly clueless, Doc and Darryl were in the baseball waste bin, Coney was fighting for his life and of course there was no way they could win with that rookie kid Jeter starting at SS.  Even when they made it to the World Series, the doubters said no way could they beat the defending champion Braves, the "team of the 90's," and there was no way after losing their first two at home in ugly fashion that they could sweep the Braves on the road and come back home to win it, beating three Hall of Fame pitchers in Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Greg Maddux along the way.  But they did.  After sweeping out the Braves in Atlanta to go 8-0 on the road in the 1996 playoffs, the Yankees came home to try and clinch title number 23, their first in 18 years.  The first one I'd seen in my lifetime.

Jimmy Key went against Greg Maddux in a rematch of game 2.  Key, one of the first early 90's Yankees to help create the winning culture in the Bronx was more than solid allowing just one run in 5/1/3 innings. 

 

The Yankees struck for 3 in the 3rd off Maddux and it would be all they'd need, as Paul O'Neill doubled to right, Mariano Duncan moved him to 3rd on a grounder, Joe Girardi then tripled to center off his former Chicago Cubs battery-mate, plating O'Neill for the 1-0 lead and the Stadium absolutely shook.  Derek Jeter then singled Girardi home for the 2-0 edge.  After stealing 2nd, Jeter scored on what turned out to be the game winning RBI, a line drive single to center by Bernie Williams, as the two emerging young cornerstones of this Yankee dynasty gave the Bombers a 3-0 lead.  The Yankee bullpen was sharp once again, including getting two scoreless innings out of Mariano Rivera late. 

 

Eventual World Series MVP closer John Wetteland in his typical fashion made things interesting in the bottom of the 9th.  The defending champs wouldn't go quietly as Marquis Grissom knocked in Ryan Klesko, cutting the lead to 3-2.  Then with the tying run in scoring position and the go-ahead run at first, Wetteland got Mark Lemke to pop into foul territory along the 3rd base side by the stands and Charlie Hayes gloved it for the final out of the game and series.  Wetteland's World Series record 4th save and the Yankees won their 23rd title, in what would become their next dynasty, eventual team of the decade, team of the century. 

 

The question now stands, will the ghosts still emerge this October at The New Yankee Stadium?

Considering that I am usually the advocate of the Capital Region having a Double-A or Triple-A franchise, I'd like to thank the Tri-City ValleyCats organization and the fans of this area for proving my point, that 15 years after the Albany Colonie Yankees left town, minor league baseball can thrive in this area.  

Put this into perspective, the TCVC's averaged 4,293 per game in 2009, 145,976 overall, most (and in the case of some season's more) in this area since the Double-A AC Yanks in the early 1990's.  If one averaged that over a regular long season minor league home schedule of 70 home dates, the ValleyCats would have totaled 300,510 fans on the season!  That amount would have been the most in this area since the AC Yanks drew over 316,034 fans in 1986!

Now say what you will about poor early spring weather (around these parts we call that July!) but one also has to factor in just how many more fans could've packed "The Joe" with a higher level of talent, at least a competitive team with possibly a different parent club and possibly expanded seating to accommodate more people  

Additionally take this into account, the ValleyCats on average outdrew half of the 12 team Eastern League.  This includes the Binghamton Mets and the Norwich team which is dead last in attendance.  Of course you'll recall Norwich is where the Yankees initially moved their Double-A team to from Albany before eventually landing where they are now in Trenton.  Tri-City also beats out the Bowie Baysox and Harrisburg Senators who were both around back in 1994 when the AC Yanks were still around.

To the ValleyCats' credit, considering the losing of the last three years and the way attendance has only grown leaps and bounds, the organization should be applauded.  The NY Penn League is comprised of mostly college ballplayers making their first go-round in professional ball.  While some franchises spend a lot more on prospects than others, it is mostly a crap-shoot.  Virtually everyone is in the same boat and unlike other levels there aren't reinforcements coming when guys get hurt or called up.

That having been said, after crunching all the numbers and listing out all the facts, if you still don't believe this area should have and can support at least a Double-A team, you are either lying, have ulterior motives or just plain don't want that or any kind of minor league baseball to succeed in this area. 

And if you don't believe we can get back to a higher level of professional ball after such a long hiatus, I have one analogy and five words for you: Adirondack Phantoms AHL hockey club.

These ain't sleepy Joe's Yankees.  They certainly aren't your average Joe's.  But they are Girardi's kind of Joe's and believe you me they aren't afraid to give a nice Joltin' to anybody.

When one considers that the Boston Red Sox have had more of their pitchers run than players scoring a run over the last 24 innings, it shouldn't be a shock that they regressed even further against CC Sabathia, only reaching as far as second base.

 

Sabathia was perfect going into the fifth inning and struck out nine over 7 2/3 innings of two hit shutout ball. 

The Red Sox showed all game just how petty and desperate they are, nearly plunking Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira in the early going, finally nailing A-Rod in the seventh, warranting an ejection of reliver Ramon Ramirez.  Makes one wonder if the BoSox will go after recently designated for assignment starter and notorious bean-baller Vicente Padilla.

In the fourth the Yanks got their scoring started with Teixeira driving home Melky Cabrera for the 1-0 lead.  Then in the sixth the Yanks played some small ball.  After Robinson Cano doubled for one of his three hits on the afternoon, Nick Swisher sacrificed Cano over to third and after Cabrera was intentionally walked, Jose Molina hit a sac fly to center to bring home Cano, giving the Yanks a 2-0 edge.

After Swisher picked up an RBI walk in the seventh it was all Carsten Charles in charge, better make that large and in charge!

Top eight, upon getting J.D. Drew to line-out to Cano, Sabathia reared back and made Casey Kotchman look absolutely weak at the dish.  Sabathia made pitch number 123 count with authority and walked off the mound to a thunderous roar from the Stadium crowd.

From there it was just a formality with Derek Jeter clocking a two run shot in the bottom frame, his 12th on the year to keep the Stadium HR streak intact, allowing the Bombers to blank the BoSox by a final count of 5-0.

So for the Yanks its their sixth win in a row and their MLB leading 68th victory of the season.  What 'cha know Joe?  They ain't foolin'