PRELIMINARY ROUND
Series #125
2002 Seattle Mariners (93-69) vs 2014 New York Yankees (84-78)
After a historic 2001 season that saw Seattle win 116 games, the Lou Piniella lead club dropped down to 93 wins and missed out on the postseason. Sometimes a baseball season does not have the same magic from one to the next, however the talent level on this team is still substantial. Star hitter Edgar Martinez was limited to only 97 games and hit only .277 with a .888 OPS which was not his normal production. Ichiro had another excellent season hitting .321 with 8 triples, 31 steals, and 111 runs scored. Mike Cameron along with the Japanese star both played gold glove defense in the outfield and Cameron also hit 25 home runs despite his 176 strikeouts. Mark McLemore platooned with Ruben Sierra in left and both hit an identical .270 with the 36 year old showing more pop but less ability in the field. Brett Boone also came down to earth a bit but still was a power hitter at second base hitting 24 home runs and leading the team with 107 RBI. At 33 years old, first baseman John Olerud hit an even .300 and drove in 102 runs while adding to the good Mariner defense with his fine glove work. Jeff Cirillo had a rough season at third hitting only 6 home runs with a 70 OPS+ making him a clear liability. Carlos Guillen at short was a little better but not much with a .261 average and 24 double with gap like power. Dan Wilson hit an impressive .295 at catcher and dealt with the staff well and Ben Davis backed him up well. Scott Posednick and Jose Offerman may be two names that are recognizable on a relatively thin bench. Kaz Sasaki was still getting the job done as closer at 34 years old with 37 saves and a 2.61 ERA making close games an advantage for Seattle. Arthur Rhodes and Jeff Nelson also added to a very good bullpen that put most leads on lockdown. The rotation was lead by 39 year old Jamie Moyer, who was only getting started at that age. Moyer went 13-8 with a 3.32 ERA and always seemed to keep his team in games. Freddy Garcia was a winner and did win 16 times even if he did have some rough patches with a 4.39 ERA. Joe Piniero put together some nice work going 14-7 in 28 starts keeping in mind he was only 23 years of age. James Baldwin was the fourth starter but had a difficult go of it with a 5.28 ERA and 26 home runs allowed in 150 innings. John Halama was also given 10 starts but for the most part, Piniella liked to go with a 4 man rotation. The Mariners have some dynamic talents on thier team and should be poised for a competitive battle against a capable Yankees team.
In the final season of the storied career of Derek Jeter, Joe Girardi could not lead the 2014 Yankees to a storybook finish and missed the postseason with only 83 wins. The club was missing ARod due to suspension and could not keep pace with an excellent Oriole team that won 96 games. The Yankees had their own version of Ichiro but this one was 40 years old and obviously on the decline hitting .284 with only 22 RBI and 42 runs scored in 143 games. Brett Gardner lead the club in WAR hitting 17 long balls with 21 steals and 25 doubles. Jackoby Elbury was not living up to his potential in center field hitting only .271 with 16 home runs but he did bring 39 steals to the table and some good defense. Brian Roberts at 36 years old had the most work at second base but hit only .237 with a .659 OPS, Stephen Drew tired to help at the position but hit only .150 and was overmatched. Mark Teixeira was a shell of himself hitting only .216 and had a visible reduction in bat speed generating only 62 RBI with 22 home runs, some of the lowest numbers of his career. Kelly Johnson and Chase Headley tried to fill the void at third base but combined for only 12 home runs and just barely over 200 total bases. As for Jeter, he did not have a banner year at 40 years old hitting .256 with a .617 OPS and visibly the least range in the field of any shortstop in the game. Alfonso Soriano was a recognizable name on the bench but he also was showing his age with a .221 average and only 6 home runs in limited time. The Yankee bats were well past their glory days, and the results showed on the scoreboard. Despite all of this, the Yankees found a way to have a winning record and the top two arms in the rotation both from Japan were pretty good. Hiroki Kuroda was 11-9 with a 3.71 ERA and 146 strikeouts at the age of 39 while the big star was up and coming Masahiro Tanaka who went 1305 with a 2.77 ERA and definitely showed the he belonged with fine control and only 15 home runs allowed. The remainder of the rotation was a mix with Brandon McCarthy making 14 starts with a 2.90 ERA but fought off some injuries while David Phelps started in 17 games with a 4.38 but a good 73 K per nine. Shane Green made 14 starts and did well for himself however Vidal Nuno was hammered in his attempts to make the rotation and surely wont be used in this series. Michael Pineda added depth and had an impressive ERA under 2 while CC Sabathia made only 8 starts and was out for most of the season through arm trouble. The post Mariano Rivera era in the pen saw David Robertson as the closer saving 29 games with a 3.08 and some heat with 96 K in 64 innings. Dellin Betances was an excellent set up man holding his FIP to 1.64 while Matt Thornton and Adam Warren made for a deep and hard throwing pen any team would not want to be trailing against. The Yanks will need to find lighting in a bottle to compete in this series but many of the stars on the team do now how to win, and could put it all together at the right time. Lou Piniella takes on his former team, in what should be a good series.
Game 1 At Safeco Field
Indoors
2014 Yankees.......................0
2002 Mariners.......................5
WP: J. Halama (1-0) LP: M. Tanaka (0-1)
HR: J. Olerud (1)
POG: John Halama
2002 Mariners lead series 1-0
John Olerud hit a two run home run off Masahiro Tanaka in the bottom of the first inning to get the fans started at Safeco Field. John Halama then took things from there and pitched a dominant ballgame aided in part by his strong defense. Halama took the game into the 9th inning allowing no runs, striking out, seven, walking one, and scattering five hits. An impressive debut for Lou Piniella and its team as they defeat the Yankee ace.
Game 2 At Safeco Field
Indoors
2014 Yankees........................5
2002 Mariners........................2
WP: M. Pineda (1-0) LP: F. Garcia (0-1) S: D. Robertson (1)
HR: B. Gardner (1), J. Ellsbury (1), J. Olerud (2), B. Boone (1)
POG: Michael Pineda
Series tied at 1
The Yankees jumped on Freddy Garcia for five runs and knocked him out of the game after three innings as behind Michael Pineda they hang on to take a split in the series back home. Four home runs were hit in the game all solo shots including one by Jacoby Ellsbury who went 3 for 4 and made some very nice plays in centerfield. Pineda allowed only 4 hits and conceded the ninth to David Robertson who struck out one in his save. Now the scene changes to Yankee Stadium for three crucial games.
Game 3 At Yankee Stadium
Partly cloudy 59
2002 Mariners...................4
2014 Yankees...................3 (11 inn)
WP: K. Sasaki (1-0) LP: D. Robertson (0-1)
HR: R. Sierra (1), D. Wilson (1)
POG: Joel Piniero
2002 Mariners lead series 2-1
The Mariners get a step up in the series with an 11 inning road win at the Stadium. Dan Wilson hit a solo home run off David Robertson in the 11th inning catching up to a fastball to break a 3-3 tie. New York had tied the game in the 8th when Carlos Beltran singled off Arthur Rhodes that set the battle for extra innings. Joe Piniero had pitched will in a battle with Hiroki Kuroda before the late dramatic finish.
Game 4 At Yankee Stadium
Partly cloudy 54
2002 Mariners..........................7
2014 Yankees..........................1
WP: J. Moyer (1-0) LP: D. Phelps (0-1)
HR: M. Cameron (1)
POG: Mike Cameron
2002 Mariners lead series 3-1
Dan Wilson was at it again this time driving in three runs as the Mariners used a 5 run fifth inning to get to the Yankees and take total control of this series. On the mound was Jamie Moyer who changed speeds with great effect and held New York to one run after 8 innings. Mike Cameron hit a two run home run and had three hits in his break out game of the series and now the Mariners look to seal the deal with a sweep in the Bronx as game five looms.
Game 5 At Yankee Stadium
Partly cloudy 52
2002 Mariners.......................4
2014 Yankees.......................5
WP: M. Tanaka (1-1) LP: J. Halama (1-1) S: S. Kelley (2)
HR: C. Beltran (1), B. Roberts (1), E. Martinez (1)
POG: Ichiro Suzuki
2002 Mariners lead series 3-2
Brian Roberts hits a big three run home run in the 5th inning with the home team facing elimination. Masahiro Tanaka gets the win going six innings and striking out six even if he did nit have the best command; the Yanks pen held the lead and brought the win home. Ichiro went 4-5 for the Mariners and Edgar Martinez hit his first home run of the series. Seattle left 13 men on base and couldnt make the most of 10 hits and 2 Yankee errors. They will try to wrap up the series at home.
Game 6 At Safeco Field
Indoors
2014 Yankees.....................6
2002 Mariners.....................2
WP: M. Pineda (2-0) LP: F. Garcia (0-2)
HR: B. Roberts (2), Y. Solarte (1)
POG: Michael Pineda
Series tied at 3
The Yankees jumped on Freddy Garica in the very first inning to set the stage for a crucial game six win. Michael Pineda won his second game of the series going seven strong and allowing only two earned runs as the Mariners continue to struggle with runners in scoring position. Jacoby Ellsbury was 3-4 with two stolen bases while Brian Roberts went deep again and is hitting .368 in the series. The pressure mounts now as Safeco prepares for game seven where anything can happen.
Game 7 At Safeco Field
Indoors
2014 Yankees.......................5
2002 Mariners.......................0
WP: H. Kuroda (1-0) LP: J. Pineiro (0-1)
HR: C. Beltran (2), Y. Solarte (2), B. Gardner (2)
POG: Hiroki Kuroda
Often times in a game seven, it is a starting pitcher that throws a determined game and will not allow his team to lose the series. In this one, veteran Yankee arm Hiroki Kuroda did just that going 8 innings of 4 hit ball with 4 strikeouts and only one walk. The Yankees hit three home runs to account for their runs including a two run home run by Brett Gardner in the third inning. Mariner fans had almost nothing to cheer for in this one and that was the theme over the last three games and New York comes from a 1-3 deficit to stun the Seattle.
2014 New York Yankees Win Series 4 Games To 3
Series MVP:
Jacoby Ellsbury
(.393, .433 OBP, 1.112 OPS, 1 HR, 2 3B, 3 SB, 11 H, 5 R)