One of the biggest things in sports is being dependable. Knowing your offense will always put up runs; in football, knowing your team can run; knowing your team plays defense. Being able to count on something in sports is a key to winning. Cliff Lee is exactly that, dependable. Should we be surprised that he shut the vaunted Yankees down when that’s what he’s done in every big game since he’s come to the Phillies?
Let’s also give credit to the Phillies offense – they did what they did against all of the teams prior to the Yankees. The Dodgers (twice), the Rockies, the Rays, and the Brewers – each series the Phillies won game one and in each series the Phillies offense made those teams pay. They outlasted C.C. Sabathia, got to the Yankees’ bullpen (a bullpen that seems to be more of a concern than the Phillies’ bullpen), and exposed them.
Onto Game 2. Wondering what we’ll see from Pedro. The dispassionate observers want a good series – I want the Phillies to destroy the Yankees. Let’s hope this is the beginning.