Yanks sweep DBacks --- Look ahead to Subway Series

Well the Yankees took on the Arizona Diamondbacks today in a matinee showing at the stadium and we earned a win and a sweep !
Now we're up to nine wins in a row and we got to witness yet another game with really good starting pitching.
This time it was from Andy Pettitte who went out and exorcised some of his personal demons with the Diamondbacks that he may have been carrying with him since the 2001 World Series.
Yes, I know Andy pitched games against the Diamondbacks when he pitched for the Houston, Astros in the National League --- but this was different.
This was the American League and he was pitching for the New York Yankees and it was in Yankee stadium.
Granted --- he lost both games in the 2001 World Series against Arizona on the road in Phoenix at the BOB...
And also granted, Randy Johnson pitched both of those games for the Snakes and got both of the wins in those two games...
But still...
It is some sort of symmetry...
In some weird way...
At least it felt that way to me...
I sort of wish we played a series against the DBacks on the road before inter league play ends so that he would get a possible crack at the Big Unit in Arizona to get one of those wins back.
It wouldn't change the outcome of the World Series almost 6 years ago now...
But it would be fun to see them duel in the desert again.
Maybe they could even try and convince George Junior to take time away from his plummeting approval ratings to toss out a ceremonial first pitch?
Anyhow, it was a few laps around memory lane for me these last few days as I've reminised about game Paulie lining that opposite field single in the bottom of the ninth and then watching Tino jimmy jacking a two run bomb into right center on the first pitch he saw from Byung Hyun Kim to tie the game at 3 and send it to extra innings. I've been remembering fondly how the stadium rocked after midnight when Jeter hit that walk off opposite field homer off of Kim to give the Yankees a walk off win and to tie the 2001 WS at two games each.
Then I can't help but think of game 5 in New York when with 2 outs in the ninth Scott Brosius drilled a 1-0 pitch over the left field wall for a homer that tied the game at two.
The World Series went into extra innings for two consecutive nights in a row with homers off of Kim and then in the 12th Soriano got a base knock off of Albie Lopez that drove in Knobby to win the game.
Possibly some of the most emotional games in World Series history under the back drop of the September 11th terrorist attacks and those 3 thrilling wins at Yankee stadium all felt like little individually wrapped World Series wins to me.
Those three games, especially the last two, in New York in that World Series had to be some of the most dramatic games played in World Series history.
And you know what?
Looking back at it --- I almost don't care that we didn't win.
I really almost don't.
Of course, I wanted to win and wish we had won.
Don't get me wrong.
But it doesn't bother me all that much when it gets brought up these days.
It's not like the 2003 World Series, or 2004 ALCS or the 2005, or the 2006 ALDS.
Those losses irritated me then and haunt me now.
But that 2001 series was just so emotional and thrilling and almost out right heroic that it still gives me goosebumps to think about it.
And who can forget Paul ONeill walking off of the field at Yankee Stadium that cool November night after the last out of game 5?
Who can forget the chants of "Paulie, Paulie, Paulie ... !!!" just a little bit earlier that night and how he doffed his cap to the fans?
What real Yankees fan will ever forget those moments?
Anyway, enough of my strolls thru the past.
In the present day --- Andy Pettitte pitched a great game today as he went 8 full innings in the ballgame and only allowed one run on four hits while striking out four and only walking one batter.
The starting pitching has been just great over the past 13 games as we've won 11 out of our last 13 ballgames and right now are in possession of a .847 win percentage in the first half of the month of June.
And it's the starting pitching that has gotten it done.
That and the once slumbering bats of Alex Rodriguez and Bobby Abreu seem to have woken up in a big way in the month of June as Bobby Abreu is hitting .421 in the past 10 games with 16 hits, 9 walks, and 12 RBI's in the past 10 games to go with Alex's .417 batting average, five home runs, and 21 RBI's in the last 10 games.
It's been a great streak so far and we really had the Diamondbacks on their heels these past three days and now we head into another Subway Series this weekend with the New York Mets.
This time we'll be playing in Yankee stadium and this time it's the Yankees that are surging and the Mets that are reeling in the last 10 games played.
Starting the game tomorrow night at the stadium will be Roger Clemens (RHP: 1-0, 4.50) against Oliver Perez (LHP: 6-5,3.21).
That game will be available on MY9, MLB.Tv, MLB Extra Innings, and on the radio in the New York area on WCBS radio.
First pitch is set for 7:05 EST in the Bronx.
Oliver Perez has been a loser in his last two starts for the Mets and has difficulty keeping the ball down. This past Saturday against the Tigers he allowed 12 baserunners in five innings of work in an 8 to 7 loss. At times this season he has seemed to struggle early and in his last start he gave up 3 runs in the first inning of the Detroit game.
Roger Clemens looked pretty sharp in his six inning outing last Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates as he stuck out seven and lasted past 100 pitches in route to his first win of the season.
This will be a big game for the Rocket and all eyes will be on the first game of the Subway series as he looks to extend the winning streak to a season high ten games and to push the Bombers to three games over .500.
So far in his career Roger Clemens has a 5.09 ERA in 10 games against the Mets.

That's all for now...
Two historic World Series rematches in 6 days.
The 2001 World Series and the 2000 World Series back-to-back.

Feel free to share some of your memories about either series in the comments section if you don't mind.

I'd love to hear them.

LETS GO YANKEES

Mike