In 2002 and 2005 the Yankees faced the Angels in the ALDS and both times were unfortunately bounced in dramatic fashion. In 2002 the team still had a dominating starting rotation and a reliable bullpen. Pitchers on the team included, Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera, Steve Karsay, Orlando Hernandez and the list can go on. Bernie Williams was the only reliable guy out there manning Centerfield, and the corner outfield positions were not so solid and reliable. Guys like John Vander-Wal, the head case Raul Mondesi, Rondell White, Marcus Thames, Future Angel Juan Rivera, Karim Garcia and Shane Spencer all saw some time out their in the OF. Of course Jeter and Soriano were in the infield, that year saw the addition of Jason Giambi. But it also consisted of a mix of players like Robin Ventura, Enrique Wilson and Ron Coomer all vying for time at 3rd, while spelling some of the regulars here and there. So the team had pitching but no real offensive identity with the constant shuffle of players.
2005 was a year of improvement in some spots and a year of regression in some spots where we couldn't afford it. In the infield, Robinson Cano emerged on the scene and would become the future at 2nd base. Arod was on the team after being acquired in 2004 and Jason Giambi was still at 1st base. The corner outfield solution was solved by the additions of Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui. Melky Cabrera and Matt Lawton also played some OF for the team. This time however pitching seemed to be lacking. This is when the Yankees realized guys like Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano, Scott Proctor, Randy Johnson and Jaret Wright couldn’t hack it in New York and in the following years all them disappeared. Mussina, Wang and Rivera were the only people I trusted with the ball, but Aaron Small and Shawn Chacon also came on and caught a case of flash in the pan syndrome while they wore pinstripes. The pitching just lacked too much and the offense couldn't slug their way out of it.
2009 however is a whole new story for the Yankees. The additions of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher provided the team with a much-needed shot of life. Farm talent like Phil Hughes and Dave Robertson emerged in the bullpen and provided a bridge that was lacking to Mariano Rivera. Brett Gardner and Francisco Cervelli also came on from the minors and impressed. Cervelli called great games, played solid defense, hit his 1st homer in Atlanta and had a walk off base hit against the Blue Jays in September. Brett Gardner had a great year as well, flashing his speed in the outfield playing defense, stealing 26 bases and hitting an inside the park homer against the Minnesota Twins. This year pitching is plentiful and the offense is better then ever. The team was 1st with 244 homers, and 2nd in batting with a .283 average (2nd to the Angels ironically enough) and 1st in OPS with a team OPS of .839.
My point is it’s a new story tonight. The Yankees are a team firing on all cylinders. Starting Pitching, Bullpen, Bench and Offense are all there for the Yankees this time around. They’re not a team missing pieces anymore. Sure Johnny Damon is a liability in left and Swish has his moments in right, but they are two great players and perform when needed. This is by far the best team to face the Angels out of the 3 most recent playoff match-ups.
LETS GO YANKEES!
