GAME 1 (Ebbets Field) Dodgers 4, Yankees 3:
How fitting for the tournament to be decided in a Subway Series managed by two local guys (Brooklyn/Staten Island) ? With both teams well rested it was a forgone conclusion that both managers would start their aces (El Duque & Newk), which the most certainly did. The '98 Bronx Bombers struck first in the top of the 2nd when Bernie led off with a single and Tino followed up with one of his own to make it 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Leadfoot Jorge Posada grounded into a 4-6-3 DP and New looked to be out of the jam until "The Rock" Tim Raines tripled Bernie home to break the ice. For the next 3 innings both hurlers were locked and loaded as no runs were able to score until the top of the 6th when the Bombers struck for 2 and almost blew the game open. Knobby led off with a walk, which was followed by Jeets singling. Up stepped Paul O'Neill with first and second and nobody out looking to do some damage. Pauly was a bit overanxious and fouled off the first two offerings. Deep in the hole he foulded off the next two, but ultimately he was fanned by a 96 mph Newcombe fastball. While Pauly was busy kicking the water cooler Bernie and Tino proceeded to supply RBI singles of their own to score Kobby and Jeets and increase El Duque's lead to 3-0. With his game on the ropes, Newk dug down deep and struck out Posada on 3 bullets and got Raines to pop out to Snider in center. The Bombers had a chance to blow it open here, but being up 3-0 with El Duque locked in a grove seemed automatic as well. Duque started the 8th, but immediately began to struggle as Reese walked on 4 straight pitches. That was it for the the Cuban native and big Jeff Nelson strolled in from the pen. With all his attention paid to the batter, Carl Furillo, Nelson lost track of Reese who promptly stole 2nd. Furillo then singled home Reese and reached second himself on a Wild pitch. The big guns, Snider and Campy, grounded out and it looked like Nelson was about to get out of it, but the
strong man from Indiana...one Gil Hodges singled to left to score Skoonj. With the score 3-2 Yankee Manager Ed Mikhli had had enough and he made a move that Joe Torre would have been proud of. He summoned the pen and brought in Mariano Rivera for a 4 out save. The Dodgers sent up pinch hitter Gene Hermanski, who fought off a Rivera cutter to ground to Jeter and end the inning. The Bombers went quietly in the 9th and it all rested on Mo's shoulders as it had so many times before. Lefty Cal Abrams led off with a seeing eye single to center. Livingston was brought off the bench specifically to bunt him over to second, which is successfully did. Up stepped the 1947 Rookie of the Year,
Jackie Robinson, who doubled of the screen in right field to score Abrams and tie the game. Mo rared back to strike out Reese, but lost control and beaned Furillo. With 2 out the Yanks decided to better their chances by matching Mo up against the right handed Campanella, so Snider was given an unintentional pass. Campy, a proud man who some think is not an intense athlete took the IBB as a snub and lined a hump back single to left to score Jackie and steal game 1 of the series.
How fitting for the tournament to be decided in a Subway Series managed by two local guys (Brooklyn/Staten Island) ? With both teams well rested it was a forgone conclusion that both managers would start their aces (El Duque & Newk), which the most certainly did. The '98 Bronx Bombers struck first in the top of the 2nd when Bernie led off with a single and Tino followed up with one of his own to make it 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Leadfoot Jorge Posada grounded into a 4-6-3 DP and New looked to be out of the jam until "The Rock" Tim Raines tripled Bernie home to break the ice. For the next 3 innings both hurlers were locked and loaded as no runs were able to score until the top of the 6th when the Bombers struck for 2 and almost blew the game open. Knobby led off with a walk, which was followed by Jeets singling. Up stepped Paul O'Neill with first and second and nobody out looking to do some damage. Pauly was a bit overanxious and fouled off the first two offerings. Deep in the hole he foulded off the next two, but ultimately he was fanned by a 96 mph Newcombe fastball. While Pauly was busy kicking the water cooler Bernie and Tino proceeded to supply RBI singles of their own to score Kobby and Jeets and increase El Duque's lead to 3-0. With his game on the ropes, Newk dug down deep and struck out Posada on 3 bullets and got Raines to pop out to Snider in center. The Bombers had a chance to blow it open here, but being up 3-0 with El Duque locked in a grove seemed automatic as well. Duque started the 8th, but immediately began to struggle as Reese walked on 4 straight pitches. That was it for the the Cuban native and big Jeff Nelson strolled in from the pen. With all his attention paid to the batter, Carl Furillo, Nelson lost track of Reese who promptly stole 2nd. Furillo then singled home Reese and reached second himself on a Wild pitch. The big guns, Snider and Campy, grounded out and it looked like Nelson was about to get out of it, but the
strong man from Indiana...one Gil Hodges singled to left to score Skoonj. With the score 3-2 Yankee Manager Ed Mikhli had had enough and he made a move that Joe Torre would have been proud of. He summoned the pen and brought in Mariano Rivera for a 4 out save. The Dodgers sent up pinch hitter Gene Hermanski, who fought off a Rivera cutter to ground to Jeter and end the inning. The Bombers went quietly in the 9th and it all rested on Mo's shoulders as it had so many times before. Lefty Cal Abrams led off with a seeing eye single to center. Livingston was brought off the bench specifically to bunt him over to second, which is successfully did. Up stepped the 1947 Rookie of the Year, Jackie Robinson, who doubled of the screen in right field to score Abrams and tie the game. Mo rared back to strike out Reese, but lost control and beaned Furillo. With 2 out the Yanks decided to better their chances by matching Mo up against the right handed Campanella, so Snider was given an unintentional pass. Campy, a proud man who some think is not an intense athlete took the IBB as a snub and lined a hump back single to left to score Jackie and steal game 1 of the series.
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