Baseball fans have often commented on the excitement of the 1998 season. Among the historic events were the homerun race, led by Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa, the end of Cal Ripken's streak, and of course those spectacular Bronx Bombers. They broke records and made history. From David Well's Perfect Game in May, to the 114 games won in the regular season, to the 125 total games won, the American League Championship, and their sweep of The World Series Championship. They had outstanding pitching, fielding, and hitting.
The Yankees will be remembered as a determined team, with true heart. Their reaction to the news of Daryll Strawberry's colon cancer showed unmatched courage.
So what is my favorite moment from all this?
Game 3 of the World Series:
The Yankees were trailing the San Diego Padres 3-2. With two men on base, Scott Brosius walked to the plate, and sent the ball into the sky. Even after all his homeruns of the post-season, "we couldn't get so lucky," I thought to myself. "It will be probably be a pop fly." Sure enough, I watched as the ball went right over the stadium wall. As Brosius and his teammates ran the bases, I jumped up and down, cheering. My father, who was watching the game with me, clapped and cheered. Brosius leapt into the air higher than I thought possible. It was truly a sight to see.
The Padres deserve a lot of credit for that game, too. They played very well. They held the lead for most of the game, and almost came back to tie or even win it. They scored a run to narrow the lead to 5-4. In the bottom of the 9th inning, they loaded the bases. Mariano Rivera, the Yankee's Ace closing pitcher, brought the count to 3-2, with 2 outs. Any walk or hit would tie and potentially win the game for the Padres. I watched anxiously as Rivera threw the final pitch, striking out the batter and winning the 3rd game of the Series.
Just one more game to go. The Yanks had won the first 3. Fans were calling for a sweep, but I was nervous. The starting pitchers were scheduled to be Andy Pettite (Yankees) and Kevin Brown (Padres). Pettite had long been the NY Ace, but recently he had fallen into a slump. Kevin Brown, the SD Ace, had suffered a terrible loss in Game 1 to another Yankee great, David Wells. No one knew what to expect. "So they might lose 1 game," I thought. Needless to say, Pettite pitched a fantastic game, bringing back memories of when he pitched the winning game of the 1996 World Series.
One more thing:
As you have surely figured out by now, the Yankees are my absolute favorite team. I am, however, also a Met fan. (I love the Yanks, like the Mets, and do not care about any other team.) The Mets showed a lot of strength and potential last year. I look forward to their continued success, and hope that soon, perhaps even this season, there will be a Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets.
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