Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Former New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon said during an interview on Sirius XM’s MLB Network Radio that Alex Rodriguez’s alleged PED use in 2009 season “diminishes” the Yankees’ world championship that season.
“Well I haven’t really gotten to think that far, but if that’s how he was able to hit in the postseason, like he did that year, then yeah, absolutely,” Damon said.
Now, many would agree with this statement about A-Rod, who hit .365 with six home runs and 18 RBIs in the 2009 postseason, but I’m not one of those people. I think that the 2009 championship had more to do with than just whether or not A-Rod was using PEDs.
If you remember, the Yankees were using a three-man rotation in throughout the entire postseason, with C.C. Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett. Those three pitched well in the postseason with Pettitte won all three series-clinching games, and the Yanks bullpen also pitched well in the World Series.
Yes, A-Rod had a good postseason, and yes, he had a couple of late-inning home runs against the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS, but when you look at the number in the World Series, A-Rod was not the biggest factor.
World Series MVP Hideki Matsui hit .613 (8-for-13) with three home runs and eight RBIs, including his historic Game 6 performance in which he went 3-for-4 with six RBIs. Derek Jeter batted .407 in the Fall Classic, and Damon himself hit .364 with team-highs in runs scored (six) and stolen bases (three) — even Pettitte had an RBI in the series.
Say what you will about A-Rod using PEDs to carry the Yankees through the playoffs on their way to the 29th championship in team history, but take a look at the stat sheet before you go too far.
It takes a total team effort in order to win the World Series, and the Yankees put in a total effort in each postseason game they played in 2009.
Gavin Ewbank is a Yankees writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow @GavinEwbank2013 on Twitter for more Yankees talk.
