ALDS Game 3: Oct 9, 1999 (L: 3-0)
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My Commentary

I have one rude remark to say about this series, but Q)(#%)Q#*(%)@#% THE YANKEES!

Once again, the Rangers go 3 and out against New York in the post season.  I don't know what else to say.  9 straight losses to the Yankees in the post season.  5 of the last 6 have been shutouts.  Our pitching was again good (the single mistake was the Loaiza home run).  We can't score against the Yankees in the post season.  It's as simple as that.

I'm rather depressed about the end of the season, tell you the truth.   We lost 3-0, and we had chances, we couldn't come through.  I don't really feel like writing about the final game of the season.  Especially this one.  :(    

I'll be doing some off season remarks, and I'll be maintaining the site during the off season, so I'm not shutting down till February.  Thanks for visiting, and it's been a great ride the season.  I intend on doing it all again in 2000.

Oh yeah, I was at the game, and took my digital camera.  Will be posting some pictures of the game shortly.

-- Joe Siegler

Game Recap

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (TICKER) -- Roger Clemens finally found his postseason groove. The Texas Rangers are still looking for theirs.

Clemens pitched seven scoreless innings to win a postseason game for the first time in 13 years and the New York Yankees completed a sweep of their American League Division Series with a 3-0 blanking of the punchless Rangers.

"He threw well enough to win," Rangers manager Johnny Oates said. "We scored no runs and we had some chances to score some runs. The bottom line is that we still put zeros on the board."

Clemens allowed three hits and two walks while striking out two as he displayed the form that has made him a five-time Cy Young Award winner. However, that form has not carried to the postseason, where he is only 2-2 in 10 starts.

The hard-throwing righthander's only postseason win came in the 1986 AL Championship Series against California. Since then, he was winless in six starts, all with Boston in 1986, 1988, 1990 and 1995.

"I think he had a chance to turn the page and start over tonight," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "He kept his emotions intact, which I thought was the big key for him because his stuff was terrific."

Coming off consecutive Cy Young Awards with Toronto, Clemens somewhat struggled this year, going 14-10 with a 4.60 ERA. Energized by pitching in his home state, he was in control throughout, allowing only two runners to reach second.

Clemens appeared to injure his leg in the seventh. Jeff Nelson started the eighth before being replaced by Mariano Rivera, who pitched two scoreless innings for his second save of the series. He also lowered his career postseason ERA to 0.47.

"I didn't want to get in trouble, so I put in Rivera," Torre said. "You can look at him and tell he has fire in his eye."

To the Rangers, all of the Yankees' pitchers have looked like Clemens and Rivera. After leading the league in batting at .293 and scoring 945 runs during the season, the AL West champions hit .152 and scored just one run in the series -- matching their total from last year's Division Series sweep, also at the hands of the Yankees.

"The Rangers lineup is dangerous," Clemens said. "We were fortunate to get through these games."

"It's been the same thing the whole series -- we never got our offense going," Oates said.

Texas has lost nine straight playoff contests since winning Game One of the 1996 Division Series against New York.

"It's very hard to take," Rangers second baseman Mark McLemore said. "We came into this year with a better ballclub and the same thing happened again. It's tough to deal with."

The defending World Series champion Yankees captured their 10th straight postseason game and await the winner of the other AL Division Series between Cleveland and Boston. Cleveland has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

Rangers starter Esteban Loaiza made one mistake, but with the way his team has been hitting, it was enough to cost Texas the game. Darryl Strawberry launched a three-run homer in the first inning that gave Clemens a cushion before even throwing a pitch.

"When you get a three-run lead, you should feel good," Clemens said. "When Straw hit that home run to get us going, it was a big lift for us."

In his first postseason start, Loaiza surrendered three runs, five hits and a walk in seven innings, striking out four. He was as good as Clemens after the first inning but the damage was done.

"It was just the first inning," Loaiza said. "We had a lot more left and one mistake cost the whole game. It's going to be hard for me to forget about it."

"Certainly giving up a three-run homer in the first inning is not the best thing that can happen to you," Oates said. "But our pitchers kept battling. Este gave us a good outing."

Loaiza struck out Chuck Knoblauch to start the game but nearly gave up a homer to Derek Jeter, whose blast hit the top of the wall in left-center field. As Jeter rounded second, he ran into McLemore, who was called for obstruction as Jeter was given third.

Bernie Williams walked and Tino Martinez struck out before Strawberry crushed a 1-0 pitch 415 feet into the left-center field bleachers for his eighth career postseason homer and a 3-0 lead.

"It feels special. It always feels special when you come through in a big situation," Strawberry said. "When you get three runs and you have Roger Clemens on the mound, you have to feel good about your chances."

"The first inning, I just wish I could have it all back," Loaiza said. "It was a sinker away that stayed on the corner."

Clemens got a 1-2-3 first and both pitchers settled in. Loaiza allowed only singles to Williams and Strawberry until Ricky Ledee singled to open the seventh. Loaiza got three quick outs to end that threat.

In the bottom of the fourth, Juan Gonzalez singled between outs and Todd Zeile walked, but Lee Stevens grounded out to first. In the sixth, Greer walked with one out and moved to second on a grounder by Gonzalez. However, Clemens got Rafael Palmeiro on a comebacker.

"Our attitude on the bench (after the homer) was that we still had nine innings to go, but Roger Clemens was throwing the ball well," Rangers left fielder Rusty Greer said.

Recap #2

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Of all the rebounds in Darryl Strawberry's career, this one tops the list. 

Strawberry hit a three-run homer in the first inning and Roger Clemens made it stand up Saturday night, sending the New York Yankees into the AL championship series with a 3-0 victory over the Texas Rangers that capped a first-round sweep. 

Last year, Strawberry announced he had colon cancer the day before New York played in Texas. The Yankees finished a first-round sweep the next day and dedicated the victory to their ailing teammate. 

This year, he came to The Ballpark unsure he'd even be in the lineup. He rewarded manager Joe Torre's faith and his teammates' patience with his comeback, which almost was derailed by an April arrest in Florida. 

"I have considered how far I've come, even with the mistake I made down in Tampa. It's a big opportunity for me," Strawberry said. "These guys are great, they're my teammates, I love them all. They stand by me and I'm glad we have a chance to play in the next round." 

New York will start the ALCS at home Wednesday night against the winner of the Cleveland-Boston series. The Indians, whom the Yankees beat in six games last year on their way to the World Series title, lead the Red Sox 2-1. 

For the Yankees, their 10th straight postseason win put them a step closer to their 25th Series championship and their third in four years. They also kept headed toward a Subway Series as the New York Mets advanced to the NLCS earlier Saturday. 

For Clemens, his seven shutout innings of three-hit ball were certainly enough to placate Yankees fans who had been waiting, ever since he was acquired this spring from Toronto, for him to show the form that won five Cy Youngs. He earned his second postseason win in 10 starts, his other victory coming in 1986. 

"Tonight, he kept his emotions intact, which I thought was the key for him because his stuff was terrific," Torre said. "Roger Clemens was Roger Clemens. He was the pitcher we traded for." 

Said Clemens: "I was pretty good tonight. I just tried to get it done." 

For the Rangers, this was another disappointing end as they lost their ninth straight playoff game -- all to the Yankees. This marked the second straight year hard-hitting Texas scored a total of one run in an opening-round sweep by New York. 

"In my eyes, I don't see this as a step backwards," Texas manager Johnny Oates said. "We still want to be world champions. I'm confident it'll happen soon." 

This game was as good as over with two outs in top of the first when Strawberry went with a low and away breaking ball from Esteban Loaiza and sent it 415 feet into the left-center field stands for a 3-0 lead. 

"I sensed we were very quiet, very tense at the beginning of the game," Torre said. "Darryl's homer sure woke us up." 

At that point, the white towels waved by the 50,269 fans at The Ballpark to fire up the Rangers could've been a sign of surrender considering how bad their team was hitting. 

After scoring 5.83 runs per game in the regular season, the Rangers did nothing in this series, batting only .152 as a team. They hit .141 last year and overall have scored just two runs in their last 60 playoff innings. 

Things were supposed to be different this time after the best season in team history. Instead, this game was the Rangers' worst of all. 

"I've got a few months to analyze what happened in this playoff and see how we can score at will pretty much in the season and then in three games not even smell home plate," Oates said. 

They were held to five hits by Clemens, Jeff Nelson and Mariano Rivera and got only two runners past first base. Rivera pitched two innings for his second save of the series. 

Strawberry was locked in long before the game as he wowed teammates in batting practice by consistently reaching far-away seats. 

In a way, his incredible revival shouldn't be surprising. For all Strawberry has been through, the one consistent thing has been his sweet swing. It's the reason baseball keeps giving him second chances. 

Another mid-1980s prodigy who came through was Clemens, who is seeking his his first World Series title to go with his individual pitching awards. 

The Rocket wasn't dominating, but he didn't have to be. He struck out two and walked two. 

His biggest inning was the first, and not because of the Rangers. What Clemens really was battling was eight days of rest and the emotions of his first playoff start in four years, plus the fact it was coming before dozens of friends and family in his home state. 

But Clemens handled it like a big-game pitcher is supposed to: He struck out leadoff hitter Mark McLemore looking on four pitches and needed just three more to retire the side. 

His only jam was in the fourth when a two-out walk to Todd Zeile put runners on first and second. But Lee Stevens grounded out to first on the next pitch. 

Loaiza, making his playoff debut, allowed only two runners to reach second after Strawberry's homer, both with two outs. In seven innings, he allowed five hits, three runs and a walk while striking out four. 

GAME NOTES: The Rangers were 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position in the series. ... Unable to get hits off Clemens, Tom Goodwin and Juan Gonzalez hit balls that hit him. Both turned into outs at first. ... Torre wouldn't say whether David Cone, who would've started Game 4, would be his Game 1 starter in the ALCS. ... Former Dallas Cowboys star Roger Staubach took his ceremonial first pitch so seriously that he warmed up and took a glove to the mound. Sure enough, the toss had some zing to it. ... With losses by the Rangers and Houston Astros, there's no chance for a Texas vs. New York finals in baseball as there was in the NHL, NBA and WNBA this season. Teams from the Lone Star State won the other three. ... The Yankees won 12 straight postseason games -- all in the World Series -- from 1927-32. ... Texas was shut out seven times in the regular season, and twice by the Yankees in the playoffs. ... Yankees right fielder Paul O'Neill did not play because of a bruised side. He should be OK for the ALCS. 

Photos
(Click on the ones with an outline for a larger image)

Joe Torre & Don Zimmer at Friday workouts	Roger Clemens at Friday workouts	Roger Clemens at Friday workouts	Esteban Loaiza at Friday workouts	Esteban Loaiza at Friday workouts

Joe Torre at a Friday press conference	Roger Clemens at a Friday press conference	Johnny Oates at a Friday press conference	Esteban Loaiza at a Friday press conference	Ranger fan Annie Davidson of Ft. Worth

Pudge & Jorge Posada before the game.	Roger Staubauch throws out the first pitch	NY starter Roger Clemens	Texas starter Esteban Loaiza	Texas starter Esteban Loaiza

Derek Jeter asking for help from an umpire	Darryl Strawberry getting congrats for his 1st inning homer	Darryl Strawberry getting congrats for his 1st inning homer	Darryl Strawberry getting congrats for his 1st inning homer	Esteban Loaiza in the dugout after said homer

Pudge fouls off a ball in the 1st	Roger Clemens making a throw to first	Roger Clemens making a throw to first	Bernie Williams robbing Royce Clayton	Roger Clemens talking to Joe Girardi in the 6th

Scott Broisus watches his bunt go foul	Pudge strikes out to end the 7th	The Yankees celebrate the win	The Yankees celebrate the win	Roger Clemens after the win

Roger Clemens hugs his wife after the win	Roger Clemens after the win	Pudge came back out after the game was over and applauded the fans who were still around.  It was very cool to see in person.	Pudge, Raffy, & Juan sitting dejected	Pudge, Raffy, & Juan sitting dejected

	You know, there were pictures of the Yankees champagne celebration, but screw 'em.  I don't feel like putting more pictures of the Yankees here.
Juan heading back to the clubhouse

Box Score

Line Score
AL  FINAL PLAYOFFS
                    1  2  3   4  5  6   7  8  9     R  H  E
                    -  -  -   -  -  -   -  -  -     -  -  -
NY YANKEES          3  0  0   0  0  0   0  0  0     3  6  0
TEXAS               0  0  0   0  0  0   0  0  0     0  5  1   (FINAL)

BATTERIES:  NYY - ROGER CLEMENS, JEFF NELSON (8TH), MARIANO
                  RIVERA (8TH) AND JOE GIRARDI
            TEX - ESTEBAN LOAIZA, JEFF ZIMMERMAN (8TH), JOHN
                  WETTELAND (9TH) AND IVAN RODRIGUEZ

             WP - ROGER CLEMENS (1-0)
             LP - ESTEBAN LOAIZA (0-1)
           SAVE - MARIANO RIVERA (2)

HOME RUNS:  NYY - DARRYL STRAWBERRY (1) OFF LOAIZA IN THE 1ST, 2 ON
            TEX - NONE

     TIME:  3:00     ATT:  50,269

Box Score

NY YANKEES (3) AT TEXAS (0) PLAYOFFS - FINAL

NY YANKEES             ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Knoblauch 2b            4  0  0  0   0  1   0  .167
Jeter ss                4  1  2  0   0  0   1  .455
B Williams cf           3  1  1  0   1  0   1  .364
T Martinez 1b           4  0  0  0   0  2   4  .182
Strawberry dh           4  1  2  3   0  0   0  .333
Ledee rf                4  0  1  0   0  2   1  .273
Brosius 3b              4  0  0  0   0  0   2  .100
Curtis lf               3  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
Girardi c               3  0  0  0   0  1   1  .000

Totals                 33  3  6  3   1  6  10

BATTING: 3B - Jeter (1, Loaiza). HR - Strawberry (1, 1st inning
off Loaiza 2 on, 2 out). RBI - Strawberry 3 (3). 2-out RBI -
Strawberry 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - Jeter 1,
Girardi 1. GIDP - Brosius.  Team LOB - 4.

FIELDING: DP: 1 (Brosius-T Martinez).

TEXAS                  ab  r  h rbi bb so lob   avg
Mclemore 2b             4  0  1  0   0  1   1  .100
I Rodriguez c           4  0  0  0   0  1   1  .250
Greer lf                3  0  1  0   1  0   0  .111
J Gonzalez rf           4  0  1  0   0  0   1  .182
R Palmeiro dh           4  0  1  0   0  0   3  .273
Zeile 3b                3  0  0  0   1  0   2  .100
L Stevens 1b            3  0  0  0   0  1   3  .111
Clayton ss              3  0  0  0   0  0   0  .000
T Goodwin cf            3  0  1  0   0  0   0  .143

Totals                 31  0  5  0   2  3  11

BATTING: Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - L Stevens 1,
R Palmeiro 1, Zeile 1.  Team LOB - 6.

FIELDING: E - Zeile (2, ground ball). DP: 1 (Clayton-Mclemore-L Stevens).

--------------------------------------------------
    Ny Yankees     - 300 000 000  --  3
    Texas          - 000 000 000  --  0

--------------------------------------------------

NY YANKEES                   ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Clemens (W, 1-0)              7       3   0   0   2   2   0   0.00
Nelson (H, 2)                 0       1   0   0   0   0   0   0.00
M Rivera (S, 2)               2       1   0   0   0   1   0   0.00

TEXAS                        ip       h   r  er  bb  so  hr    era
Loaiza (L, 0-1)               7       5   3   3   1   4   1   3.86
Je Zimmerman                  1       1   0   0   0   1   0   0.00
Wetteland                     1       0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00

Nelson pitched to 1 batter in the 8th.

WP - M Rivera.  Pitches-strikes: Loaiza 100-69; Je Zimmerman 20-11;
Wetteland 11-9; Clemens 103-65; Nelson 4-2; M Rivera 31-21.
Ground balls-fly balls: Loaiza 10-7; Je Zimmerman 0-2; Wetteland 2-0;
Clemens 13-6; Nelson 0-0; M Rivera 1-3.  Batters faced: Loaiza 27;
Je Zimmerman 4; Wetteland 3; Clemens 26; Nelson 1; M Rivera 6.

UMPIRES: HP--John Hirschbeck. 1B--Joe Brinkman. 2B--Mike Reilly.
3B--Derryl Cousins. LF--Rocky Roe. RF--Larry Young.
T--3:00.  Att--50,269.   Weather: 79 degrees, partly cloudy.
Wind: 7 mph, out to center. 

Game Log

Ny Yankees Starting Lineups -- Chuck Knoblauch 2B, Derek Jeter SS, Bernie Williams CF, Tino Martinez 1B, Darryl Strawberry DH, Ricky Ledee RF, Scott Brosius 3B, Chad Curtis LF, Joe Girardi C, Roger Clemens RHP.

Texas Starting Lineups -- Mark Mclemore 2B, Ivan Rodriguez C, Rusty Greer LF, Juan Gonzalez RF, Rafael Palmeiro DH, Todd Zeile 3B, Lee Stevens 1B, Royce Clayton SS, Tom Goodwin CF, Esteban Loaiza RHP.

Umpires -- J Hirschbeck (HP), Brinkman (1B), Reilly (2B), Cousins (3B), Roe (LF), Young (RF).

Gametime Weather: 79 degrees, Partly Cloudy, wind out to center at 7 mph.

NY YANKEES 1ST: Knoblauch struck out looking. Jeter tripled to deep left. B Williams walked. T Martinez struck out looking. Strawberry homered to left center, Jeter and B Williams scored. Ledee grounded out to second. (3 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 1ST: Mclemore struck out looking. I Rodriguez grounded out to second. Greer grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

NY YANKEES 2ND: Brosius grounded out to shortstop. Curtis grounded out to second. Girardi struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 2ND: J Gonzalez flied out to deep right center. R Palmeiro singled to center. Zeile lined out to center. L Stevens struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

NY YANKEES 3RD: Knoblauch grounded out to shortstop. Jeter flied out to shallow right. B Williams singled to center. T Martinez fouled out to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 3RD: Clayton grounded out to second. T Goodwin grounded out to second. Mclemore singled to center. I Rodriguez grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Mclemore out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

NY YANKEES 4TH: Strawberry singled to right. Ledee struck out swinging. Brosius grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Strawberry out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 4TH: Greer grounded out to shortstop. J Gonzalez singled to left. R Palmeiro fouled out to third. Zeile walked, J Gonzalez to second. L Stevens grounded out to first. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

NY YANKEES 5TH: Curtis grounded out to shortstop. Girardi safe at first on 3rd baseman Zeile's fielding error. Knoblauch flied out to deep center, Girardi to second. Jeter grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 1 Error) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 5TH: Clayton flied out to deep center. T Goodwin grounded out to pitcher. Mclemore grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

NY YANKEES 6TH: B Williams lined out to shortstop. T Martinez grounded out to first. Strawberry flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 6TH: I Rodriguez grounded out to shortstop. Greer walked. J Gonzalez grounded out to first, Greer to second. R Palmeiro grounded out to pitcher. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

NY YANKEES 7TH: Ledee singled to right. Brosius flied out to center. Curtis grounded out to third, Ledee to second. Girardi flied out to center. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 7TH: Zeile popped out to first. L Stevens grounded out to first. Clayton flied out to left center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

NY YANKEES 8TH: Jeff Zimmerman relieved Esteban Loaiza. Knoblauch flied out to right. Jeter singled to left. B Williams flied out to left. T Martinez struck out looking. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 8TH: Jeff Nelson relieved Roger Clemens. T Goodwin singled to center. Mariano Rivera relieved Jeff Nelson. Mclemore lined into double play, third to first, T Goodwin doubled off first. I Rodriguez struck out swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

NY YANKEES 9TH: John Wetteland relieved Jeff Zimmerman. Strawberry grounded out to second. Ledee struck out swinging. Brosius grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.

TEXAS 9TH: Greer singled to right. Greer to second on M Rivera wild pitch. J Gonzalez flied out to right. R Palmeiro popped out to second. Zeile grounded out to shortstop. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) NY YANKEES 3, TEXAS 0.