Almost perfect

“BOSTON -- It was almost the perfect ending to a perfect series for the New York Yankees.

Mike Mussina was one pitch away from the 17th perfect game in Major League history, but it wasn't meant to be on this night. After retiring the first 26 batters, Mussina had two strikes on pinch-hitter Carl Everett, but Everett fought off a high fastball, taking Mussina's 1-2 pitch for a base hit to left-center field.

The Yankees' hurler settled for a one-hit shutout, as the Yankees completed a three-game sweep of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park with a 1-0 victory.

"For Mike to be one strike away, you didn't know what to think of first -- the perfect game or winning the game," said Yankees Manager Joe Torre. "It was grueling. He was masterful tonight, I don't know what other word to use. He was superb."

Mussina and Boston starter David Cone -- the last pitcher to throw a perfect game -- engaged in a classic pitcher's duel, putting up goose eggs through the first eight innings. Each pitcher looked crisp, using a variety of fastballs and breaking balls to baffle each other's lineups.

"Coney pitched so well, it was just a phenomenal game," Mussina said. "I was disappointed, I'm still disappointed. It just wasn't meant to be. We pitched great in this series. We came in here with a six-game lead, and if they sweep us, they're right back in it. We ended up sweeping them in three phenomenal games."




Mike Mussina

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 185
Position: P
Bats/Throws: R/R

More info:
Player page
Stats
Splits
yankees.com








The Yankees now lead the Red Sox by nine games in the AL East, despite scoring just one unearned run over 21 1/3 innings against Boston starters in the series. That unearned run proved to be Sunday's game-winner.

Cone, who hadn't pitched into the eighth inning once this season, came out for the ninth, marking his longest outing since July 18, 1999 -- the date of his perfecto. After Tino Martinez led off with a single, Jorge Posada flew out for the first out. Paul O'Neill then hit a sharp grounder that second baseman Lou Merloni couldn't handle, putting runners on first and third. After Clay Bellinger pinch-ran for Martinez, Enrique Wilson lined a ball past first baseman Brian Daubach, bringing home Bellinger to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

"I was nervous as a cat. I don't remember being this nervous in World Series games," Torre said. "Once we got the 1-0 lead, I just couldn't sit still. I'm usually good at being able to sit in one place, but that ninth inning was nerve-racking for me."

Mussina came out for the ninth, with the bottom third of the order due up. Troy O'Leary pinch hit for Shea Hillenbrand, and lined a ball between first and second. Bellinger, playing first after running for Martinez, made a diving stop, flipping the ball to Mussina for the first out.

"I thought maybe this time it was going to happen," said Mussina, "considering that I thought that ball was through for sure."

Next up was Lou Merloni, who was 5-for-9 against Mussina entering Sunday. Mussina got Merloni to chase a breaking ball in the dirt for strike three, bringing him one out away from history.

Everett pinch hit for catcher Joe Oliver, as the crowd sensed something special. Everett, who was 1-for-9 with seven strikeouts against Mussina, fouled off the first pitch and swung at strike two, putting Mussina ahead 0-2. The third pitch to Everett was a ball, and Mussina decided to throw a high fastball to try to retire the final batter.

But Everett fought it off, which was out of the strike zone, hitting a soft liner to left-center, between Chuck Knoblauch and Bernie Williams, breaking up the perfecto and no-hitter.

"I'm going to think about that pitch until I retire, but that was the pitch I threw," Mussina said. "I made over 100 decisions over the course of the game, and guys came up with some great plays on defense. Those are the ones I was thinking about, not one that I tried to go up-and-in and he fights one off into left-center. He could have popped it up, he could have done anything with it."

"You knew as soon as he hit it that it was a base hit," Torre said. "Mike has had good luck with him in the past, he threw him a high fastball and it looked like it may have been out a little more than he wanted. But hell, he has nothing to second-guess himself about."

"I was focusing on staying off the high fastball that's how he struck me out historically," said Everett. "He wasn't going to give me a pitch I was going to hit a home run on. There was only one hit on the board. I've never part of a no-hitter before as an opponent. It was very satisfying to get the hit. It was very satisfying to hit the high fastball. So now I'm 2-for-10."

With the perfect game over, the Yankees were now concerned with winning the ballgame. Torre sent pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre to the mound to talk to Mussina.

"I just went out to make sure that he was ready to face the next guy," Stottlemyre said. "I said, 'This is an emotional game, you gave it everything you could and you almost got it. Now, we have to get this guy out so we can celebrate a 1-0 win.' I told him I'd stay there as long as I needed to, and he said 'I'm OK, let's go.'"

Trot Nixon, who has been a thorn in the Yankees' side, represented the winning run at the plate, as pinch-runner Darren Lewis was the tying run at first. Mussina got Nixon to ground out to second, giving the Yankees the sweep and a commanding lead in the division.

"It's tough, they have the tying run on base, and if the ball goes down the line or off the wall, he's probably going to score," Mussina said. "I'm trying to figure out what it's like to pitch out of the stretch after throwing over 100 pitches out of the windup. I was trying to throw the best pitch I could, and I'm glad he hit the grounder to second base."

Mussina improved to 14-11, as he finished with his fourth career one-hitter, and struck out a season-high 13. Nine came on called third strikes, as his breaking ball fooled the Red Sox all night.

"He had a great breaking ball tonight," said Dante Bichette, who was 0-for-3 with a strikeout. "And he didn't even have that great of a fastball. He just had great command all night. Look at how many called strikeouts there were. That's a pretty good indication."

"The fact that he was pitching at Fenway, with a hostile crowd and with the importance of the series, taking all of that into consideration, he did an amazing job of pitching," said the Yankees' Williams. "He had a lot of things to fight against, but to watch him do that and keep his concentration through the whole game was remarkable."

Cone, who allowed one unearned run in 8 1/3 innings, gave up six hits and three walks, as his record fell to 8-4.

Mussina, Roger Clemens and Orlando Hernandez combined for 24 innings in three games, allowing two runs in that span. With their starters looking like the pitchers the Yankees expect them to be, Torre couldn't be happier.

"That's the reason we were able to win these three games," Torre said. "When you come to Fenway Park and score three, two and one and win three games, if you don't pitch the way we did in this series, you don't win. We scored one run off their starters -- unearned -- in three games."”

“I watched that game last night. You can't get any closer than that.

Go A's”

“One pitch left, and it would have been perfict.”

“Tea, if the Yankees win the AL East will they play the AZ Diamondbacks if they win the National League West?”

“If they win???? They are ahead by six games or more”

“I hate the Yankees!!!!! Every other team is just a farm club for them. Big Money will beat you every time.

Royals vs Stinkees, playoffs...George Brett up to bat against Goose Gossage....all the announcers can talk about is how hard Gossage throws....hardly mentions that George Brett, (future Hall-Of-Famer), is up to bat....Brett proceeds to smash a frozen rope into the right field seats....announcers still talking about how hard Gossage throws...Brett gets to second base...announcers finally mention, oh, gy the way, George Brett just hit a home run...Royals win the playoffs...I hate the Yankees...why don't they just play in a league all by themselves?”

“Bless you, Dunadan! "Big Money will beat you every time" is so applicable to everything in life: O.J. Simpson/lawyers, politics, etc. But especially those damn Yankees. Even though the Seattle Mariners deserve to win the World series this year, it will end up being the Yankees (again) thanks to their big bucks payroll.”

“BLASPHEMY, SPOCK!

Good finally triumphs over evil! Joy will reign throughout the land! The Mariners shall prevail!!!”

“Sorry. I just hate those Yankees/Steinbrenner so much.”

“Oh, did I mention that the Stinkees are the anti-christ of baseball?”