On Wednesday, the New York Yankees are expected to hold a slight advantage in the battle of the bullpens when the World Series starts, but the Philadelphia Phillies’ relievers have been closing the gap.
New York’s ace in the pack is closer Mariano Rivera, who has stood supreme as an extraordinary late-inning weapon for the Yankees over the last 14 seasons.
After an inconsistent regular season, the Philadelphia bullpen has stabilized and closer Brad Lidge and company are in top form as the defending champions head into the best-of-seven series.
For Philadelphia, Lidge was a perfect 41-for-41 in save opportunities last year and added seven more saves in as many chances in the 2008 postseason.
Lidge notched just 31 saves this year due to his right knee injury and blew 11 other save opportunities.
Rivera, at 39, registered 44 saves this season, squandering just two chances, and pitched to a 1.76 earned run average — the ninth time he has posted a sub-2.00 ERA.
Lidge, 32-year-old, has regained his command in the postseason with three saves in four scoreless innings.
Lidge and set-up man Ryan Madson, who blew six save chances this year, both praised Park Chan-ho for his contributions to the Philadelphia bullpen while they struggled.
Lidge called Park “the MVP of Philadelphia bullpen.”
(Source: http://www.reuters.com)
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Tags: Baseball game, NBA, New England Patriots, New York Yankees, Philadelphia, Sports