YANKS' WELLS STYMIES TEXAS : NEW YORK 2, TEXAS 0.Byline: Peter May The Boston Globe The dream season might be history, but those who made it happen are intent on burnishing burnishing /bur·nish·ing/ (bur´nish-ing) a dental procedure somewhat related to polishing and abrading. burnishing, n it. Tuesday night the record-setting Yankees started the postseason the same way they played during their 114-win regular season: with a big victory. Maestro David Wells This article is about David Wells, American baseball player. For other uses, see David Wells (disambiguation). David Lee "Boomer" Wells (born May 20, 1963 in Torrance, California) is a Major League Baseball player who is currently a starting pitcher for the Los was brilliant against one of the American League's best offenses, holding the Texas Rangers Texas Rangers, mounted fighting force organized (1835) during the Texas Revolution. During the republic they became established as the guardians of the Texas frontier, particularly against Native Americans. to five hits over eight innings. Closer extraordinaire ex·tra·or·di·naire adj. Extraordinary: a jazz singer extraordinaire. [French, from Old French, from Latin extra Mariano Rivera Mariano Rivera (born November 29, 1969, in Panama City, Panama) is a Panamanian baseball player. He is a relief pitcher for Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. He throws and bats right-handed. mowed down the heart of the Texas order in the ninth and the Yankees took a 2-0 victory in the opener of this best-of-five Division Series. Wells was overpowering through six innings, then survived on guile, guts and fumes fumes odorous gases and other volatile materials; inhalation of irritating fumes causes coughing and, if sufficiently severe, irreversible pulmonary edema. in the seventh and eighth. Overall, he struck out nine, a personal playoff best, in a heroic performance which featured 135 pitches, 93 of them strikes. It was his highest pitch count of the season. Only three Rangers reached second base and Wells got help when he needed it, mainly from Derek Jeter with a great play to end the eighth on a slow roller to shortstop. Meanwhile, the less-heralded bottom of the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of order accounted for both runs in the second inning, including one on a double steal thanks to a Rangers breakdown. Almost as good in defeat was Todd Stottlemyre, who settled down after a shaky start and retired 15 of the final 20 batters he faced, allowing six hits in eight innings. With his father, Yankees pitching coach Mel, in the home dugout and his mother in the stands, Stottlemyre fanned seven and gave the Rangers exactly what they needed: long, quality innings. But on this night, that was not good enough. Not against Wells, who prepares for games by listening to such soothing groups as Van Halen, ACDC ACDC Alternating Current/Direct Current ACDC [not an acronym] slang for bisexuality ACDC Asian Community Development Corporation (Boston, MA) ACDC Agricultural Communications Documentation Center and Metallica. It must work; he's 5-0 in the postseason and has pitched 15 consecutive scoreless innings. ``I'm an all-right pitcher, I think,'' Wells said. ``But when it comes to playoff time, I get focused, mean, and I want my way. And if I don't get it, I get (upset). I'm a fighter. A gamer. ``This is crunch time,'' added Wells. ``I thrive on this kind of stuff. I want to be the hero and the goat. I want to be the guy who they blame when I get my butt kicked or the one they pat on the back.'' He got a lot of pats Tuesday night. It was a festive atmosphere at the Stadium and the crowd of 57,362 was the second largest in the 23 years since the edifice was remodeled. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) Texas' Ivan Rodriguez tags out New York's Chuck Knoblauch in first inning of Yankees 2-0 win. John Dunn/Associated Press (2--Color) New York's David Wells struck out a playoff-high nine in eight innings against Texas' high-powered offense in Game 1. Kathy Willens/Associated Press |
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