Don’t let the stolen bases fool you…

Last night, with the Yankees and the Phillies tied in the 9th inning and with closer Brad Lidge on the mound, Johnny Damon demonstrated just how valuable he can be on a baseball field. With 2 outs, Damon battled Lidge with a nine-pitch at-bat and then lofted a single to outfielder Raul Ibanez. With Mark Teixeira at the plate, Damon promptly stole second, however, he didn’t stop there. After popping up from his slide, he quickly glanced over his left shoulder, only to see Pedro Feliz—who was the covering second base due to a shift for Teixeira—in front of the second base bag. Feliz had received catcher Carlos Ruiz’s throw and was nowhere near third base. It was not his fault, though, as Brad Lidge had also failed to cover third on Ruiz’s throw out attempt. With only 1 or 2 seconds to react, Damon realized all of this and decided to run to third after having already stolen second base. Feliz, the closest Philly, simply could not apply a tag. As Damon put it, “I got up to full speed pretty quick.”

Damon had stolen 2 bases—second and third—on one throw. It was remarkable.

Damon’s presence at third base changed the course of the game, as Lidge, who normally likes to throw his slider low, was then forced to employ his fastball, a lesser pitch, and rethink his slider’s location. He knew that a bounced slider could easily score Damon from third. He was also seemingly rattled by Damon’s unorthodox path to third base. Lidge ultimately plunked Mark Teixeira and then fed Alex Rodriguez two fastballs. Alex turned on the second pitch and lined an RBI double to left field, plating Damon and moving Teixeira to third base (the “normal” way). Jorge Posada then singled home Tex and A-Rod and an impending victory was fully realized, thanks to Damon’s baseball acumen.

This is why Damon is a valuable part of the Yankees. He makes things happen, offensively.

However, while Damon’s steals were great indications of his offensive talent, what Damon did not display last night was any degree of defensive prowess while manning the outfield (this is mainly because he doesn’t have any). Stolen bases aside, in Game 4, fans witnessed Damon’s complete inability to play left field effectively. He reacted poorly to fly balls (see the first inning) and his arm, which has always been an issue, continues to hurt the Yankees. Though Damon’s two stolen bases will be remembered given their part in the game’s outcome, the play that truly stands out occurred in the fourth inning, as it encapsulates everything that is wrong with Johnny Damon as an outfielder.

With 2 outs and with the Yankees up by a run, 2-1, Ryan Howard, a 256 lb. behemoth, managed to chug home from second base on a weak singly by Pedro Feliz. Luckily for Philly, Feliz had hit the ball to left field, right at Johnny Damon, who reacted poorly to it. He allowed the ball to eat him up and, because of Damon’s essentially useless arm, Howard was waived home to tie the game. Damon’s throw home was, of course, cartoonishly bad, as it bounced twice before reaching Jorge Posada. Upon replay, it was clear that Howard didn’t touch home plate, but that didn’t matter. The only reason a 256 lb. man scores on that play is if the left fielder’s defense is awful. Damon’s defense is and Howard tested him (what else is new?). Poor reactions plus poor arm strength are a recipe for an outfield disaster. Therefore, while Damon helped the Yankees score against Brad Lidge in the 9th inning, he was also to blame for losing an early lead, a fact that will likely go unmentioned today in most news stories and game summaries.

As Yankees fans, we’ve seen far too much of this type of play over the course of the 2009 season. Now, don’t get me wrong, Johnny Damon has been a good offensive cog for the Yankees during the course of his contract. He has been a valuable player, as his play in the 9th demonstrated. However, over the winter, rather than focusing solely on offense, perhaps it’s time for Brian Cashman to find the team a capable defender, as well.

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