Phillies' Howard strikes out four times in Game 2
Photo credit: MCT/David Maialetti | The Philadelphia Phillies' Ryan Howard points to a fan before Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, Thursday, October 29, 2009. (David Maialetti/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT)
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World Series Game 2: Yankees 3, Phillies 1
This was supposed to be the World Series of the cleanup hitters, A-Rod vs. Ryan Howard, the Yankees' and Phillies' sluggers.
But after nine solid postseason games, Alex Rodriguez has gone 0-for-8 in Games 1 and 2, striking out six times. And Howard joined him in the doghouse Thursday night in Game 2. He whiffed four times, three against A.J. Burnett and one final time against Mariano Rivera, the last two looking.
Howard had two doubles and drove in a run in Game 1, but he has struck out six times in nine at-bats in the first two games.
"A.J.," Howard said by way of explaining his lousy Game 2. "You gotta give it up to A.J. He had a great curveball. There's nothing to take away from him; he threw great."
Howard's biggest failure in Game 2 was in the third, with the Phillies looking to expand a 1-0 lead. With two outs and Jimmy Rollins on second, Chase Utley - who had homered twice in Game 1 - was intentionally walked, and Howard came up with a real chance to blow open the game.
But Burnett struck him out with that curveball, keeping the game within reach.
Howard wasn't fazed by his "golden sombrero." "We go back to Philadelphia with an off-day tomorrow and it's 1-1," he said. "Obviously you want to try and come out 2-0, but you're 1-1. The goal at the very least was to try and get a split."
Howard also was involved in the latest postseason umpiring miscue. In the seventh, with two runners on and a run already in, Howard snared Johnny Damon's hard shot and threw to second after he couldn't hear first-base umpire Brian Gorman's call. His throw was wide of second and the Yankees appeared to have the bases loaded, but Gorman ruled that Howard caught Damon's liner on the fly and called a double play when Rollins tagged Jorge Posada. Replays clearly showed Howard trapped the ball.
"Did I catch it? Well, they called him out," Howard said with a grin. "I couldn't hear [Gorman] because the crowd was so loud, so I just tried to throw it down to Jimmy."
That was the only thing Howard contributed in becoming the 12th player to strike out four times in a World Series game.
He jawed with plate ump Jeff Nelson after he was called out on a cutter up and away by Rivera leading off the ninth. But Howard reiterated that the Phillies have seen it all before.
"We've been here multiple times, in L.A. [in the NLCS], too," he said. "Now we just go back home and try to get it done."
