The only way to sum up last night's Game 1 World Series loss is to say this. Cliff Lee was just too good. That's going to happen sometimes. The guy does have a Cy Young Award, you know, so the fact that he can be dominant in a big game should not exactly be a shocker.
Chad Jennings summed it up this way.
On this night, though, Lee could do no wrong. The casual catch of a popup. The behind-the-back grab on a comebacker. The 10 strikeouts. Lee was the best player in this game, and that’s what cost the Yankees. Their bullpen didn’t help matters, and neither did Utley, but Lee pitched a heck of a game.
Lee didn't seem surprised, and he definitely wasn't nervous.
"Not nervous at all," he said, before pausing and adding: "It’s been a long time since I’ve been nervous playing this game. It’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. I put all the work in. You do everything you need to do to prepare, and I try not to leave anything to chance. So what’s the point in being nervous? I’ve already done the work. It’s game time. Time to go out there and have fun and execute and let your skills take over."
So, now what for the Yankees? The fans might be stunned, but the Yankees are not. They know they are in a fight.
"We're both good teams," Johnny Damon said. "That's why you play a series. They kicked our butts today but tomorrow is another day game and hopefully A.J. comes out throws as well as we know he's capable of."
Although the Yankees aren’t quite in panic mode, they do know how big Game 2 is going to be for them.
"We definitely don’t like this situation," Damon said. "We know we can't lose three more but we're shooting to win four. We look at every game in the World Series as a must win. We have to win tomorrow."
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