NEW YORK -- The key to this World Series so far has been the New York Yankees' ability to disprove the theory that the Mets' two top left-handed starters, Al Leiter and Mike Hampton, would give them trouble.
The Yankees overcame a strong start by Leiter to win Game 1, 4-3.
In Game 2, they pounded Hampton and won 6-5.
"It's not left-handers vs. left-handers," Yankees right-fielder -- and left-hander -- Paul O'Neill protested in the wee morning hours Monday following Game 2. "It's good pitching. Hampton and Leiter are good pitchers."
But they also both happen to be left-handed. And the Yankees have three key left-handers in their lineup -- David Justice, Tino Martinez and O'Neill.
The big reason the Mets disposed of a hot St. Louis club in the National League Championship Series was because Leiter and Hampton shut down the Cardinals' big left-handed swingers, Jim Edmonds and Will Clark.
But in the first two games of the World Series, the Yankees' lefties have played huge roles.
In Game 1, Justice delivered a two-run double in the sixth against Leiter to wipe out a 2-0 Mets lead and tie the game.
In Game 2, the Yankees' left-handed trio went 4-for-8 with two RBI against Hampton. Then, Martinez doubled home Derek Jeter against another left-hander, reliever Dennis Cook, to score the Yankees' sixth run.
Being that Yankees relievers gave up five runs in the top of the ninth, Martinez's eighth-inning double was another key hit.
The Yankees' success against Hampton and Leiter, while certainly no guarantee going in, shouldn't be overly surprising. Although the team went 22-24 against lefty starters this season -- as compared to 65-50 against right-handed starters -- Martinez, O'Neill and Justice each hit better against lefties than against righties.
O'Neill, in fact, hit 90 points better against lefties than against right-handers in 2000 -- .348 vs. .258.
Justice batted .321 against lefties vs. .299 against right-handers, while Martinez batted .281 against lefties and .249 against right-handers.
Furthermore, switch-hitting catcher Jorge Posada also hit lefties (.323) better than right-handers (.271) this season.
"Everybody knew coming into this series that runs were going to be tough to come by," O'Neill said. "I think, emotionally, both teams were spent after (Game 1). That first run was so big (in the first inning of Game 2) when Tino got the hit. That first run can be the biggest run to score sometimes.''
Meet the Mets, beat the Mets
How difficult have things been for the Mets so far this series?
Check out this stretch: From the ninth inning of Game 1 through the seventh inning of Game 2, the Mets were 1-for-32 at the plate. This came against Yankees relievers Jeff Nelson, Mariano Rivera and Mike Stanton (in Game 1) and starter Roger Clemens (Game 2).
Now, they're in a deep hole.
"We have our work cut out for us," Mets manager Bobby Valentine said. "No one said it's going to be easy. I think (the Yankees) know it's not going to be easy, too. We're going to make it as tough as possible for them."
October's hero
The Most Valuable Player of the 1998 World Series, Yankees third baseman Scott Brosius, homered in the second inning to increase his team's lead to 3-0. It was his third World Series home run -- after struggling through a season in which he batted .230 and was pinch-hit for in some key late-season situations.
How is it that Brosius rises to meet the October spotlight?
"I don't know," he said. "That at-bat tonight, it was just one of those at-bats that was a tough battle."
Indeed, the homer came on a full-count pitch from Hampton -- and it came on the seventh pitch of the at-bat.
"The two strikes he threw me were good pitches," Brosius said. "I was fortunate to just stay alive."
Brave promotion
The Atlanta Braves have promoted veteran major-league scout Scott Nethery to the position of special assistant to general manager John Schuerholz.
Nethery replaces Bill Lajoie, 66, who left the Braves after 10 seasons to become a senior advisor of baseball operations for the Milwaukee Brewers. There, Lajoie is reunited with Brewers general manager Dean Taylor, who formerly worked in Atlanta's front office.
Managerial maneuverings
Six openings remain for major-league managers. Although baseball frowns upon hirings during the World Series because it doesn't want anything to upstage the game's climactic moment, that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of talking going on:
- Toronto: Broadcaster Buck Martinez remains the solid favorite to replace the fired Jim Fregosi as Blue Jays manager, although the club has not yet begun the formal interview process. Hal McRae, who managed Kansas City and most recently was the hitting coach in Philadelphia; Ernie Whitt, the Jays minor-league hitting instructor; Ken Macha, an Oakland coach; Jerry Royster, Milwaukee's bench coach; and former Jay Willie Upshaw, who spent 2000 managing the Bridgeport Bluefish in the independent Atlantic League all will be interviewed.
- Pittsburgh: Buck Showalter is said to be the favorite, although the Pirates, according to sources, also are interested in Lou Piniella. Pittsburgh's first round of interviewing is finished, and the Pirates interviewed 10 men: Showalter; Macha; Jim Tracy, a Los Angeles coach; Mike Easler, St. Louis hitting coach and former Pirate; Ron Wotus, a San Francisco coach; Trent Jewett, Pirates third-base coach; Tommy Sandt, Pirates first-base coach; Lloyd McClendon, Pirates hitting coach; Bob Walk, the former pitcher who now is a Pirates broadcaster; and Grady Little, Cleveland bench coach.
- Los Angeles: Dodgers' hitting coach Rick Down remains the favorite to replace Davey Johnson. Tracy also is a candidate. Broadcaster Kevin Kennedy, the subject of GM Kevin Malone's interest earlier this summer, is out.
- Arizona: Nothing has changed here. Broadcaster Bob Brenly, a former San Francisco coach, is the closest thing to a slam dunk to get the Diamondbacks' job. Ex-Philadelphia manager Terry Francona has interviewed, as has Diamondbacks bench coach Carlos Tosca.
- Cincinnati: The Reds remain interested in bringing Piniella back, assuming he doesn't re-sign with Seattle. McRae and Reds coaches Ron Oester and Ken Griffey Sr. also are candidates to replace Jack McKeon. However, privately, Reds general manager Jim Bowden has said he has no interest in hiring Griffey.
- Philadelphia: Phillies coach John Vuckovich most likely will get the job. Ex-catcher Darren Daulton also is interested, but the most likely scenario is that Daulton will wind up being a coach on Vuckovich's staff.
Star-gazing
With this Subway Series being the chic place to be, dozens more celebrities showed up at Game 2 -- including, for a second night in a row, Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker and actor husband Matthew Broderick. They sat in the first row behind the Mets dugout and arrived nearly an hour before the game -- and plenty of Mets chatted with the couple on their way into the dugout.
The best line came from a fan wearing a Yankees jersey while reliever John Franco was chatting with Parker.
"Hey Franco, you've got to play ball tonight!" the fan hollered. "You know that, dude?"
Short hops
- Derek Jeter extended his World Series hitting streak to 11 games.
- Part of the key to Roger Clemens' success was that, as usual, he was in the strike zone. He threw first-pitch strikes to the first 10 batters he faced.
- You knew Mets pitcher Mike Hampton was in trouble when he got only six ground-ball outs in six innings -- same number as Clemens, who normally is a fly-ball pitcher.
