THIS is not going to be any weekend fish fry.
We tried to warn you yesterday that these Marlins were for real. Just ask Dusty Baker or Felipe Alou or Joe Torre.
Maybe even David Wells will realize how good they are after the Marlins beat the Yankees, 3-2, last night at the Stadium in Game 1 of the World Series.
Wells ripped the Marlins franchise in his book, “Perfect, I’m Not,” writing, “as far as I’m concerned, the Marlins have no right to exist.”
Wells went on to take a jab at the senior citizen population of Florida and summed it all up by saying: “Forget Minnesota and Montreal, the real franchise that ought to get axed is Florida.”
On this night, it was Boomer who was axed.
The Marlins didn’t bash Wells around, but led by speedy leadoff hitter Juan Pierre, they were pesky enough to score three runs against the left-hander. Pierre led off the game with a bunt single, went to third on a bloop single to right and scored on a sacrifice fly.
Welcome to Small Ball, Yankees. After the blood war with the Red Sox, this battle with the Marlins is all about baseball. There is no time for hangovers.
Then, with runners on second and third in the fifth, Pierre lined a single to left to score two. The Yankees appeared to have a play on Juan Encarncion at the plate, but the throw was cut off by third baseman Aaron Boone, who fired to first, but Pierre was able to get back to the bag. Pierre has hit safely in six straight postseason games and was on base four times.
The Yankees also got their first look at rookie sensation Dontrelle Willis, who was magnificent in relief of starter Brad Penny, who left in the sixth with a 3-2 lead after surrendering a home run to Bernie Williams and a single with one out.
Willis, who started the year in Double-A ball, worked out of that jam and sailed through the seventh, ran into trouble in the eighth and was bailed out by Ugueth Urbina, who struck out Jorge Posada with runners on first and third to end the inning.
On this night it was the young Marlins who did not crack under October pressure. The Yankees were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Before the game the Marlins were basking in the glow of the Stadium, and no one was more relaxed than Jack McKeon, their 72-year-old skipper. He stopped by to see his age equal, Don Zimmer, and told Zim if there were any bench-clearing incidents like against the Red Sox, “I’m not going after you.”
McKeon said Zimmer complimented him on an incredible season, saying the Marlins’ turnaround was one of the greatest in the history of the game. “That was nice,” McKeon said.
McKeon also jokingly pointed out that he has more nuns praying for him than Torre has working his side of the field. Torre’s sister is a nun.
McKeon laughed when he heard that one newspaper interviewed someone who claimed to be his old high school coach in South Amboy. “Where’d they find him? The cemetery,” McKeon said. “He’d have to be 98 years old.”
Speaking of numbers, the Marlins have gotten to the World Series on a $55 million payroll, McKeon pointed out, because of shrewd moves by GM Larry Beinfest. “He should be executive of the year, hands down,” McKeon said.
McKeon did not want to talk about the Marlins’ future plans and the difficulty of keeping a young team together for a small-market club. The former GM noted, “I’m not in that business anymore.”
When I asked him if he would like to have the Yankees’ $185 million payroll, McKeon couldn’t resist and said, “I’d love to have $185 million. I guarantee we would win it.”
After last night’s slow start, there are no guarantees these $185 million Yankees are going to do that against these relaxed and ready Marlins.