NEW YORK -- Don't forget Scott Brosius, especially in the World Series.
He's the least flamboyant of the New York Yankees starters and maybe the
most overlooked.
And when it comes to the World Series, he's the most consistent.
Brosius, the MVP of the 1998 Series, homered and drove in two runs Sunday
night as the Yankees beat the New York Mets 6-5 to take a 2-0 lead in the
Subway Series.
"When we're at our best, everyone chips in," Brosius said.
He's a .410 hitter in Series play, going 16-for-39, among the top four in
batting averages ever in baseball's championship.
The Yankees had taken a 2-0 lead in the first against Mike Hampton, stunning
the Mets, who had hoped to even the Series after losing a 12-inning thriller in
the opener.
Brosius made sure the Yankees added to the lead, then hit a sacrifice fly in
the seventh, and it turned out to be important, given the way the Mets scored
five runs in the ninth inning.
He fouled off two 2-2 pitches, then sent a long drive down the left-field
line, his first home run since Sept. 10, off Pete Schourek in Boston.
"It was a tough at-bat," Brosius said. "I fouled off a couple of good
pitches and that one pitch was up more than he wanted it and it stayed fair."
Even then, he wasn't the star, his role overshadowed by Roger Clemens'
two-hit, eight-inning performance.
Brosius hasn't played as well since 1998, when he hit .300 with 19 homers
and a career-high 98 RBI in his first season with the Yankees. He capped that
year by going 8-for-17 with two homers and six RBI in the Series sweep of the
Padres.
His average slumped to .247 last year, his mind distracted by the decline
and death of his father from colon cancer. He did manage to rebound to go
6-for-16 in the Series sweep of the Braves.
This year, he dropped even more, hitting .230, his lowest average since
becoming a regular, and driving in 64 runs. He was part of the Yankees'
over-the-hill gang, a reason New York's offense sputtered.
But only Bobby Brown (.439), Paul Molitor (.418) and Pepper Martin (.418)
have higher Series averages, among players with 39 or more at-bats.
Many nights, the 34-year-old Brosius stood by his locker next to the
entrance to the shower room, quietly dressing, overlooked by reporters, happy
not to have to talk about himself.
His hair is thinning, the end of his career closer than the start. In their
search for more offense, the Yankees might get rid of him as they rebuild.
But, as always, he's at his best in the Series, giving the Yankees a reason
to think twice.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
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