For the New York Yankees, 2009 was the year of the free agent. They signed two top pitchers, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, and power-hitting first baseman Mark Teixeira. Combined with Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid player in all of baseball, it was clear the Yankees were on a mission to win it all. 

But while they accomplished their ultimate goal, it wasn’t necessarily the way they expected…

1. Sabathia and Burnett each won a World Series game, but they also each lost one. Teixeira, played stellar defense, but finished the series with a .136 batting average. Rodriguez hit just one World Series home run. I don’t think the Yankees would have won without these guys, but the real stars of the series weren’t the guys with the biggest paychecks.

Derek Jeter had 11 hits in 27 World Series at-bats (a .407 average) and scored five of the team’s 32 runs. Andy Pettitte won all three clinching games, throwing to Jorge Posada who had five World Series RBIs. Mariano Rivera allowed just one earned run in 16 post-season innings. The Yankees needed A-Rod, Tex, CC, and A.J., but those four, all new to the World Series stage, were shown the way by a core of four guys who were there when the Yankees last lifted the Commissioner’s Trophy in 2000.

2. Hideki Matsui, in possibly his final game as a Yankee, had one of the greatest games I’ve ever seen. It would have been noteworthy during the regular season. That he did it in the World Series-clinching game is even more amazing. He tied a Series record by driving in six of his team’s seven runs on Wednesday night thanks to a two-run home run, a two-run single, and a two-run double.

After watching him crush foul ball after foul ball before belting his home run, I have no idea what Charlie Manuel was thinking when he left Pedro Martinez in to face him during his next at-bat. The bases were loaded, there were two outs, and Matsui was on top of every pitch Pedro was throwing. Honestly, what is it with managers leaving that guy in one hitter too long?

3. The scariest part of this World Series is that, like I mentioned earlier, they won without getting incredible performances from some of their best players. Imagine if Burnett and Sabathia had been unhittable, if Teixeira had hit even close to the way he did for most of the regular season, or if A-Rod had taken advantage of Yankee Stadium’s short porch into November. Imagine if Melky Cabrera hadn’t gotten injured or if Robinson Cano had more than three hits in 22 at-bats. Well, you may not have to imagine it: This team is built for the playoffs and next season, if these guys step up, no team will stand a chance against them.

4. In the midst of the big win, there is one guy who we cannot forget to mention. And that is Mike Mussina. Like Don Mattingly before him, Mussina somehow managed to play for the Yankees without ever winning a World Series. Mussina joined the team in 2001, a year after New York won the World Series, and retired in 2008, only to watch them win it all one season later. I always said that Mussina cursed the Yankees when he bolted from the Baltimore Orioles for more money. Now that they won in his absence, I think it’s clear he was the problem all along.

Congrats to the Yankees (except Tex) and their fans on a great season.

And don’t forget: At the Dugout Dispatch, there is no off-season! I’ll be checking in regularly this winter with the latest on trades, free agents, and all the other baseball news.

For more great Blogs, CLICK HERE!