It’s not the image that local Yankee fans wanted to see.
Bayonne’s native son, Joe Borowski, holding his arms in the air in jubilation, after striking out Jorge Posada to close out the Cleveland Indians’ improbable 6-4 victory over the Yankees and a win in the American League Divisional Series Monday night – a win that sent the Yankees home for the winter.
The game also propelled Borowski’s Indians into the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox.
Borowski was on the mound to collect the save in Game 4 of the playoff series, sealing the deal on the Indians’ upset series win over the Bronx Bombers, winning three games to one.
“This is the ultimate in baseball,” Borowski said in a telephone interview before the playoff series with the Yankees began. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love this role. I cherish it. I want to be the one who has the ball in his hands with the game on the line. I love getting the ball and having everyone depending on me. If you can’t get pumped up for something like that, then you shouldn’t be playing. This is what you live for.”
Borowski knows that he deflated the hopes and dreams of a lot of Yankee fans in the area by getting the save in the deciding Game 4.
“I know I have a lot of friends in Bayonne who are Yankee fans and have Yankee season tickets,” Borowski said. “I know they’re rooting for the Yankees. It is more special to me that it was the Yankees. They’re the epitome of what a sports franchise is. We knew beforehand that if we wanted to go to the World Series, we were going to have to go through New York and Boston.”
Added Borowski, “I know everyone in Bayonne roots for the Yankees, but I hope they also realize that I’m a hometown boy and that at the time I get into the game, they’ll say, ‘Let’s root for Joe and hope he does well.’ It is what it is. I have a job to do. I know it’s tough for Yankee fans to root for me.”
First time in nine years
Especially now, since Borowski is the one who officially sent the Yankees packing.
He did give up a solo homer to Bobby Abreu in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave Yankee fans some hope, but he got sure-fire Most Valuable Player Alex Rodriguez to fly out to right field and then struck out Posada to end it and key the massive celebration for the Indians, headed to the ALCS for the first time in nine years.
It continues what has been a great season for Borowski, who led the American League in saves with 45 and collected his 46th with the win over the Yankees, a team that gave Borowski fits during the regular season.
“Everything that happened in the regular season can get thrown away when it comes to the playoffs,” Borowski said. “The postseason is your shot at redemption. Whatever happened in the past didn’t matter.”
So Borowski totally tossed aside rough outings against the Yankees during the regular season (in which the Yankees won all six of their games with Cleveland) and grabbed the ball with his first shot at going to the World Series since he was with the Atlanta Braves in 1996.
Borowski traveled with the Braves to that World Series appearance against the Yankees, but was not on the active roster. This time around, at age 36, he’s the Indians’ main man out of the bullpen, even though he was criticized left and right by the announcers doing the games for TBS all series.
“There are so many ways to look at it,” Borowski said. “I know I’m not a power pitcher who’s going to come in and blow people away. I have to locate my pitches and change speeds. I’m one of those bend, but don’t break pitchers. It’s not always pretty, but I don’t care, as long as I get the job done.”
So that’s why Borowski didn’t pay much attention to having a 5.05 earned run average this season to go along with his league-best 45 saves and four victories.
“Selfishly, I would want my statistics to look great, but we could be losing and I could have great stats,” Borowski said. “As long as we’re winning, I’ll take it. I know that without my saves, we wouldn’t be in the position we’re in now. If I start thinking about stats at this point, I’ll get in trouble. Our set-up guys like [Rafael] Perez and [Rafael] Betancourt had impressive years and got me the ball with the lead so many times. We’ve played a lot of tight games this year, so our bullpen had to be good.”
A beginning
When Borowski signed with the Indians, it only came after the Philadelphia Phillies reneged on a two-year contract offer, saying that Borowski’s shoulder was not sound, even though he pitched the 2006 season with the Florida Marlins and had no pain, saving 36 games in 72 appearances.
There were no guarantees in Cleveland, and the team had also signed free agent Keith Foulke in the off-season, thinking that Foulke would be the closer and Borowski would be a setup guy.
However, Foulke unexpectedly retired in spring training, leaving the closer’s role to Borowski.
“I knew that the Indians had a very good starting staff and a very inconsistent bullpen,” Borowski said. “I also knew that they had a good, young hitting team. When I signed with the team, they told me they were going to try to get someone else other than me, but if they didn’t, then I would be the closer. I felt like it was the team best suited for me.”
It turned out to be a great decision to sign the one-year deal with the Indians.
“They had the basis to be a good team, a good nucleus,” Borowski said. “I know I’ve never been around team that gets along so well together. It’s a pleasure to come to the field every day, because everyone truly comes together. It’s a great team to be around.”
Borowski said that he “loved” his team’s chances to knock off the Yankees, which they did, because of the sensational 1-2 starting pitching combination of C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona.
“They are phenomenal,” Borowski said. “C.C.’s a totally different pitcher now than he was when he started the season and Fausto’s come into his own. I like our chances against anybody with those two guys pitching. We’re set up well.”
Especially with Sabathia pitching Game 1 and Carmona Game 2 in Boston against the Red Sox this weekend.
“This atmosphere is going to be unbelievable,” Borowski said.
While Borowski’s contract expires at the end of the year, he said that he would love to return to Cleveland.
“I would love to be back here next year,” Borowski said. “I loved my experience here. Everyone, from the front office to the coaching staff to the players, it’s been phenomenal. I’ve never experienced a better mix of players. There’s not one ego on the entire team and that says a lot in the major leagues. I’d be happy with a couple more years here. We’ll see.”
The future
Borowski doesn’t know how many years he has left in his talented right pitching arm. At age 36, he’s nearing the end of what was truly a remarkable roller-coaster ride of a career.
“As long as I can go out there and be successful, that will tell me how much longer I can pitch,” Borowski said. “I never thought I’d still be playing in the majors, especially after all I’ve been through. Even after 2004, when they said I had a torn labrum [in his shoulder]. I never thought it would come down to this.”
Four wins away from the World Series. Not bad for a Bayonne boy. Now, the showdown ALCS series with the Boston Red Sox awaits.
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at either OGSMAR@aol.com or jhague@hudsonreporter.com