Baseball’s postseason: Rise of A-Rod and the short rest Yankees, fall of the umpires

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2009 posteason: Rise of Yankees, fall of umpires

In case you missed it, here’s a recap of what happened in October — and November — in baseball’s postseason:

— The Rise of A-Rod: A bust in the playoffs so often, Alex Rodriguez became a beast this year. His season got off to a shaky start — he admitted using steroids, then missed the first month after hip surgery. But a replay review that turned a double into a home run revved him in his first World Series, and he walked off the field hoisting the championship trophy.

— Who’s That Girl? Kate Hudson got ample face time in New York. The “Almost Famous” actress now has another starring role: A-Rod’s girlfriend. She already had a baseball connection — mother Goldie Hawn’s longtime companion, Kurt Russell, played in the Angels’ minor league system.

— Ump Slump: Fans are still wondering how Phil Cuzzi ruled foul on a ball that landed 3 feet fair, and why Tim McClelland didn’t see Mike Napoli tagging two runners and getting only one out. It was a bad month for umpires, and the slew of missed calls will surely lead to more cries for instant replay.

— The Meet of the Matter: It took only one pitch in Game 6 Wednesday night before Pedro Martinez and catcher Carlos Ruiz held a meeting. Heck, the Yankees made eight trips to the mound in a single inning at Philadelphia. Talk about gab sessions! MLB will look into cutting down the confabs.

— Sagging Sluggers: All-Star boppers Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and Mark Teixeira all failed to make a serious dent in the postseason. Howard played his own version of whiffle ball — emphasis on whiff — with a World Series-record 13 strikeouts.

— Closing Time: Brad Lidge, Jonathan Broxton, Joe Nathan and every other closer in the playoffs picked a bad time to blow a game. Well, all of them except one. Any surprise that when it came time to finish off the World Series, the bullpen gates at Yankee Stadium swung open, “Enter Sandman” by Metallica blared over the PA system and in came Mariano Rivera?

— The Rest of the Story: CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett started every game in the postseason for the Yankees. New York became the first team to win the crown using only three starters since Minnesota in 1991 (Jack Morris, Kevin Tapani, Scott Erickson). Hmmm, is this pitching on three days’ deal going to become baseball’s next big trend?

— Headed to the Hall: Hideki Matsui put the world in World Series MVP. He became the first Japanese-born player to win the award, batting .615 with three home runs and eight RBIs. The Hall of Fame got his bat for the Cooperstown collection.

— There She Is: Suzyn Waldman’s scorecard from Game 6 was Hall-bound. The Yankees’ radio announcer became the first woman to broadcast in the World Series.