PHILADELPHIA - Cole Hamels earned the MVP award in last year's World Series, capping a postseason in which he went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts.For the second straight postseason start, Hamels was knocked out with one out in the fifth inning.It's safe to say the Phillies lefthander won't be the first back-to-back MVP winner in major-league history. Or the first player to amass more than one MVP award in his career since Reggie Jackson in 1973 and '77.After the Dodgers launched three homers and chased Hamels in Philadelphia's Game 5 clincher in the NL Championship Series, the southpaw started strongly Saturday night, holding the Yankees hitless into the fourth inning. Hamels' outing unraveled from that point in the Yankees' 8-5 victory.Reliever J.A. Happ retired Rodriguez and Jorge Posada to strand two inherited runners, keeping Hamels' line at 4-1/3 innings, five runs, five hits, two walks and a hit batter.Hamels has a 7.58 ERA and has allowed seven homers in 19 innings this postseason.Because Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has passed on using Cliff Lee on short rest Sunday like the Yankees plan to use CC Sabathia, Hamels and not Lee would face Sabathia if the Series goes to a Game 7."I hope my teammates want me to be out there for it," Hamels said.Entering last night's start, Hamels acknowledged his season-long struggles have led to frustration. He went 10-11 with a 4.32ERA during the regular season."I think that some of it was I wasn't able to locate as well earlier in the season," Hamels said. "And then it gets frustrating. ...Then it's the mental burden, which can kind of wear you down week after week, of not being able to go out there and do what you're expecting yourself to do and what everybody else expects you to do, too."So it's been a growing process. It's something that I think a lot of guys have had to go through."
PHILADELPHIA - Cole Hamels earned the MVP award in last year's World Series, capping a postseason in which he went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts.For the second straight postseason start, Hamels was knocked out with one out in the fifth inning.It's safe to say the Phillies lefthander won't be the first back-to-back MVP winner in major-league history. Or the first player to amass more than one MVP award in his career since Reggie Jackson in 1973 and '77.After the Dodgers launched three homers and chased Hamels in Philadelphia's Game 5 clincher in the NL Championship Series, the southpaw started strongly Saturday night, holding the Yankees hitless into the fourth inning. Hamels' outing unraveled from that point in the Yankees' 8-5 victory.Reliever J.A. Happ retired Rodriguez and Jorge Posada to strand two inherited runners, keeping Hamels' line at 4-1/3 innings, five runs, five hits, two walks and a hit batter.Hamels has a 7.58 ERA and has allowed seven homers in 19 innings this postseason.Because Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has passed on using Cliff Lee on short rest Sunday like the Yankees plan to use CC Sabathia, Hamels and not Lee would face Sabathia if the Series goes to a Game 7."I hope my teammates want me to be out there for it," Hamels said.Entering last night's start, Hamels acknowledged his season-long struggles have led to frustration. He went 10-11 with a 4.32ERA during the regular season."I think that some of it was I wasn't able to locate as well earlier in the season," Hamels said. "And then it gets frustrating. ...Then it's the mental burden, which can kind of wear you down week after week, of not being able to go out there and do what you're expecting yourself to do and what everybody else expects you to do, too."So it's been a growing process. It's something that I think a lot of guys have had to go through."
