FINAL SCORE: Marlins 6, Yankees 4 (World Series, game 5, live thread)

fox

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Jeter batting first. Soriano is out.

[freedom1st]

Hey South, tell us how you really feel.

[South40]

Hopefully Jeter won't will be hitting into any more double plays!!!

Couldn't resist. ;-)

[ChadGore]

GO CUBS

[South40]

Hey South, tell us how you really feel.

The game hasn't even started yet and I'm on my third Corona.

I'm feelin' OK. ;-)

[F16Fighter]

"Cubs"?? Aren't they golfing or hunting or fishing somewhere?? (pun intended)

[RedBloodedAmerican]

SOUTH40

GO YANKEES!

[F16Fighter]

Soriano's benched?? And Giambi??

[fhayek]

Giambi out too.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Moved to 6. Matsui is cleanup

[F16Fighter]

Heh-heh...

[RedBloodedAmerican]

I think he's batting 6th, last I read.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Nope, he's out now.

[F16Fighter]

Who moved to the 6 hole -- Giambi??

[RedBloodedAmerican]

By BEN WALKER
MIAMI (AP) - Slumping second baseman Alfonso Soriano and injured first baseman Jason Giambi were benched by New York Yankees manager Joe Torre for Game 5 of the World Series in a major lineup shakeup Thursday night.

Derek Jeter moved into the leadoff spot for Soriano, and backup Enrique Wilson took over in the field for the two-time All-Star starter. About one hour before gametime, the Yankees said Nick Johnson would take over for Giambi, a former AL MVP whose ailing left knee got worse when he played the field in Games 3 and 4.

"I don't feel happy, but I know I've been struggling," Soriano said. "It's hard for me because I like to play every day. I hope I'll get a chance as a pinch hitter, who knows?

"I think I swing at bad pitches, that's the problem. It's tough to recognize the pitches because it's a different league. I think I try to do too much," he said.

With the shifts, Hideki Matsui moved into the cleanup spot. The Series was tied at 2 going into Game 5.

Soriano has already set a postseason record with 25 strikeouts in 67 at-bats. He was hitting only .167 (3-for-18) with one homer, two RBIs and eight strikeouts in four games against the Florida Marlins.

"I thought about it all last night, thought about it all today, and decided to do it," Torre said. "Believe me, it's not easy.

"If he had been 0-for-10 and had quality at-bats, I wouldn't have budged. When you watch him day in and day out, he's not there," he said. "I hope by Saturday he'll be back."

Torre and former Yankees player and minor league manager Luis Sojo met with Soriano in the clubhouse to tell him about the move.

"It was hard for him because he didn't expect that. He was sad and mad," Sojo said.

Soriano, who hit .290 with 38 homers, 91 RBIs and 35 steals this season, has looked lost in October. He's been swinging at everything, missing fastballs he usually hits and chasing low-and-away breaking balls he has no chance to reach.

Soriano said he expected to play Saturday in Game 6 at Yankee Stadium.

Giambi, who has been bothered by the knee for months, also is slumping. The 2000 AL MVP was hitting .214 (3-for-14) with no RBIs against the Marlins and .232 (13-for-56) with three homers and five RBIs in the postseason.

"I just saw him limping around out there," Torre said after batting practice. "I asked him about it, and he hemmed and hawed."

Giambi had been the designated hitter at Yankee Stadium last weekend and will be back at DH in Game 6 on Saturday, Torre said. In Thursday's original lineup, Giambi was dropped from third to sixth. Johnson replaced him in the same spot, and the Yankees said Giambi would be available to pinch hit.

"Obviously, it's gotten a little worse," New York general manager Brian Cashman said. "Joe felt we were better off going with Nick at first base. You don't win this thing without full team effort. Would you like to be firing on all cylinders? Of course, but you just have to find a way to get the job done."

Other stars have lost their starting spots in the World Series because of the DH rule. Toronto first baseman John Olerud, who won the AL batting title with a .363 average in 1993, was benched in favor of Paul Molitor in Game 3 of the 1993 World Series at Philadelphia.

In a move that caused a lot of commotion, Pete Rose was benched for Tony Perez as the Phillies' first baseman for a game in the 1983 World Series against Baltimore.

[South40]

RedBloodedAmerican

Go Phish!

Wasn't that fun.

[Pharmboy]

My only regret is that Roger couldn't pitch AGAIN tonight so he could get shelled AGAIN (the fat pantload).

GO ANYONE BUT THE JANQUIS

[Cagey]

The black broad was playing lead and "Yani" gets top billing?!

That "black broad", as you so eloquently put it, is one of the world's finest jazz violinists who has performed all over the world with "Yani" (aka Yanni). The "black broad's" name is Karen Briggs.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

THHHPPPFFFTTTTTTT

[F16Fighter]

Good moves...Now has Torre replaced the impotent Garcia with Sierra in right field as well?