ARLINGTON, Tex. — When it was suggested to Texas Rangers pitcher Cole Hamels that some Yankees fans view him as the final piece for a club with World Series-or-bust ambitions, he could not help but laugh.
“Shoot,” he said. “I helped them get a World Series in ’09, so I’m sure they like me.”
Hamels was referring to a performance that still gnaws at him: Game 3 of the 2009 World Series, in which the Philadelphia Phillies staked him to a 3-0 lead at home against the Yankees before he gave up five runs in the fourth and fifth innings as the Yankees rallied for an 8-5 victory.