World Series MVP?

Last night Hideki Matsui was named MVP of the 2009 World Series. And while 6 RBI in the clinching game is impressive, I think the voters kicked the call.

World Series' are defined by big moments. That's when memories are made, stories are told. And in the biggest moments of this year's Series, nobody came up bigger than . . .

Alex Rodriguez.

You heard me. Mr. Purple Lipstick, Mr. Lied to Katie Couric, Mr. Steroid Cheat Himself. When you look at the raw numbers, nobody contributed more to the Yankees' victory than Alex Rodriguez. In the big moments, he made the big plays.

Game 5, 1st Inning, 2 outs. Johnny Damon on first, Rodriguez doubles him home off Cliff Lee. Yankees lead 1-0 and nearly go on to a big inning. That hit was rated by Fangraphs.com as the 11th most important offensive play for the Yankees in the Series.

Game 3 4th Inning, 1 out, 1 on, Yankees trail 3-0. A-Rod goes deep off Cole Hamels, cutting the lead to 1 and sparking a comeback that woudl ultimately end with the Yankees winning 8-5. The home run was the 4th biggest play of the Series according to Fangraphs.

The number 1 play in the Series? 9th inning, Game 4. Game tied, runners at the corners. A-Rod facing Brad Lidge. Fangraphs gives this play a Leverage Index of 5 (very few games ever see a Leverage index higher than 2 or 2 1/2). Rodriguez doubles to the gap in left center, driving in Johnny Damon and setting up Jorge Posada to knock home two insurance runs with (oh, by the way) Mariano Rivera coming in to pitch the 9th. Yankees win, go up 3-1, and cruise to title #27.

With the Series on the line, A-Rod came through three times. M, V, and P.