Results tagged “alcs”

     

The Yankees are headed to their 40th World Series. Johnny Damon had the big hit, a two-run single that put New York up 2-1 in the fourth. A-Rod forced in a run with a walk and that gave the Yankees a 3-1 lead heading into the fifth. Andy Pettitte made that stand up, holding the Angels to one run over 6-1/3 and Joba Chamberlain closed out the seventh to keep the lead at two. Joe Girardi went for the kill, calling Mariano Rivera into the game to start the eighth, but Rivera allowed a run in that frame to put the Angels only one run behind.

Last night's postponement of the Yankees' and Angels' ALCS Game 6 may have seemed appropriate, given the deluge, but fans who showed up at Yankee Stadium were fuming. A woman who drove five hours hoping to see the Yankees clinch things told the Daily News, "This is ridiculous. They can play in this weather. I wouldn't be so angry if I didn't have to work Monday morning, but if the game goes late tomorrow I still have to drive home."

After Wednesday night's lost chance to clinch the ALCS, the Yankees face off against the Angels tonight. The Daily News' Mike Lupica is impatient and frustrated and tells the Bronx Bombers today: "You're the Yankees and you've won 109 games already this season, and when you're that good, when you're this loaded, you can't let it all come down to a one-game season, not after you had the Angels down three games to one...You bring the World Series back to New York tonight."

With the Bronx Bombers leading the Angels three games to one in the ALCS, the Yankees are offering World Series tickets—because the American League won the MLB All Star game (Mariano made the save!), the Yankees would have games 1 and 2 (and 6 and 7 if necessary) at Yankee Stadium if they do clinch the pennant.

Yankees 10 Angels 1: For the first time in five years, the Yankees are one win away from the World Series. Everyone knows what happened in 2004, so the team should not be guilty of counting its chickens before they hatch. CC Sabathia pitched eight innings of one-run ball -- on three days' rest -- and Alex Rodriguez continued his monster postsesaon by going 3-for-4 with a homer. He also scored the game's first run. Melky Cabrera also went 3-for-4 and had a critical two-run single.

The momentary controversy over whether Yankees reliever Mariano Rivera spit on a ball is over...at least, in the eyes of the MLB. The Commissioner's office spokesman said, "From the available video and still pictures that we have, there's no evidence that Rivera spit on the ball."

If you were planning on ducking out of the office to watch Game 3 of the ALCS at a bar, you could go really hardcore by taking the train to the Bronx and watching the game at Yankee Stadium. After consulting with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., the Yankees are opening the Stadium Field Level and Great Hall to the public to watch the broadcast of the game in Anaheim, which has a start time of 4:13 p.m. (EST) with Andy Pettitte pitching for the Bronx Bombers and Jared Weaver starting for the Angels.

This game took over five hours, but it leaves the Yankees in the catbird seat in the best-of-seven ALCS. Alex Rodriguez hit a game-tying homer in the bottom of the 11th. Is it safe to retire the "he's not clutch" storyline? In the 13th, the Yankees took advantage of Maicer Izturis' throwing error, as Jerry Hairston, who led off the inning with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice, scored. Starters A.J. Burnett and Joe Saunders dueled to a draw, each allowing two runs. Alfredo Aceves served up the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th, but Rodriguez saved his and his teammates' bacon. Derek Jeter had a solo homer and an error that proved meaningless. Robinson Cano had an RBI triple and two errors that proved meaningless. Was this a classic, or just long?

   

Yankees 4, Angels 1: If the Angels have to face the CC Sabathia they faced tonight three times in this series, they might as well give the Yankees three wins right now. Sabathia dominated the Angels in Game 1 of the ALCS, pitching eight strong innings, allowing only four hits and one walk while striking out seven.

    

The Yankees broke a five-year streak of playoff futility by sweeping the Twins on Sunday and now they will try and break an even longer streak of futility against the Angels. New York has not won their regular season series with the Angels since 2003 and they have lost both playoff series they have played against them. But these Yankees have some differences from their recent counterparts. They have better pitching, especially with C.C. Sabathia leading the rotation and the bullpen is much deeper than at any point since 1996.

The Daily News is so pumped about the first game of the ALCS that it put CC Sabathia on the front page—however, there's an unfortunately placed PC Richards sticker on the front page as well.

     

The Yankees are headed to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2004—when they lost to the Red Sox—and now they are signing the praises of Alex Rodriguez. Manager Joe Girardi said, "Without Alex, we're probably not in this situation right now. We're probably still playing. He had a monster series, monster hits."