CC Sabathia didn't have his best stuff, but he pitched well enough to pick up a win as the Yankees took Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Twins. The Yankees fell behind 3-0 early, then put up four runs in the sixth inning to chase Francisco Liriano, who appeared to tire. They gave the lead back in the bottom of the inning when Sabathia walked in the tying run in. But Mark Teixeira hit a high home run down the right-field line to put the Yankees ahead to stay in the seventh.
David Robertson wriggled out of a jam in the bottom of that inning, and Mariano Rivera came in with the tying runs in scoring position in the eighth. Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada each had RBI singles, and Curtis Granderson had a towering two-run triple off the right-center-field wall. Andy Pettitte faces ex-Yankee Carl Pavano in Game 2 in Minnesota on Thursday. The best-of-five series comes to New York on Saturday night.
