CC shines and offense explodes as Yanks 3-1 lead
ANAHEIM – All season long, the Yankees have been resilient after losses. They never carry a defeat with them into the next game.
With a chance to go up three games to none on Monday, the Yankees blew a golden chance to put a death grip on the series and allow the Angels life.
CC Sabathia would not allow that to happen.
Neither would the rest of the Yankees, who shrugged off their Game 3 defeat by going out and imposing their will on the Angels to the tune of a 10-1 rout to take a 3-1 advantage in the American League Championship Series. The win puts them one victory away from their first trip to the World Series since 2003 in front of 45,160 at Angel Stadium, which sounded like “Yankee Stadium West” as the lead grew.
Sabathia, working on three days rest for the first time this season after dominating the Angels lineup in Game 1 on Friday, showed no signs of fatigue. For the second time in the series, he crippled their bats and made his case for series MVP.
For the first three innings Sabathia cruised, only allowing an infield single to Juan Rivera and he threw only 29 pitches to get his first nine outs. He needed to keep the score at even because of the Yankees early continuance of not being able to convert with runners in scoring position.
The Yankees wasted an opportunity in the second when both Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada led off with walks, which was followed by three successive outs to end the threat against Angels starter Scott Kazmir.
In the fourth, the Yankees would get on the board. Rodriguez singles and Posada doubled to put runners on second and third with no out. Hideki Matsui would strike out and Robinson Cano hit a slow ground ball to second baseman Howie Kendrick, who came home trying to get the out, but Rodriguez beat the throw home to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. A walk to Nick Swisher loaded the bases and Melky Cabrera would single to left bringing home both Posada and Cano to make it 3-0.
During the inning, two controversial calls emerged in what has become a theme in the playoffs. Kazmir appeared to have had Swisher picked off second base, but was called safe. Replay showed shortstop Erick Aybar tagged Swisher with the glove before his hands got to the bag. Later, a sacrifice fly by Johnny Damon was supposed to make it 4-0. However, Angels centerfielder Torii Hunter appealed to third base umpire Tim McClelland that Swisher left third base early and call was overturned. Once again, multiple replays showed that Swisher did not leave third base early and the call was simply missed.
This would hold no bearing for the Yankees and certainly Rodriguez, who continued his unbelievable renaissance this postseason. After Teixeira singled, Rodriguez blasted his third homerun of the series and fifth of the playoffs over the left field wall to increase the lead to 5-0. After a walk to Posada, Kazmir’s night was over, but not the continued questionable umpire calls.
With one out and runners on second and third, Posada was caught in a run down between third and home as catcher Mike Napoli chased him. Cano was also reaching third and with no runners foot on the bag, Napoli tagged them both for looked to be a double play. Instead, McClelland ruled only Posada out as the inning continued.
Nothing was going to stop Sabathia from what he was going to do on this night. He continued to mow down the Angels lineup with his only hiccup coming in the bottom of the fifth inning, allowing a homerun to Kendry Morales to trim the lead to 5-1. In the sixth, a walk to Hunter and a single by Vladimir Guerrero put the first two men on with no one out.
Trouble was looming, but Sabathia settled down and got Juan Rivera to ground into a double play and a line out by Kendrick ended the Angels threat, as he would sit the final eight hitters in order to close out another outstanding effort. His 101st pitch of the night was a groundball to second to end the inning as Sabathia gave the Yankees everything they could have hoped on this night giving up just the run on five hits, walking two and striking out five.
A two-run homer to right by Damon (second of the series) made the score 7-1 and in the ninth, scored three more runs of reliever Matt Palmer. Rodriguez (3-for-4) doubled to left and then scored when he tagged up on a fly out to right off the bat of Posada. Bobby Abreu’s throw to third went past third baseman Chone Figgins and Rodriguez scored on the play. With two out, Cabrera laced a two-run single into the right field corner to give the Yankees double-digit runs.
AJ Burnett will look to pitch the Yankees into the World Series on Thursday night at Angel Stadium in Game 5. John Lackey will start for the Angels.
ANAHEIM – All season long, the Yankees have been resilient after losses. They never carry a defeat with them into the next game.
With a chance to go up three games to none on Monday, the Yankees blew a golden chance to put a death grip on the series and allow the Angels life.
CC Sabathia would not allow that to happen.
Neither would the rest of the Yankees, who shrugged off their Game 3 defeat by going out and imposing their will on the Angels to the tune of a 10-1 rout to take a 3-1 advantage in the American League Championship Series. The win puts them one victory away from their first trip to the World Series since 2003 in front of 45,160 at Angel Stadium, which sounded like “Yankee Stadium West” as the lead grew.
Sabathia, working on three days rest for the first time this season after dominating the Angels lineup in Game 1 on Friday, showed no signs of fatigue. For the second time in the series, he crippled their bats and made his case for series MVP.
For the first three innings Sabathia cruised, only allowing an infield single to Juan Rivera and he threw only 29 pitches to get his first nine outs. He needed to keep the score at even because of the Yankees early continuance of not being able to convert with runners in scoring position.
The Yankees wasted an opportunity in the second when both Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada led off with walks, which was followed by three successive outs to end the threat against Angels starter Scott Kazmir.
In the fourth, the Yankees would get on the board. Rodriguez singles and Posada doubled to put runners on second and third with no out. Hideki Matsui would strike out and Robinson Cano hit a slow ground ball to second baseman Howie Kendrick, who came home trying to get the out, but Rodriguez beat the throw home to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. A walk to Nick Swisher loaded the bases and Melky Cabrera would single to left bringing home both Posada and Cano to make it 3-0.
During the inning, two controversial calls emerged in what has become a theme in the playoffs. Kazmir appeared to have had Swisher picked off second base, but was called safe. Replay showed shortstop Erick Aybar tagged Swisher with the glove before his hands got to the bag. Later, a sacrifice fly by Johnny Damon was supposed to make it 4-0. However, Angels centerfielder Torii Hunter appealed to third base umpire Tim McClelland that Swisher left third base early and call was overturned. Once again, multiple replays showed that Swisher did not leave third base early and the call was simply missed.
This would hold no bearing for the Yankees and certainly Rodriguez, who continued his unbelievable renaissance this postseason. After Teixeira singled, Rodriguez blasted his third homerun of the series and fifth of the playoffs over the left field wall to increase the lead to 5-0. After a walk to Posada, Kazmir’s night was over, but not the continued questionable umpire calls.
With one out and runners on second and third, Posada was caught in a run down between third and home as catcher Mike Napoli chased him. Cano was also reaching third and with no runners foot on the bag, Napoli tagged them both for looked to be a double play. Instead, McClelland ruled only Posada out as the inning continued.
Nothing was going to stop Sabathia from what he was going to do on this night. He continued to mow down the Angels lineup with his only hiccup coming in the bottom of the fifth inning, allowing a homerun to Kendry Morales to trim the lead to 5-1. In the sixth, a walk to Hunter and a single by Vladimir Guerrero put the first two men on with no one out.
Trouble was looming, but Sabathia settled down and got Juan Rivera to ground into a double play and a line out by Kendrick ended the Angels threat, as he would sit the final eight hitters in order to close out another outstanding effort. His 101st pitch of the night was a groundball to second to end the inning as Sabathia gave the Yankees everything they could have hoped on this night giving up just the run on five hits, walking two and striking out five.
A two-run homer to right by Damon (second of the series) made the score 7-1 and in the ninth, scored three more runs of reliever Matt Palmer. Rodriguez (3-for-4) doubled to left and then scored when he tagged up on a fly out to right off the bat of Posada. Bobby Abreu’s throw to third went past third baseman Chone Figgins and Rodriguez scored on the play. With two out, Cabrera laced a two-run single into the right field corner to give the Yankees double-digit runs.
AJ Burnett will look to pitch the Yankees into the World Series on Thursday night at Angel Stadium in Game 5. John Lackey will start for the Angels.
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