Sabathia’s great for eight, Yanks take 1-0 lead
NEW YORK – Every time CC Sabathia pitches a “big game” and performs up to it by pitching great, the saying always goes that this is the reason why the Yankees brought him here.
Having him on the mound in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium is the exact scenario they could have hoped for. Pitch on a brutally cold night and be able to put the clamps on an opponent.
He did just that.
Following up on his Game 1 start in the Division Series against the Twins, Sabathia followed that up with a completely dominant performance, going eight innings and with the help of some uncharacteristic gaffes by the Angels defense, pulled out a 4-1 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the League Championship Series in front of 49,688 at Yankee Stadium.
In two regular season starts, Sabathia had struggled against the Angels, going 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA. However, that was then and this is now. Since August 2, he has only lost one game (the final regular season start in Tampa) and the streak continued on a night where conditions were far beyond ideal.
The Yankees were given great fortune in the bottom of the first inning. Derek Jeter lead off the frame with a single and Johnny Damon’s single to left field moved Jeter to third. However, Rivera missed cutoff man Erick Aybar and threw to third allowing Damon to move into second with no one out.
Mark Teixeira struck out on a changeup from Angels starter John Lackey and Alex Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to center to give the Yankees the lead. With two out, Hideki Matsui appeared to pop out on the infield for the third out. The ball was in between both Aybar and third baseman Chone Figgins and neither called for the ball and saw it drop in front of both of them. Damon came around to score and the Yankees had a 2-0 lead.
Sabathia went to work from there. He allowed just two hits over the first three innings before the Angels got on the board in the fourth. Vladimir Guerrero’s deep drive on a warm night easily would have cleared the left center field fence. Yet, with the wind blowing in, the ball died at the warning track and he had to settle for a long double. With two out, Kendry Morales swung at a first pitch fastball and single into left center to cut the Yankees margin in half.
In the fifth, the Yankees would get the run back. Damon doubled to left center and after Teixeira struck out, Rodriguez worked a walk. Matsui would then double into left center field as Rivera had problems fielding the ball, sliding on the grass. Damon scored and Rodriguez was attempted to score from first after running through third base coach Robby Thompson’s stop sign, but was thrown out at home, so the lead was back up to only 3-1.
The Angels defensive miscues continued in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two outs, Melky Cabrera drew a walk and moved to second when Lackey’s pickoff throw went past Morales at first. Jeter would then single to center and the ball went past the glove of center field Torii Hunter and rolled away. Cabrera scored and Jeter moved to second on the play.
That was all for Lackey as his defense betrayed him on this night. Throwing 114 pitches on the evening, he went 5 2/3 innings giving up four runs and nine hits, walking three and striking out three.
Sabathia would not need much more on this night. After the Morales RBI single in the fourth, no Angel hitter got a good swing off him the entire night. He would retire 13 of the next 14 batters that came to the plate and did not allow a hit, with only Morales reaching base on a walk.
The crowd, seeing the great performance of the Yankee ace began chanting “CC” with each out. When Bobby Abreu (0-for-4) flied out to Damon to end the eighth on his 113th pitch, the crowd roared in approval as he walked off the mound. Sabathia had given them eight innings of one run ball, allowing four hits, walking one and striking out seven and registering 15 “swing and misses”.
Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth after allowing a leadoff walk to pick up his second save of the postseason as the Yankees won their fourth playoff game in a row.
Game 2 starters feature AJ Burnett for the Yankees and Joe Saunders for the Angels on the night where weather reports are ominous.
NEW YORK – Every time CC Sabathia pitches a “big game” and performs up to it by pitching great, the saying always goes that this is the reason why the Yankees brought him here.
Having him on the mound in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium is the exact scenario they could have hoped for. Pitch on a brutally cold night and be able to put the clamps on an opponent.
He did just that.
Following up on his Game 1 start in the Division Series against the Twins, Sabathia followed that up with a completely dominant performance, going eight innings and with the help of some uncharacteristic gaffes by the Angels defense, pulled out a 4-1 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the League Championship Series in front of 49,688 at Yankee Stadium.
In two regular season starts, Sabathia had struggled against the Angels, going 0-2 with a 6.08 ERA. However, that was then and this is now. Since August 2, he has only lost one game (the final regular season start in Tampa) and the streak continued on a night where conditions were far beyond ideal.
The Yankees were given great fortune in the bottom of the first inning. Derek Jeter lead off the frame with a single and Johnny Damon’s single to left field moved Jeter to third. However, Rivera missed cutoff man Erick Aybar and threw to third allowing Damon to move into second with no one out.
Mark Teixeira struck out on a changeup from Angels starter John Lackey and Alex Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to center to give the Yankees the lead. With two out, Hideki Matsui appeared to pop out on the infield for the third out. The ball was in between both Aybar and third baseman Chone Figgins and neither called for the ball and saw it drop in front of both of them. Damon came around to score and the Yankees had a 2-0 lead.
Sabathia went to work from there. He allowed just two hits over the first three innings before the Angels got on the board in the fourth. Vladimir Guerrero’s deep drive on a warm night easily would have cleared the left center field fence. Yet, with the wind blowing in, the ball died at the warning track and he had to settle for a long double. With two out, Kendry Morales swung at a first pitch fastball and single into left center to cut the Yankees margin in half.
In the fifth, the Yankees would get the run back. Damon doubled to left center and after Teixeira struck out, Rodriguez worked a walk. Matsui would then double into left center field as Rivera had problems fielding the ball, sliding on the grass. Damon scored and Rodriguez was attempted to score from first after running through third base coach Robby Thompson’s stop sign, but was thrown out at home, so the lead was back up to only 3-1.
The Angels defensive miscues continued in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two outs, Melky Cabrera drew a walk and moved to second when Lackey’s pickoff throw went past Morales at first. Jeter would then single to center and the ball went past the glove of center field Torii Hunter and rolled away. Cabrera scored and Jeter moved to second on the play.
That was all for Lackey as his defense betrayed him on this night. Throwing 114 pitches on the evening, he went 5 2/3 innings giving up four runs and nine hits, walking three and striking out three.
Sabathia would not need much more on this night. After the Morales RBI single in the fourth, no Angel hitter got a good swing off him the entire night. He would retire 13 of the next 14 batters that came to the plate and did not allow a hit, with only Morales reaching base on a walk.
The crowd, seeing the great performance of the Yankee ace began chanting “CC” with each out. When Bobby Abreu (0-for-4) flied out to Damon to end the eighth on his 113th pitch, the crowd roared in approval as he walked off the mound. Sabathia had given them eight innings of one run ball, allowing four hits, walking one and striking out seven and registering 15 “swing and misses”.
Mariano Rivera pitched a scoreless ninth after allowing a leadoff walk to pick up his second save of the postseason as the Yankees won their fourth playoff game in a row.
Game 2 starters feature AJ Burnett for the Yankees and Joe Saunders for the Angels on the night where weather reports are ominous.
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