(AFP/Getty Images/Jared Wickerham)| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | ||
| MIN | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 1 | |
| NYY | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 7 | 9 | 0 |
WP - CC Sabathia (1-0)
LP - Brian Duensing (0-1)
One down, ten to go... It went about as well as it could have for our Yanks in game 1 of this year's ALDS in the Bronx last night. CC Sabathia looked very sharp, and seemed to have none of those postseason jitters that haunted him the past two Octobers. In 6.2 innings pitched, the big left-hander allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits, did not walk a batter, and struck out eight. He threw 113 pitches on the night, with 71 hitting the strike zone.
His only bad inning came in the third when both Twins' runs scored. After allowing a leadoff single to Nick Punto, Denard Span banged into a 5-4-3 double play and you thought this would be another easy inning for CC. But then Orlando Cabrera singled, and Joe Mauer doubled to put runners on second and third with one out. Michael Cuddyer made it three consecutive hits with an RBI single, and then another run scored on a passed ball with Jason Kubel batting to give the Twins a 2-0 lead. That would be it for Minnesota.
Like they've been doing all year the Yankees came right back with two runs of their own to tie it up in the bottom half of the inning. Both runs coming on a long home run down the line in left off the bat of Derek Jeter. Jeter had singled in his first at-bat, so in the first three innings he picked up the Yankees first playoff hit and homer in the new place. Seriously, who else would it be? It was a big night for the Captain, who went 2-for-2, with 2 walks, a homer, 2 RBI, and 3 runs scored.
They took the lead one inning later on a Nick Swisher double into the corner in left scoring Robinson Cano all the way from first. They would then tack on some more runs here and there and slowly put the game away.
CC was not the only Yankees to push aside some October demons tonight because Alex Rodriguez, who has taken a lot of crap for his .143 batting average and one RBI over his last 56 postseason at-bats, went 2-for-4, with 2 RBI singles and a run scored. It didn't start out great for A-Rod, who popped out and struck out in his first two at-bats, but in his third at-bat he lined an RBI single to extend the Yankees lead to 4-2. His single was followed by a Hideki Matsui two-run homer into Monument Park that made it 6-2 Yankees. A-Rod second RBI single came two innings later, and long fly ball off the wall in right, and made it 7-2 Yankees. So far so good for those of us who thought A-Rod was headed for a breakout October.
The bullpen took over with two outs in the sixth and picked up right where they left off in the regular season. Phil Hughes came out of of the pen to strike out Orlando Cabrera with runners on second and third and two out in in 7th. He then retired a batter in the eighth before Phil Coke came in. Both he and Joba Chamberlain retired the only batter they each faced, and needed just three pitches combined to do so. Mariano Rivera did allow a hit and a walk, but held the Twins off the board as he closed out the game in the ninth.
I was at the stadium for the game, sitting in the right field bleachers, and I can't say how the fans were in the rest of the place, but the bleacher crowd was as loud and into the game as they could have been. It really felt like the old place. The few stupid Twins fans I saw, who for some reason thought it would be a good idea to sit in the bleachers for a playoff game, were given no mercy by the Yankee faithful.
The Yanks are off tomorrow before they hand the ball to A.J. Burnett in game 2 on Friday. Nick Blackburn will start for the Twins, and the game will be on TBS with the first pitch set for 6:07 p.m.
| AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG | |
| Jeter, SS | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Damon, LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .250 |
| Teixeira, 1B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | .000 |
| Rodriguez, A, 3B | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .500 |
| Matsui, H, DH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| Posada, C | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .250 |
| Cano, 2B | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 |
| Swisher, RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| Gardner, CF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Cabrera, Me, CF-RF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .250 |
| Totals | 33 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 13 | |
BATTING 2B: Swisher (1, Duensing). HR: Jeter (1, 3rd inning off Duensing, 1 on, 1 out), Matsui, H (1, 5th inning off Liriano, 1 on, 2 out). TB: Jeter 5; Damon; Rodriguez, A 2; Matsui, H 4; Posada; Swisher 2; Cabrera, Me. RBI: Jeter 2 (2), Swisher (1), Rodriguez, A 2 (2), Matsui, H 2 (2). 2-out RBI: Swisher; Rodriguez, A 2; Matsui, H 2. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Rodriguez, A; Cabrera, Me; Posada. GIDP: Teixeira. Team RISP: 3-for-8. Team LOB: 5. FIELDING PB: Posada 2 (2). DP: (Rodriguez, A-Cano-Teixeira). | ||||||||
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | |
| Sabathia (W, 1-0) | 6.2 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1.35 |
| Hughes, P (H, 1) | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Coke | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Chamberlain | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Rivera, Ma | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 |
Pitches-strikes: Sabathia 113-71, Hughes, P 24-16, Coke 1-1, Chamberlain 2-1, Rivera, Ma 23-14.
TWINS STATS
PLAYER OF THE GAME: CC Sabathia (W, 6.2 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K)
HONORABLE MENTION: Derek Jeter (2-for-2, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 3 R)
Game 2
Yankees vs. Twins
Game Time: 6:07 p.m. TV/Radio: TBS, WCBS
RHP A.J. Burnett (13-9, 4.04) vs. RHP Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.03)
Yankees vs. Twins
Game Time: 6:07 p.m. TV/Radio: TBS, WCBS
RHP A.J. Burnett (13-9, 4.04) vs. RHP Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.03)
