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The Yankee Juggernaut has now played 3 series, facing 3 of the best teams in the league, and winning all 3 series.
It was a night to build up arm strength for the Yanks: Hughes threw 109 pitches, 31 for Houdini, 20 for Marte, 22 for Joba.
The offense was relentless, forcing the Angels to work and work. The Yanks put a man on base in every inning until the bottom of the 8th, when the other Francisco Rodriguez retired the side in order.
In the second, after a Matsui homer, BEMVP Robbie Cano tied the game with a shot into the short porch. El Capitan followed with a solo shot of his own in the third.
Hughes struggled with his control and a tight strike zone, but he worked out of his jams. In the forth, everybody's favorite punchline (Marcus Thames) singled and scored on the first of Granderson's two triples. Granderson came home on a Jeter double. In the 5th, the Yanks added their final runs when Arod doubled and Cano continued his hot hitting by crushing a shot into right center.
Hughes came back out to start the sixth, but he put two men on without recording an out. D-Rob came in, and the runners moved up on a wild pitch. Houdini recorded 3 outs, but allowed one of the inherited runners to score. Marte followed D-Rob, and Joba followed Marte.
You've got to love the scoring rules: because Jeter made a should-be-an-error play with 2 out in the 9th, Joba gets denied the save, and instead Mariano Rivera comes in for a single batter. It seems really foolish to me considering that Joba hadn't worked hard to that point.
Play of the game: I love good defense, so you tell me; did you prefer Tex's range and diving tag to get Aybar in the 7th or Joba starting the 1-6-3 double play in the 8th?
Comment of the game: FreeBradshaw for his comment after Granderson's first triple.
Required reading on Jackie Robinson Day: Joe Poznanski's essay on Robinson as a ferocious competitor and as a man constantly aware that all eyes were on him. Poz's description of Jackie almost makes me believe in clutch.