Mood Music - Achilles Last Stand by Led Zeppelin
Wait, you mean other teams are allowed to score runs off of our bullpen? When did they change that rule?
The result absolutely sucked, but this was a pretty epic back and forth struggle between two teams that have a good chance of meeting in the ALCS. The Yankees jumped out on C.J. Wilson early, highlighted by a very impressive opposite field double by Alex Rodriguez. Sometimes I just marvel at his ability (a low and outside change up that he took a slow swing at, just met the ball, and put it 400 feet up against the wall in the right center field gap).
Javier Vazquez gave back some of that lead by working into a jam in the 4th, but the Yankees maintained a 4-3 lead. An additional run was tacked on by a Mark Teixeira bases loaded walk, but the Yankees, although they had many good opportunities, never could get the hit that they needed to put the game out of reach.
In the 6th, Javy allowed the first base runner to reach on a play that A-Rod should have made at third base. It was counted as a hit, but it's a play Alex makes 95 times out of 100, and it came back to hurt the Yankees, as that run would come around to score after Javy was lifted.
The Yankees nursed their 5-4 lead until the the 8th inning, when the first batter that Joba Chamberlain faced, Nelson Cruz, hit a home run on the very first pitch of the inning to tie the game at 5. After a few shutdown innings by both teams top relievers, it was time for extra innings.
Twice, the Yankees got the potential go ahead run to third base with one out, but were unable to capitalize. Derek Jeter grounded out to first and Jorge Posada lined out to second, preventing the runner from being able to score. In the bottom of the 13th, the White Flag himself, Chad Gaudin, offered up yet another first-pitch-of-the-inning tater to Nelson Cruz.
But, it still just counts as one game. And after Good A.J. shows up to give the depleted pen some rest (optimistic to the point of foolishness, I know), we can tie the series up tomorrow.
Comment Of The Game: WhatWouldJeterDo - Wherever Joe West is, this game offended him. But not as much as KFC forgetting to make his order extra crispy.
Play Of The Game: The walkoff...