Cliff Lee thumps the Rays out of the arena (Pt. 6 Final)
The American League Championship is on the fold and with two teams progressing through to the next stage it’s worthwhile to analyze what mix of players will play a major part in deciding the game. The 7 game series is scheduled
to start on Friday, October 15th. The first match is slated to be played in the Rangers Ballpark and the teams will be up to the challenge to beat the other for the World Series title bid. For the two teams competing in the event, the chance to
go up presents a great opportunity for the teams to achieve a hallmark they haven’t done before.
The New York Yankees have won 28 World titles so far and manager Joe Girardi would be looking for number 29, this year. The bout against the Minnesota Twins was always going to be an easy test for the Yanks. The Twins never won
a playoff in the last 6 years and when the East wildcard team went up against the side in Minneapolis, they found a demoralized roster that was already reeling with a poor losing track on the field.
The Texas Rangers on the other hand, were fed a stronger fish from the sea in the post season. The East division title holders, Tampa Bay Rays went up against the Texans and with a squad strong enough to put the Yankees down in
the division, it seemed like a very hard task for the West leaders to take the road to the championship. The last game on Tuesday was all that split the teams apart. Fortunately, that made all the difference as Ron Washington’s men went on ahead, leaving the
Joe Maddon’s squad flabbergasted by their defeat in the 5th fixture.
Now as the two teams wait to meet on Friday, there are notable players to mention here who will be offering some influence in the game when the time comes to play. The winner of the game will have the upper hand as the 2nd fixture
will carry a psychological advantage onto the next match.
New York Yankees
Carsten Charles Sabathia: Sabathia has been instrumental for the Yankees so far. His contribution in the league was immense. He won 21 games in the season and carried an Earning Runs Average of 3.18. His
nomination for the Cy Young Award is on the cards and due to his feature in the first game, there is much speculation that the player will do a lot for the team to take out the Rangers from strike zone. On the 6th of October he opened the Minnesota
game and pitched just 6 innings. He allowed 4 runs off 5 hits. Girardi will be hoping for an improvement when the man goes up against the Texans
Alex Rodriguez: Alex was once a Rangers’ man and he wasn’t the only one. Mark Teixeira was the other man on the roster who was on the Texans squad for a long time. Michael Young of the West leaders will
be hoping to go up against his old team mates in the team. Rodriguez had a batting average of .270, smashing 30 home runs and leading 125 runs batted in.
Texas Rangers
C.J. Wilson: One of the Texas best players, he’s one of the top pitchers in the team. Christopher John Wilson was far from average in the season as he featured in 33 games and won 15 while losing 8 matches
on the campaign. His Earning Runs Average of 3.35 is an asset for the team and he will be pitching right in the game to take out the Yanks.
Ian Kinsler: Kinsler was instrumental against the Rays and in the last game he smashed a home run that led to 2 runs for the team in the 9th inning. His .286 batting average is an amazing figure
to take into perspective and many will have their eyes set on the man when he goes up against Joe Girardi’s men.
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