Detroit Tigers’ Jim Leyland content with team’s performance in ALDS – MLB Update
Detroit Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland expressed immense happiness on his team’s 3-2 win against New York Yankees in Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Thursday, October 6 at Yankee Stadium in New York.
This is the first time since 2006 that the Tigers are going into the second round of the post-season. In 2006, Detroit overcame the Yankees 3-1 in the ALDS to eventually go all the way through to the World Series. Although not impressive, the victory was
enough to see the Tigers qualify for the Championship Series for a matchup against AL West powerhouse Texas Rangers.
Articulating his stance after the win, Leyland said, "The Yankees are so good that I would be lying if I said it didn't give me a little extra satisfaction to be able to do it here in the fifth game. This will be a game I'll remember for the rest of my life."
The manager was overly impressed by the team-effort put in by the Tigers. Doug Fister lost Game 1 of the ALDS, but made a strong comeback to defeat Ivan Nova in an evenly contested tie. Detroit’s starter allowed just one run in his spell of five innings
to keep the home-team at bay. After having failed in his stint with the Seattle Mariners prior to mid-season, he went 8-1 with the Tigers in the regular season and won Game 5 to redeem himself after the loss early on.
This was the Yankees’ first one-run loss in the post-season after 1926, when they lost to St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series. The Tigers, on the contrary, won their first elimination game since Game 7 of the 1968 World Series against the Cardinals.
If history is to be relied upon, the Tigers are in with a chance to go all the way through to the World Series.
Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi, however, was not content in his postgame conference. After initially removing Nova from the mound citing stiffness in his right forearm, Girardi said, "We didn't like the way the ball was coming out of his hand. I think it was
directly related to that."
The Tigers are now scheduled to play against the Rangers in Game 1 of the ALCS on Saturday, October 8.
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