Major League Baseball: Master Lee tames the New York Yankees game 3 (Part 3)
The Texas Rangers were going up against a team that had bested them in every playoff opportunity they had availed over the past long years. They were visiting the New York Yankees at their home ground of the Yankee Stadium. The West champions in the American
League had beaten the Tampa Bay Rays to get to the point at which they were. Much to the appreciation of the fans, there was good faith in Ron Washington’s team and with a strong hitting line up, there couldn’t be a denial of a possibility that would imagine
the Texans as the victors in the American League Championship.
Cliff Lee returned to the mound for the Rangers in game 3 and this was going to be his moment as the Yankees paid homage to the challenge offered by the visitors. The star pitcher was already on top of the post season ranking with 21 strike outs and a concession
of just 2 runs in 13 innings. The veteran ball thrower was almost heading to New York before the Texans pinched the ace pitcher from the Seattle Mariners in July, last year.
Andy Pettitte was featuring for the Yankees and his countless years in the team’s jersey produced a great number of wins and victories in both the regular seasons and the playoffs. For a 38 year old, the encounter was important and a standing focal point
to his career’s recognition as an expert pitcher. The expert ball thrower featured in just one game and his contribution to the team came in a win against the Minnesota Twins with an earning runs average of 2.57. He conceded 2 runs of 5 hits and pitched in
7 innings. With a modest strike out figure of 4 on the board, he was looking for a way to dispel his disdainful season and provide his club with the necessary victory it needed to progress through for the World Series.
The match began with the Texas Rangers taking the batting role in the strike zone. Andy took the mound and welcomed the first visiting hitter to the bag. Elvis Andrus started the inning but just as quickly ended his role on the diamond. He smashed a shot
straight to the pitcher and grounded out. Michael Young walked in next and he was lucky as he got off with a single to the right centre. The match was set for an epic moment and that would not have been possible if Josh Hamilton wasn’t on the bag. The top
candidate for the Most Valuable Player in the league made his way to the mound and did the same thing he did against Carsten Charles Sabathia in the first game. He smashed a low 346 feet homer to the right and got the ball club two runs as Young ran on ahead
for the first.
The Yankees found themselves on the back foot and it was Pettitte’s inexperience with Hamilton on the mound that cost him the two runs in the very first match. The damage was done and it looked like the Yanks needed a big push to put the advantage on their
plate. But, that was not going to be the case as the side had to face a cool Cliff Lee on the mound. For what many considered an epic encounter, the match was turning on its head as both teams progressed further in the game without scoring any runs.
Pettitte caught his rhythm and allowed no Texan to lead off with a run. While his performance was monumental to the Yankees struggle for a win, Lee pitched a no hitter till the bottom of the 5th. Jorge Posada broke the bid with a single towards
the shallow right.
With no runs coming off in the 6th inning, the game was closing in on an extremely quiet night. Fans were fixed at the edge of their seats and as the innings went ahead, everybody got anxious.
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