Rangers look to continue dream season; Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees ALCS preview
Historically speaking, this series could not be any more of a David vs. Goliath matchup. The Texas Rangers needed 50 seasons to win their first playoff series, dating back to the days of the Washington Senators.
Prior to that, the Rangers had only made the playoffs three times, losing to the Yankees in 1996, 1998 and 1999. This year gives the Rangers a chance at some revenge as they can knock off the defending world champions and a franchise that has won 27 championships
while the Rangers are still in search of their first.
The Rangers finally got over the hump with a five-game series win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS. After building a two-game lead, the Rangers nearly blew the lead, only to get yet another postseason masterpiece from their ace Cliff Lee. Speaking of
which, Lee may be the Rangers’ best weapon in this series and the Yankees’ kryptonite.
Lee is a perfect 6-0 in playoff starts and two of those wins came against the Yankees in the World Series last year for the Phillies. After pitching Game 5 though, Lee will likely be unable to pitch until Game 3 of the ALCS. When he does though, he’ll have
to do what he’s done better than any playoff pitcher in recent years. He showed why the Rangers traded for him in the summer and he’ll have to prove it again against a tough opponent.
The Rangers won the ALDS with great starting pitching and opportunistic base running but to beat the Yankees, they’ll need their sluggers to get going. Ian Kinsler was the hero of the ALDS with three home runs and Nelson Cruz batted .400 but the reason the
Rangers got to this point was Josh Hamilton. Hamilton is an MVP candidate but only managed two hits last series. He along with Vladimir Guerrero will need to get some big hits and likely some home runs to upset the high powered Yankees.
The keys for the Yankees obviously lie in their starting pitching. While C.C Sabathia is a reliable ace, the Yankees now have to work A.J Burnett into their rotation. Burnett has been erratic the past two years and if he slumps, the Rangers have the firepower
to take advantage. Andy Pettitte and Phi Hughes have both proven to be great playoff pitchers as well.
Player for player, the Yankees have probably the best lineup in baseball. From Derek Jeter to Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano, the Yankees are tough to handle. The Rangers will again need the best out of their starting pitching
but will need their bullpen to contribute. The bullpen let the Rangers down in Games 3 and 4 of the ALDS and they’ll need the best from their young pitchers. Neftali Feliz will need to be at his best as well as Darren O’Day, Darren Oliver and Dustin Nippert.
It will be a very interesting series. The Yankees had five more wins than the Rangers this year but finished as wild card entrants to the playoffs. The Rangers won the weak AL West but upset the Rays and tied the season series with the Yankees at 4-4. The
experienced Yankees can’t take the young Rangers lightly, because they’re hungry and have home-field advantage. Expect a long and entertaining series, likely to go to seven games. Game one is Friday October 15th at 8:00 pm from the Ballpark in Arlington.
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