New York Yankees stay alive in ALCS, head to Texas down 3-2
The New York Yankees had a big eighth inning in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series (ALSC) that saw them comeback from a 5-0 deficit to win. It wasn’t till Game 5 that their bats came alive
again, that game also happened to be their next win, a 7-2 victory at Yankee Stadium Wednesday night.
As a result the Yankees will head back to Arlington, down 3-2 in the series, hoping to keep the offence coming.
“We knew it was do or die,” said Yankee outfielder Nick Swisher, who hit a home run in the third inning. "We came out and played like we know how. We don't feel like we're out of anything. We have one
more game -- and one more after that.”
Curtis Granderson and Robinson Cano also hit home runs for New York.
Rangers’ fans might not give the Yankee offence as much credit as Yankee fans. Instead you might find them blaming a lack of control from C.J. Wilson as the major factor behind the Yankee outbreak.
Wilson allowed five earned runs on six hits over five innings, and he walked four. He also gave up a couple home runs. It was not the game he was hoping to have after already having two fine playoff appearances
this year.
“I had a couple of bad walks. That's frustrating,” said Wilson. “The broken bats went for hits today. That's frustrating. I didn't get ahead in the count. All that stuff added together, mixed up, leads
to a lot of runs allowed.”
The frustration began in the second inning when Wilson walked Alex Rodriguez and Lance Berkman on a combined eight pitches. With one out and two on, Jorge Posada singled in a run, and Granderson singled
in another. Jeff Francoeur made a throwing error on Granderson’s hit which scored a third run.
"It was the walks," Wilson said. "The walk to A-Rod to lead off that second inning was just poison."
Spotting any pitcher three runs in the second inning is usually a bad sign, but it’s a whole handful of nails in your coffin when the opposing team’s pitcher is CC Sabathia, who was throwing for the Yankees.
Sabathia went six innings while allowing only two runs, but he did allow 11 hits, one of them a fifth inning solo shot from Matt Treanor.
The Rangers will try to put the Yankees away in Game 6 so they can have Cliff Lee, who is scheduled to start Game 7 should it go that far, ready to start Game 1 of the World Series.
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