What a Game!

If you stayed up to about 1:10 in the morning or stayed for all 13 innings (5 hours and 10 minutes) at Yankee Stadium you were treated to a fun game... Not epic, but fun... This is the kind of game that the Yankees have not won in the recent past. This year is different. Everything seems to be falling into place for the Bombers. They beat the Angels 4-3 in game 2 of the ALCS.

Again, I have to start with Alex Rodriguez. The A-Rod bashers are very quiet right now because he has been CLUTCH! Yes, CLUTCH! That's a word that has not described him in past years. With the Yankees trailing 3-2 in the 11th, Rodriguez hit his 3rd HR of this postseason. All 3 homers have tied the game for the Yankees in the late innings. The Yanks had a new life and they took advantage.

Move to the 13th... Jerry Hairston led off the inning with a single to center, he was bunted over to second Brett Gardner. Then after Robinson Cano was intentionally walked, here comes Melky Cabrera... He hits a chopper to the left of second baseman Maicer Izturis... His momentum is carrying him toward first... Seems like a no-brainer to get the out at first. But what does he do? He wheels and throws to second. Of course the ball is thrown away... Hairston scores and the Bronx is bumpin because the Yankees are up 2-0... The Angels have uncharacteristically kicked the ball around... 3 errors in game 1... and 2 more in game 2. If they think they have any shot of winning the series, they will have to fix that. You can't give a team like the Yankees extra outs.

Couple of things that will be overshadowed by the Yankees win. 1... Joe Girardi is in love with his bullpen... Jeez... He used 8 pitchers... The only reliever not to pitch was Chad Gaudin and he might have seen action if the game lasted any longer. It worked out of course, but there certain instances where Girardi might have been able to go a little longer with a pitcher... except Mariano Rivera who actually pitched 2 and a third innings and threw 25 pitches...

Also there was another controversial umpire call. In the 10th, Jorge Posada hit an easy double play ball... But Melky Cabrera was called safe at second on the "neighborhood play" The shortstop Erick Aybar did not touch second as he relayed the ball to first. So.. letter of the law... the runner is safe... But we've all seen the neighborhood play and the runner is normally called out. Mike Scioscia ran out and basically argued "Now you wanna call it straight?" I understand his argument. My only thought on that play was this: The neighborhood play was basically started so that the shortstop or second baseman doesn't get killed on the take-out slide. Cabrera was so far away from the bag that I guess the ump thought Aybar should have been able to touch the second base bag without chance of being taken out. That's the only way I see that call being made. Otherwise, you have to make the out call there. But the Yankees didn't score in the inning so the point is moot.

The last point and then I will go to sleep. Big win for the Yankees!!! Why? They go to Anaheim up 2-0 instead of tied 1-1... That's huge, because I see the Angels winning 2 of 3 out there. So would you rather come back to the Bronx for game 6 up 3-2 or down 3-2... I think you'd rather be up... Yanks in 6! Good night!