Justin Verlander steps to the mound every game with no-hitter potential. That was ended immediately, though, when Derek Jeter lined a single up the middle. Curtis Granderson, familiar with the cavernous left-centerfield of Comerica Park, tripled to the gap and then scored himself to give the Yankees an early 2-0 lead.
Verlander's biggest enemy is usually himself; he has trouble controlling his adrenaline. This ends up costing him runs in the first inning. I don't have the stats in front of me, but I'm positive his E.R.A. in the first inning his higher than in any other inning. True to form, he settled down, getting into an unhittable groove. In one inning he threw ten pitches, nine of them strikes, fanning the side.
His counterpart, the Yankee's mountainous C.C. Sabathia, seemed more bothered by the truncated game on Friday night. He seemed out of rhythm, and ended up walking six. Joe Girardi, the Yankees skipper, claimed that home-plate umpire Jerry Davis was not giving Sabathia the corners. This appeared to have some truth in it. An ESPN report earlier in the day showed that Sabathia had a much better record than Verlander when Davis was behind the plate. Maybe this was brought to Davis' attention and he overcompensated.
In any event, Sabathia was gone in the sixth. He was pecked to death by the Tigers' lighter hitters. Brandon Inge, who was such an offensive liability that he spend much of the summer in the minors, wrapped two hits off Sabathia, included a double that got things started. Ramon Santiago, in the lineup for defense and bunting ability, couldn't lay down a bunt with Inge on second. He ended up singling him home. He would add a double later. Don Kelly, a defensive replacement, pushed a perfect bunt past Sabathia, and scored on Jhonny Peralta's double off the left field wall. The Tigers were up 4-2.
This all seemed gift-wrapped for Verlander. He got two outs in the seventh and two strikes on Jorge Posada. The crowd was chanting "MVP!" Verlander, perhaps too charged up, lost Posada on a walk. He then plunked Russell Martin in the ribs with a 100-mile-an-hour fastball. Then, in an at-bat that could have been a pivotal one in the series, he worked Brett Gardner to a 3-2 count. Gardner hit the next pitch into the gap in left-center, clearing the bases. The score was tied. Verlander bore down and struck out Jeter.
But the Tigers haven't rolled over and died on anybody this season. The next inning Delmon Young stepped up. Announcer Jon Smoltz (a very good color man, by the way) said that Yankee reliever Rafael Soriano should beware the first pitch. Smoltz proved a Cassandra when Young put the pitch into the first row in right, giving the Tigers back the lead. Young, as mentioned before, was picked up in a trade with Minnesota in August. This was after the trade deadline, which means that Young had to pass waivers.
Verlander returned in the eighth and got his groove back. Jose Valverde, with the gut of a recreational bowler, came in to close out the ninth. As he did Sunday, he made it much more interesting than Detroit partisans would like. He walked two, but fanned Jeter (after nearly putting one in his ear). The Tigers had won, the Yankees are on the brink.
It will be interesting to see if Girardi changes his lineup. Alex Rodriguez and Mark Texeira have one hit between them. It would make sense to move Gardner to second and then move everyone else down one, even moving Rodriguez lower. It is to be remembered that five years ago, when these two teams me in the ALDS, Joe Torre moved Rodriquez to the eighth spot. It didn't help.
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