Cano's blast opened up a game that had been a strange and uncomfortable contest that had begun more than 24 hours earlier. Justin Verlander and C.C. Sabathia were in opposition, a match up that generated a lot of interest. Sabathia looked strong, except for allowing an opposite-field home run to Delmon Young. Verlander looked nervous, allowing a few walks. A run scored when Derek Jeter took first on a wild pitch following a strike-out, and two hesitations by Tiger infielders allowed Jeter to score.
Then it started to rain. One can try to assign blame for this to nondivine individuals, but there's really nothing else baseball officials could have done. Apparently the forecast was askew, showing that no matter how advanced the technology, weathermen don't know anything. I was annoyed that the umpires allowed the Tigers to bat in the top of the second during a downpour. It was clear that it affected play, and ended up being a wasted inning. I suppose Yankee fans could argue that Sabathia was slipping out there, but he did strike out two in the inning.
The game was then called, or rather postponed. Instead of being a nongame, as it would be in the regular season, it was to be picked up where it left off the next night. Of course, the pitchers couldn't come back on such short notice, so the game 2 starters came in in relief. Both of them, Doug Fister for the Tigers, and Ivan Nova of the Yankees, had great years.
Fister showed nerves, allowing runners to second and third with no outs. He even balked. But he wriggled out of it, and then settled down and looked great, retiring 10 in a row at one point. Nova was also sharp, but started allowing the Tigers to get hits in the fifth. With two on and one out, Jhonny Peralta singled to center. Alex Avila, the runner on second, hesitated to see if Curtis Granderson would catch it. That was a fatal error, as Avila was gunned down by Jeter's relay. This was indicative of the type of night the Tigers had.
The Yankees had gone ahead on Cano's double, which bounced off the top of the wall. Then came his grand salami in the sixth. He would add a double in the eighth for another RBI. This guy is a great hitter, and the Tigers will need to deal with him more effectively. Frankly, I'd rather face Alex Rodriguez, and pitch carefully to Cano.
According to post-game reports, Fister only made a few bad pitches. One of them was a hanging curveball to Brett Gardner, who rapped a two-run single with two outs, which eventually led to Cano's home run. Then, Al Albuquerque, who came in in relief of Fister, threw a slider that didn't slide to Cano. Albuquerque hadn't allowed a home run all year. Oy.
It was clear that the Yankees, due to their immense post-season experience, were more polished. The Tigers looked flustered. That will have to change or it will be a short series. Today's pitcher, Max Scherzer, had 15 wins, but was up and down, and much better at home. The rain, though, screws up that plan. Freddy Garcia, throwing for the Bronx Bombers, should be hittable, though. I'm expecting a slug-fest.
I can take some consolation in that five years ago, the Tigers also got battered in game 1, and then reeled off seven straight post-season victories. There was even a rain out. Here's hoping history repeats itself.
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