Yankee Killers

All along I was wondering if this series would replicate the 2006 ALDS, when the Tigers upset the mighty Yankees. And it did, sort of. Game 1 was a Yankee romp, game 2 was a close Tiger victory, game 3 was a victory by the Tigers' ace (back then it was Kenny Rogers, this time Justin Verlander). Game 4 looked ripe to keep it going, as a suspect Yankee starter was on the mound, A.J. Burnett. Back in '06 it was the almost immediately forgettable Jared Wright, who got knocked around and the Tigers won in four. However, the pattern was upset and Burnett wriggled out of trouble in the first inning (thanks to a catch by Curtis Granderson) and the Yankees went on to win. Game 5 was new territory.

So I didn't expect a Tiger victory. In fact, I was mentally preparing myself for a Yankee victory. There were plenty of times it came close. Twice the Yankees left the bases loaded, and Derek Jeter's long fly ball in the eighth almost added to his lengthy legacy. But somehow, some way, the Tigers walked that tightrope and eked out a 3-2 victory, sending the Yankees into deep freeze for the winter, and earning the Tigers a spot against the Texas Rangers in the ALCS.

Most of the damage the Tigers did was early. So early, in fact, that I missed both solo home runs in the first inning (I thought the game start was at 8:30, not 8 o'clock). Don Kelly, who was one of the unlikely heroes in this series, golfed one into the rightfield stands, and Delmon Young followed with a shot to left off the Yankee starter Ivan Nova, who was gone after two innings due to tightness in his forearm. The Yankees then sent out a parade of relievers, including C.C. Sabathia, who allowed a run on an Austin Jackson double and a Victor Martinez single (after walking Miguel Cabrera). This would prove to be the winning run.

Meanwhile, Doug Fister, a midseason trade acquisition (Dave Dombrowski certainly deserves Executive of the Year for this pickup, along with the signing of Martinez and the trade for Young in August) was effective in keeping the Yankees from scoring. He got out of a fourth-inning jam when Jorge Posada's single did not score Alex Rodriguez, who rounded third base by quite a bit but was held up by the coach. Fister then got Russell Martin and Brett Gardner to pop out.

Robinson Cano homered in the fifth, and Max Scherzer came in to pitch the sixth and seventh. He got in trouble in the seventh, and was relieved by Joaquin Benoit. A couple of infield singles and a walk loaded the bases. But Benoit got Rodriguez to strike out. He walked Mark Texeira to force in a run, but then fanned Nick Swisher, and the last Yankee threat was extinguished.

Tigers' closer Jose Valverde, who had led a perilous existence in games 2 and 3, had a quiet ninth, ending it with a K of Rodriguez. I switched over to the sports radio station, and sure enough, he's going to be the whipping boy of Yankees fans. I'll be sure to tune in later today to hear more. But certainly Joe Girardi has got to shoulder some of the blame for insisting on batting him in the clean-up spot. The post-mortem should be vivid and vicious.

So now the Tigers face the Rangers, who have a dangerous lineup and home-field advantage. I think we've got a good shot, though I imagine the Rangers will be slight favorites. Justin Verlander is set to be the game 1 starter, an advantage over C.J. Lewis. It should be fun. Although I will be rooting hard for the Tigers, losing to the Rangers will be far less brutal than losing to the hated Yankees.

About fifty years ago, the Tigers had a pitcher named Frank Lary who always seemed to beat the Yankees, and he was dubbed the "Yankee Killer." It seems that this year's entire squad has earned that moniker.