Baseball in the Pythagorean Universe 1871-Present

Garrett Garlits · Oct 14, 2019

Now it's time for Game 1 of the second 2012 American League Division Series from U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. The date is Saturday, October 6:

Weather: 45 degrees, cloudy skies, northwest wind at 9 MPH. Wind chill at first pitch is 40 degrees.

White Sox 2nd: Designated hitter Paul Konerko drew a leadoff walk. Right fielder Alex Rios' fly to left was caught on the warning track by the Athletics' Yoenis Cespedes for out number one. A's starter Jarrod Parker was called for a balk by home plate umpire Jim Reynolds to move Konerko down to second, which upset him so much that he threw a wild pitch on his next delivery, which gave Konerko third as well. Pitching coach Curt Young had to come out and calm Parker down, and Jarrod got left fielder Dayan Viciedo to ground to third for out number two as Konerko stayed at third. Next was shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who grounded deep in the hole at short. Stephen Drew made the stop, but his throw to first was a hair late, which allowed Ramirez to reach and Konerko to score the game's first run. Catcher Tyler Fkowers forced Ramirez to end the inning, but the Pale Hose have scored first on a walk, a balk, a wild pitch, and an infield hit. After one, it's White Sox 1, A's 0.

A's 5th: With one out, center fielder Coco Crisp lined a base hit to left center, then stole second. Drew's seeing-eye single to right brought Crisp home to tie the game at one. Cespedes forced Drew at second for out number two, and first baseman Brando Moss grounded to second to end the inning, which is also our Defensive Play of the Night. Here's how Ernie Johnson called it on TBS:

"Bouncer down to second, Beckham on the run, picks it up, throws off-balance, AND GOT HIM! The out call from first base umpire Mark Wegner, and the White Sox escape tied. A run for the A's on two hits, and we're halfway through Game 1 tied at one."

White Sox 8th: Ramirez led off with a base hit to right. Flowers' single up the middle put two men on, and second baseman Gordon Beckham walked to load the bases. That brought up center fielder Dewayne Wise, who got ahead two balls and no strikes. Here's EJ with what happened next:

"Two balls, no strikes, bases loaded in the eighth. Parker's been superb since the first inning, when he gave up the White Sox' only run, but he's in the soup now with the bases loaded and nobody out, as you see the runners: Ramirez at third, Flowers at second, and Beckham at first. Infield at double play depth, even though that likely means the go-ahead run for Chicago. The stretch by Parker, and the two-ball pitch.....ground ball, BASE HIT TO RIGHT! RAMIREZ SCORES! FLOWERS COMES IN! BECKHAM STOPS AT SECOND STILL WITH NOBODY OUT, AND THE WHITE SOX LEAD 3-1!"

Jim Kaat: "Jarrod Parker has nothing to be ashamed of; he made the best pitch he could and gets the ground ball he wants, but it's through the hole between first and second. Ramirez and Flowers score easily, but Beckham stops at second. No reason to make the first out at third, as Moss gets the ball in from the outfield fairly quickly."

That was all for Parker; Jerry Blevins came in and struck out third baseman Kevin Youkilis swinging for the first out of the inning, But he control left him at that point, as he walked first baseman Adam Dunn on five pitches to reload the bases, then Konerko to force Beckham in and make it 4-1. Next out of the Oakland bullpen was Pat Neshek, but he fared no better, as he walked Rios on a three-two pitch to bring Wise home and put the home squad up 5-1. Vicielo grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning with runners still at second and third, but the White Sox have broken thins open with four runs on three hits and four walks. The A's will head to the ninth against Sox starter Chris Sale needing four to tie and five to take the lead. It's South Side 5, East Bay 1.

A's 9th: Right fielder Josh Reddick led off against Sale. Here's EJ with the count one ball and one strike:

"Josh Reddick was such an integral part of the Red Sox' run to the World Series last year, and the A's are obviously hoping that he'll be something similar for them in 2012. Right now they'd settle for a hit that might take Chris Sale out of this game, but then they'll most likely deal with the closer Addison Reed.

The White Sox are looking for their first playoff win since their manager Robin Ventura was a player back in 1996. Not a series win, a game win. They beat the Texas Rangers 12-1 in Game 1 of the '96 ALDS here when this place was known as Comiskey Park, and they've been beaten in nine straight postseason games since. Reddick with a drive down the line in right, over is Rios to take a look, now going back, AND THIS ONE IS GONE!......Kind of a weak little drive at first, but it picked up momentum and ended up going over the fence. Here comes Ventura out to get Sale, and listen to the ovation for Sale!"

Kaat: "Reddick is the type of hitter to get home runs like this, because he's such a powerful man. Of course, the wind helped a bit too, as this is a cool night in Chicago that's rapidly becoming cold because of that northwest wind. A great night for Sale, but now it's time for Reed to nail this one down."

Third baseman Josh Donaldson greeted Reed with a single to left, but he was forced by designated hitter Seth Smith. Catcher Derek Norris flew to center for out number two, and second baseman Cliff Pennington's grounder to Dunn at first wrapped things up. For the first time in sixteen years, the Chicago White Sox have won a postseason game. Our final: White Sox 5, A's 2, and the Sox lead the best-of-five series one game to none.

Wise and Sale shared Player of the Game honors from TBS. Wise provided the go-ahead two-run single in the bottom of the eighth, while Sale pitched eight-plus innings, giving up two runs on five hits while walking two and striking out eleven.

The series will continue with Game 2 here at U.S. Cellular Field. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 1PM Eastern on TNT, with Tommy Milone starting for the A's and Jose Quintana pitching for the White Sox.

Note: TNT will broadcast selected games in the Division Series round to allow for greater scheduling flexibility.

Final totals: White Sox 5-7-1, Athletics 2-6-0.

W- Sale (1-0)
S- Reed (1)
L- Parker (0-1)

HR- OAK: Reddick (1)

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 15, 2019

I'm not feeling well today, so here's a one-paragraph summary of Game 2 between the A's and the White Sox:

A's 9, White Sox 2 (TNT: Ernie Johnson, Jim Kaat, Sam Ryan; series tied 1-1)

The Swingins took out their frustration over their Game 1 loss today, taking Sox starter Jose Quintana deep four times and scoring five runs in the first two innings on their way to a laugher. The A's homered four times, led by Josh Reddick's three-run bomb in the top of the first that set the tone. Coco Crisp, Stephen Drew, and catcher George Kottaras also homered for Oakland, while Dewayne Wise homered for the Sox in a losing cause. Kottaras led the Athletics' offense by going three for four, while starter Tommy Millone gave up jus two runs and seven hits in seven innings to get the win. Dayan Viciedo had the other Chicago RBI.

Final totals: Athletics 9-9-0, White Sox 2-8-0.

W- Millone (1-0)
L- Quintana (0-1)

HR- OAK: Reddick (2), Crisp (1) Kottaras (1), Drew (1)
CWS: Wise (1)

The series will shift to the O.co Coliseum for Game 3 on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 9:30 PM Eastern, with A.J. Griffin pitching for the A's and Francisco Liriano going for the Sox.

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 16, 2019

Now it's time for Game 3 of the second 2012 American League Division Series from the O.co Coliseum in Oakland. The date is Tuesday, October 9:

Lineup Changes:

A's- Derek Norris is back behind the plate and will bat eighth.

Weather: 62 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, west wind at 8 MPH.

A''s 2nd: Brandon Moss and Josh Reddick drew back-to-back leadoff walks against White Sox starter Francisco Liriano. Josh Donaldson forced Reddick, with Moss moving to third. Seth Smith dumped a base hit into right to score Moss and give the A's a 1-0 lead. Derek Norris flew to Dayan Viciedo in left, which allowed Donaldson to come home and make it 2-0. Next up was Cliff Pennington, who lined a base hit to left center to score Smith, which made it 3-0. Coco Crisp forced Pennington to end the inning, but the Athletics have scored three times on two hits, two walks, and a sacrifice fly. At the end of two, they lead the White Sox 3-0.

White Sox 4th: Adam Dunn drew a leadoff walk. In spite of Dunn bring one of the slowest players in the game, the A's put a pickoff play on, and got what they deserved when Norris threw the attempt into center field, which gave Dunn second base anyway. Paul Konerko's single to left put runners at the corners, but Alex Rios flew to Yoenis Cespedes in left field for out number one, and A.J. Pierzynski took a called third strike for out number two. Viciedo's bloop single to left scored Dunn to cut the Athletics' lead to 3-1, but Alexei Ramirez's popup was caught by Stephen Drew at short to end the inning. The Sox settle for one run on two hits, a walk, and an error while leaving runners at first and second. After three and a half, it's A's 3, Sox 1.

A's 8th: Crisp drew a leadoff walk against Sox reliever Nate Jones. Drew's base hit to right moved him to third, and Cespedes' single to left center brought him home to give the A's a 4-1 lead. Moss' fly to left was caught by Viciedo in foul territory, but Drew made it to third ahead of Viciedo's throw. Reddick's pop behind home plate was caught by Pierzynski for the second out, but Donaldson stroked a base hit to right center. Drew scored, and the A's led 5-1. Jesse Crain came out of the Chicago pen and retired Smith on a grounder to second, ending the inning with runners still at the corners. But the home squad has added a pair of runs on three hits and a walk, and the Sox will face A's closer Ryan Cook in the top of the ninth trailing 5-1.

That was all the scoring, as Cook got the Sox out one-two-three in the top of the ninth: Our final: Athletics 5, White Sox 1, and the A's lead the series two games to one.

A's starter A.J. Griffin was named Player of the Game by TBS. He pitched eight innings, giving up just one run on nine hits while walking three and striking out eight.

Final totals: Athletics 5-7-1, White Sox 1-9-0.

W- Griffin (1-0)
S- Cook (1)
L- Liriano (0-1)

This series will continue with Game 4 tomorrow night here at the O.co Coliseum. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 9:30 PM Eastern, with Jake Peavy starting for the White Sox and Tyson Ross going to the hill for the A's.

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 17, 2019

Now it's time for Game 4 of the second 2012 American League Division Series from the O.co Coliseum in Oakland. The date is Wednesday, October 10:

Lineup Changes:

White Sox- Dewayne Wise moves from center field to right field. Orlando Hudson makes his first start of the series at second base and will bat second. Adam Dunn moves to first base, Dan Johnson will serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup. Dayan Viciedo moves up to fifth and Alexei Ramirez to sixth. Jordan Danks starts in center field and will bat seventh. Tyler Flowers is back behind the plate and will bat eighth. Ray Olmedo will start at third base and bat ninth.

Weather: 57 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, west-northwest wind at 14 MPH.

White Sox 2nd: With one out, Dayan Viciedo singled to left center. Alexei Ramirez's single to left moved him to third, and Danks' base hit to left center brought him home and gave the Sox a 1-0 lead. Ramirez moved to third, but both runners were stranded when Flowers and Olmedo each went down swinging to end the inning. The Pale Hose have broken on to with a run on three hits, and after an inning and a half they lead the A's 1-0.

White Sox 3rd: Wise led off with a single to right center. After Hudson flew to right for the first out, Wise stole second. Dunn's bouncer to second moved him to third, and he scored on Johnson's single to left to put the Sox up 2-0. Viciedo's popup was caught by Josh Donaldson behind third base to end the inning, but the Sox have added a run on two hits to lead the Athletics 2-0 after two and a half.

White Sox 4th: Ramirez stroked a leadoff double to left. Danks' roller to first moved him to third, and he held there when Flowers grounded to short. After Olmedo walked to put two men on, Wise stepped up to face A's starter Tyson Ross. Here's Ernie Johnson with the count two balls and one strike:

"(White Sox starter) Jake Peavy's doing his job so far, shutting out the A's on one hit, but he could use a little more help from his offense. Two runs are nice, but you can always use as many as possible during the postseason. It would be a huge lift to the A's if Tyson Ross can pitch out of this mess. Ramirez at third, Olmedo at first with two out. Ross checks the runners, and here's the two-one pitch...….FLY BALL DEEP TO RIGHT, GOING BACK IS REDDICK, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE!...…..Exactly the hit the White Sox needed, as Dewayne Wise hits a three-run homer to make it 5-0 Chicago."

Jim Kaat: "Dewayne Wise has already homered in this series in the Game 2 blowout at U.S. Cellular Field, so this shouldn't surprise anyone. Ross makes a good pitch, but Wise goes and gets it and really starches it. Josh Reddick thinks he has a play until the very last second, but the ball goes just beyond his glove to give the White Sox some much-needed breathing room."

That was all for Ross; Brett Anderson came out of the Oakland bullpen to retire Hudson on a grounder to third to end the inning. But the Sox have scored three more runs on two hits and a walk, with the key blow being Wise's second homer of the series. After three and a half, it's Chicago 5, Oakland 0.

That was all the scoring. Our final: White Sox 5, Athletics 0, and this series is tied at two games apiece.

Peavy was named Player of the Game by TBS. He pitched a three-hit shutout, walking three and striking out nine in 112 pitches. Only one runner made it as far as third base: Coco Crisp, who walked to lead off the Oakland sixth, stole second, and moved to third on a Stephen Drew fly ball. He was stranded when Yoenis Cespedes struck out swinging and Brandon Moss fouled out. The only time that the A's put two men on was in the eighth, when Cliff Pennington singled and Crisp reached on an error. Drew then grounded into an inning-ending double play.

Final totals: White Sox 5-10-1, Athletics 0-3-0.

W- Peavy (1-0)
L- Ross (0-1)

HR- CWS: Wise (2)

The series has come down to a winner-take-all Game 5 tomorrow night here at the O.co Coliseum. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 9:30 PM Eastern, with Gavin Floyd starting for the White Sox against the Athletics' Jarrod Parker.

Next: We look at Game 5.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 18, 2019

Now it's time for Game 5 of the second 2012 American League Division Series from the O.co Coliseum in Oakland. The date is Thursday, October 11:

Lineup Changes:

A's- Seth Smith and Brandon Moss switch places in the batting order; Smith will bat cleanup, while Moss will bat seventh.

White Sox- Orlando Hudson and Dewayne Wise switch places in the batting order; Hudson will lead off, while Wise bats second. Paul Konerko is back in the lineup as the designated hitter and will bat third. Dayan Viciedo moves up to the cleanup spot. Dan Johnson moves to first base and will bat fifth. Jose Lopez will start at third base and will bat sixth. A.J. Pierzynski is back behind the plate and will bat seventh. Jordan Danks moves down to eighth, while Ray Olmedo moves from third base to shortstop and will bat ninth.

Weather: 55 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, west winds at 16 MPH.

White Sox 1st: Wise walked with one out, then stole second. He remained there on Konerko's grounder to third and scored on Viciedo's seeing wye base hit to right to give the Sox a 1-0 lead. Johnson struck out swinging to end the inning, but the visitors have scored the game's first run on a walk, a stolen base, and a hit. Now let's welcome the A's.

White Sox 3rd: Wise once again walked with one out, moved to third on Konerko's single to right and scored on Viciedo's grounder to Moss at first. Johnson's fly to right ended the inning, but the White Sox have added a run on a walk, a hit, and a groundout. We've played two and a half in Game 5, and it's Pale Hose 2, Swingins 0.

White Sox 6th: With two out, Lopez lined a single to left. That brought up Pierzynski against A's starter Jarrod Parker. Here's Ernie Johnson with the count two balls and no strikes:

"Pierzynski one of the real leaders of this White Sox team over the past several years; he's the one who's encouraged his teammates not to listen to the talk about the Curse of the Black Sox or the ninety-five years since a championship. He's got them believing this is the year, and he can help make it their year with a hit in this situation. Parker checks Lopez at first, runner going, to the plate, and that ball is hit down the line in right. Reddick over, takes a look, ball's still going, Reddick about out of room, AND IT'S GONE!...…..Another homer that just got out, but it's enough to give the White Sox a 4-0 lead here in the sixth, and this place is absolutely silent."

Jim Kaat: "This was a little lazy fly down the right field line, and Reddick thought he had a really easy play, but somehow it kept carrying down the line, and this is where Reddick realizes that he'd better pick it up a bit. He goes at top speed to the wall, but the ball just does elude his glove, just as Dewayne Wise's did last night. And just like that one, this one's really given the White Sox a comfortable lead."

Danks' fly to counterpart Ccco Crisp in center ended the inning, but Pierzynski's two-run homer has extended the Sox' lead to 4-0 as we head to the bottom of the sixth.

A's 6th: With one out, Smith came to the plate against White Sox starter Gavin Floyd. Here's EJ:

"One out now, and here's Seth Smith, who's 0 for 2. The A's need offense in a hurry, as they trail 4-0 in the bottom of the sixth and have only eleven outs to go in their season unless they make a big comeback. Floyd shutting out the A's on three hits over five and a third innings, which is what Jake Peavy did over nine innings last night. Ready now with the first pitch, AND IT'S HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO LEFT, VICIEDO BACK, AT THE WALL, REACHES UP, BUT IT'S GONE, AND THE A'S ARE ON THE BOARD!...….Maybe Gavin Floyd's first mistake all night, and it winds up in the second row in left field thanks to Seth Smith."

Kaat: "This pitch is a bit too far up and in, and Smith really gets around on it. There wasn't much doubt about this one, and now we know one of the reasons why (A's manager) Bob Melvin batted Smith higher in the batting order tonight. Now Floyd's looking at facing the Joshes, Reddick and Donaldson, and this inning could get interesting in a hurry."

But Floyd rose to the occasion, retiring Reddick on a fly to shallow right and Donaldson on a bouncer to second. Smith's homer has put the Athletics on the board, but they still trail the White Sox 4-1 after six.

A's 7th: With one out, Derek Norris singled up the middle. After Cliff Pennington took a called third strike, Crisp walked to put two men on. That brought up Stephen Drew, who snuck a base hit through the hole between first and second and into right center. Norris scored, and the A's were back to within 4-2. Crisp moved to third, but both runners were stranded when Floyd ended his evening by striking Cespedes out swinging. The A's thus had to settle for a run on two hits and a walk. After seven, it's Chicago 4, Oakland 2.

That was all the scoring. Here's EJ.s call of the final out, as Addison Reed faced Crisp with the count one ball and one strike:

"Two out here in the ninth, and the White Sox bench can taste it. The last time they won a playoff series was in the very first modern Division Series eighteen years ago, when they swept the Rangers before losing to the Yankees in a six-game ALCS. Robin Ventura was a player then; now he's the manager. Crisp still looking to get on base and set up the Oakland heavy hitters; Cespedes the one on deck. One-one from Reed...….hit deep to right center, but not deep enough. Danks and Wise both over, Danks makes the call AND THE CATCH! THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX ARE HEADED TO THE ALCS!...….Gavin Floyd with seven strong innings, Nate Jones pitched the eighth, and Addison Reed with a one-two-three ninth. The big offensive blow came from battery mate A.J. Pierzynski, who hit a two-run homer in the sixth, and that's enough for a three games to two series victory.

Matt Winer are standing by in Atlanta with The Postseason Show Presented by Chrysler, where we'll have interviews from both clubhouses and a preview of the upcoming ALCS. What a series it's been, and what a pleasure it's been to once again work alongside Jim Kaat. For Kitty and Sam Ryan, I'm Ernie Johnson. Our final score: the Chicago White Sox 4, the Oakland Athletics 2. The Postseason Show is next after the break, so stay tuned and good night from Oakland."

Floyd was named Player of the Game by TBS. As EJ said earlier, he pitched seven innings, giving up just two runs on six hits despite six walks. He also struck out eight.

Final totals: White Sox 4-7-0, Athletics 2-7-0.

W- Floyd (1-0)
S- Reed (2)
L- Parker (0-2)

HR- CWS: Pierzynski (1)
OAK: Smith (1)

Next: Now that the White Sox have finally won a postseason series, we have to determine who they'll play in the ALCS. We'll start to do that next time, as the Rays meet the Rangers in the American League Wild Card Game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. Jeremy Hellickson will start for the Rays, while Yu Darvish gets the call for the Rangers. First pitch will be shortly after 8:30 PM Eastern.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 19, 2019

Now it's time for the 2012 American League Wild Card Game from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. The date is Friday, October 5:

Weather: 64 degrees, partly cloudy skies, north winds at 23 MPH gusting to 29 MPH.

Rangers 3rd: Center fielder Craig Gentry led off with a base hit to left center, stole second, then stole third after second baseman Ian Kinsler struck out swinging. Next was shortstop Elvis Andrus, whose bloop dropped on the left field line for a double. Gentry scored easily, and the Rangers led 1-0. Left fielder Josh Hamilton walked to put two men on, but third baseman Adrian Beltre's foul pop was caught by the Rays' Carlos Pena behind first base for the second out, and right fielder Nelson Cruz grounded to short to end the inning. The Lawmen hit the board first thanks on two hits, a walk, and two stolen bases while leaving runners at first and second. After three, it's Rangers 1, Rays 0.

Rangers 8th: Andrus walked, then stole second. He held there while Hamilton took a called third strike and Beltre bounced to short, but Cruz got out the boom stick and cracked a double into the right field corner. Andrus scored, and the Rangers were up 2-0. First baseman Michael Young's grounder to third stranded Cruz at second and ended the inning, but the Rangers have added a much-needed insurance run on a walk, a stolen base, and a hit. It's up to closer Joe Nathan in the top of the ninth, as he'll face shortstop Ben Zobrist, third baseman Evan Longoria, and designated hitter Luke Scott while trying to protect a 2-0 Texas lead.

The story of the game was Rangers starter Yu Darvish, who shut out the Rays on five hits over eight innings while walking one and striking out thirteen. He threw a hundred and five pitches to do it, though, so Rangers manager Ron Washington erred on the side of caution and called on Nathan to pitch the ninth. He gave up a leadoff walk to Zobrist and a two-out single to second baseman Jeff Keppinger, but as we join Dick Enberg, he's ahead of Pena no balls and a strike:

"The Rangers were one of the favorites in the American League last year, but were upset in four games by the storied 'chicken-and-beer' Red Sox in the ALDS. This year, they want to celebrate with a little Lone Star barbecue of their own, with the Yankees as the guests starting Sunday night. One strike to Pena, runners and first and second, and Pena a real threat to hit one out of the park and turn this game around entirely. Not sure if the runners will go or not because of that. Nathan nods at the sign, and the pitch...…..Slow roller to first, Young steps on the bag, AND THE RANGERS MOVE ON!.....Usually it's the hitting that's the story in Texas, but tonight it was Yu Darvish, who struck out thirteen Rays hitters in one of the best postseason pitching performances of this young decade. There's Nelson Cruz, whose double in the eighth put the game out of reach, and Joe Nathan, who pitched put of a first-and-second jam here in the ninth to earn the save.

So we'll be here in Texas for TBS on Sunday night as the Yankees come to town for Game 1 of the ALDS, but I want to thank the folks at MLB Network for allowing me to call this Wild Card Game, and also Jim Kaat for his analysis; he'll be working for TBS in the next round as well, calling the White Sox-A's series with Ernie Johnson. Stay tuned now for MLB Tonight with Greg Amsinger and the folks in Secaucus, as they'll have all the highlights from both Wild Card games on this incredible day of baseball. In the eyes of this observer, at least, this debut was a rousing success.

Our final score once again: the Texas Rangers 2, the Tampa Bay Rays 0. For Jim Kaat and Tom Verducci, this is Dick Enberg saying so long from Arlington and sending you back to Greg Amsinger in Secaucus for MLB Tonight."

Darvish was named Player of the Game by MLB Network.

Final totals: Rangers 2-5-0, Rays 0-6-0.

W- Darvish (1-0)
S- Nathan (1)
L- Hellickson (0-1)

As Dick said, the Rangers will host the Yankees in Game 1 of the first ALDS on Sunday night here at Rangers Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 7:30 PM Eastern on TBS, with C.C. Sabathia starting for the Yanks and Derek Holland for the Rangers.

Next: We look at Game 1 of the first 2012 ALDS.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 20, 2019

Now it's time for Game 1 of the first 2012 American League Division Serie from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. The date is Sunday, October 7:

Weather: 51 degrees, cloudy skies, north winds at 8 MPH.

Yankees 1st: Shortstop Derek Jeter drew a leadoff walk. After left fielder Ichiro Suzuki flew to the warning track in right for out number one, third baseman Alex Rodriguez singled up the middle to put runners at the corners. That brought second baseman Robinson Cano to the plate. Here's Dick Enberg:

"(Rangers starter Derek) Holland is in a mess right off the bat, as the Yankees have runners at first and third with one out and Cano at the plate/ The atmosphere was incredible at first pitch, but the Yankees have quieted them somewhat. Cano is one of the top second baseman in the game both offensively and defensively, and even a fly ball of medium depth will give the Yankees the first lead of the series. Holland ready, and the first pitch...….DRILLED HIGH AND DEEP TO RIGHT, CRUZ GOING BACK, TO THE WALL, AND CANO TOUCHES 'EM ALL!...…….Robinson Cano, who hit thirty-three home runs in the regular season, goes deep right away in the postseason, and the Yankees break on top."

Ron Darling: "This pitch is, I'm guessing, supposed to be a curveball. But instead of breaking down and in, and breaks to the outside of the plate, and Cano just smokes it. There's nothing Cruz can do, and he's not the fastest outfielder in baseball in any case. They're already stirring down in the Texas bullpen, because it's tough to come back if you go down a game in a best-of-five series."

Holland struck out right fielder Nick Swisher swinging for out number two, but first baseman Mark Teixeira lined a single to left to keep the inning going. After center fielder Curtis Granderson walked of five pitches, catcher Russell Martin lined a double inside the bag at first. Teixeira and Granderson both scored, and it was 5-0 New York. Rangers manager Ron Washington reluctantly removed Holland after just two-thirds of an inning; Alexei Ogando relieved and retired designated hitter Raul Ibanez on a grounder to third to end the inning and strand Martin at second. But the Yanks have begun their postseason by scoring five runs on four hits and two walks. which means that the hometown Rangers have quite a hole to dig out of.

Rangers 1st: Second baseman Ian Kinsler led off with a base hit to left center. Shortstop Elvis Andrus singled past Yankees starter C.C. Sabathia and up the middle to put runners at the corners, and Kinsler scored when center fielder Josh Hamilton grounded into a 3-6-3 double play. Third baseman Adrian Beltre bounced to Cano at second to end the inning, but the Rangers have gotten a run back thanks to a pair of hits, and they trail the Yankees 5-1 after one.

Yankees 3rd: With one out, Granderson faced Ogando. Here's Dick with the count two balls and a strike:

"The Yankees, of course, started their postseason a couple of days early with their four-hit shutout of the Rays on Thursday in Tampa which gave them the American League East. The Rays had to come here on Friday, where they ran into a buzzsaw named Yu Darvish, who struck out thirteen and shit them out 2-0. No word on when we'll see him in this series. Pitch tp Granderson…...HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO RIGHT, CRUZ BACK AGAIN, AT THE WALL, BUT THIS ONE'S FAR BEYOND HIM!...….Granderson joins Cano in the home run column, and the Yankees now lead 6-1."

Darling: "The Yankees are having great success hitting to rig tonight, and they're really giving Cruz a workout. This one couldn't have been caught anyway, but Cruz isn't getting back on balls vary quickly. He's certainly trying his best, but the Rangers may need to look into making him a permanent designated hitter soon. He's just not fast enough."

Ogando then hit Martin in the left knee with a pitch, but got out of the inning when Ibanez grounded into a 3-6-3 double play. Granderson's homer has made it a 6-1 game for the Yanks after two and a half.

Yankees 4th: After one out, Ichiro grounded to short. Kinsler fumbled the ball, then had trouble picking it up, which allowed Ichiro to reach. That brought up A-Rod, who fell behind two strikes. Here's Dick again:

"Two strikes on A-Rod, one out here in the top of the fourth with the Yankees comfortably in front 6-1. Rodriguez missed forty games this year and thus was limited to just eighteen home runs and fifty-seven runs batted in. Most of the time lost was due to a broken hand he suffered when he was hit by Felix Hernandez up in Seattle. He's okay now just in time for the postseason, but down two strikes here with Ichiro at first. Ogando gets the sign from Soto, and the two-strike pitch......HIGH FLY BALL TO RIGHT CENTER, HAMILTON BACK, AT THE TRACK, LEAPS AT THE WALL, IT'S GONE! A-ROD TOUCHES 'EM ALL!......A two-run homer, the Yankees' third of the night, and they now lead 8-1."

Darling: 'There was some question once Alex returned if he could get around on pitches as well with his bad hand. Well, I think he just answered that question, Dick. This is about as perfect a swing as you could want, and he knows it as he trots around the bases. The Yankees are knocking the Rangers all over this ballpark tonight."

Cano followed by grounding a single to right, but Ogando got out of the inning by striking Swisher out swinging and getting Teixeira to bounce into a force play which eliminated Cano and ended the inning. But the Yanks have scored twice more on two hits and an error, with the big blow coming on A-Rod's two-run homer. After three and a half, they lead the Rangers 8-1.

Yankees 5th: With one out, Martin faced Ogando. Here's how Chris Berman called it for ESPN Radio:

"Martin had the other big hit in the first inning, as he doubled in a pair of runs to go with Cano's three-run homer, and the Yankees have been in control ever since. This figures to be Ogando's last inning, as Robbie Ross is getting ready in the Rangers' bullpen. Here's the first pitch to Martin...…...HIGH FLY BALL DEEP TO RGHT CENTER, BACK IT GOES, BACK, BACK, BACK, BACK, AND GONE!...…….Russell Martin adds a home run to his evening, and now the Yankees are up 9-1."

Orel Hershiser; 'Ogando didn't come close to getting that ball down, Boomer, and all Martin had to do was flick his wrists and watch it fly. The Rangers look ill-prepared from a pitching standpoint, which seems incredible since the see the Yankees every year. Holland didn't have much, and even though Ogando's given them some innings, the Yankees are still hitting him pretty well. They need to fix this if they want to stay competitive in this series."

Ogando finished his evening by striking Ibanez out swinging and retiring Jeter on a grounder to Andrus at short. Martin's home run is the Yankees' fourth of the game so far, and it's extended the New York lead to 9-1 halfway through Game 1.

Yankees 8th: With two out, A-Rod stroked a base hit to left center. Cano walked to put two men on, and Swisher came to the plate against reliever Michael Kirkman. Here's Dick with the count one ball and two strikes:

"The Yankees have certainly busted out the offense tonight with nine runs on twelve hits. Year in and year out, they have one of the best offenses in the game, and they've been demonstrating it with no less than four home runs. Swisher hasn't joined the party yet; he's hitless in four at-bats and has struck out three times. This is his chance to redeem himself, but he's down one ball and two strikes with two out and two on. Kirkman winds, kicks, and fires...….HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO RIGHT! CRUZ AGAIN ON HIS HORSE, HE'S AT THE WALL, BUT THIS ONE'S GONE! TOUCH 'EM ALL, NICK SWISHER!.....He's struck out three times, but no one will remember that tomorrow because of this majestic home run to right that's put the Yankees up 12-1."

Darling; "Dick, you've done football, so you'll understand what I mean when I say that it seems that the Yankees are targeting Nelson Cruz. I'm not sure that it's possible, but it sure seems like it. They've been hitting home runs to right all night long, and while there hasn't been much doubt about any of them, they make Cruz go chasing, which could very easily tire him out as this series wears on. As we've said before, he's not the fastest outfielder in the game, and if he tires out from chasing fly balls, it could affect him at the plate."

Teixeira grounded to third to end the inning, but the Yanks have scored three more times on a single, a walk, and Swisher's three-run homer, which gives the Yankees five on the night. After seven and a half, it's Pinstripes 12, Lawmen 1.

Rangers 8th: Young led off with a single to left. Left fielder David Murphy walked to put two men on, and designated hitter Mike Napoli's bouncer to third moved the runners up. Catcher Geovany Soto singled to left to score Young and cut the Yankees' lead to 12-2. Murphy moved to third on the play, and after Kinsler went down swinging for the second out Andrus walked to load the bases. Hamilton's grounder to Teixeira at first ended the inning with the bases still loaded. The Rangers settle for a run on two hits and two walks, and as we go to the ninth they still trail the Yankees by ten.

That was all the scoring. Our final: Yankees 12, Rangers 2, and the Yanks lead the best-of-five series one game to none.

There were several candidates for TBS's Player of the Game: Cano was three for four with a homer, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Martin was also three for four with a homer and three ribbies, and Sabathia gave up two runs on five hits in eight innings while walking two and striking out nine. The award ended up going to A-Rod, who finished three for four with three runs scored, a homer, and a pair of RBIs.

Final totals: Yankees 12-13-1, Rangers 2-5-2.

W- Sabathia (1-0)
L- Holland (0-1)

HR- NYY: Cano (1), Granderson (1), Rodriguez (1), Martin (1), Swisher (1)

Game 2 will be tomorrow night here at Rangers Ballpark. First pitch will be shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Andy Pettitte starting for the Yanks and Roy Oswalt getting the ball for the Rangers.

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 21, 2019

Now it's time for Game 2 of the first 2012 American League Division Series from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. The date is Monday, October 8:

Lineup Changes:

Yankees- Russell Martin and Curtis Granderson switch places in the batting order; Martin will bat seventh, while Granderson will bat eighth. Also, Eduardo Nunez will serve as the designated hitter and will bat ninth.

Rangers- Ian Kinsler will serve as the designated hitter, and Michael Young will move from first base to second base. Mitch Moreland will get the start at first and bat ninth. Lat night's designated hitter, Mike Napoli, will move behind the plate.

Weather: 62 degrees, fair skies, south-southeast wind at 7 MPH.

Yankees 1st: Derek Jeter lifted the first pitch of the game deep to right. Nelson Cruz seemed to have made a moderately difficult over-the-shoulder catch, but he dropped the ball, allowing Jeter to reach. Ichiro Suzuki lined the second pitch of the game off the wall in right for a double to bring The Captain home and put the Yanks in front 1-0. Next up was Alex Rodriguez, whose evening was cut short when he took a called third strike on a pitch that was shown to be at least six inches outside. A-Rod turned to home plate umpire Angel Hernandez to voice his displeasure and had barely gotten started when he was ejected. Yankees manager Joe Girardi took up the fight, and Hernandez gave him about as long as he had Rodriguez before tossing Girardi as well. Next up was bench coach and interim manager Tony Pena, who smartly did his complaining to first base umpire Brian Gorman and managed to stay in the game.

When play resumed after an eight-minute delay, Robinson Cano went down swinging, and Nick Swisher grounded to Moreland at first to finally end the inning. The Yanks have scored a run on an error and a hit, but have lost their All-Star third baseman and their manager. What will happen to the Rangers?

Rangers 1st: With one out, Elvis Andrus lined a base hit up the middle. That brought up Josh Hamilton, who fell behind two strikes. Here's Dick Enberg with what happened next:

"The Yankees trying to move past the ejections of A-Rod and Girardi six pitches into the game. They're up 1-0, and they have the big man of the Rangers down two strikes. There you see Tony Pena, who's taken over in Girardi's absence. (Starter) Andy Pettitte looking in for the sign from Russell Martin, and here's the two-strike pitch......HIGH FLY BALL DEEP TO RIGHT, BACK GOES SWISHER, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, IT'S GONE!......Josh Hamilton touches 'em all, and for the first time in this series the Rangers have the lead."

Ron Darling: "Pettitte reached back for his best fastball; unfortunately for him, that's exactly the pitch that Josh Hamilton was waiting for. Swisher makes a gallant effort to make the catch, but gives up on the track, as he can tell that it's out of here."

Adrian Beltre continued the inning by dumping a double on the right field line. He held at second while Cruz flew to Granderson in center and scored when Young slapped a base hit past new Yankees third baseman Eric Chavez and into left. A wild pitch moved Young to second, and David Murphy's single to right put runners at the corners. Napoli's foul pop was caught by Mark Teixeira to end the inning with runners still at first and third, but the Lawmen have scored three runs on five hits and a wild pitch, and after one they lead the Yankees 3-1.

Yankees 2nd: Teixeira led off against Oswalt. Here's Dick with the count one ball and two strikes:

"Teixeira the only major Yankee power hitter not to homer yesterday. The Yankees hit five home runs last night, so we know that they can hit the ball out of the ballpark and get back into this game in a hurry. The veteran Oswalt ahead one ball and two strikes as we start play in the top of the second. The sign from Napoli, and the one-two pitch...….FLY BALL DEEP TO LEFT CENTER FIELD, BACK GOES HAMILTON, AT THE WALL, TOUCH 'EM ALL, MARK TEIXEIRA!.....Teixeira now joins the home run parade, and the Rangers' lead is one at 3-2."

Darling: "This Oswalt curveball doesn't break, and Teixeira's eyes must have gotten a mile wide at the sight of this pitch coming down the pike. He turns on it and hits it a mile, and the Yankees have a run back just that quickly."

Enberg: "Now here's Russell Martin, who homered yesterday against Alexei Ogando. We now have a one-run game with nobody out in the second. Pull up a chair, as Vin Scully says, because it looks like a shootout in Big D. Oswalt ready with the first pitch, AND THAT'S ONE'S HIT TO LEFT CENTER AS WELL! BACK GOES HAMILTON AGAIN, LEAPS AT THE WALL THIS TIME, BUT IT'S GONE!......The Yankees go back-to-back on consecutive pitches, and just like that it's a tie game."

Darling: "Since Teixeira had just homered on his curveball, Oswalt tries the fastball and gets the same result. This one was hit harder than Teixeira's, but Hamilton actually had a play o it until the very last second, which is why he leaped at the wall. But it went out a few inches above him, and we have a brand new ballgame."

Enberg: "Martin Perez now starting to throw in the Rangers' bullpen, and here's Curtis Granderson, who also homered yesterday. Oswalt one of the top pitchers for the Astros a few years ago during their postseason runs, but right now he's hanging by a thread in this game, as the Yankees have hit home runs on consecutive pitches.'

Darling: "Oswalt needs to calm down and look at this as a brand-new ballgame. The teams are even, so just go out and pitch his game."

Enberg: "Oswalt now ready, and the first pitch to Granderson…….LINE DRIVE DEEP TO CENTER! HAMILTON BACK AGAIN, AT THE WALL, AND THAT'S THREE IN A ROW!...….Three pitches, three consecutive home runs, and that one was about four rows deep in center field. Just like that, it's 4-3 Yankees."

Darling: "Oswalt went back to the curveball, but just like the one to Teixeira, this one never broke. It ends up being right out over the heart of the plate, and Granderson really gets a hold of it. It's another long, fruitless run for Hamilton, and he has to be getting tired the way Nelson Cruz was last night."

Oswalt got the next three outs on just five pitches, as Nunez and Ichiro each grounded to second and Jeter's liner was speared by Young in between. But Teixeira, Martin, and Granderson have gone deep on three consecutive pitches to give the Yankees the lead once more. After only an inning and a half, it's Yankees 4, Rangers 3.

Yankees 3rd: With one out, Cano blooped a single to center. Swisher's base hit to right moved Cano to third. and he scored on Teixeira's fly to right center. Swisher moved to second on Cruz's throw home, but he was stranded there when Martin struck out swinging. The Pinstripes have added a run on two hits and a sacrifice fly, and after two and a half they lead the Lawmen 5-3.

Yankees 4th: Granderson drew a leadoff walk against Perez, but was forced by Nunez, who then stole second. Jeter went down swinging for the second out, but Ichiro banged a double into center to score Granderson and increase the Yankee lead to 6-3. He was left at second when Chavez tapped to first to end the inning, but the Yanks have added another run on a hit, a walk, and a stolen base. We've played three and a half, and it's New York 6, Texas 3.

Rangers 7th: Murphy led off with a base hit to left center. Napoli walked to put two men on, but Moreland went down swinging for out number one. Kinsler forced Napoli for the second out, but Andrus' single to left center scored Murphy and brought the home squad within 6-4. with Kinsler moving to third. That ended Pettitte's evening; David Robertson replaced him and walked Hamilton to load the bases, then Beltre to force Kinsler home and make it 6-5. The bases were still loaded for Cruz, but he grounded the first pitch he saw to Jeter, ending the inning. The Rangers have scored twice on two hits and two walks, but they've also left the bases loaded. After seven, the Yankees are still clinging to a 6-5 lead.

Rangers 8th: Young led off by lining a base hit to left. Murphy's base hit to right put runners at first and third, and Napoli walked to load the bases. Pena called on Joba Chamberlain out of the Yankee bullpen, and he got Moreland to hit a grounder to first. Teixeira threw to the plate to get Young, and there was one out. Kinsler flew to left center for the second out, but Andrus lined a two-strike pitch into right for a base hit to score Murphy and tie the game at six. The bases were still loaded for Hamilton, but he took a called third strike to end the inning. The Rangers have tied the game on three hits and a walk, but there was much more left undone. We head to the ninth even at six.

Yankees 9th: Martin led off with a base hit to right center against Rangers reliever Robbie Ross. Granderson singled up the middle to put two men on, and Rangers manager Ron Washington called on closer Joe Nathan to pitch to Nunez, who grounded one to second. Young made the stop in the shortstop hole, but his flip to Andrus ended up in the third base dugout, which allowed Martin to score and put the Yankees up 7-6. Nunez ended u at second, with Granderson moving to third. A wild pitch from Nathan brought The Grandy Man home, and the Yanks led 8-6. Nunez ended up at third with nobody out, but Nathan rebounded to strike put Jeter and Chavez swinging and get Ichiro to ground to second in between. The Yanks take the lead with two runs on two hits, an error, and a wild pitch while leaving another run ninety feet away. It's up to closer Rafael Soriano to protect the Yanks' 8-6 lead against Beltre, Cruz, and Young in the bottom of the ninth.

That was all the scoring. Soriano retired the Rangers one-two-three to end the game, and the Yankees had an 8-6 win in Game 2 and a two games to none lead in the series.

Final totals: Yankees 8-11-1, Rangers 6-10-2.

W- Chamberlain (1-0)
S- Soriano (1)
L- Ross (0-1)

HR- NYY: Granderson (2), Martin (2), Teixeira (1)
TEX: Hamilton (1)

As was the case last night, there were many possible Player of the Game candidates for TBS. They ended up going wit Ichiro, who was two for five with a pair of RBIs. Andrus shone in a losing cause for the Rangers, going three for five with a run scored and two RBIs.

The series moves to Yankee Stadium for Game 3 on Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for a shortly after 7:30 PM Eastern on TNT, with Hiroki Kuroda pitching for the Yankees and Yu Darvish starting for the Rangers.

Before we go, here are two of the game's biggest plays. First, our Defensive Play of the Night. There's one out in the fifth, with Kinsler at second following a two-base error by Ichiro and Andrus at the plate. Here's Dick:

"Line drive SPEARED BY CANO! It's a good thing for Kinsler that he stayed where he was, because he'd have been out at third by ten feet. Here's Hamilton with two out."

Now, here's how the key play in the top of the ninth sounded:

Enberg: "Grounder sharply hit, Young over by the hole at short, throws to Andrus, AND IT GETS AWAY! IT'S ROLLING INTO THE RANGERS' DUGOUT! MARTIN SCORES TO GIVE THE YANKEES THE LEAD 7-6, AND NUNEZ ENDS UP AT SECOND!......One of the reasons the Rangers like Michael Young is for his solid defense, but that was a shocking lapse at the worst possible time."

Darling: "Andrus wasn't looking for the throw, Dick. I'm not sure if he expected Young to take it to second himself or what, but he certainly wasn't expecting the throw. It ends up rolling into the Texas dugout, and I think (manager) Ron Washington himself ends up stopping it; he's not allowed to throw it back onto the field, of course. It's a two-base error on Young, and the Yankees have the lead."

Next; We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 22, 2019

Now it's time for Game 3 of the first 2012 American League Division Series from Yankee Stadium in New York. The date is Wednesday, October 10:

Lineup Changes:

Rangers- Ian Kinsler moves back to second base. Adrian Beltre will serve as the designated hitter while Michael Young moves from second base to third base.

Yankees- Alex Rodriguez is back and will serve as the designated hitter while Eric Chavez starts at third and bats ninth. Also, Curtis Granderson and Russell Martin once again switch places in the batting order; Granderson will bat seventh, while Martin will bat eighth.

Rangers 2nd: Beltre led off against Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda. Here's Dick Enberg with the count one ball and one strike:

"(Rangers manager) Ron Washington making changes once again; tonight Beltre's the designated hitter, while Michael Young, who can play anywhere on the diamond, plays his third different position in this series by getting the start at third. The Rangers need something in order to stay in this series; they're down two games to none. Kuroda ready, and here's the one-one pitch......WICKED LINE DRIVE TO LEFT, GOING BACK IS ICHIRO, HE'S AT THE WARNNG TRACK, THE WALL, AND BELTRE TOUCHES 'EM ALL! Adrian Beltre goes deep for the first time in this series, and the Rangers have draw first blood in Game 3."

Ron Darling: 'This one wasn't hit especially high, but it was absolutely smoked. Ichiro had to really get on his horse to try and make the play, and he stays with it until the warning track, but there just too much momentum behind it."

Kuroda got the next two outs on Nelson Cruz's bouncer to third and Young's grounder to short, but David Murphy kept the inning going with a base hit up the middle. Mike Napoli took a called third strike to end the inning, but the Rangers have taken the lead with a run on two hits, including Beltre's homer. We've played an inning and a half, and it's Rangers 1, Yankees 0.

Yankees 2nd: Nick Swisher led off against Rangers starter Yu Darvish. Here' Dick:

"Swisher's already homered in this series, so he's quite capable of tying the game with one swing. We talked in the last half-inning about the changes in the Texas lineup; the only change for the Yankees is that A-ROD returns as the designated hitter. (Yankees manager) Joe Girardi considers Chavez the better defender at this time, so he plugged A-Rod in as the DH, which was fine with him; he just wanted to play again after last night's ejection. First pitch is HIT ON A LINE TO RIGHT CENTER, HAMILTON BACK, AT THE WALL, AND JUST LIKE THAT WE'RE TIED AT ONE!......Nick Swisher belts his second home run of the series, and we have a briand new ballgame in a hurry."

Darling: "The hitters certainly mean business tonight, as this one was hit just as hard as Beltre's ball if not harder. It looks like we might be in for a bit of a home run hitting contest, at least early on, because these balls aren't the only ones that have been hit hard. Most of the balls that have been put in play, even the outs, have been hit hard."

Mark Teixeira struck out for the first out of the inning, but Darvish walked the next three batters (Granderson, Martin, and Chavez) to load the bases. That brought up Derek Jeter, who unsnapped the tie with a base hit to right center that scored Granderson and Martin to give the Yanks a 3-1 lead while Chavez stopped at second. Ichiro was next, and he lined a double into the right center gap. Chavez and Jeter both scored, and just like that it was 5-1 New York. A-Rod's grounder to Mitch Moreland at first moved Ichiro to third, and he came home when Robinson Cano ripped a double into the left center gap. With the score 6-1 Yankees, Rangers skipper Ron Washington went to his bullpen and came up with potential Game 5 starter Derek Holland, who retired Swisher on the first pitch with a line drive that was speared by Andrus. The Yankees have sent ten men to the plate and scored six runs on just four hits with the help of three walks. Cano was left at second, but the Yanks have a comfortable 6-1 lead at the end of two.

Yankees 3rd: Teixeira drew a leadoff walk. A Holland fastball hit Granderson on the elbow guard, and there were two men on. After Martin went down swinging for out number one, Chavez slapped a single between first and second and into right field. Teixeira scored, and the Yankees led 7-1. Granderson moved to third on the play, and he scored on Jeter's single up the middle to make it 8-1. Chavez replaced Granderson at third, but both runners were stranded when Ichiro's pop behind first was caught by Moreland for the second out and A-Rid grounded to Moreland for the final out. The Pinstripes have added a pair of runs on two hits, a walk, and a hit batsman. After three, it's Pinstripes 8, Lawmen 1.

Rangers 4th: With one out, Young blooped a single to right center. Murphy took a called third strike for out number two, but Napoli singled to left to put two men on. Moreland whacked a double off the wall in center to score Young with the second Texas run while Napoli moved to third. Kinsler's fly to center ended the inning. The Rangers pick up a run on three hits, but they've also left runners at second and third. After three and a half, it's New York 8, Texas 2.

Rangers 5th: Andrus stroked a leadoff single to right center. After Hamilton struck out swinging and Beltre's liner was speared by Jeter for the second out, Cruz singled to right center to put runners at the corners. Young walked to load the bases, and Murphy walked on a three-two pitch to bring Andrus in and cut the Yankees' lead to 8-3. With the bases still loaded, Napoli grounded to Jeter at short to end the inning. The Rangers have picked up another run on two hits and two walks while leaving the sacks jammed, and they're back to within 8-3 halfway through Game 3.

Rangers 6th: Moreland led off with a double to right. He moved to third when Kinsler's fly to the warning track in left center was caught by Granderson for the first out, and remained there when Chavez gloved Andrus' liner for out number two. This brought Hamilton to the plate. Here's Dick with the count one ball and no strikes:

"The Rangers have been pecking away over the last couple of innings, but they've only gotten back to within five runs, and with four innings left they need to put up some crooked numbers. This is one of the men who can do it in a hurry. He's struck out twice and grounded to first. The Yankees are looking for one more inning from Kuroda, then they'll go to the bullpen. One-ball pitch...….ANOTHER HARD LINE DRIVE TO LEFT CENTER, THESE HAVE GONE OUT ALL NIGHT, GRANDERSON BACK AT THE WALL, AND IT'S HAPPENED AGAIN!.....Those hard line drives have been going over the fence for both teams, and this one from Hamilton has made it an 8-5 game."

Darling: "This one's not over yet, Dick, as Hamilton really crushed this ball. This one's probably the hardest-hit of the three home runs balls tonight, and Kuroda may be getting tired, as he's thrown a lot of pitches. Meanwhile, Beltre and Cruz are coming up for the Rangers, so they're not done in this particular inning either."

True to Ron's word, Beltre kept the inning going with a base hit to right, and Kuroda received a visit from pitching coach Larry Rothschild; it was late revealed that he was tole that Cruz would be his last hitter regardless, and he rose to the occasion by striking Cruz out swinging on three pitches to retire the side. The Lawmen have scored twice on three hits, with the key blow being Hamilton's two-run homer. At the end of five and a half, the Yankees lead the Rangers 8-5.

That was all the scoring. Here's Dick's call of the final out:

"One and one to Napoli, and (closer) Rafael Soriano looking to put the finishing touches on this sweep. The Yankees will await the winner of the A's-White Sox series, with the ALCS scheduled to start Sunday here in New York. Over fifty thousand on their feet looking for the finish, and there you see the brooms that many of them brought here tonight. Napoli looking to continue the inning for Mitch Moreland, who's on deck. The sign from Martin, and the one-one pitch.....down to short, Jeter up with it, throws to Teixeira, AND THE BROOMS SWEEP CLEAN IN THE BRONX!.....The Yankees have swept the Rangers, and they'll take a rest while the A's and the White Sox determine their opponent in the ALCS. There you see our Player of the Game, Derek Jeter, who went four for five, scored a run, and drove in three. He and A-Rod and the rest of the Yankees are now in search of another American League pennant, and we'll watch their quest beginning Saturday night; I believe we said Sunday earlier. At any rate, you'll see the ALCS right here on TBS.

Our final tonight: the New York Yankees 8, the Texas Rangers 5, and the Yankees sweep the series three games to none. Stay tuned now for The Postseason Show Presented by Chrysler, where we'll have highlights, analysis, and interviews with Matt Winer and company back n Atlanta. Until Saturday night from right here at Yankee Stadium, for my partner Ron Darling this is Dick Enberg saying so long. The Postseason Show coming up after these messages."

Final totals: Yankees 8-9-0, Rangers 5-15-0.

W- Kuroda (1-0)
S- Soriano (2)
L- Darvish (0-1)

HR- TEX: Hamilton (2), Beltre (1)
NYY: Swisher (2)

Next: We look at Game 1 of the ALCS. First pitch on Saturday night is scheduled for shortly after 8PM Eastern, with Andy Pettitte starting for the Yankees and Jose Quintana getting the ball for the Sox.

Thoughts?

LoneStarCowboy · Oct 22, 2019

Garrett Garlits said:
the New York Yankees 8, the Texas Rangers 5, and the Yankees sweep the series three games to none.

Darn it!

Garrett Garlits · Oct 22, 2019

Just to let everyone know, Derek Jeter WILL NOT break his ankle in this universe. There will be an injury that forces him to miss most of the ALCS, just as he did in real life, but he'll be back and (hopefully) ready to play should the Yankees make the World Series.

Torbald · Oct 22, 2019

Nooooo! Another dimension where the Rangers are denied their championship

Garrett Garlits · Oct 22, 2019

By my count, they have three more chances at a title; 1996 (they've already beaten the White Sox in the Division Series, and the Yankees have to get past Albert Belle and the Indians), 2006 (where they'll face the upstart Tigers in the divisional round, but have a good chance of running into the Yankees in the LCS), and 2010 (running smack dab into the Yankees again, this time in the Division Series).

Make it four; they'll be in the 2013 Wild Card Game against the Indians, but they'll be facing the real-life world champion Red Sox should they get to the LDS.

Garrett Garlits · Oct 23, 2019

Now it's time for Game 1 of the 2012 American League Championship Series from Yankee Stadium in New York. The date is Saturday, October 13:

White Sox 1st: Center fielder Alejandro De Aza led off the game by beating out a grounder to short for an infield single. Third baseman Kevin Youkilis walked to put two men on, and designated hitter Adam Dunn followed suit to load the bases. That brought up first baseman Paul Konerko, who doubled over Curtis Granderson's head in center to clear the bases and give the Pale Hose an early 3-0 lead. Right fielder Alex Rios lofted another fly to center; Granderson made the catch, then threw a strike to third base to get Konerko by half a step. That brought catcher A.J. Pierzynski to the plate. Here's Dick Enberg with the count no balls and a strike:

"(Yankees starter Andy) Pettitte looking to get out of the inning without any further damage. Konerko's double has the White Sox up 3-0 early, and Pierzynski looking to extend the lead even further. Granderson with the sparking defensive play to throw Konerko out at third, which was a huge help. Everyone at normal depth defensively, and here's the one-strike pitch......HIGH FLY BALL DEEP TO CENTER! GRANDERSON BACK AGAIN, AT THE WARNING TRACK, THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE!......A.J. Pierzynski touches 'em all here in the top of the first, and it's now 4-0 Chisox."

Ron Darling: "The White Sox have been hitting Pettitte hard right from the start of this inning, and this one might be the hardest of them all. Pierzynski guesses fastball and is correct, and this one ends up about three rows deep in center. Frankly, I'm surprised that (Yankees manager) Joe Girardi hasn't gotten the bullpen up and running."

Jim Kaat: "It looks like Phil Hughes, who didn't pitch in the Division Series, is getting up in the Yankee bullpen. The question is, will Pettitte last until he's ready?"

Pettitte struck left fielder Dayan Viciedo out swinging to end the inning, but the White Sox have jumped out in front with four runs on three hits and a pair of walks. The Bronx Bombers have their work cut out for them, to say the least.

White Sox 3rd: With two out, Konerko stepped to the plate against Pettitte. Here's Dick:

"Konerko, of course, has the hit of the game so far with that bases-clearing double in the first. Pettitte's settled down since; he's retired the last six White Sox in a row. Now it's up to his teammates to dig themselves out of the hole. 4-0 Chicago here in the third. First pitch to Konerko HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO RIGHT CENTER, BACK IS GRANDERSON, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, AND THIS ONE'S GONE! TOUCH EM ALL, PAUL KONERKO!...…..Konerko's two for two with a homer and four RBIs, and his White Sox now lead the Yankees 5-0."

Kaat: "Pettitte had been doing well getting the ball down over the last two innings, but this one got up in the zone, and Konerko really got a hold of it. He's had back issues in the past, but he looks really fluid at the plate tonight. As for the Yankees, they really can't go much longer with Pettitte if they want a chance to get back in this game."

Darling: "You'd never know that Konerko missed two games in the last series and was in pain for the rest. He's looking like his old self so far tonight."

Rios followed with a single to left, but Perzynski's grounder to third ended the inning. The Sox have added a run on Konerko's dinger, and after two and a half they lead the Yankees 5-0.

Yankees 5th: Catcher Russell Martin led off with a single to left center. After Granderson flew to left for the first out, shortstop Derek Jeter lined a base hit to left center to put runners at the corners. Left fielder Ichiro Suzuki walked to load the bases, and second baseman Robinson Cano bounced into a force play to eliminate him and bring Martin home with the first Yankee run. First baseman Mark Teixeira stroked a base hit to right center to score Jeter and make it 5-2, and designated hitter Raul Ibanez beat out a grounder to second for an infield single to score Cano and bring the Yanks back to within 5-3. Third baseman Alex Rodriguez followed up with another infield hit, this one to shortstop, and the bases were loaded. That was all for White Sox starter Jose Quintana; Hector Santiago came out of the Chicago bullpen to strike right fielder Nick Swisher out swinging and end the inning with the bases still loaded. The Yanks have scored three runs on five hits and a walk, and after five it's White Sox 5, Yankees 3.

White Sox 8th: With two out, Rios faced Yankee reliever David Robertson. Here's Dick with the count two balls and a strike:

"The Yankees will have Swisher, Martin, and Granderson coming up in the bottom of the eighth, so it's up to Robertson to get this last out and keep the Yankees within two runs. The fans here at Yankee Stadium looking for strike three, and Robertson has Rios set up. Martin outs down two for the curve, and the one-two pitch...….HIT DEEP TO LEFT, ICHIRO BACK, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, BUT THIS BALL IS OUTTA HERE! It's Rios' turn to touch 'em all, and the White Sox now lead 6-3 as Robertson hangs his head on the hill."

Kaat: "It looks like the pitch was all right; it's just that Rios sat on it and hit it. No real chance for Ichiro to make the catch, as this one cleared the fence with plenty to spare."

Darling: "It's hard to say that this game's over with the firepower the Yankees have, but their task certainly got a bit harder, especially since (White Sox closer) Addison Reed is available for a two-inning save if (manager) Robin Ventura chooses to go that way."

Pierzynski took a called third strike to end the inning, but the Sox have added a run on their third home run of the night, this one by Rios. We've played seven and a half, and it's Chicago 6, New York 3.

Yankees 8th: With one out, Martin singled up the middle. Granderson walked to put two men on, but Jeter went down swinging for out number two. That brought up Ichiro, who lined a base hit to left center to score Martin and cut the Chicago lead to 6-4. Granderson moved to third on the play, but both runners were stranded when Cano went down swinging to end the inning. The Yankees settled for a run on two hits and a walk, but after eight they still trail the White Sox 6-4.

White Sox 9th: Viciedo led off with a five-pitch walk against Yankees reliever Cody Eppley. That brought shortstop Alexei Ramirez to the plate. Here's Dick with the count one ball and one strike:

"Ramirez hitless in three at-bats tonight, flew to center in the seventh. Teixeira, Ibanez, and A-Rod up in the bottom of the ninth against Addison Reed, who's the only one warming up in the White Sox bullpen. Ventura probably wants to use him regardless to keep him sharp for later games in the series, but the White Sox want to give him a big a cushion as they can. Viciedo not going at first, here's the one-one pitch...…...high and deep to right center. Granderson over, the ball's still carrying, it's back to the track, and GONE!.....That makes four home runs for the White Sox, as Alexei Ramirez hits an unexpected longball to make it 8-4 Chicago."

Kaat: "This ball wasn't exactly well-struck, but it just kept going and going and hanging up there. Granderson thought he had a play, but he kept having to go back and back and back, and eventually he ran out of room."

Darling: "The White Sox are certainly having their way with the Yankee pitching staff tonight, which no one thought would happen. If they can sustain this throughout the series, they'll be a lot more competitive than anyone thought they would."

Second baseman Gordon Beckham flew to left center for the first out, but De Aza beat out a grounder to third for an infield hit, then stole second. He was stranded there, as Youkilis and Dunn each flew to left center to end the inning. The Pale Hose have scored two more runs on two hits and a walk, with the key blow being the two-run homer by Ramirez. As the Yankees prepare to face Reed in the bottom of the ninth, they now trail 8-4.

Yankees 9th: Teixeira drew a leadoff walk. Ibanez singled to right to put two men on, and A-Rod's single to right loaded the bases. Swisher walked on a three-two pitch to force Teixeira home and cut the Chicago lead to 8-5. Then it was up to Martin. Here's Dick:

"Bases still loaded, and here's Russell Martin. Three for four and has scored twice. No one warming up in the White Sox bullpen, though that may change if Martin gets on. There you see Jeter in the hole, and he's still hurting from the diving stop he made on Rios back in the sixth. In a game-deciding situation we may see Jayson Nix either as a hitter or a runner."

Kaat: "Jeter doesn't look like he can breathe, let alone walk or run, Dick. I'd be surprised if Nix didn't end up hitting for him."

Enberg: "Granderson out on deck, but Martin still to be dealt with. First pitch......HAMMERED DEEP TO LEFT CENTER, BACK GOES DE AZA, AT THE WALL, AND GONE!!!!!!!!!! A GRAND SLAM BY RUSSELL MARTIN WINS IT FOR THE YANKEES!......They're going wild here in the Bronx, as Russell Martin has just taken Addison Reed deep for a game-winning grand slam. The Yankee coaches making sure that no one passes anybody on the bases, and here comes Martin to touch the plate. It's official!"

Kaat: "Martin knew it was gone from the second he hit it, and so did everyone else at Yankee Stadium, including Addison Reed. I'm not sure where this ranks among great home runs in Yankee history, but it's definitely the home run of the year to this point for the Yankees."

Darling: "They'll be celebrating all night and right into the day tomorrow. Since it's an afternoon game, some of them may not even leave the stadium."

Our final: Yankees 9, White Sox 8, and the Yankees lead the best-of-seven series one game to none.

I lost the sim before I could record the final totals, but to the surprise of no one Martin was named Player of the Game by TBS.

W- Eppley (1-0)
L- Reed (0-1)

HR- CWS: Pierzynski (1), Konerko (1), Rios (1), Ramirez (1)
NYY: Martin (1)

The series will continue with Game 2 tomorrow afternoon here at Yankee Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 4PM Eastern, with Hiroki Kuroda starting for the Yankees and Chris Sale going to the hill for the White Sox.

Next: We look at Game 2.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 24, 2019

Now it's time for Game 2 of the 2012 American League Championship Series from Yankee Stadium in New York. The date is Sunday, October 14:

Lineup Changes:

White Sox- Dewayne Wise gets the start in center field and will lead off.

Yankees- Derek Jeter is battling a bruised sternum, so he'll serve as the designated hitter. Mark Teixeira moves up to third, while Robinson Cano moves down to the cleanup spot. Alex Rodriguez moves up to fifth and Nick Swisher moves up to sixth, Curtis Granderson to seventh, and Russell Martin to eighth. Jayson Nix takes over at shortstop and will bat ninth.

White Sox 1st: Wise led off with a base hit to right center. After Kevin Youkilis took a called third strike for out number one, Adam Dunn walked to put two men on. Paul Konerko went down swinging for the second out, which brought Alex Rios to the plate. Here's Dick Enberg with the count two balls and a strike:

"Rios had one of the four White Sox homers in Game 1, and a repeat here would give the White Sox an early lead similar to the one they had last night. The Yankees came back to win, as you know, but the Sox had them on the ropes all night long. Wise at second with speed, Dunn at first with something less. Kuroda gets the sign from Martin, and here's the two-one pitch.....SWUNG ON AND DRIVEN DEEP TO RIGHT CENTER! BACK GOES GRANDERSON TO THE TRACK, TO THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE!....Alex Rios touches 'em all for the second time in this series, and the White Sox have that early lead."

Jim Kaat: "The White Sox have certainly brought their power bats to the Bronx in these first two games, as this is the fifth home run they've hit in a little over nine innings. Kuroda had a hard time in Game 3 against the Rangers when they racked up fifteen hits, and it looks like that's continuing here today."

Ron Darling: "The Yankees can't keep going down early like this. The White Sox have shown that they have more than enough power to blow them out of the ballpark, so the pitching needs to get itself together right off the bat in each game."

The trouble continued for Kuroda as A.J. Pierzynski came to the plate and got ahead two balls and no strikes:

Enberg: "Derek Lowe throwing in the Yankee bullpen, as Kuroda has been battling from the first pitch. Pierzynski, like Rios, homered in Game 1."

Darling: "Low just started throwing, so Kuroda has at least two batters to get himself together. That's assuming that Pierzynski reaches somehow. If he makes an out, this inning still won't be too bad."

Enberg: "Kuroda trying to make that happen, as Martin sets up inside. The two-one pitch...…...A LONG, DEEP FLY TO RIGHT! SWISHER BACK, AT THE WALL, BUT PIERZYNKI HITS IT OUT!...….Back-to-back homers for the White Sox, who now lead 4-0, and the struggles continue for Kuroda."

Kaat: "Martin wanted to try to jam Pierzynski and get a groundball, but this pitch tailed out over the heart of the plate, and Pierzynski just hammered it. That's been the trouble with Kuroda in the postseason; he can't put his pitches in the spot where he wants them, and the hitters can go out and get them and hit them a long way."

Dayan Vicedo's line drive was gloved by A-Rod for the final out, but the Sox have plated four runs on three hits, two of them home runs, and a walk. Can the Yankees match the back-to-back fireworks of Rios and Pierzynski?

White Sox 3rd: Kevin Youkilis led off against Kuroda. Here's the call from ESPN Radio's Jon Miller:

"Youkilis is one of the few White Sox regulars who hasn't hit a home run yet in these first two games. Six home runs in two games may not be a record for the ALCS, but it certainly doesn't happen often. Kuroda gave up a single to (Alexei) Ramirez in the second, but that was erased on a caught stealing. Another quick inning would do the Yankees a world of good as they try to get back in this game. First pitch is HIT DEEP TO LEFT, BACK GOES ICHIRO, LEAPS AT THE WALL, BUT THIS ONE'S OUTTA HERE! Another home run for the White Sox, which makes seven in two games, and they lead 5-0 in the third."

Harold Reynolds: "Kuroda hasn't had much today, and the White Sox have teed off on him repeatedly. Of the seven home runs in this series, at least five of them were no-doubters, and this was one of them. (Yankees manager) Joe Girardi must be looking for innings, because otherwise there's no real reason not to make a pitching change."

Kuroda settled down and got the nest three Chicago hitters out in order, but Youkilis' blast has increased the White Sox' lead to 5-0 after two and a half.

White Sox 7th: Wise drew a one-out walk. Youkilis' base hit to left put runners at the corners and brought Dunn to the plate. Here's Dick with the count no balls and a strike:

"One strike to Dunn. This figures to be Kuroda's last inning, as Clay Rapada's just about ready in the Yankee bullpen. Kuroda has one last jam to get out of; first and third with one out and one of the top power hitters for the White Sox at the plate. Dunn hasn't homered yet, which makes him a rarity among his teammates. The one-strike pitch...….AND YOU CAN CHECK THAT, AS DUNN HAMMERS A CURVEBALL TO DEEP RIGHT FOR AN ABSOLUTE BOMB!.....I'm not sure where this one landed, maybe five or six rows up, but Adam Dunn has put Game 2 away for the Pale Hose."

Kaat: "Joe Girardi's finally had enough of Kuroda. who has now given up four home runs today. This one may be the most impressive of all, as Kuroda got absolutely nothing on that pith; it was a batting practice special tailor made for Dunn, and he just crushed it."

Darling: "It's 314 feet to right here at Yankee Stadium. The estimated distance on that home run: 352 feet. In other words, a tape-measure shot."

Rapada retired Konerko on a fly to deep left center that was caught by Granderson at the warning track, then retired Rios on a grounder to first. Dunn's blast was set up by a walk and a hit, and as we stretch in the Bronx it's Pale Hose 8, Pinstripes 0.

White Sox 9th: With one out, it was Wise against Rapada. Here's Dick with the count one ball and one strike:

"Wise one for four tonight and has scored twice. He showed power against the A's with two home runs; this is his first appearance in this series. White Sox leafing comfortably here in the top of the ninth, 8-0. Here's the one-one pitch...….line drive going toward left, and it'll get down! Rolling into the corner AND BOUNCES AWAY FROM ICHIRO! WISE WILL HAVE AT LEAST THREE, AND ICHIRO STILL CAN'T COME UP WITH IT! WISE ON HIS WAY HOME! THE THROW IS......NOT IN TIME! DEWAYNE WSIE LITERALLY TOUCHES 'EM ALL, AND IT'S 9-0 CHICAGO!"

Kaat: "This is the only kind of homer we haven't seen yet. This ball was hit hard, and Ichiro couldn't make a play on it as it rolled around in the corner. Even after it bounces out, he can't get a grasp on it to make a throw. When he finally corrals it, he has no chance whatsoever to get Wise at home."

Darling: "This has been one whale of a hitting display by the White Sox. It's almost a shame for them that tomorrow's an off day, because they don't need to be cooled off right now. They definitely have the Yankee pitching staff on the run."

Youkilis popped to Cano behind second for out number two, and Dunn's fly to eft center ended the inning. The White Sox have added their fifth homer of the day and their ninth of the series, and as we go to the bottom of the ninth they lead the Yankees 9-0.

Yankees 9th: Jeter drew a leadoff walk against White Sox starter Chris Sale. Ichiro beat out a grounder to short for an infield single to put two on, and Teixeira walked to load the bases. Cano then bounced into a 6-4-3 double play, which brought Jeter home and put the home squad on the board. Ichiro moved to third, but A-Rod went down swinging to end the game, Sale's tenth strikeout of the day. Our final: White Sox 9, Yankees 1, and this series is even at a game apiece.

Sale was named Player of the Game by TBS despite the power surge by his teammates. He pitched a complete game three-hitter, walking two and striking out ten in a hundred and eleven pitches. At one point, he retired eighteen New York hitters in a row.

Final totals: White Sox 9-10-0, Yankees 1-3-0.

W- Sale (1-0)
L- Kuroda (0-1)

HR- CWS: Rios (2), Pierzynski (2), Youkilis (1), Dunn (1), Wise (1)

The series will move to U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago for Game 3 on Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 8PM, with Gavin Floyd taking the hill for the Sox and Phil Hughes pitching for the Yanks.

Before we go, here's our Defensive Play of the Day. It's the top of the third with two out and the White Sox up 5-0. Rios is at the plate, and here's Dick:

"Bouncer gloved by Cano, has to throw on the run.....DUG OUT OF THE DIRT BY TEIXEIRA FOR THE OUT! Finally something to cheer about for Yankee fans, as Cano shows why he's one of the best second basemen in the game. Youkilis' home run adds to the Chicago lead, as they're in front 5-0 after two and a half here on TBS."

Next: We look at Game 3.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 25, 2019

Now it's time for Game 3 of the 2012 American League Championship Series from U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. The date is Tuesday, October 16:

Weather: 65 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, south winds at 16 MPH gusting to 21 MPH.

Lineup Changes:

Yankees: Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira switch places in the batting order; Cano will bat third and Teixeira will bat cleanup. Raul Ibanez will serve once again as the designated hitter and bat fifth. Curtis Granderson and Russell Martin also change places in the batting order; Granderson will bat seventh and Martin eighth. Alex Rodriguez is battling the flu, so Eric Chavez gets the start at third and will bat ninth. Finally, Derek Jeter is back at shortstop.

White Sox- Alejandro de Aza will start in center field and lead off.

Yankees 1st: Jeter drew a leadoff walk. Ichiro Suzuki beat out a grounder to third for an infield single to put two men on. He was forced by Cano for the first out, with Jeter moving to third. Teixeira then forced Cano, which allowed The Captain to come home and give the Yanks a 1-0 lead. Ibanez lined a base hot to left to put two men on, but White Sox starter Gavin Floyd struck Swisher out swinging to end the inning with runners still at first and second. The Pinstripes have broken on top thanks to a walk, two hits, and back-to-back force plays. Now let's greet the Pale Hose.

White Sox 3rd: Alexei Ramirez stroked a leadoff single to right, then stole second. He moved to third on Gordon Beckham's bouncer to second and held there when de Aza's pop behind first was caught by Teixeira for the second out. That brought Kevin Youkilis to the plate. Here's Dick Enberg with the count one ball and one strike:

"Youkilis was such a big part of the Red Sox postseason teams ever since he came to the big leagues in 2004, and he was brought here to inject some of that magic into the White Sox. which he's certainly done in spades. Right now a hit form him would tie this game up, and don't forget his home run power. Hughes ready with the one-one pitch...….HIGH FLY BALL TO DEEP LEFT, OVER IS ICHIRO,, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE! TOUCH 'EM ALL, KEVIN YOUKKILIS!...….No sooner did I get out of my mouth to not forget his home run power than he showed it off again, and the White Sox now lead 2-1."

Jim Kaat: "This is yet another case of a pitch not working out the way it was planned. Russell Martin sets up inside, but Phil Hughes serves this up right down the middle and into Kevin Youkilis' wheelhouse. The White Sox have now hit ten home runs in this series, and the vast majority of them have come on mistakes by the Yankee pitching staff."

Ron Darling: "The Yankees have to fight the understandable feeling of deja vu, as this is what the White Sox have done in the first two games of this series; hit homer after homer. The Yankees are a bit shorthanded in that department with A-Rod on the bench and Jeter playing hurt, so they have to play small ball and hope the pitching staff can somehow shut down the White Sox' bats."

The inning continued with a rattled Hughes giving up back-to-back walks to Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko, but Alex Rios bounced to Jeter at short to end the inning. The Sox have taken the lead with two runs on two hits and two walks while leaving runners at first and second. Youkilis' second home run of the series has given the White Sox a 2-1 lead after three in Game 3.

Yankees 4th: Ibanez drew a leadoff walk. After Swisher flew to left for out number one, Floyd hit Granderson in the knee with a pitch to put two men on. Martin's fly to center was caught at the wall by de Aza for out number two, with Ibanez moving to third. Chavez walked to load the bases, and Jeter walked on a borderline three-two pitch to force Ibanez home and tie the game at two. After a visit to Floyd by pitching coach Don Cooper, Ichiro forced Jeter to end the inning with the bases still loaded, but he Yankees have tied the game without the benefit of a hit on three walks, a hit batsman, and a productive fly ball. After three and a half, we're deadlocked at two.

White Sox 6th: With two out, Viciedo stepped to the plate against Hughes. Here's Dick with he count two balls and no strikes:

"Hughes has really battled tonight, only making one really costly mistake in the third on the home run by Youkilis. He also pitched out of a second-and-third am in the fourth, and he's still around here in the sixth with two outs. A clean inning may mean he comes back out in the seventh, but right now he's down two balls to Viciedo. Next pitch is HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO LEFT CENTER, GRANDERSON BACK AT THE WALL, LOOKS UP, AND IT'S OUTTA HERE!......The clean inning was just spoiled by Dayan Viciedo, who hits one over the wall in left center to give the White Sox a 3-2 lead."

Darling: "Same old story for the Yankees; a breaking ball doesn't break properly and is hit over the wall by these opportunistic White Sox hitters. I wonder if the Yankees pitchers might be tipping their pitches, because there have been too many instances where the White Sox have been right on top of whatever pitches that they've been throwing."

Kaat: "Either that or they're seeing something else in the video that's allowing them to figure out how to time the pitches, which amounts to the same thing."

Ramirez kept the inning going by beating out a grounder to third for an infield hit, then stole second. Beckham slapped a base hit out of Hughes' reach and back up the middle to score Ramirez and give the White Sox a 4-2 lead. That ended Hughes' evening; David Robertson came out of the Yankee bullpen and was greeted by de Aza's single to right. Runners were at first and second for Youkilis, but he grounded to Chavez at third to end the inning. The Chisox have retaken the lead with two runs on four hits, and after six it's Chicago 4, New York 2.

Yankees 7th: With one out, Jeter lined a base hit up the middle. Floyd hit Ichiro in the arm with a pitch to put two men on, and Cano walked to load the bases. White Sox manager Robin Ventura called on Nate Jones out of his bullpen, and Teixeira lined his first pitch right at Ramirez for the second out. Wanting a bit more home run power from the DH spot, Yankees manager Joe Girardi sent Rodriguez up to bat for Ibanez, and A-Rod hung tough through an eleven-pitch at-bat before walking on a three-two count to force Jeter home and cut the White Sox' lead to 4-3. The bases were still loaded for Swisher, and Jones fell behind three balls and no strike before coming back to catch Nick looking at strike three to retire the side with the bases still loaded. The Yanks settle for a run on a hit, a hit batsman, and a pair of walks, and as we stretch at The Cell, the hometown White Sox are clinging to a 4-3 lead.

White Sox 8th: Pierzyynski led off against Yankees reliever Cody Eppley. Here's Dick with the count one ball and one strike:

"The Yankees threatened last inning, but Nate Jones was just tremendous against Swisher, and against A-Rod too for that matter, even though he ended up walking in a run. That's the type of at-bat that makes postseason baseball one of a kind, and I say that as a man who's called football postseasons, which have their own brand of drama. We'll see some of that kind of drama if we get to Game 7. Eppley ready with the one-one pitch......A WICKED LINER TO LEFT CENTER, GRANDERSON GOING BACK, AT THE WARNING TRACK, TO THE WALL, AND A.J. PIERZYNSKI TOUCHES 'EM ALL!...…..That makes an even dozen home runs for the White Sox in this series, and they've gotten the run back that they lost to the Yankees in the seventh here in the eighth. It's now 5-3."

Darling: "I'm running out of things to say about the White Sox' power display in this series. It's only because Russell Martin hit the Yankees' only home run of the series at just the right time that we're not talking about a potential three games to none lead for the White Sox. I've never seen anything like it in my life."

Kaat: "As you said earlier, Ronnie, the only way for the Yankees to win this series is to find a way to bring the White Sox' bats under control. This is the kind of power that produces championships as long as the other phases of the game hold up their end, and so far they have for the White Sox."

After Viciedo's liner was caught by Chavez for out number one, Ramirez walked. Martin promptly threw him out trying to steal second, which would have been his fourth stolen base of the night. Beckham's grounder to third ended the inning. The White Sox have picked up an insurance run on Pierzynski's third homer of the series, and the Yanks will send Jeter, Ichiro, and Cano to the plate in the top of the ninth against Addison Reed as they try to overcome a 5-3 deficit.

Reed gave up a one-out double to Ichiro, but struck out Cano swinging and retired Teixeira on a liner to Ramirez at short to end the game. Our final: White Sox 5, Yankees 3, and the White Sox lead the series two games to one.

Even though he didn't hit a home run or drive in a run, Ramirez received TBS's Player of the Game award. He was a perfect three for three at the plate plus a walk, scored twice, and stole three bases in four attempts.

Game 4 of this series will take place tomorrow afternoon here at U.S. Cellular Field. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 4PM Eastern, with Francisco Liriano going to the hill for the White Sox against the Yankees' C.C. Sabathia.

Final totals: White Sox 5-10-1, Yankees 3-5-0.

W- Floyd (1-0)
S- Reed (1)
L- Hughes (0-1)

HR- CWS: Pierzynski (3), Youkilis (2), Viciedo (1)

Next: We look at Game 4.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 26, 2019

Now it's time for Game 4 of the 2012 American League Championship Series from U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. The date is Wednesday, October 17:

Weather: 66 degrees, cloudy skies, south-southwest winds at 24 MPH gusting to 29 MPH.

Lineup Changes:

Yankees- Derek Jeter's bruised sternum and ribs have made it impossible for him to swing a bat. He's been replaced at short by Jayson Nix, who will bat ninth. Ichiro Suzuki, Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, and Raul Ibanez, who batted second through fifth yesterday, all move up a spot. Russell Martin moves up to fifth, while Alex Rodriguez is back at third base and will bat sixth. Finally, Nick Swisher moves down to eighth.

Yankees 1st: Ichiro lined the first pitch of the game into left field for a base hit, then stole second. That brought up Cano. Here's Dick Enberg with the count one ball and one strike:

"The update on Jeter is that he's totally unavailable today, which means that the Yankees are a man short. If things go well today, he should be able to play in the field in an emergency tomorrow, then they'll reevaluate the situation for Game 6 if we get there. Of course, there's always the possibility of a Kirk Gibson-type miracle, but that's not likely. Ichiro leads off second, the one-one pitch...….HIT HIGH AND DEEP TO RIGHT, RIOS BACK, AT THE WALL, TOUCH 'EM ALL, ROBBIE CANO!.....It's the Yankees who throw the first haymaker in Game 4, as Cano puts one in the right field seats to give them a 2-0 lead."

Jim Kaat: "Well, if you can't outpitch them, you have to outslug them. The Yankees have hit only one home run in this series until right now, and they need more if they're going to be competitive. That's a good start by Robinson Cano."

Ron Darling: "That slider from (White Sox starter) Francisco Liriano was almost in the dirt, but Cano fished it out and hit it a long way."

Enberg: "Now here's Mark Teixeira, who like everyone else in the top five of the Yankee batting order moves up a spot in Jeter's absence. There you see The Captain in uniform, but unless the Yankees run out of players, you won't see him on the field today. Teixeira first pitch swinging AND DRIVES ONE DEEP TO LEFT CENTER! DE AZA BACK, BUT IT'S TOO LATE, A NO-DOUBTER FOR MARK TEIXEIRA, AND THE YANKEES GO BACK-TO-BACK IN THE FIRST!"

Darling: "Liriano has been trying to get by with breaking balls so far, but they're not breaking the way they should, and the Yankees are teeing off on them. (White Sox pitching coach) Don Cooper is out to talk to him and tell him to establish his fastball."

Kaat: "It may be that he doesn't have a good fastball today, Ronnie, and you and I both know that that's a scary feeling, especially in the postseason. You don't get by for long on guile and junk pitches, especially against the type of hitters the Yankees have."

Whatever Cooper said to Liriano worked, as Papa Francisco struck out Ibanez and Rodriguez swinging and got Martin to pop to Youkilis at third in between to retire the side. But he's been touched up for a pair of longballs, and the Sox start out their day down 3-0.

Yankees 2nd: With one out, it was Swisher against Liriano. Here's Dick:

"Liriano's looked impressive since giving up thise back-to-back homers in the firs, retiring the last four Yankee hitters, three of them by strikeout. Swisher sort of the odd man out today, as someone had to bat eighth in front of Nix in this revamped lineup, and (Yankees manager) Joe Girardi felt that Martin's been swinging the bat better, so he moved up to fifth. Here's the first pitch...…..HIGH FLY BALL DEEP TO ROGHT, OVER GOES RIOS, HE'S AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, AND IT'S GONE!......The Yankees are making up for lost time in the home run derby, as they've hit three in this game to take a 4-0 lead."

Darling; "Another Liriano breaking pitch that comes in straight as a string, and Swisher just destroys it. We usually talk about the ball carrying at Wrigley Field, but there can be a lot of homers at this park too, and with the wind kicking up like it is.....buckle your seat belts, guys.'

Kaat: "Liriano has to go to his fastball more, because his breaking pitches are doing nothing. It's like he's serving the ball up on a tee and daring the Yankees to hit it."

Nix nearly made it back-to-back homers, but Dayan Viciedo got his fly ball on the warning track in left. Ichiro's grounder to first ended the inning, but the Yankees have gone deep again in the person of Swisher, and after an inning and a half they lead the White Sox 4-0.

White Sox 6th: Youkilis led off with a base hit to left. That brought up Adam Dunn, who fell behind two strikes:

Enberg: "(Yankees starter) C.C. Sabathia has given the Yankees what they've need throughout the series to this point. The White Sox have six hits, but have been held off the board. They're looking to put together a rally here in the bottom of the sixth, but Dunn is down two strikes with Youkilis the runner at first. Sabathia checks him, he's not going, two-strike pitch....HIGH FLY BALL DEEP TO LEFT, ICHIRO'S AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, AND ADAM DUNN TOUCHES 'EM ALL!......The Chicago bats have awakened here in the bottom of the sixth, as Dunn's cut the Yankee lead in half with his second homer of the series."

Darling: "We knew the White Sox would get their hits, but this one puts them right back in the game. Dunn just crushed this pitch to left, and it landed about four rows up in the seats. I'm not sure how long the Yankees are planning to stick with Sabathia, but if he's getting tired, the White Sox have the hitters to take advantage."

Kaat: "The Yankee bullpen is still quiet, but that could change if the White Sox get another runner on.'

After Konerko popped to Nix at short for the first out, Sabathia faced Rios, who took a strike. Then:

Enberg: "Huge first out for the Yankees off the bat of Konerko, but Rios is yet another dangerous hitter. Everyone wearing a White Sox uniform has proved dangerous in this series. Thirteen home runs in three and a half games is just incredible. Sabathia now back with the one-strike pitch, AND RIOS HAMMERS ONE TO LEFT, BACK GOES ICHIRO AGAIN, HE'S AT THE WALL, BUT THIS ONE'S GONE TOO!...….That's two homers in the inning for the White Sox, and just like that it's a 4-3 game."

Darling: "By my count there have now been eighteen homers in this series, and none of them have been cheap. These two teams have just been crushing the ball for four games now, and it's been a real treat for fans of offensive baseball."

Kaat: "Sabathia made a good pitch, but Rios met it solidly. The fans here in Chicago are back on their feet after having nothing to cheer about for almost six innings."

A.J. Pierzynski grounded to short, and Viciedo flew to Granderson in center to end the inning. The White Sox have scored three runs on three hits to get back in this game, with two of the hits coming on homers by Dunn and Rios. We've played six in Game 4, and it's Pinstripes 4, Pale Hose 3.

White Sox 9th: Pierzynski led off against Yankee closer Rafael Soriano. Here's Dick with the count one ball and two strikes:

"Viciedo on deck for the White Sox, with Ramirez in the hole. Soriano with big shoes to fill for the White Sox after the injury to Mariano Rivera, and ironically enough he finished the season with forty-two saves to match Mo's uniform number. This was originally supposed to be Rivera's final year, but he'll be back next year to have a proper final campaign. BALL DRIVEN DEEP TO CENTER, BACK IS GRANDERSON, AT THE WALL, AND WE HAVE A TIE GAME, AS PIERZYNSKI TAKES SORIANO DOWNTOWN!......That's four homers in four games for A.J. Pierzynski, who's been blistering Yankee pitching from the start of this series, and U.S. Cellular Field has gone crazy!"

Darling: "Of all the home runs that the White Sox have hit in this series, this is undoubtedly the biggest. The White Sox were held down for so much of this game, but they got the home run power revved up in the sixth, and now Pierzynski has tied it against Soriano. Whenever a team can get to their opponent's closer, especially one as dominant as Soriano has been this season, it's a tremendous lift."

Kaat: "Girardi sticking with his big man for the moment, but we'll see how long Soriano's out there for now that the game's tied."

Soriano struck Viciedo out swinging for out swinging for out number one, but Ramirez took Swisher to the warning track in right before Nick could make the catch for the second out. Beckham's grounder to A-Rod at third ended the inning, but Pierzynski has homered for the fourth time in this series to send us to extra innings tied at four.

Yankees 11th: With one out, Martin faced White Sox closer Addison Reed just as he had in Game 1. Here's Dick with the count one ball and one strike:

"Of course, we all remember Game 1 and the walk-off grand slam that almost tore down Yankee Stadium. Reed bounced back to save Game 3 for Gavin Floyd last night, and he'd like to retire Martin here and get that monkey off of his back. One-one pitch...….HIT A MILE TO CENTER! WISE GOING BACK, AT THE WALL, AND MARTIN'S DONE IT AGAIN IN THE ELEVENTH!......For the second time in this series, a Russell Martin home run off of Addison Reed has put the Yankees on top, and look at Reed on his knees in disbelief."

Kaat: "Nothing at all cheap about this one, as Martin knew it was gone right off the bat. So did everyone else here at U.S. Cellular, and there you see Addison Reed. Sometimes lightning can strike in the same place twice."

Darling: "He has to shake it off and go after A-Rod. A one-run deficit in extra innings is bad enough; he can't afford to make it a two-run deficit."

Rodriguez flew to center for out number one, but Granderson was next, and Reed fell behind him three balls and no strikes:

Enberg: "Nate Jones throwing in the White Sox bullpen, but (White Sox manager) Robin Ventura would prefer not to use him, as he had that extra-long seventh inning in Game 3. But it's all up to Reed; he's behind Granderson three balls and no strikes after giving up the go-ahead home run to Martin. Granderson figures to be taking, here's the 3-0 pitch...….DOWN THE LINE IN RIGHT, RIOS GOING OVER, IF IT'S FAIR IT'S GONE......FAIR BALL! YANKEES LEAD 6-4!......Ventura out of the White Sox dugout, and we'll see Nate Jones, as Reed gets a mixed reaction upon his departure."

Kaat: "There was nothing anyone could do about that ball except pray that it went foul. The one that really hurt was the home run to Martin. As Ronnie said earlier, most teams can overcome a one-run deficit, but two runs in extra innings is a tall order."

Darling: "Every run in this game has been driven in with a homer. Welcome to baseball in 2012, gentlemen."

Swisher's fly to center was caught by defensive replacement Dewayne Wise to end he inning, but the Yankees have gotten longballs from Martin and Granderson to take the lead. Can Soriano finish off the Sox? He'll face Konerko, Rios, and Pierzynski in the bottom of the eleventh with a 6-4 lead.

White Sox 11th: With one out, Soriano faced Rios. Here's Dick with the count one ball and no strikes:

"If Soriano finishes this inning, he'll have pitched three, which is unheard of for a closer in today's game and probably means that he wouldn't be available tomorrow. David Robertson throwing in the Yankee bullpen, and he'd be their next-best option both today and tomorrow if he's needed. Soriano ready with the 1-0 to Rios.....AND THAT'S LAUNCHED DEEP TO CENTER! BACK GOES GRANDERSON, AT THE WALL, AND THAT'S TWO HOMERS FOR RIOS TODAY!...….6-5 New York, and Robertson's ready if Girardi wants to make a move, which he does."

Darling: "That was an absolute bomb from Rios, and it makes me wonder why Joe even let Soriano start the inning. He had to know that Soriano was tired, and he'd already given up the game-tying homer once."

Kaat: "If the Yankees hold on, it won't matter all that much. If they don't and the White Sox go up three games to one, Yankee fans will break the switchboard of every sports talk station in the city of New York, guaranteed."

Robertson averted that potential calamity, as he struck Pierzynski out swinging and got Viciedo to ground to Teixeira at first to end the game. Our final in eleven: Yankees 6, White Sox 5, and this series is tied at two games apiece.

Martin was named Player of the Game by TBS for his tiebreaking eleventh-inning blast.

Final totals: Yankees 6-9-0, White Sox 5-9-0.

W- Soriano (1-0)
S- Robertson (1)
L- Reed (0-2)

HR- NYY: Martin (2), Cano (1), Teixeira (1), Swisher (1), Granderson (1)
CWS: Pierzynski (4), Rios 2 (4), Dunn (2)

Game 5 of this series will be tomorrow afternoon here at U.S. Cellular Field. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 4PM Eastern with a mound rematch of Game 1: Andy Pettitte pitching for the Yankees and Jose Quintana going for the White Sox.

Next: We look at Game 5.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 27, 2019

Now it's time for Game 5 of the 2012 American League Championship Series from U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. The date is Thursday, October 18:

Lineup Changes:

Yankees- Ichiro Suzuki moves from left field to right field and will bat in the two hole. Brett Gardner will take his place in left field and lead off. Robinson Cano moves down to the cleanup spot, which slides Raul Ibanez down to fifth. Russell Martin moves down to sixth, while Curtis Granderson moves down to eighth. On the medical front, Alex Rodriguez is still battling the flu, so Eric Chavez will start at third base and bat seventh. Derek Jeter is still battling a bruised sternum, so Eduardo Nunez gets the start at shortstop and bats ninth. A-Rod's feeling well enough to pinch-hit; Jeter's availability will be determined if and when the situation warrants.

White Sox- Alejandro De Aza moves to left field, which means that Dewayne Wise will start in center and bat eighth. Alexei Ramirez moves up to seventh.

Before we go any further, let's run down today's umpires:

Home Plate: Gary Cedarstrom
First Base: Mike Winters
Second Base: Jeff Kellogg
Third Base: Rob Drake
Left Field: Sam Holbrook
Right Field: Jeff Nelson

Weather: 50 degrees, cloudy skies, southwest winds at 15 MPH gusting to 32 MPH. Wind chill at first pitch is 42 degrees.

Yankees 1st: With one out, Ichiro whacked a double down the right field line. Mark Teixeira's base hit to left brought him home and gave the Yanks a 1-0 lead. After Cano flew to Wise in center for out number two, Ibanez singled to right to put two men on. White Sox starter Jose Quintana ended the inning by striking Martin out swinging, which ended the inning with runners at first and second. The Yanks have drawn first blood in this critical Game 5 thanks to three hits; how will the Pale Hose respond?

White Sox 5th: With one out, Wise faced Yankees starter Andy Pettitte. Here's Dick Enberg with the count one ball and no strikes:

"Wise got the start today because he's the superior defensive center fielder to de Aza, but (White Sox manager) Robin Ventura decided to move de Aza to left and give Dayan Viciedo the day off. In case you're tuning in late; you're seeing the score right; it's 1-0 Yankees with one out in the last of the fifth, with no home runs. Imagine that! Next pitch to Wise...….a wicked line drive o left, carrying well, Gardner back, at the wall, AND IT'S......GONE!...….Gardner tried to climb the wall, but the ball came down out of his reach, and we're tied at one.'

Ron Darling: "That'll teach you to open your mouth, Dick. This one wasn't a homer until it went over the wall; it looks like just another line drive off the bat, and Gardner looks like he may have a play even as he's climbing the wall, but as you said, the ball eludes him."

Jim Kaat: "I never thought I'd see the day where one team in one postseason series would hit seventeen home runs. They have a good shot at twenty-five if we go the full seven, which is just unheard of."

Gordon Beckham took a called third strike for the second out, and de Aza's fly to center retired the side. Wise's second homer of the series and fourth of the postseason has tied this game at one after five.

White Sox 6th: Adam Dunn drew a one-out walk, which brought Paul Konerko to the plate. Here's Dick with the count one ball and one strike:

"Konerko hasn't homered since Game 1. Right now, the White Sox would take a base hit to move Dunn into scoring position; they have to play station-to-station baseball with him, since he's one of the slowest players in the game. Pettitte's made just one mistake: the home run ball to Wise in the fifth. Pettitte checks Dunn just in case, and the one-one.....HIGH FLY BALL DEEP TO RIGHT, BACK GOES ICHIRO, AT THE WALL, AND KONERKO TOUCHES 'EM ALL TO GIVE THE WHITE SOX THE LEAD!...…..Konerko's first homer since Game 1, and it couldn't have come at a better time for the White Sox."

Kaat: "This was supposed to be inside to back Konerko off the plate, but as has happened so often to Yankee pitchers in this series, it doesn't go where it's supposed to, and Konerko's able to wait on it and crush it. I would think that this would be enough for (Yankees manager) Joe Girardi to make the call to the bullpen, at least to get somebody up."

Darling: "You can't wait in a situation like this if you're Joe. You definitely don't want to give this game away and go home down three games to two."

Rios kept the inning gong with a single to left, then stole second. He moved to third on A.J. Pierzynski's grounder to second and came home on Ramirez's base hit to left to put the Sox up 4-1. That was all for Pettitte; Cody Eppley came in and struck Wise out swinging to end the inning. The Pale Hose have taken the lead with three runs on three hits and a walk, and after six it's Chisox 4, Bronx Bombers 1.

Yankees 7th: Gardner led off by lining a base hit to left center. Ichiro's base hit up the middle put two men on, and Teixeira walked on five pitches to load the bases. Cano's fly to center was too shallow to score Gardner from third, which meant the Ibanez stepped to the plate against Quintana with the bases still loaded. Here's Dick with the count three balls and two strikes:

"To call this the biggest pitch of the series so far wouldn't be an overstatement. A hit here cuts into the Chicago lead; an out means that the Yankees have just six more outs to avoid going home on the brink of elimination. You see the runners as we pan the bases. Quintana needs just one more big pitch to get the White Sox out of this inning and really send a jolt through this stadium. Fifty thousand plus on their feet, and everybody's ready. The stretch by Quintana, and the payoff pitch...….FLY BALL DEEP TO LEFT, BACK IS DE AZA, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, GRAND SLAM FOR IBANEZ!...….What a way to take the lead for the Yankees, who have just hit their second grand slam in this series, and you can hear a pin drop at U.S. Cellular Field."

Kaat: "Not a bad pitch by Quintana; Ibanez just got good wood on it, and with the wind whipping as it is today, it got up into the Jetstream and managed to get out. There's a smattering of boos as he leaves, which really isn't fair, but when your team hasn't won a title in ninety-four years, you're entitled to be a bit unfair."

Darling: "I have a feeling about this game, guys. We could be looking at an all-time classic. There's already been a ton of ups and downs, and we're not even at the seventh-inning stretch yet.'

Nate Jones came in out of the Chicago pen and got Martin to ground to second for out number two. Chavez kept the inning going with a single to right, but Granderson's tapper to first retired the side. The Yankees have taken the lead with four runs on four hits and a walk, with the biggest hit being Ibanez's grand slam. As the stunned fans at The Cell get up to stretch, their White Sox now trail 5-4.

White Sox 8th: Yankee reliever David Robertson got the first two outs, but Rios stroked a double to left to keep the inning alive. The red-hot Pierzynski was walked intentionally, and Ramirez beat Texeira in a footrace to first for an infield single to load the bases. Wise was next, and he lined Robertson's first pitch into right center for a base hit to score Rios and Pierzynski and give the Sox a 6-5 lead. Dewayne was caught trying to steal second to end the inning, but the Sox have scored a pair of runs on three hits while leaving an insurance run at third in the person of Ramirez. Addison Reed will now try to nail down a 3-2 series lead for the Sox going back to Yankee Stadium; he'll face Cano, Ibanez, and Martin while trying to protect a 6-5 lead.

Yankees 9th: Cano lined Reed's first pitch into the right center power alley for a double. Ibanez walked to put two men on, and Martin's single up the middle loaded the bases with nobody out. With the go-ahead run in scoring position, Jeter came onto the field to run for Ibanez, and A-Rod came to the plate to bat for Chavez. Here's Dick with what happened next. The count is one ball and two strikes:

"The one-two to A-Rod......fly ball to left, de Aza going back, almost to the track, and IT'S OVER HIS HEAD AND OFF THE WALL! CANO SCORES TO TIE THE GAME! HERE COMES JETER! HE'LL SCORE STANDING UP! MARTIN'S COMING AROUND THIRD, THE THIROW FROM DEEP LEFT......OH MY, WHAT A HIT AND......HE'S OUT!!!!…...Martin and Pierzynski collided like a couple of linebackers, and it's a miracle that one of them wasn't seriously hurt. Martin used his shoulder on Pierzynski's chest to try and dislodge the ball, but A.J. held on for the out. You could hear the hit all over the stadium."

Granderson popped to short for the second out, and after Nunez walked, Gardner struck out swinging to end the inning. The Yankees have taken he lead with two runs on three hits and two walks, and A-Rod's double and its immediate aftermath will be long remembered by those who witnessed it. Now it's Rafael Soriano's turn to try to hold the lead; he'll face Beckham, de Aza, and Youkilis in the bottom of the ninth with the Yankees leading 7-6.

White Sox 9th: With one out, de Aza and Youkilis drew back-to-back walks. That brought Dunn to the plate. Here's Dick with the count one ball and one strike:

"The one-one pitch to Dunn...….LINE DRIVE TO LEFT, IT'LL GET DOWN AND GO INTO THE CORNER! DE AZA XCROES TO TIE THE GAME! HERE COMES YOUKILIS! THROW TO THE PLATE IS...…..IN TIME! WHAT A TAG BY MARTIN!...….Plays at the plate in consecutive half-innings have each turned this game around, and Martin's been in the middle of both. He was thrown out by Pierzynski in the top of the ninth inning, and here in the bottom of the ninth inning he puts the tag on Youkilis to keep this game tied. Oh, my!"

Viciedo came out to run for Dunn at second, and Girardi made the decision to walk Konerko and pitch to Rios in spite of the fact that he'd already hit four home runs in the series. Rios also walked on a three-two pitch, which loaded the bases for Pierzynski as The Cell rocked and throbbed. Pierzynki worked the count to three balls and a strike, but Soriano jammed him and got him to tap to Teixeira at first to end the inning with the bases still loaded. The Pale Hose settle for a run on a hit and no less than four walks, and we're headed for extra innings for the second game in a row. At the end of nine, it's New York 7, Chicago 7.

Yankees 10th: With one out, Teixeira faced new White Sox pitcher Hector Santiago. Here's Dick with the count no balls and a strike:

"What a ninth inning we had, with plays at the plate on both sides, a go-ahead double for the Yankees by a man who couldn't even hold down his pregame meal that scored a man who's under strict orders not to slide or dive for a ball until further notice, and they're two of the team's best players in A-Rod and Jeter respectively. Then the double by Dunn in the bottom of the ninth to tie it again, and here we are. Santiago nods at the sign, and the one-strike pitch...….SWUNG ON AND HAMMERED DEEP TO LEFT! BACK GOES DE AZA, AT THE WALL, AND THE YANKEES RETAKE THE LEAD, AS TEIXIERA TOUCHES 'EM ALL!.....What else can happen today, gentlemen?"

Kaat: "I don't know, Dick, but I'm completely drained. How else could the Yankees take the lead but with a home run? Another absolute no-doubter, and now we have to wonder who'll close things out for the Yankees in the bottom of the tenth."

Darling: "That's (C.C.) Sabathia going down to the bullpen, guys. It looks like he's going to try his best to get Joe Girardi three outs and get this series back to New York with the Yankees in front."

Cano walked to keep the inning going, but Santiago retired Nick Swisher (batting for Jeter, who still couldn't swing a bat) on a pop to short and struck Martin out swinging to end the inning. The Yanks have retaken the lead on Teixeira's dinger, and now Sabathia's coming in to face Ramirez, Wise, and Beckham in the bottom of the tenth. It's the last chance for the White Sox, who trail the Yankees 8-7.

Sabathia had a one-two-three bottom of the tenth, retiring the Sox on just eight pitches. Our final in ten heartstopping innings: Yankees 8, White Sox 7, and the Yankees lead the series three games to two.

There were many candidates for TBS's Player of the Game award, but they took the easy way out and gave it to Teixeira for his game-winning home run.

Final totals: Yankees 8-12-0, White Sox 7-9-0.

W- Soriano (2-0)
S- Sabathia (1)
L- Santiago (0-1)

HR- NYY: Teixeira (2), Ibanez (1)
CWS: Konerko (2), Wise (2)

This series will move back to Yankee Stadium for Game 6 on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 4PM Eastern, with Jake Peavy starting for the Sox and Hiroki Kuroda going to the hill for the Yankees.

Next: We look at Game 6.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 28, 2019

Now it's time for Game 6 of the 2012 American League Championship Series from Yankee Stadium in New York. The date is Saturday, October 20:

Lineup Changes:

White Sox- Alejandro de Aza moves back to center field, as Dayan Viciedo is back in left field after a day off. Viciedo will bat seventh, which moves Alexei Ramirez back down to eighth. Also, Adam Dunn gets the start at first; Paul Konerko's back spasms mean that he will serve as the designated hitter.

Yankees- Ichiro Suzuki is back in left field and will lead off. Nick Swisher returns to right field and will bat second. Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira switch places in the batting order; Cano will bat third and Teixeira fourth. Eric Chavez moves up to sixth, which bumps Russell Martin down to seventh. Finally, Brett Gardner replaces Curtis Granderson in center field and will bat eighth.

Here are today's umpires:

Home Plate: Mike Winters
First Base: Jeff Kellogg
Second Base: Rob Drake
Third Base: Sam Holbrook
Left Field Jeff Nelson
Right Field: Gary Cedarstrom

Weather: 62 degrees, fair skies, west wind at 16 MPH.

White Sox 1st: de Aza led off with a base hit to right center, then stole second. Kevin Youkilis' fly to left center was caught on the warning track by Gardner for out number one, which brought Dunn to the plate. Here's Dick Enberg with the count two balls and no strikes:

"The White Sox have hit eighteen home runs in five games, which is a record for a postseason series of any kind in the history of baseball. I think it was you, Kitty, who said that they could hit twenty-five in a seven-game series, and the way they're going now that's not exactly far-fetched. Adam Dunn with two so far......AND YOU CAN MAKE IT THREE! HIGH, DEEP AND LONG GONE TO RIGHT FIELD, AND JUST LIKE THAT THE WHITE SOX TAKE A 2-0 LEAD! Here we go again, gentlemen."

Jim Kaat: "My prediction is right on target so far, Dick, as this is number nineteen. It's only 314 feet to right, but this one would have been gone if it had been 340 feet, or maybe even longer. The Yankees need to find a way to fix their problems with pitchers giving up home runs, because they'll never win a World Series this way, even if they survive this series somehow."

Ron Darling: "I continue to be in awe of the White Sox' power display in this series. If they can get by the Yankees, I don't see a National League team matching them in the power department."

Konerko bounced to second, and Rios' grounder to third ended the inning. Dunn's two-run blast has given the White Sox the lead; what will the Yankees do about it?

White Sox 4th: Dunn led off against Yankees starter Hiroki Kuroda. Here's Dick with the count one ball and one strike:

"An update on A-Rod and Derek Jeter while we have a moment: Jeter can swing a bat now, but he's still in too much pain to do it four times a game, so he's out again tonight, A-Rod ate his first full meal in almost a week after last night's game and felt fine this morning, but with a three games to two lead (Yankees manager) Joe Girardi decided to keep him on the bench tonight to make sure he's ready for a possible Game 7. Jeter can run tonight, but he still can't slide. We'll see about tomorrow if we need to, and both players should be fine for Game 1 of the World Series. One-one pitch to Dunn IS ABSOLUTELY CRUSHED TO THE DEEPEST PART OF THE BALLPARK! BRETT GARDNER WITH NO CHANCE AT ALL, AND THE WHITE SOX LEAD 3-0!......I have no idea how far that ball was hit, but it was one of the longest I've seen this year for sure."

Darling: "Hiroki Kuroda has now given up seven home runs in two starts in this series. His breaking pitches have no snap to them whatsoever, so the White Sox hitters can sit and wait dead red, and this may be the hardest-hit of any home run in this series. The ball just exploded off of Adam Dunn's bat."

Kaat: "I think that's Cody Eppley starting to throw in the Yankee bullpen. (Yankees manager) Joe Girardi wants to nip this in the bud right now."

Kuroda retired the next three batters in order, but Dunn's 435-foot blast, his second of the game has extended the Sox' lead to 3-0 after three and a half.

Yankees 5th: With one out, Martin stepped to the plate against White Sox starter Jake Peavy. Here's Dick with the count no balls and two strikes:

"If the Yankees go on to win this series, Martin's probably their prime MVP candidate, as each of his two home runs have won games. We all remember the grand slam in Game 1, and he also won Game 4 with his solo shot in the eleventh, both against Addison Reed. Peavy now winding and throwing...….AND THERE'S A HIGH FLY BALL TO LEFT CNETER, BACK GOES DE AZA, HE'S AT THE WALL, AND MARTIN TOUCHES 'EM ALL FOR THE THIRD TIME!......This one didn't win a game, but it might have saved this one, as the Yankees hit the board and are only down by two."

Darling: "Peavy tried for a curve on the outside corner, but it never got there, as Martin met it and drove it over the wall in left center field. The White Sox can't afford to be complacent; the Yankees have more than enough firepower to not only get back into this game, but take control of it."

Kaat: "Peavy knew he'd made a mistake as soon as he threw the pitch. He's enough of a veteran to shake it off and keep doing his job. He's pitched superbly tonight up to now."

The inning continued when Gardner walked on five pitches, then stole second. He held there when Ibanez bounced to third and scored on Ichiro's lined single to right to bring the Yanks within 3-2. Swisher took a called third strike to end the inning, but the Yanks have closed the gap with two runs on two hits and a walk. At the end of five, it's Pale Hose 3, Pinstripes 2.

White Sox 6th: de Aza drew a leadoff walk, then stole second. Youkilis' base hit to left brought him home and gave the Chisox a 4-2 lead. After Dunn flew to Swisher in right for the first out, Konerko grounded one down to third. Chavez booted the ball, then threw late to first; he was charged with an error. He redeemed himself on Rios' line shot, gloving it for the first out and throwing to Teixeira at first for an easy inning-ending double play. The Pale Hose have added a run on a walk, a stolen base, a hit, and an error while leaving a runner at second. After five and a half, it's White Sox 4, Yankees 2.

Yankees 6th: Cano drew a leadoff walk. Teixeira doubled off the wall in left, but Viciedo played the carom perfectly to keep Cano at third. Ibanez' single to right brought Cano home to make it a 4-3 game and moved Teixeira to third, which spelled the end of Peavy's evening. Nate Jones came out of the White Sox pen to strike Chavez out swinging for out number one, but Martin gave the Yankees a 5-4 lead by lining a double over de Aza's head to score Teixeira and Ibanez. He was stranded at second when Gardner went down swinging and Nunez grounded to Youkils at third, but the Yanks have erupted for three runs on three hits and a walk. We've played six in Game 6, and it's New York 5, Chicago 4.

White Sox 7th: With two out, Ramirez and Gordon Beckham drew back-to-back walks against Yankee reliever David Robertson, which prompted White Sox manager Robin Ventura to send Dewayne Wise, who had already hit four homers this postseason, to the plate to bat for de Aza. Here's Dick with the count two balls and a strike:

"Even though de Aza hit nine home runs this season for the White Sox compared to five for Wise, it's important to note that Wise hit his in just forty-five games, and he's added four in the posteason: two in this series and two in the Division Series against Oakland. Ramirez at second, Beckham at first, White Sox down 5-4 here in the seventh. The two-one from Robertson.......PULLED DOWN THE RIGHT FIELD LINE, OVER GOES SWISHER AND...…..IT'S GONE!......Girardi is livid! He says the ball hooked foul at the last minute, but we'll see what replay has to say."

Darling: "Let's see.....down the line, starts to curve, Swisher tries for the catch right there......foul at the last split second."

Kaat: "But Gary Cedarstrom, the right field umpire, called it fair. That means that there has to be undisputed visual evidence that the ball hooked foul, and I don't believe there is."

After a five-minute delay, replay upheld Cedarstrom's call. Girardi came out of the dugout to argue, which isn't allowed, and was immediately thrown out of his second game of the series. When play resumed. Youkilis singled to left, but Dunn struck out swinging to end the inning. The fans booed lustily as they stood up to stretch, but Wise's three-run pinch-hit homer is in the books, and the White Sox now lead 7-5.

White Sox 9th: Beckham led off against new Yankee pitcher David Phelps. Here's Dick with the count two balls and a strike:

"You get the sense that the Yankees haven't recovered from Wise's homer yet; they were retired in order in the seventh, and they wasted A-Rod's one-out pinch-hit double in the last half-inning. The White Sox looking for a potential knockout punch at some point in this inning, with Wise and Youkilis following Beckham. Phelps now ready, and here's the two-one pitch......SWUNG ON AND HIT DEEP TO CENTER! GARDNER BACK, AT THE WALL, AND THIS ONE IS GONE!......Gordon Beckham joins the home run deluge of the White Sox, and we may have just seen this game put away, as it's now 8-5 Chicago."

Kaat: "This one didn't travel as far as Dunn's did earlier, but it was still solidly struck. Beckham's no slouch in the home run department; he hit sixteen on the year."

Darling: "The question now becomes; Can Addison Reed, who's already blown two saves in this series, find it within him to put those failures behind him and get the Yankees out in the bottom of the ninth?"

After Wise grounded to second for the first out, Youkilis singled to left. But Dunn's line drive was caught by Cano for the second out, and Konerko's fly to right center ended the inning. Beckham's first homer of the series has added to the White Sox lead, and now Reed has to face Gardner, Nunez (or pinch-hitter Jeter, who has a bat in his hand on the bench), and Ichiro in the last of the ninth. After eight and a half, the visitors now lead 8-5.

Reed retired the Yankees (including pinch hitters Granderson and Jeter) in order in the bottom of the ninth to nail down the victory. Our final: White Sox 8, Yankees 6, and this series is even at three games apiece.

Even though Dunn hit two homers, TBS gave its Player of the Game award to Wise, whose three-run shot gave the Sox the lead for good.

Final totals: White Sox 8-10-0, Yankees 5-9-1.

W- N. Jones (1-0)
S- Reed (2)
L- Robertson (0-1)

HR- CWS: Dunn 2 (4), Wise (3), Beckham (1)
NYY: Martin (3)

It all comes down to Game 7 tomorrow here at Yankee Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after 4PM Eastern, with Gavin Floyd starting for the White Sox and Phil Hughes taking the hill for the Yankees.

Next: We look at Game 7.

Thoughts?

Garrett Garlits · Oct 29, 2019

Now it's time for Game 7 of the 2012 American League Championship Series from Yankee Stadium in New York. The date is Sunday, October 21:

Lineup Changes:

White Sox- Adam Dunn and Paul Konerko switch positions; Dunn will serve as the designated hitter, while Konerko starts at first.

Yankees- Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are each back in the lineup; Jeter will lead off and be at short, while A-Rod will bat sixth and play third base. Ichiro Suzuki moves down to the two hole, Nick Swisher moves down to seventh and Russell Martin to ninth. Finally, Curtis Granderson is back in center field and will bat eighth.

Let's run down today's umpires:

Home Plate: Jeff Kellogg
First Base: Rob Drake
Second Base: Sam Holbrook
Third Base: Jeff Nelson
Left Field: Gary Cedarstrom
Right Field: Mike Winters

Weather: 65 degrees, partly cloudy skies, west-northwest winds at 18 MPH gusting to 23 MPH.

Yankees 1st: Jeter led off with a base hit to left center. Ichiro's base hit to right put two men on and brought Cano to the plate. Here's Dick Enberg with the count one ball and two strikes:

"The Yankees starting off hot against Floyd, which means Chris Sale is up and throwing in the White Sox bullpen. It would seem that Floyd has to get out of this inning quickly without any damage to stay in the game, and yes, we're just three batters in. With the home run so prevalent in this series, we should remind you that Cano hasn't gone deep since Game 4, but even a base hit will give the Yankees the early lead. Floyd checks the runners, and here's the one-two pitch...….HIGH FLY BALL DEEP TO RGHT CENTER, BACK GOES DE AZA, HE'S AT THE WALL, BUT IT'S GONE!...….Robinson Cano touches 'em all for the second time in this series, and the Yankees are out to a quick 3-0 lead."

Jim Kaat: "It figures that it would be a home run that gave the Yankees the early lead. Cano lands all over this backdoor slider from Floyd and absolutely crushes it. de Aza goes back, but it's fairly obvious from the moment the ball's off the bat that it's gone."

Ron Darling: "Sale's throwing even quicker, so he must know he's coming in unless Floyd starts getting outs in a hurry."

Next up was Mark Teixeira, who got ahead two balls and no strikes:

Enberg: "This figures to be Floyd's last batter no matter what, because Sale's ready and standing in the Chicago bullpen. Maybe an out buys him an extra batter, but that doesn't seem likely. He's behind on Teixeira 2-0, and the Yankees already have three runs in. (Catcher A.J.) Pierzynski sets up right down the middle, and the two-ball pitch......ABSOLUTELY HAMMERED TO LEFT, VICIEDO GOES BACK A STEP, THEN WATCHES IT LEAVE THE PREMISES! WHAT A SHOT BY MARK TEIXEIRA, AND THAT'LL DO IT FOR FLOYD!"

Darling: "Pierzynski sets up right down the middle to try and get a strike for Floyd, but this fastball is fresh meat for a hitter like Teixeira. It's just a matter of how far it'll travel, and here comes Sale, who a lot of people think should have been starting in the first place."

Kaat: "Sale will have to do some of his best pitching this year to make sure that this game doesn't get any further out of control."

Sale walked Ibanez on five pitches, but retired A-Rod on a foul pop to Konerko at first, Swisher on a fair pop to Konerko at first, and Granderson on a liner to third that was gloved by Kevin Youkilis to end the inning. The Yanks have erupted for four runs on four hits, including back-to-back home runs by Cano and Teixeira, and a walk. After one, it's Yankees 4, White Sox 0.

White Sox 3rd: Dayan Viciedo led off with a single to left, but was forced by Alexei Ramirez, who was in turn caught stealing second by Martin. That brought up Gordon Beckham. Here's Dick with the count one ball and one strike:

"Sale already shutting down the Yankees, as he's only given up a walk and a hit in two credited innings. Unfortunately, the White Sox haven't put anything together either; Viciedo's base hit turned into a force play and a caught stealing, so BeckAND GONEham's up with two outs. Hughes gets the sign from Martin, and the one-one to Beckham......DRIVEN DEEP TO LEFT CENTER! BACK GOES GRANDERSON, AT THE TRACK, AT THE WALL, AND THE WHITE SOX ARE ON THE BOARD!......Beckham's second home run in as many games, and the White Sox get on the board. That makes twenty-three homers for the Whitewith Sox in this series."

Darling: "Win or lose, this has been a historic display of power by the White Sox, and the vast majority of these homers have been absolutely bludgeoned, including this one. It'll be a long time before we see the likes of this again, even in a homer-happy era like this one."
i
Kaat: "Hughes has to forget about this; it's happened to literally everyone that the Yankees have sent to the mound in this series. He has to go right back to his game plan and make the best pitches he can."

Alejandro de Aza struck out swinging to end the inning, but Beckham's second dinger of the series has put the Pale Hose on the board. After two and a half, it's Bronx 4, South Side 1.

Yankees 3rd: Cano led off with a double to center, moved to third on Teixeira's tap to first, and scored on Ibanez's fly to the warning track in left. Rodriguez's bouncer to second ended the inning, but the Yanks have reestablished their four-run lead. After three, they lead the White Sox 5-1.

White Sox 5th: With one out, Ramirez lined a single to left center. After Beckham struck out swinging, de Aza beat out a grounder to short for an infield single. Youkilis was next. Here's Dick:

"This is the biggest threat Hughes has to deal with so far, as Beckham's homer in the third was a solo shot. We'll see Hughes pitch from the stretch for the first time today; both runners are fairly fast. Youkilis now stands in, and the White Sox could certainly use a big hit from him right now. Hughes checks the runners, and the first pitch...…...SWUNG ON AND BELTED DEEP TO LEFT! BACK GOES ICHIRO, AT THE WALL, AND GONE!......Youkilis delivers a big hit, all right, as he hits Hughes' first pitch far over the wall in left to make this a one-run game."

Darling: "Hughes got this ball too far into the strike zone, and Youkilis got all of it. Yet another well-hit ball goes out for the White Sox, and if I'm (Yankees manager) Joe Girardi, I'm alarmed at how the White Sox have destroyed my pitching, even if the Yankees manage to win the series."

Kaat: "I don't think there's a pitcher on the Yankee staff who hasn't given up a momentum-changing home run in this series. The only thing saving the Yankees is that they've hit eleven home runs of their own, including three game-winners."

Dunn struck out swinging to end the inning, but the Pale Hose are back in the game thanks to three runs on three hits, including Youkilis' three-run homer. We're halfway through Game 7, and it's New York 5, Chicago 4.

That finished the scoring. The White Sox' only remaining threat came in the eighth, when singles by Youkilis and Konerko put runners at the corners with two out. Yankee reliever David Robertson got Alex Rios to ground to short to end the inning. As we rejoin Dick in the top of the ninth, Ramirez is facing Soriano with two out and a count of no balls and one strike:

"The Yankees are now just two strikes away. The White Sox have hit twenty-four home runs in this series, an unfathomable number, and unless they somehow score the tying run, it won't be enough to earn them their first American League pennant since 1964. Soriano looking to nail down yet another pennant for the Bronx Bombers, and these fans are on their feet. The sign from Martin, and the one-strike pitch......fly ball to left center, not deep, Granderson calls for it, AND MAKES THE CATCH! THE YANKEES RULE THE AMERICAN LEAGUE AGAIN!...….They've done this so many times before here in New York, but victory never gets old, and this victory feels almost like an escape, as the White Sox gave them a fight from the first out in Game 1 to the last out in Game 7.

There's your MVP, Russell Martin. Not only did he hit three home runs, two of them game-winners, and provide several other key hits, but he kept the pitching staff from imploding as they gave up twenty-four home runs. Who knows how they would have gotten through this series with another catcher behind the plate? We'll hear from him on the field in just a few moments.

As for the White Sox, their curse continues. It's now forty-eight years since their last pennant and ninety-five years since they last won a World Series in 1917, when the ball was still dead. Whether you believe it's the Black Sox keeping them back or Tony Perez or whatever else, this is an agonizing defeat. They haven't come this close since 1994, when they lost to the Yankees in a six-game ALCS. Now they're left to wonder just when their next chance at redemption will come.

Let's now take a quick break, then we'll join Ron Darling on the field for the presentation of the American League championship trophy and the MVP award to the Yankees' Russell Martin. That's all coming up next. Our final score: Yankees 5, White Sox 4, and the Yankees take the American League pennant four games to three. First this message, then to the field for the presentations."

Final totals: Yankees 5-7-0, White Sox 4-8-0.

W- Hughes (1-1)
S- Soriano (1)
L- Floyd (1-1)

HR- CWS: Youkilis (3), Beckham (2)
NYY: Teixeira (3), Cano (2)

This is the Yankees' thirty-second American League pennant so far in this timeline.

The White Sox haven't made the playoffs since 2012, including this past season (2019). This means that they've now gone 102 years without a world championship in the Pythagorean universe.

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?

Baseball in the Pythagorean Universe 1871-Present

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