ALDS Game 1 In Game Blog

I need to do something with myself. It's only a quarter to four out here in Los Angeles, so I'm all alone watching the game.

TOP 1st

C.C. just got hosed on two pitches to Abreu.

I think C.C.'s a bit wired for sound. He just need to get through this inning and I think he'll be fine, but that's easier said than done.

A guy on the radio this morning pointed out that Derek Jeter, when getting a pitch inside, sticks his ass out as if to dodge it, regardless of whether it's necessary or not. I'd never noticed it before, but he did it in his first at bat tonight and it's pretty funny.

C.C. 1-2 on A-rod.

Sabathia doesn't seem to be afraid to run in on these guys, which is good to see. I'd rather he hit guys than give up hits (is that wrong?).

C.C. now 3-2 on A-rod. I don't know if I'm going to be able to watch this game with the sound on. Between the "0-6 in the regular season" and "A-rod's poor post-season performance" bits, I'm not sure I can handle three plus hours of this. Please, god, someone give them something else to talk about.

Yes, Sabathia walked two guys, but I stand by my claim that only the second one was legitimate.

Oh, yeah, people overlook POSADA. Yeah, he never gets, say, ESPN commercials about him. He never lost to freaking Pudge Rodriguez in All Star voting.

C.C. really is getting clamped down on the zone.

Sabathia threw two identical pitches in a row. One a ball, one a strike. And I LIKE Bruce Froeming.

He's 0-2 on Matsui after striking out Posada. C'mon, C.C....

Grounder to Cabrera and we're out of it. Okay, I have faith in C.C. to settle down now.

BOTTOM 1st

And before I can be excited about Sizemore getting hit, Cabrera hits into a double play.

Pronk at 1-1. Technical difficulties prevent TBS from giving us the fancy baseball card graphics for the Yankees line-up.

Down 1-2 now. We can't go in order, dammit.

Fall tip keeps it at 2-2. We're at a full count now, and Pronk keeps battling. The Jake looks good in HD.

Walk! Starts from behind and pulls out a walk. Good stuff, Pronk.

Oh, joy, TBS got it working and we get the baseball cards.

Victor got a pitch to hit and fouled it off. Plus side here, he can't hit into a double play. Aside from Grady, everyone has started off 0-1. In fact, Victor is 0-2 now.

Shot of Tony "Turncoat" Pena in the dugout. Shot of Wedge eating what has to be either Roloaids or magic mushrooms.

Victor singles! This is a good sign. Both Pronk and Victor showed great composure.

Ryan Garko's very first post-season AB. Contact, Garko, contact.

As Bob Brenley points out, not so much with the speed on the bases. So they try to pick off Pronk to no avail.

Garko SINGLES!!! HELL YEAH!!

Holy shit, that was awesome. I really don't know if I can handle nine innings of this, let alone at least three games...

Let's go, JP! Good god, this is insane. I'd forgotten this feeling.

Shot of Roger Clemens. That's nice.

JP takes a slider to go to 2-1. Then he fouls off a tasty pitch. Oh, Jhonny, come on...

Full count.

Fights off a nice pitch to stay alive. It might have been outside, but it was close.

Another foul. At least we're getting that pitch count up there.

Another foul! Good fight, Jhonny.

Draws a walk!! Oh my god. Oh my god. This is insane.

Okay, Kenny, let's do this, man. Fouls off the first pitch.

HELL YEAH!!! Kenny drives in TWO!

Oh, Jhonny, we could have kept that going. But whatever, I'll be upset about that later!

TOP 2nd

Okay, maybe not the whole game. Maybe not even as everything happens.

But SWEET JESUS, VICTOR! That was HUGE. HUGE!!

Yes, another walk, but I think C.C. is coming around.

We need to go after Wang again.

BOTTOM 2nd

Gut pops up on only two pitches.

Blake behind 1-2 and the "Yankees suck" chat has begun!

Casey goes down swinging. But we did all our damage last inning with two outs, so maybe this is okay.

Grady 1-1. Wang keeps trying to pitch him in, but I don't think it's working. And he goes outside this time for a 2-1 count.

Grady fouls one off, 2-2.

GRADY WITH A SINGLE.

Two outs now, I wonder if he'll get the green light to go. They probably have a read on Wang now, unlike last time.

And they got him. Dammit.

TOP 3rd

So I don't want to jinx it, but someone obviously said something to C.C. Sweet fancy Moses, Sabathia! Clearly, he's not happy with Johnny Damon and he's 0-2 on Jeter.

Jeter does the ass thing again on a pitch no where near him and it's 1-2.

He does it again on a pitch that WAS near him, 2-2.

AND JETER ALMOST FALLS DOWN swinging, two outs!

Abreu at 1-1, now at 1-2.

C.C. sends a message! Watch for in your ear!

Full count and C.C. walks him. And stupid A-rod.

Shot of Wedge looking like he'd rather be somewhere else.

And A-rod pops up! And no one yells "mine" at Jhonny when he catches it!

BOTTOM 3rd

AC up first, down 1-2 so far. Count goes even.

SOLO SHOT FOR CABRERA!!

Wow. Just...wow. And right after they were talking about what a great trade that was to get him.

Good pitch by Wang gets the count to 1-2 on Pronk, who grounds out to second.

Are you kidding me? LeBron is at the game with a Yankees hat on. WTF? I know you're a fan of the Yankees (which is sad in and of itself), but why show up to the game like that?

HA! TBS guy asked him if he's a "frontrunner"! His favorite teams are the Cowboys, Bulls, and Yankees? Total bandwagon. TOTAL.

Victor with a 2-1 count. Flies out to center.

Garko 2 for 2 tonight! Singles on a bloop to right!

Jhonny flies out to right to end the inning.

We're a third of the way through and that bottle of Jack Daniels in my kitchen is beginning to look awfully good.

TOP 4th

Posada gets a called strike one and whines about it. I really can't stand that guy.

Gut with a running grab in right.

Wedge looking grizzly. He must have ulcers as big as my head.

Sabathia ahead 0-2 on Matsui and gets the K!

C.C. has turned it around. He's getting ahead of these guys like we're used to seeing.

Swinging strike gets the count to 2-2.

Shit! Solo shot by Cano. Goofy camera man runs down the third base line with Cano.

C.C. comes right back and gets the first strike on Cabrera. And then he pops up to AC to end the inning.

BOTTOM 4th

Kenny up to start the inning, looks at a bunt, takes a strike. Second pitch in the dirt.

Bunt foul, 1-2. Pitch way outside and we're even.

Kenny pops up to second, one down.

I'd like to see Gutierrez get a good at bat here. Even if he doesn't make something happen, seeing a few pitches would really do him some good, I think.

He's worked a 3-0 count. He'll take, I'm sure. And he does, for a strike.

Gut draws a walk! Good AB for him. Casey needs one, too. He's only seen a few pitches.

They're holding Franklin at first. I don't think he'll go, but I think they'll decoy him.

Shoot, should have sent him. Casey makes contact, but sends it to A-rod who get Gut at second. Casey was a few inches from a double.

Grady up again. Let's go, Grady!

Sizemore down 0-2 on a meaty pitch he let go. Great shot of Grady smiling, though. Clearly, the man is enjoying himself so far.

We need to work more pitches out of Wang. He's around 60 now, but we need to knock him out sooner than the 6th.

Grady works the count even, 2-2. The announcers are spreading the Sizemore love.

Wang keeping Blake in check, what with the -- is four? -- steals this year.

Grady drives in foul. And then takes a pitch for strike three.

TOP 5th

Correction, Wang has throw 76 pitches through 4. We need to knock him out this inning.

C.C. comes out dealing to the new first baseman. He's 1-2. That third strike always seems like the hardest for the Tribe pitchers. Fouls off the next pitch.

Sabathia drops in a beautiful slider, but Duncan doesn't bite. Goes high heat and misses and now we're full.

Pulls it foul down the third base line.

Singles the other way. Shot of Duncan, who doesn't look like the sharpest knife in the drawer.

C.C. is still clearly angry with Johnny Damon. Starts him off with a strike. He just misses the outside corner, 1-1.

Again, just outside, 2-1.

Sabathia gets HOSED on a call on the outside, 3-1. C.C. walks him, again getting hosed on the corners. I know they keep pointing out the walks Sabathia has had, but more than a few have been questionable at best.

Jeter up now. First pitch ball. Sabathia needs to relax. And just as I say it, Carl Willis comes out.

Jeter flies out to right, Gutierrez with a good arm holds the runners at second and third.

Abreu up and we need a double play...

RBI double and we're only up by one.

And I've poured myself a drink.

Intentional walk to Bush League, I mean A-rod. And of course my second least favorite Yankee is up next. I don't know if I can keep watching...

Wow.

Just...I can't believe we're still winning this game.

BOTTOM 5th

We need to score. We need to score and knock Wang out because we've sen the last of C.C. and I honestly don't know who's going to pitch the 6th. We need to get to their bullpen.

Actually, dollars to doughnuts Jensen Lewis makes his first post-season appearance in the 6th.

AC in a 3-1 count. Let's go...

Yes! Leadoff walk!

TBS puts stats up for the starters, but they're strangely off by ONE pitch on Wang's numbers. How odd.

Pronk up and gets a lead off ball. Let's go, let's go, let's get something going here.

Tony Gwynn points out that Froeming isn't giving the pitchers the outside corners. It's taken him four and a half innings to catch on to this fact??

While I would love a blast from Pronk right here, I'd settle for a hit. Or a walk, as the count goes to 2-1.

Pronk pops out to center.

HELL YES!! VICTOR GOES YARD!! 6-3 Indians!!!

Interview John Adams all game!!

Wang has got to be on his last legs. Let's go, Garko, let's knock him out.

Not a good start, Garko down 0-2.

Garko connects, but right to second. Two down.

Jhonny on a bloop into right field but had two all the way!

Kenny with a chance for insurance!

Lofton with a career night!!! JP comes in to score, 7-3 Tribe!

Wang is gone and some guy I've never heard of is in! And Lofton steals! And single will get us another run!

Let's go, Gut, we need to get you some confidence...

Gutierrez goes down to 1-2. Gut is amped. You can tell by the look on his face. Just stay calm, Gut. Rookie on rookie here...

Works it back to a full count! Does the rookie try to make a pitch? Or meatball?

Tries to make a pitch and misses and it's a walk to Gut!

Good AB by Franklin. All of our guys are working the count, really, aside from Casey so far, so now is the time.

And it IS!! Casey doubles into right and drives in TWO!!

Wow, we're 4 for 4 with RISP. Wow. Wowowowowowowowow.

Grady up, takes a strike. Now takes two.

Grady fouls off to stay alive.

Not for nothing, but did I or did I not say we needed to get to their bullpen early?

Grady pops out to center.

Wow. 9-3 Tribe. Wow.

TOP 6th

Wow, it's Perez to start the 6th. So are they going to try to get two out of him? At this point you want to save your bullpen, at least somewhat. Maybe one for Perez, one for Lewis, one for Betancourt, one for Borowski? Just to get them all some post-season work with a big lead?

Perez 2-2 on Cano. Cano fouls off again. He's going towards third over and over.

Cano grounds to a perfectly position Jhonny, one down.

Perez with his first K of the post-season! Cabrera goes down swinging.

Everyone on their feet for a 1-2 count to Duncan. He fouls off the pitch.

Shot of Carmona watching the game, munching on sunflower seeds. He looks calm. He's got to like the looks of his offense.

We're at 2-2 now. Everyone standing again. Perez's pitch is low and we're full.

Strikeout!! World, Perez, Perez, world.

BOTTOM 6th

Time to add insult to injury! The rookie (whose ERA is currently 27.00) is still in there. Let's stick it to them. Statement game!

Cabrera with a 2-2 count at this point. Make that 3-2. But he grounds out to second.

PRONK!! A line drive home run from PRONK!! Damn, that ball got out fast.

Victor with a double! He's 3 for 4! As I said with Perez, hello world, this is Victor Martinez. Get to know him.

The Yankees are leaving the rookie in. They seem determined to make him suffer.

Garko 2-3 tonight. Let's go, Gark. Let's keep it going.

Garko gets hit and we've got two on with one out!

Jhonny grounds to Jeter who goes to third.

Which brings Lofton up for another shot!

NO WAY! Lofton with a double to drive in ANOTHER run!! That is a man who wants a freaking ring.

Gut pops up and we go to the 7th.

TOP 7th

Perez picks up where he left off and strikes out Damon. I doubt he'll get many headlines after a game like this, but Perez is really shining. People keep talking about how the Yankees never saw C.C. this year -- well, they didn't see much of Perez, either.

Gut with a great catch in right field! That's another "who is that guy" moment. It's time for the rest of the world to meet future all stars!

Wedge has got to get Lewis in next inning. It just makes sense to get him some time with a lead and there's no reason to use Betancourt or Borowski.

Crowd on their feet for 0-2! STRIKE THREE!!

Amazing. Just amazing.

BOTTOM 7th

Casey goes down on strikes. Blakes seems to be more and more of a momentum guy these days. If he has it behind him, he does well. If not, he's more likely to strike out.

Grady pops out.

The announcer just said "a coming out party for Cabrera," which is a great point, but you can say that about so many guys on our team. It's insane.

Hughes strikes out Cabrera to end the inning. My friend the Red Sox fan has warned me that we only have so many runs to score in the series, so we need to save some.

Only six outs to go.

TOP 8th

From my mouth to Wedge's ears, Jensen Lewis is in! And he's ahead 0-2 on A-rod!

Throws inside for the first ball. That third strike is the rough spot for Lewis. And he gets A-rod to pop out!

That's what I'm talking about -- Lewis gets his first post-season appearance against A-rod, but he's got some padding behind him. This is exactly what he needed.

Posada flies out to Lofton, two down.

Man, Lewis just picks his spot and hits it. Crazy. He's up 0-2 now and the crowd is up!

Three pitches!! Matsui down on THREE PITCHES!! Jensen Lewis is the man.

BOTTOM 8th

Pronk up again and looking surly.

He hits it hard, but not far enough, flies out to center.

Wow, Victor is a triple shy of the cycle. Granted, he's only ever hit one in his life. But it wouldn't shock me tonight.

And, no, flies out to left.

Garko up, still 2 for 3 tonight, I believe, after getting hit last inning. He's down 0-2 at this point, though.

Hughes trying to win himself a starting job, it would seem.

GARKO GOES YARD!!

A nice even dozen, thank you!

Wow, Garko's first post-season game and he goes 3 for 4!

Jhonny gives it a ride, but ends up just short. And we go to the 9th, three outs left to get!

TOP 9th

Huh. Betancourt is in. Don't know about this one, but I suppose it gets him some work.

And Cano goes down on three pitches.

Oh, god, on the home run recap they played the music from Major League. Should have seen that one coming.

Man, Perez struck out four batters in two innings. Lewis struck out one in a single inning. Betancourt already has one and has Cabrera at 2-2.

Lofton makes a great catch in left! Just in case we needed proof that he could do it all.

And we're one out away from taking game one!

And stupid roid rage Giambi gets a single past the shift.

Okay, let's end it with Damon -- it would only be appropriate, given how the game started.

Betancourt is 0-2 on Damon...here we go...high for ball one.

The pitch...low for ball two. Raffy is doesn't want to give him anything.

The pitch...high for ball three. Full count now. Okay, let's do this, Raffy.

Fly out to Grady!! Game 1 goes to the Tribe!!