ANGELS 7
YANKEES 6
This was supposed to be a night of coronation of a new American League champion.
This was supposed the be the night when Yankee fans would run through the streets creating all kinds of celebratory havoc more than a week away from Mischief Night.
Instead, this was a night fit for mourning for the Bronx Bombers as the Yankees failed to match
the energy of the Angels early in the game, made a tremendous comeback in the seventh, and then frittered it away soon thereafter.
This one got away; the Angels beat the Yankees 7-6 to force a game six in the Bronx on Saturday night.
A.J. Burnett was not on his game in the first inning. The Angels pounded the inconsistent right hander for four runs on five hard hits. After a lead-off walk to Chone Figgins and a double by Bobby Abreu, Tori Hunter drilled a single to center to drive home Figgins and Abreu, making it 2-0 Halos.
Vladimir Guerrero's double to left center brought home Hunter to make it 3-0 Angels. Finally, Kendry Morales brought home Guerrero with a single to left center to give the Angels a commanding 4-0 lead.
John Lackey was brilliant for Los Angeles. He shut down the Bombers through the game's first six innings, striking out seven Bombers in the process. However, in the seventh inning, Lackey lost control. Melkey Cabrera doubled with one out to get things going. Lackey then went 3-2 on Jorge Posada, when a slider just missed the plate that would have been strike three. Lackey thought the ball had buckled Posada and grabbed the edge of the plate to strike him out, but the home plate umpire disagreed. Posada eventually walked.
Derek Jeter took a walk to load them up, but Lackey was fortunate to get Johnny Damon to fly out; second out. Mike Scioscia took an emotional Lackey from the game for Darren Oliver. On televison it was clear that Lackey didn't want to come out of the game, but Scioscia would have none of it and took his ace out. Big mistake.
Darren Oliver served up a fat pitch to the struggling Mark Tiexiera, who blooped a double off the the wall in left center to clear the bases to make it 4-3 Anaheim.
Alex Rodriguez was intentionally walked, and Hideki Matsui made the Angels pay, when he drilled a single past second base to drive in Tiexeria to tie the game at four. Kevin Jepsen relieved Oliver and proceeded to make matters worse. He gave up a stand-up triple to Robinson Cano to clear the bases, giving the Yankees the lead 6-4.
It appeared that the Yankee magic would reign yet again.
That was until the bottom of the seventh was played.
Burnett served up a single to Jeff Mathis, then walked Eric Aybar to make things pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty interesting.
Joe Girardi took Burnett out ... for Desemo Marte? The man with the nine ERA, Marte?
Marte did his part to screw things up. He gave up a run by allowing Bobby Abreu to ground out into an RBI to make it 6-5.
Girardi took Marte out for the more dependable Phil Hughes; however, Hughes was anything but reliable. He walked Hunter and gave up a seeing-eye single to Guerrero underneath the reach of Jeter to drive home Aybar, tying the game at six. Morales followed that up with a hard single to right to drive in Hunter with the go-ahead run to make it 7-6 Angels. Box Score.
The Yankees threatened in the top of the ninth after Angels closer Brian Fuentes loaded the bases and went to 3-2 on Nick Swisher. Swisher popped the ball up to Aybar who closed his glove on the baseball and did the anti-Louis Castillo, acutally holding onto the ball for the victory.
The Yankees will get another shot at closing out this series when they return to the Bronx on Saturday night with a 3-2 advantage in the series. The Yankees will pitch ole' reliable in Andy Pettitte, against Joe Saunders who has mastered the Yankees in his last two starts.
This was supposed the be the night when Yankee fans would run through the streets creating all kinds of celebratory havoc more than a week away from Mischief Night.
Instead, this was a night fit for mourning for the Bronx Bombers as the Yankees failed to match
the energy of the Angels early in the game, made a tremendous comeback in the seventh, and then frittered it away soon thereafter.This one got away; the Angels beat the Yankees 7-6 to force a game six in the Bronx on Saturday night.
A.J. Burnett was not on his game in the first inning. The Angels pounded the inconsistent right hander for four runs on five hard hits. After a lead-off walk to Chone Figgins and a double by Bobby Abreu, Tori Hunter drilled a single to center to drive home Figgins and Abreu, making it 2-0 Halos.
Vladimir Guerrero's double to left center brought home Hunter to make it 3-0 Angels. Finally, Kendry Morales brought home Guerrero with a single to left center to give the Angels a commanding 4-0 lead.
John Lackey was brilliant for Los Angeles. He shut down the Bombers through the game's first six innings, striking out seven Bombers in the process. However, in the seventh inning, Lackey lost control. Melkey Cabrera doubled with one out to get things going. Lackey then went 3-2 on Jorge Posada, when a slider just missed the plate that would have been strike three. Lackey thought the ball had buckled Posada and grabbed the edge of the plate to strike him out, but the home plate umpire disagreed. Posada eventually walked.
Derek Jeter took a walk to load them up, but Lackey was fortunate to get Johnny Damon to fly out; second out. Mike Scioscia took an emotional Lackey from the game for Darren Oliver. On televison it was clear that Lackey didn't want to come out of the game, but Scioscia would have none of it and took his ace out. Big mistake.
Darren Oliver served up a fat pitch to the struggling Mark Tiexiera, who blooped a double off the the wall in left center to clear the bases to make it 4-3 Anaheim.
Alex Rodriguez was intentionally walked, and Hideki Matsui made the Angels pay, when he drilled a single past second base to drive in Tiexeria to tie the game at four. Kevin Jepsen relieved Oliver and proceeded to make matters worse. He gave up a stand-up triple to Robinson Cano to clear the bases, giving the Yankees the lead 6-4.
It appeared that the Yankee magic would reign yet again.
That was until the bottom of the seventh was played.
Burnett served up a single to Jeff Mathis, then walked Eric Aybar to make things pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty interesting.
Joe Girardi took Burnett out ... for Desemo Marte? The man with the nine ERA, Marte?
Marte did his part to screw things up. He gave up a run by allowing Bobby Abreu to ground out into an RBI to make it 6-5.
Girardi took Marte out for the more dependable Phil Hughes; however, Hughes was anything but reliable. He walked Hunter and gave up a seeing-eye single to Guerrero underneath the reach of Jeter to drive home Aybar, tying the game at six. Morales followed that up with a hard single to right to drive in Hunter with the go-ahead run to make it 7-6 Angels. Box Score.
The Yankees threatened in the top of the ninth after Angels closer Brian Fuentes loaded the bases and went to 3-2 on Nick Swisher. Swisher popped the ball up to Aybar who closed his glove on the baseball and did the anti-Louis Castillo, acutally holding onto the ball for the victory.
The Yankees will get another shot at closing out this series when they return to the Bronx on Saturday night with a 3-2 advantage in the series. The Yankees will pitch ole' reliable in Andy Pettitte, against Joe Saunders who has mastered the Yankees in his last two starts.
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