Yankees Sweep; Game 3 Recap

Well, that was quick.  Before you could blink the Yankees had swept the Twins and are on their way to the ALCS for the first time since 2004 when of course....well we all know what happend.  Clutch hitting, great pitching, and good defense propelled the Yankees to the ALCS to face their arch nemeisis the L.A Angels.  More on that upcoming series in a bit, first lets get to game three.

- Andy Pettitte just keeps coming up big in the postseason.  Remember laboring Andy?  That just disappears in the postseason.  6 1/3 one run on only 81 pitches, awsome outing.  Pettitte comes up big time after time, and its remarkable how consistent he has been of late in the postseason.  Everytime you need a big outing from Andy your going to get it.  I had all the faith in the world in him last night, and like I said, he came through. 

- Can I say anymore good things about Arod?  Just keeps on coming up big when you need him.  I have never seen a guy so villified just turn it around so quickly.  Just like that.  Forget the home run in Game 2, which of now he will be best remembered for.  The thing that I think turned him around was in Game 1 when his RBI single put the Yankees up 4-2.  Once he hit that he was a new man, because his next time up with a runner on he hit a booming single to right to score Jeter to make it 7-2.  If Arod continues his hot streak and we win a World Series, point to that at bat in the 5th inning of Game 1 that revived his career.

- I have gotten on Jorge many times, in this blog and to other people as well, but his home run and 2 RBI single was ENOURMOUS last night.  I can remember Jorge coming up big twice in his career: Obviously Game 7 ALCS which was a gift of god blooper, and the second was when he hit a home run off of Barry Zito in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS aka the Jeter Flip game.  The final score was 1-0 and everyone remembers the flip, and we should, but Jorge still drove home the only run in that game in the 6th inning.  Add last night to the list, with a go ahead 7th inning home run in Game 3 of the ALDS.

- In my opinion Joe Girardi took a couple steps backwards in this series.  He took so many steps forward in the regular season, but took a couple backwards in this series.  The job he has done with the bullpen was awful, no question.  The one thing I worry about the most with the Angels is that Mike Scioscia is by far the best manager in baseball in my opinion.  Girardi isnt anywhere close, and that will be a HUGE factor in who wins this series.  If Girardi steps up and stops being a moron, for instance taking out Pettitte who is rolling along with 81 pitches, or putting in Dameso Marte, or leaving Phil Hughes in way too long, than we have a good shot of winning.  Speaking of Hughes, he was so big in the 2007 ALDS vs Cleveland in relief, he won Game 3 with a great 3 innings of Clemens, but in this series it looked like he was a bit nervous.  Thats fine, as long as they are out of his system.  We cannot win this series without an effective Hughes, so hopefully that is all behind him.  He was not mixing his pitches as well as he did in the regular season, and he his curve was hanging left and right.

- I want to give it up for the 2009 AL MVP Joe Mauer who carried this team on his back and still performed in the playoffs.  What a player this guy, I wrote a couple of days ago that barring injuries he might have a chance to be the greatest catcher of all time, I stand by that statement, the guy is only 26 and has already won three batting titles and about to win an MVP.  Also, Denard Span had a great series, a product of New Britian as well as Mauer, and he proved all year he could be a great leadoff hitter and steal 40 bases year in and year out.

Next up for the Yankees are the hated Angels.  We all know the story about the Angels, we cant beat them in the regular season, and we sure as hell cant beat them come playoff time.  Well you know what, we have never played them in a 7 game series, so we will see.  A little background about the Yankee killing Angels, they were the only team during the dynasty era (96-01) that had a winning record against the Yanks.  In 2002 they ended the Yankees streak of four straight World Series Appereances with a 3-1 ALDS win.  Remember the Tim Salmon game, the Yankees were up 6-0 and blew Game 3.  In 2005, the Yankees once again won game 1, only to lose the next two and come from behind in a miracle Game 4 and then only to see Bubba Crosby drop a fly ball in Game 5 and the Yankees never recovered.  We will see what happens, I will say this, I am as confident as I have ever been as a Yankee fan, and I think this team just has "it" I really do.  Time will tell, but if the Yanks can win this series, there is no doubt in my mind we will be having a parade sometime early November.

-Lew