Yankees’ season end, as the Tigers’ continue to play baseball
By EDWIN ESCOBAR
Contributing Writer
PUBLISHED October 11, 2011
The New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers battled in the Bronx for a spot in the ALCS game Thursday night at Yankee Stadium. Both teams played great ball the first four games of the ALDS, but only one would moved a step closer to the World Series. The Yankees who have made it into the ALCS 16 times since 1969 were looking to make this one the 17th.
The Yankees won game one in Yankee Stadium, but the Detroit Tigers who were considered the underdogs of this series made a run for it against the Yankees winning the middle two games of the division series. The Bronx Bombers then went on to win game 4 at Comerica Park in Detroit sending the final game of the series back to the Bronx. Game 5 of the ALDS was the last chance for either team to prove who the better team in the division was.
While the Yankees and Tigers were busy battling for the last spot in the ALCS, the Texas Rangers were sitting comfortably at home awaiting the outcome of this game. The Texas Rangers, who had gone 3-1 in their ALDS, were trying to decide whether to pack their things up for a trip to the Bronx or stay put and wait for the Tigers to step into their territory.
The Detroit Tigers started off Game 5 strong with back to back homeruns in the 1st inning by Don Kelly and Delmon Young against Yankee pitcher Ivan Nova who later left due to a tight right forearm injury. From there on it was a struggle for both teams to score because of terrific pitching by Doug Fister and continuous pitching changes from Girardi.
The Yankees scored two runs, one off of a homerun by Robinson Cano and one man walked in with the bases loaded. Despite those two runs, Yankees left eleven men on base, four of which were stranded during a bases loaded situation in the 7th inning with one out. The Detroit Tigers had the overall advantage leaving minimal men on base which led them to win Game 5.
Although The Yankees outscored the Tigers 28-17 (10 of the runs in Game 4), the Yankees still managed to lose the series. It was the Detroit Tigers who played hard and the New York Yankees that went and stood home. Now, the only thing that stands in the way of the Detroit Tigers and a conference championship is the Texas Rangers who went on to beat the Tampa Bay Rays in 4 games.
Game 1 of the ALCS between the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers are set to begin in Arlington Texas on Saturday night October 8, 2011 at approximately 8 p.m. Starters for that game will be Justin Verlander for the Tigers and CJ Wilson for the Rangers. October is the month where superstars are born. This shall be a good one.
