It’s a good day to be a sports fan, as there are games in each of the four MLB playoff contests today along with your raft of football games and gnashing of upset teeth from yesterday’s collegiate slate. Detroit and Oakland are already in action, tied at one through five innings. This evening, C.C. Sabathia is on the mound in Camden with Jason Hammel getting the start for the Orioles. Enjoy your Sunday and comment away.
Giddy: Yanks-O’s ALDS Gamer I
Next post: Ladies and Gentleman: Andy Pettitte. Yanks-O’s ALDS Gamer II
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I am so excited I cannot even stand it.
Won’t be long now.
I love the lineup…
Yankees
Derek Jeter, SS
Ichiro Suzuki, LF
Alex Rodriguez, 3B
Robinson Cano, 2B
Nick Swisher, RF
Mark Teixeira, 1B
Curtis Granderson, CF
Russell Martin, C
Raul Ibanez, DH
You guys going to be around?
I am going to be lurking, most likely.
Tarp going on the field…why can’t we just have one series with decent weather, no insects, etc.????
Rain delay.
Unreal.
This is agonizing.
I am losing my mind ova ‘hea….
20 minutes.
Game. On.
So we’ve got Cal calling the Orioles game…nice TBS.
Mute.
Leadoff single for Jeter…bouncer up the middle…
ICHI DOUBLE…JETER SCORES!!!!!!!!
1-0!!!!!!!
Ichiro gunned trying to steal third…
That really seemed a waste. ARod was up with no outs.
ARod. K.
I’m not saying anything.
2 outs.
Gotta wonder about that caught stealing…
1-0 after 1/2…
Let’s see how CC looks now…we need him to be dominant.
Grounder to Tex.
1 out.
Popper to Jeter.
2 outs.
1-2-3
Swisher walks…
Tex pops out.
1 out.
Kurtis grounds into fielders choice…
2 outs.
Muscle fouls out.
Nada.
1-0 after 1.5…
CC?
1-2-3…2 K’s…
1-0 after 2.
This is what we need from CC.
Raul K’s.
1 out.
Jeter grounds out…
2 outs.
Hammel’s is settling down. Let him off the hook in the first.
That could come back to bite us in the ass.
Ichi K’s after battling.
1-2-3.
I am starting to fear that I have seen this movie before. I am not feeling confident that CC can hold a 1-run lead forever. We have got to score runs if we want to have a chance.
So far. 1 and ran ourselves out of another possibly. Besides that, zip.
Leadoff single for them…
…and another…
Bunt…perfect…2nd and 3rd with 1 out…
CC imploding.
I am the Amazing Krueg…predicting that CC wouldn’t be able to hold the lead…I mean, he’s been holding leads all season, why would anything change when we need him the most…
1-2.
Game. Over.
As expected, another first round exit.
Whatevs.
DP.
1-2 after 3…
ARod and Swisher walk around a Cano groundout…
1st and 2nd with 1 out.
Tex ties the game with a shot off the wall but he gets gunned at 2nd…
Swish on 3rd, 2 outs…2-2
IBB to Kurtis to pitch to Muscle.
DISRESPECT!
Muscle flies out.
2-2 after 3.5
This game is weird. I feel like we have made stupid mistakes that could have cost us momentum, if not runs.
HOSTILE crowd in Baltimore. They are some miserable bastards.
Come on CC, get it together.
84 pitches for Hammel after 4 though…could be big.
Shutdown inning.
2-2- after 4.
Raul grounds out on the 90th pitch…
1 out.
Jeter K’s.
2 outs.
Man we need some fucking offense. Please. We are going nowhere fast with everyone struggling for the 3rd straight postseason…
Ichi K’s again on the same pitch. FB right down the middle.
FAST 1-2-3 inning, might have given him another inning with that.
I do not like how this game is going. O’s OWN close games, we are abject failures in them.
I feel like this is a big innings…come on CC.
Leadoff single…
Tex makes a great scoop on a swinging bunt…1 out but guy to 2nd…
Single.
1st and 3rd, 1 out…
Lead in jeopardy. CC not dominating, doing his “hang in there” thing tonight.
We needed dominant.
He’s having a hard time throwing strikes…nibbling, missing all over the place.
Full count…
Please don’t walk the bases loaded.
BIG PITCH. K.
2 outs.
Groundout.
Whew.
2-2 after 5
ARod cannot square up back-to-back 91-92 mph fastballs right down the middle…
Grounds the 3rd one straight to the SS…
1 out.
0-2, BB so far…
Cano instantly down 0-2 swinging at 2 outside pitches…
Another weak groundout…
Cano 0-for-3.
2-out single for Swish…
Hammel somehow gets through 5.2…2 runs. Matched CC Sabathia and it could not have worked out better for the O’s.
Everything here points to another Baltimore win. Is anyone in gray uniforms going to step up and do something? Or are we the same team as the last two years…
Swish and Tex with back-to-back 2-out singles….
Kurtis kills the rally with a fly ball.
2-2 after 5.5
This game couldn’t be going any better for the O’s. Set up to beat us late. No one on the Yankees seems to want to be a hero, pretty much like the regular season…
CC hasn’t held up to the pressure this year either…
Fucking disaster.
Feels like we’re losing when we should be winning. But in fact it’s tied. Running into 2 outs infuriating. CC looking OK. Just OK.
1 out.
Cano playing in the right spot there. 1 out.
K. 2 outs.
Nice K. 2 out. With the way Teix is swinging tonight, it may be time come game 2 to swap him in the line-up with A-Rod. Up comes Yankee-killer Reynolds.
CC has pitched Reynolds incredibly carefully tonight. I have no problem with that.
2-out single…
2-out single. Come one CC. Shut it down fast.
Jeter blows the play…2 on with 2 outs…
I think this is where we blow it.
Jeter bobbles the one-hopper and everyone’s safe. I feel ill.
Thanks science. 1 pitch pop-out.
RUNS NOW PLEASE!
Pops him out. Sweet. CC hanging in. Not dominating but solid. We’ve got the two biggest HR-hitting teams in baseball here and so far they’ve stayed in the park. Come on Yanks.
Leadoff walk for Muscle…
COME ON RAUL!!!!
Yanks hitters are making the O’s pitchers throw at least 6 pitches per AB but still tied at 2. It really feels like we should be up in this game. Ibanez up after Martin walks.
3-1 to Ibanez.
Swung at a ball in the dirt. Damn. 3-2
Swings at ball 4…full count…
WALK
You get the feeling IH that Jeter wants to make up for that play here???
Sweet. Ball 4. Working the count is working. Now turn it into something!!!!!!! Jeter up. Fully expect a bunt here.
Hear ya krueg. With 2 on, no out, the top of our order up, and Baltimore into their pen, this should be good. Unless of course the norm over 2012 plays out again here…
Bunt?
I think Ichiro will be a hero all post-season long. Guy has been in one crappy post-season and that was a decade ago. Sidewinder O’Day in.
Looks like it…
Not surprising. Late in the game, two men would get in RISP with Ichiro up…I don’t blame him.
Horrible. How he strike-bunted at a ball that far off the plate I do not know…
Jeter pulls it on them with 2 strikes! Perfect. Nicely done. Don’t try that at home kids.
LAYS IT DOWN WITH 2 STRIKES!!!
NICE. 2nd and 3rd with 1 out…COME ON ICHI!!!!!
Ichiro. I am v happy to have him up here.
Just missed that one…fuck.
Ground ball right to 2nd and they get Martin at home. We’re going to squander yet again. Esp with A-Rod. Don’t even want to watch.
Fail.
That was the fucking worst.
I cannot believe we are still the same team. Going to be tough to win when you literally STRUGGLE to drive in runs in prime situations…
So what, now ARod is going to come through?
2 outs, 2 on…ARod. Late innings. Playoff game.
Is there a Yankee fan anywhere who feels good seeing A-Rod up in a clutch situation?
Bad call…but no matter…it’s ARod.
Nope. Not a one.
And A-Rod laying off the outside pitches. 2-2. I really have no hope here.
A-Rod fail, flail, bail. I despise him. He needs to bat 6th at best.
.133 w/RISP and 2 outs postseason career.
Let’s go ahead and make that lower.
Incredible. That’s got to be the turning point IH.
I was trying really hard to be positive and hope that they would turn it on in the playoffs, at least a couple of them.
CC hasn’t been able to really carry the mail all year. This is his chance to earn that paycheck and really be an Ace. No more damage.
It really is amazing that this team grabbed the best record in the AL when their performance with RISP has been so hideous all year.
You get back-to-back walks to start the inning and up comes the top of your order, and you get nothing. I’m so depressed krueg.
Sterling lamenting that all they needed was a fly ball. How often has that been the case this year.
The sight of A-Rod makes me angry. There is not another single player on this team who annoys me. Granderson’s K-fest this year has been depressing but at least he is still producing.
Sabathia: Do NOT walk Lew freaking Ford.
1 out. No reason CC can’t throw a complete game given his pitch-count. Just keep them in the park man…
Not even a fly ball brother…I don’t even know what to say anymore. Seriously. It’s been the problem for 3 years now.
Come on CC. We need you.
His FB is slow, he isn’t attacking…that’s what scares me. He’s at his best when he is aggressive and you can tell when he has no confidence…
Like tonight. Cannot allow any more runs. If they take the lead, I feel like it’s over.
I’m going to take a moment. Just a moment, to enjoy the fact that I’m watching the Yanks in a tie game in the 7th inning in October. This is fun stuff. Now crush them!
K.
2 outs.
He is taking half an hour between pitches.
The anxiety I feel is overwhelming.
McClouth – the guy with the killer 2-RBI hit earlier.
Yeah – the tension in this game is incredible. 2-2…
NICE.
1-2-3 7th…thank you CC.
Can we please score some runs? Please? Someone? Anyone???
Grounder to Cano. You gotta give it to CC man. This isn’t the O’s team of old. They are an offensive powerhouse and he is handling them. It’s the Yankee bats that are killing me. We get into their pen in the 6th, have great momentum, and nothing. Someone hit a shot out.
Matusz in. I remember when he sucked. He simply doesn’t anymore.
Cano leads off…time to shine. You aren’t a young player anymore. You are 30. Let’s go.
Blows that FB by him…
These 3 days off have left Cano just a hair later on these pitches that he was crushing for the past 3 weeks.
Swish ha a 1.000 OBP tonight…
Unreal. Cano cools off just in time to fail in the playoffs like the rest of them…
Man it looks cold there.
Swisher complaining but he should shut up. That was a strike.
Teix up. 2-0…
Swisher K’s.
There is no way we win this game.
How is it that all these players on other teams, most of them I have never heard of, can produce while our roster full of millionaire household names just continues to fail time after time?
I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.
Granderson. K or homerun? There is not 3rd way with him…
Kurtis up in a big spot…
Immediately 0-2…K coming.
K. Granderson looked entirely over-matched by that high fastball. It was an embarrassing flailing K.
That should about do it…crowd goes crazy. CC is gassed. They are going to blow it open now.
Down 0-1. Pettitte tomorrow but it doesn’t matter. We are going to get swept at this rate. Cannot ever come up with a hit. Ever.
Something needs to change on this team.
SO just looked it up because I was convinced he had reached 200 Ks this year. I was wrong – 195. Just horrible.
CC usually finishes strong. We need 1 and preferably two more out of you CC…
Meat of the Baltimore line-up coming up.
Lead-off double. I’m going to cry.
When the O’s have RISP with no outs it feels certain they will score. When the Yanks have the same, it is all but certain they will fail. I wish that were just the way it felt, but the stastics confirm it.
Well, that’s game. Watch a real team drive in a run you useless overpaid pieces of shit.
I’m done IH. I can’t handle another first round exit. Even though, deep down, I knew it was inevitable.
Later.
2-2.
BIG K on the beautiful slider. 1 out, man on 2nd, CC at 104 pitches.
Popped Wieters up to foul territory. Now comes Yankee-killer Reynolds. I’m serious, walk him and go after Machado. I don’t care that he’s hitting 1.75 or whatever. He destroys us.
I know you’re still there krueg. Stick with it man!!!
1-1.
Nice pitch. 1-2. Here comes the slider down…
Reynolds spoils it. still 1-2. Change his plane – hi cheese…
Groundout to Jeter!! Virtuouso performance by CC. I love him. If the Yankees can’t win against the O’s pitching when CC turns in a performance like this, then screw em.
We cannot let these guys walk off on us to start this series. Must get runs right now.
In comes Jim Johnson. Touch him up here and knock his confidence from Game 1…
EAT IT BALTIMORE!!!!! Russell smokes the closer!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
One run is not enough. Please tack on. And right on cue, Ibanez with the single to right. :) Come on Jeter!
Put Gardner in to run for Ibanez…
Jeter bunting??? Why not put in Gardner and run him to second, THEN bunt him to third???
Is Gardner not on the roster???
Joe: WAKE UP! Why are you leaving Ibanez to run?
And Jeter singles to right and Ibanez goes to 3rd on the hit and run. OK. Still don’t get that at all, but it’s 1st and 3rd and Ichiro is up. Let’s do this!!!
NOW he puts Nunez in for Ibanez when he was at 3rd?? What the F is Joe smoking??
Ichiro with the swinging bunt and everyone is safe!!! I love it! It’s all unraveling for Baltimore. Keep it rolling!!!
4-2 Yanks. Force them to keep their closer hurling here. Please A-Rod, don’t suck here.
1-2 to A-Rod.
A-Rod Ks. I am telling you RIGHT NOW. Do NOT let this man ruin this October Joe. Drop him to 7th now. Don’t make it dramatic, don’t make it something to discuss, just look at the stats, the history, the present, and do it.
Cano up.
Cano doubles the OTHER way, and goes to 3rd on the throw home!!! HAAHHAHAAHHAHHAAHAH!!! I am giddy. Ichiro’s speed forced the play at home. Yankes up by FOUR! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!
And Jim Johnson comes out with his psyche clanging and jangling behind him. Remember this feeling Jim the next time Buck brings you into this series.
Even A-Rod’s 3-K night could not keep the Yankees from breaking through.
Cano stopped trying to pull the ball there and that was huge. Swisher up. 2-0. A fly ball makes it a 5-run game.
And the long sac fly. So THAT’s what one of those looks like.
I also love bringing Soriano into a game with such a big lead. Let him get his feet wet in a blow-out.
Camden Yards emptying out fast.
Forget Soriano. CC back out there. He is a horse. 1 out.
Sabathia gave up two hard hit balls tonight and that’s it. Everything else was dinks and dunks.
K. Sweet. 2 outs. Good night Baltimore.
CC all over the strike zone now. 0-2.
Ford with a bloop double. And Girardi will not let him finish it. Smart man. Thank you CC. We love you.
Robertson blows Flaherty away with high heat. Awesome. Now Baltimore is faced with needing to win 3 of 4 with the last three of those in the Bronx. I feel good with Andy on the mound tomorrow. Awesome win.
I didn’t want to come back and jinx it.
That was fucking in credible.
OK Yankees, I hear you.
hell of a time for my tv to crap out..believe it or not, i only have 1…but i watched it at a local pub with my best friend…she’s become a baseball, and more importantly, a yankee fan…awesome…sitting there, i couldn’t help but think, oy, here we go again, another extra inning walk off, 1 run win for the dang o’s…awesome job by cc, and awesome clutch 9th inning by the offense…a feel good win, unless you’re an o’s fan…only negative for me was: come on albatross-rod…wtf
Marry her.
Mrs. Krueg is a diehard. It makes it fun.