In the first three games of a thrilling ALCS, the Detroit Tigers showed their dominance over the New York Yankees. In fact, even though the Yankees still technically have a chance, World Series tickets at Comerica Park go on sale Wednesday morning… and Tigers fans should be ready to use them.
Detroit has been led by the outstanding performances of Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander and Delmon Young. With Game Four coming up tonight, here’s a quick look at how Detroit has managed to win the first three games, what’s gone wrong with the Yankees, and what lies ahead for both of these teams.
In Game One, Raul Ibanez sparked a four-run comeback in the bottom of the ninth, but the Tigers' bullpen shut down the Yankees in extra innings. Twenty-three year old lefty Drew Smyly pitched two scoreless innings by keeping his fastball down in the zone even in the chilly Yankee Stadium.
In Game Two, the Yankees were shut out by Anibal Sanchez who only allowed three hits in seven scoreless innings. The Tigers scored three runs thanks to timely hitting from Avisail Garcia and Miguel Cabrera. Game Three was a pitcher’s duel between Justin Verlander and Phil Hughes. A Delmon Young solo homer off of Hughes in the fourth inning turned out to be the winning run in a 2-1 dogfight.
For Detroit, Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, and Delmon Young have all played big parts in their ALCS success. Cabrera is 4 for 11 with three walks in the ALCS. Verlander was amazing pitching 8.1 innings of one-run ball in Game Three.
Young, who Tigers fans have despised for most of the season, has been a pleasant surprise in the ALCS. His two homers in the ALCS now make him the Tigers all-time leader in postseason home runs.
The Yankees have had some bad luck fall their way, but their main problem has been their inability to put runs on the board. If it wasn’t for their four-run ninth inning in Game One, New York would have scored only one run in the ALCS. Sure, having Mr. Franchise Derek Jeter out for the season has got to hurt, but the Yankees need to find contributors from other places quickly. Otherwise, their season will come to a sorrowful end.
Game Four is scheduled to be played tonight in Detroit, 8pm ET. Taking the mound for New York will be the large lefty C.C. Sabathia. Detroit will send Max Scherzer, who struck out eight in his only postseason start prior to tonight’s outing. I would give the advantage to New York in this game because Sabathia will be hard for the Tigers to figure out and the Yankees lineup is due to score some runs.
With that being said, the Tigers have made it pretty clear that the Yankees are going to need to step their game up if they want to have a chance at the World Series.
Even if New York rallies to win the next three, I wouldn’t bet against Justin Verlander pitching in a Game Seven. If Miguel Cabrera, Verlander, and Delmon Young keep contributing at their current pace, Detroit will not only advance to the World Series but they’ll have a good shot at winning it all.
