ALDS GM 1 - GDT: 9/30/11 - DET (0-0) AT NYY (0-0) - 8:37 p.m. ET ---
AT ---
Detroit Tigers AT New York YankeesFriday, September 30
Yankee Stadium, New York, NY
Game Time - 8:37 p.m. EDT REMEMBERING SPARKYThe Tigers are wearing a patch on their right
sleeves this season in the shape of a home
plate emblazoned with the name SPARKY, to
honor Hall of Fame manager Sparky
Anderson who passed away on November 4,
2010. Anderson’s number 11 was retired
in a pre-game ceremony on June 26.
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Preview Verlander-CC duel opens ALDS in BronxBy Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com | 9/28/2011 11:15 PM ET
NEW YORK -- One of the game's most electric settings and two of its most expert aces.
Really, what more do you want?
Game 1 of the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers is on the horizon, and it has all the makings of a heavyweight bout, given the skill of the two men set to take the mound.
CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.00 ERA) is the former Cy Young winner who, two falls ago, put the Yankees on his back and carried them to the World Series. Justin Verlander (24-5, 2.40) is the soon-to-be Cy and potential MVP who willed his team into contention before it hit its stride down the stretch.
The Yankees and Tigers have so much riding on these two ample arms, and the ride gets under way Friday night at 8:37 ET on TBS in the Bronx.
Neither Sabathia nor Verlander lacks the confidence necessary for the assignment.
"When I'm right," Sabathia has said, "I can beat anybody."
Said Verlander: "If you expect greatness, greatness shouldn't surprise you."
Still, both Sabathia and Verlander clearly have their work cut out for them, because the starpower in this matchup extends all around the diamond.
These were two of the Majors' four most productive offenses this season, along with the Red Sox and Rangers.In fact, Sabathia and Verlander have each had struggles against their upcoming opponent. Both made a pair of starts, and neither came out with a victory. Sabathia was 0-1 with a 4.15 ERA and .320 average against in 13 innings against Detroit. Verlander had two no-decisions with a 4.50 ERA, .250 average against and an uncharacteristic eight walks in 12 innings against New York.
And that speaks to the added intrigue level surrounding this showdown. A superb challenge is in store for the bats and the arms alike.
The Yankees have already made one big decision for their postseason lineup against right-handers such as Verlander. Mark Teixeira, who has struggled mightily from the left side of the plate this season against defensive shifts, has been dropped to the No. 5 spot, with the red-hot Robinson Cano batting third.
"I think we're going to see how it works; I don't see why it wouldn't work," Teixeira said. "We're trying to win games. And putting Robbie, the hot hand, in the third spot, it's a great idea."
For the Tigers, bucking the trend of what is essentially a platoon situation at third base might be the best bet against CC. The switch-hitting Wilson Betemit has gotten the bulk of playing time against right-handers, with the right-handed Brandon Inge seeing time against lefties. But Betemit is 3-for-5 with a double in his career against Sabathia, while Inge is just 11-for-58.
While deliberating over the unsettled lineup spots is the task at hand for managers Joe Girardi and Jim Leyland, the primary task for Sabathia and Verlander will be neutralizing two of the more potent middle orders in the game.The Yankees got nearly 55 percent of their RBI production this season from the Nos. 2-5 spots, which belonged, in order, to Curtis Granderson, Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Cano, until the Teixeira/Cano swap was made this week. The bad news for the Yankees? Those guys are a combined 12-for-67 with just three home runs off Verlander in their career. But Verlander will have to prevent Derek Jeter, who is 9-for-25 with four walks against him, from setting the table.
For the Tigers, a similar percentage of the production has come from the Nos. 3-6 spots, occupied by Delmon Young, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and either Alex Avila or Jhonny Peralta. Those guys are a combined 20-for-83 with four home runs off CC,
but nine of those hits and two of those homers came from Cabrera. Sabathia simply must be careful with Cabrera, who has a 1.591 OPS in 16 career at-bats against him.The Yankees have to take advantage of the home-field edge afforded them in Game 1. It goes out the window if they lose. This club is perfectly constructed for its home park, in which it has notched a .274 average and .825 OPS. The confines are less friendly at Comerica, where the Yanks hit .252 with a .666 OPS in four games this year.
Momentum would not appear to be a major factor in this tilt. The Tigers had one of the best records in the Majors this month, but the Yankees weren't all that far behind.
Besides, momentum, as they say, only goes so far as the next day's pitcher. And both pitchers lined up for Game 1 know how to stop momentum in its tracks.
Yankees: Jeter, as usual, in special companyJeter notched his 3,000th career hit on July 9 in dramatic fashion with a home run, becoming just the second player in history to reach the mark by going deep. Wade Boggs was the first.
But Jeter's special company in a sub-committee of the 3,000 club does not end there. Now that the playoffs are about to begin, Jeter has become just the third member of the club to reach the postseason in the same year in which he cranked out No. 3,000.
The others? Roberto Clemente (1972, Pirates lost NLCS to Reds) and Eddie Murray (1995, Indians lost World Series to Braves).
If things break right, don't rule out the possibility of Jeter achieving another milestone -- his 200th postseason hit. He's at 185, which is already a postseason record.
Tigers: Victor spoiled by Yankee StadiumWhen the Yankees moved across 161st Street into the new Yankee Stadium in 2009, they unwittingly did Martinez a favor.V-Mart hit .224 (13-for-58) with three homers and 14 RBIs in 15 games at the old place.
The new one has the same dimensions, but Martinez has fared much better, batting .264 (24-for-91) with nine homers and 14 RBIs. His .582 slugging percentage at new Yankee Stadium is his second-highest at any ballpark in which he's played more than three games (he has a .622 SLG in 31 games at Tropicana Field).
For the sake of comparison, Martinez has the same number of home runs in his career at Comerica Park as he does at new Yankee Stadium, despite nearly five times as many plate appearances.
Worth noting• Mariano Rivera's consistency in the ninth inning is the stuff of legend, and he's been particularly consistent against the Tigers. The last time he blew a save against them was in July 1999, at the old Tiger Stadium. In the time since, he's 23-for-23 in save situations against Detroit, allowing just one earned run -- on a homer by Granderson, who is now his teammate.
• Speaking of Granderson, it's worth remembering that the three teams involved in the December 2009 deal that brought him to the Bronx -- the Yankees, Tigers and D-backs -- all won their division this year, with the pieces of that trade to thank. Austin Jackson is the Tigers' starting center fielder, Max Scherzer is in the rotation and Phil Coke and Daniel Schlereth are in the bullpen. The D-backs got 21 regular-season wins out of Ian Kennedy and 16 out of Daniel Hudson, who they had acquired for Edwin Jackson, another acquisition in the Granderson trade.
• How important is winning Game 1 in the Division Series? Not quite as much as you might think in the AL. While the team that took Game 1 in the NLDS has gone on to win the series 29 of 32 times, the Game 1 winner in the ALDS has failed to seal the deal in 14 of 32 tries. That, of course, includes the 2006 Yankees team that took Game 1 against the Tigers, only to lose the series in four games.
Tigers: RHP Justin Verlander (24-5, 2.40 ERA)Set to make his fifth postseason start -- but his first since 2006 -- Verlander had two no-decisions with a 4.50 ERA, .250 average against and an uncharacteristic eight walks in 12 innings against New York in the regular season.
Yankees: LHP CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.00 ERA)Sabathia will get the ball for his sixth series-opening start as a Yankee, taking the honors once again as the club's unquestioned ace. The Yankees are 7-1 in Sabathia's eight postseason starts, and he has fared 5-1 in the playoffs for New York
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Tiger's MLB Game Notes
Game InformationTIGERS AT A GLANCE: The Tigers finished the regular season with a 95-67 record to capture the American League Central Division championship. It marks the 13th time in franchise history the Tigers have secured a spot in the playoffs, the first time since the club won the American League Wild Card and advanced to the World Series in 2006. Detroit’s 95 wins tied for the eighth-highest total during a single season in franchise history with both the 1950 Tigers and 2006 Tigers.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL DIVISION CHAMPIONS: The Tigers clinched the American League Central Division title with a 3-1 win on September 16 at Oakland and the club has advanced to the playoffs for the 13th time in franchise history. It marks Detroit’s first division title since the club captured the American League’s East Division in 1987 and it is the club’s fourth division title since divisional play began during the 1969 season.
FAMILIAR TERRITORY FOR THE SKIPPER: Tigers Manager Jim Leyland has guided a club to the post-season for the sixth time in his 20 seasons as a major league manager, including the second time during his six-year tenure with the Tigers. He has compiled a 27-22 record (.551) during post-season action. Leyland led the Pittsburgh Pirates to three straight National League East Division titles 1990-92, and he captured the National League Wild Card with the Florida Marlins in 1997. His 1997 Marlins defeated the Cleveland Indians to win the World Series. Leyland’s 2006 Tigers club won the American League Wild Card, advancing to the World Series after defeating the Yankees in the Division Series and Athletics in the American League Championship Series.
A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: Twelve of the 25 players on the Tigers roster are seeing their first action in the playoffs at the major league level. Brandon Inge, Magglio Ordonez, Ramon Santiago and Justin Verlander are the four holdovers from the 2006 Tigers club that captured the American League Championship. Joaquin Benoit, Wilson Betemit, Miguel Cabrera, Phil Coke, Victor Martinez, Brad Penny, Jhonny Peralta, Jose Valverde and Delmon Young all saw action during the playoffs prior to joining the Tigers.
TAKING ON THE YANKEES DURING THE ALDS: The Tigers are playing the New York Yankees for the second time during the American League Division Series. Detroit won the best-of-five game series over the Yankees 3-1 in 2006. The Tigers lost the first game in Yankee Stadium that year, before winning the next three games (one at Yankee Stadium, two at Comerica Park) to advance to the American League Championship Series.
FISTER TABBED AL PITCHER OF THE MONTH: Doug Fister has been selected the American League Pitcher of the Month for September. He finished 5-0 with a 0.53 ERA (34.0IP/2ER) and 34 strikeouts in five outings (four starts) during the month. Fister led all American League pitchers with a 0.53 ERA during September, while he tied for the lead with five wins and tied for seventh with 34 strikeouts.
VERLANDER EARNS PITCHING’S TRIPLE CROWN: Justin Verlander topped all American League pitchers with 24 wins, a 2.40 ERA and 250 strikeouts during the 2011 season to become just the second Tigers pitcher to ever lead all three categories in a single season. Hal Newhouser accomplished the feat for the Tigers in 1945. Verlander is the first pitcher to lead the league in all three categories since Minnesota’s Johan Santana did so in 2006.
CABRERA WINS HIS FIRST CAREER BATTING CROWN: Miguel Cabrera led the American League with a .344 batting average during the 2011 season. He became the 10th Tigers player to lead the American League in hitting, the first since Magglio Ordonez did so with a .363 batting average during the 2007 season. Cabrera has led the league in all three of the Triple Crown categories at various points duirng his four seasons with the Tigers, topping the league with his .344 batting average in 2011, 37 home runs in 2008 and 126 RBI during the 2010 season.
VALVERDE’S CONVERTING SAVES: Jose Valverde established a Tigers single-season record with 49 saves during the 2011 season, converting all of his save opportunities. He is only the third pitcher in history to be perfect in all of his save opportunties during a single season while posting 40-or-more saves. Eric Gagne converted all 55 of his save chances for the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2003 season, while Brad Lidge converted all 41 of his save opportunities for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008.
MIGGY’S THE MAN VERSUS THE YANKEES: Miguel Cabrera has hit safely in 28 of his 30 games during his career against the New York Yankees. He is hitting .374 (40x107) with six doubles, a triple, 10 home runs and 26 RBI during his career versus the Yankees.
THIRD-HIGHEST ATTENDANCE TOTAL IN COMERICA PARK HISTORY: The Tigers 2,642,045 tickets sold total during the 2011 season marks the third-highest total in the 12-year history of Comerica Park, and it marks the fourth-highest total in the 111-year history of the organization. The Tigers surpassed the three-million mark in tickets sold during both the 2007 and 2008 seasons at Comerica Park to hold the top two spots, while the 1984 Tigers drew 2,704,794 fans to Tiger Stadium to hold the third-highest total.
INJURY UPDATE: •
OF Brennan Boesch (right thumb surgery,
15-day disabled list on September 9).
•
RHP Joel Zumaya (right elbow olecranon fracture surgery,
60-day disabled list on March 30).
•
LHP Brad Thomas (left elbow inflammation,
60-day DL on May 11)
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To track MLB play-by-play, to help post GDT outcomes: http://m.mlb.com/scores/On the Internet MLB.TV Gameday Audio•
Gameday•
Official Press Pass game notesOn television•
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Direct TV Extra Innings ScheduleOn radio•
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XM Channel Schedule______________________________________
Up next (Probable Pitchers) • Saturday, October 1: ALDS PLAYOFFS Tigers (RHP
Doug Fister (11-13, 2.83 ERA))
AT Yankees (RHP
Ivan Nova (16-4, 3.70 ERA)),
8:37 p.m. ET (TBS / WXYT 97.1 FM & 1270 AM)• Sunday, October 2: ALDS PLAYOFFS Off Day
• Monday, October 3: ALDS PLAYOFFS Tigers (RHP
Max Scherzer (15-9, 4.43 ERA))
VS Yankees (RHP
Freddy Garcia (12-8, 3.62 ERA)),
8:37 p.m. ET (TBS / WXYT 97.1 FM & 1270 AM)