Yankees Win Wild Game Two in 13 Innings

The Angels were so close to stealing a game before heading back to Anaheim but a man named Alex Rodriguez had other plans. After Chone Figgins drove in a run in the top of the 11th to give the Angels a 3-2 lead, A-Rod answered with a line drive home run to right field over the glove of Bobby Abreu to tie the game at 3-3.

“Wow, what a game,” Rodriguez said.

What a game indeed, A-Rod. His dramatic home run adds to the incredible postseason he is having.

“I’m doing what I’ve done all year. Try to stay in the moment and really enjoy the moment,” A-Rod said. “I had a blast out there today.”

In the bottom of the 13th, Jerry Hairston Jr. led off the inning with a single, his first career postseason hit. Brett Gardner sacrificed him to second and the Angels intentionally walked Robinson Cano. Melky Cabrera hit a grounder to the left of second baseman Maicer Izturis who tried to get the force out at second. His throw was out of Erick Aybar’s reach, which allowed Hairston to make a run for home. Figgins, who was backing up the play, couldn’t get a handle the ball to make a throw to home and Hairston scored easy to give the Yankees the win.

After the game Izturis said, “I was a little aggressive there. I’m not scared to be aggressive. Unfortunately, it cost us the game.”

The Yankees have made two fundamentally sound teams, the Twins and Angels, play anything but fundamental baseball. The Angels’ two errors Saturday night gives them a total of five errors in the first two ALCS games.

The Yankees didn’t play good defense either in the 13 inning marathon. Jeter bobbled a taylor-made double play and Cano misplayed two balls for a total of three errors.

What may be lost in the game is the jobs both starting pitchers did. AJ Burnett and Joe Saunders pitched really good. Burnett gave up two runs on three hits in 6.1 innings and Saunders gave up two runs on six hits in 7 innings.

Call A-Rod what you want, a choke artist is not one of them. In the Yankees’ five games this postseason, A-Rod has had three game tying home runs in the 7th inning or later. Two of the three were when the Yankees were down to their last half inning. In the regular season, 15 of his 30 home runs either tied the game or gave the Yankees the lead and 50 of his 100 RBI either tied the game or gave the Yankees the lead.

Everyone but Chad Gaudin was used out of the Yankees’ bullpen and they did an outstanding job. They combined for 6.2 innings and gave up one run. They may have gotten themselves into trouble, but other than that one blip in the 11th, they were able to get out of it. David Robertson earned the win.

The win gives the Yankees a 2-0 lead in the series. The series heads to Anaheim.