MARK TEIXEIRA WINS IT!!!!

I don't know when the game recap will be done but everyone should go out and celebrate!!!!!

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ALDS Game 2: Twins at Yankees

YANKEES
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Swisher LF
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Molina C

Pitching: RHP A.J. Burnett (13-9, 4.04 ERA regular season)

TWINS
Span RF
Cabrera SS
Mauer C
Kubel DH
Cuddyer 1B
Young LF
Gomez CF
Tolbert 3B
Punto 2B

Pitching: RHP Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.03 ERA regular season)

TIME/TV: 6:07 p.m., TBS

Lineups from LoHud Yankees Blog

Catch 43: Joe Molina has been the most talked about back-up catcher in the world right now. He will behind the plate tonight for AJ Burnett because the righty has much better numbers throwing to Molina than Posada. Posada may be pissed that he's being benched, which I don't think is a bad thing, but I think the thing that bugs him the most is that he knows it's the right move. I think he might also be thinking back to when he was doing this to current manager, Joe Girardi, and that he eventually replaced Girardi as the starter. But I don't think that's an issue with Molina, he might have to be worried if they're starting Cervelli over him, but not Molina. Also, I like Posada coming off the bench as a pinch hitter in the late innings, because I can think of at least two times where he hit go-ahead pinch-hit home runs.

Make it rain: There is rain in the forecast tonight, but not until 9 PM. At least it's not the snow they're expecting in Denver on Sunday.

Keep it at home: While the Yankees are up 1-0, this game is still important. If the Twins win, it will be tied 1-1 and the Twins will have taken home-field advantage for the series. While I believe the Yankees can go into the Metro Dome and win, it will be good to know that even if you can't you can come back home for Game 5 instead of going home to play golf.

The Teixecutioner: Arriving in my mailbox just in time for Game 2, I will be rocking The Teixecutioner T-shirt from Baldvinny.com tonight.

As with Game 1, we'll only have a few updates on the blog, but follow me @jgeant and John will most likely be on the blog Twitter @KaysSuccessors.

Enjoy the game everyone.

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Yankees Fans Still Make the Best Signs

Thought this was funny/




Photo Courtesy NY Daily News

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Let's Get it Started: Yanks take Game 1

Twins 2 10 1
Yankees 7 9 0

WP: Sabathia
LP: Duensing

Yankees lead series 1-0

PLAYER OF THE GAME: Derek Jeter. The captain proved why he is one of the best postseason players in MLB history. He pulled a home run down the left field to tie the game at 2 after CC had given the Twins a 2-run lead, but Jeter got the Yanks right back in the game.

PLAY OF THE GAME: The 5-4-3 around the horn double play that Robinson Cano turned so smoothly. Cano has gotten so good at that turn, it's almost like it doesn't even hit his glove.

TURNING POINT OF THE GAME: Jeter's home run. After the Twins went up 2-0 there was some panic (at least John and I were panicking) but Jeter got all the momentum back with one swing.

GAME NOTES:

• CC got the playoff monkey off his back a little bit with 6.2 IP, 8 hits, and 2 runs (one earned) and 8 strikeouts. He wasn't economical with the pitches (113) but maybe the adrenaline was just pumping a little too much.
• There was a lot of good work out of the bullpen tonight, as Mo, Joba, Hughes, and Coke all got into the game. Mo struggled a little bit, but he had a 5-run lead and maybe wasn't in full Sandman mode.
  
• A-Rod also faced some of his playoff demons by going 2-4 with 2 RBI's. It was good that he took care of that in his first game, because it will give him a little bit of a break for a couple days.
• Jeter's home run was his 18th in the postseason, tying him for 3rd with Reggie Jackson and Mickey Mantle. Manny Ramirez and Bernie Williams are ahead of him in the list with 28 and 22, respectively.
• The Phillies beat the Rockies this afternoon, while the Dodgers just went up 2-1 against the Cardinals in the bottom of the 1st on a homer by Matt Kemp. The Red Sox and Angels open tomorrow.
  
• The wind was fierce tonight, John suggests that it was the ghosts from the old Stadium letting everyone aware of their presence.
  

NEXT GAME:
Friday, 6:07 PM
Yankee Stadium
TBS
A.J. Burnett vs. Nick Blackburn

With all the off-days in the playoffs, we'll have to find something to write about, so check back tomorrow, but until then...

SEE YA!

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Game 1 ALDS: Yankees vs Twins

YANKEES
Jeter SS
Damon LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Matsui DH
Posada C
Cano 2B
Swisher RF
Cabrera CF

Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (19-8, 3.37 regular season)

TWINS
Span CF
Cabrera SS
Mauer C
Cuddyer 1B
Kubel RF
Young LF
Harris DH
Tolbert 3B
Punto 2B

Pitching: LHP Brian Duensing (5-2, 3.64 ERA regular season)

TIME/TV: 6:07 p.m., TBS

The Hangover: The Twins enter Yankee Stadium roughly 20 hours after winning the AL Central. Their reward? CC Sabathia in the Bronx.

But Look At His Postseason Numbers: CC Sabthia is 2-3 with a 7.92 ERA in five playoff starts. He is also 9-4 with a 1.91 ERA against the Twins in his last 13 starts. So you can pretty much throw all trends out the window at this point and just expect the best pitcher in the AL since August to show up (at least that's what I'm doing).

Weather Report: No Ollie Williams today. Instead it is a blustery fall evening in the Bronx. With winds blowing out to...where else? Right Field. Expect some home runs to fly out tonight. My money is on Johnny Damon in the first inning for the first home run of the game.

Pressure Point: Alex Rodriguez arrives in October with probably the least amount of pressure than previous years. However, the moment he starts struggling he will be ridiculed and become the focus of attention. If he suceeds, he will be praised as a hero. Either way, all eyes will still be on A-Rod even if it seems like the pressure of previous years isn't there.

If you have 5 minutes to spare and want to get pumped up for the game, watch this video It's a compilation of the Yankees season that YES showed after the final game on Sunday.

I know I don't want to be by my computer and be distracted from the game, but perhaps we may do a little live blogging in between innings.

UPDATE 5:34: Jim here: I will be tweeting during the game @jgeant, because I can do that from my cell phone. So you can follow my quips and comments about the game there and we'll get on the blog a little bit, too.

Enjoy the game.

UPDATE 6:19: After giving up a leadoff double to Denard Span, CC Sabathia came back and struck out Orlando Cabrera, Joe Mauer, and got Michael Cuddyer to fly out to center. Hopefully after that first at bat he's settled down. Now for the Yankees offense to go to work.

UPDATE 6:35: Not only did I, but apparently Jim also thought that ball by A-Rod was going to be out. We both pulled a Michael Kay on that one.

UPDATE 7:10: Ok, Sabathia is not getting that outside corner. Posada can't catch. And I think the entire Yankee Universe is now panicking. Let's get those two runs back NOW!

UPDATE 7:15: And that is why he is the modern day Mr. October. The Captain strikes again with a 2-run home run to tei the game and the crowd has not stopped chanting his name.

UPDATE 8:10: Sorry I missed Swisher's go-ahead RBI, but now A-Rod is getting in on this thing called the postseason with an RBI of his own. And now Matsui just hit one into Monument Park for a 6-2 lead. Things are looking good right now for the Yankees as long as CC keeps rolling.

UPDATE 8:41: CC Sabathia leaves the game after 6 2/3 innings giving up 8 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, and striking out 8. Phil Hughes enters the game with runners on second and third 2 outs. It'd be first and second if it weren't for Posada's awful defense. Orlando Cabrera up at the plate.

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The Minnesota Twins are Your 2009 ALDS Opponent

Wow. First of all what a game. Probably one of the all-time classic play-in games. Just when you thought the Tigers had the game wrapped up the Twins came charging back. But now the Twins are getting crunk in their locker room, just played 12 innings of nail-biting baseball, and have to sit three hours on a plane to New York to face CC Sabathia in about 19-20 hours. The Yankees are 8-0 against them this season and the last playoff series the Yankees won was against the Twins in 2004. The Twins are also 3-23 or something like that over the last 5-6 seasons against the Yankees (I need to fact check that so let me know if I'm wrong). So, basically the Yankees should be able to take advantage of this situation.

The pitching mathcup for tommorow is Brian Duensing vs CC Sabathia.

We'll be sure to have pre and post game notes for you all as we begin an exciting October and hopefully one that we will give us some good memories.

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Burnett to Start Game 2, Molina to Catch

Joe Girardi announced today that A.J. Burnett is the Game 2 starter and that Jose Molina will be catching him. He said the decision was his and he did not consult Burnett before he made it. Girardi intends to use Matsui as the DH in those games.

This is good news for all those who believe that Posada effects Burnett's performance. It is also bad news, because if it goes to a Game 5 you are either taking Posada's bat out of the lineup, or Matsui's if Posada DH's.

In other news, Brian Bruney has been left off the ALDS roster. From the looks of it, there seems to be two spots left for three people. Cervelli, Freddy Guzman, and Damaso Marte. The Yankees will have their final roster announced by tommorow morning the latest.

Right now, the Tigers lead the Twins 3-2 in the top of the 7th inning as I type this. The Tigers have the better pitching, but the Twins come in on a hot streak. The Yankees are 8-0 against the Twins this year, and 5-1 against the Tigers. I still don't know who I'd rather have. The Twins scare me less so probably them. But if they happen to win this game in dramatic fashin, such as a walk-off, they enter tommorow with a lot of momentum.

The gates open at 3 pm tommorow for the game, and the first pitch is at 6:07. Hopefully whoever we face, we win.

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MLB Releases TV Schedule for First Few Games

The Yankees do not know who they are playing or what day they are playing, but they know what time they will be playing. It's 99% sure that the Yankees will take the Wednesday game, but even if they do not, the starting time will be 6:07. This is good news for all the kids out there wanting to stay up to watch the games, but for adults and college students like me, I cannot get out of class to attend the game that I have tickets for. Ten years ago, I would have loved that it would be starting now, instead I'm pissed off. Basically the MLB has been screwing around with me and the playoffs my whole life.

But I have tickets for Game 2 of the ALCS which is a Saturday, so I luck out there.

Here are some of the other times of the games assuming the Yankees play on Wednesday:

Wednesday, October 7
2:37 p.m. Game 1 – Rockies at Phillies
6:07 p.m. Game 1 – Tigers/Twins at Yankees
9:37 p.m. Game 1 – Cardinals at Dodgers

Thursday, October 8
2:37 p.m Game 2 – Rockies at Phillies
6:07 p.m. Game 2 – Cardinals at Dodgers
9:37 p.m. Game 1 – Red Sox at Angels

Friday, October 9
6:07 p.m. Game 2 – Tigers/Twins at Yankees
9:37 p.m. Game 2 – Red Sox at Angels

Saturday, October 10
6:07 p.m. Game 3 – Dodgers at Cardinals
9:37 p.m. Game 3 – Phillies at Rockies

Here's the list of the entire playoff schedule.

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The Final Countdown

It was the final game of the season today and the Yankees went out with a win. Alex Rodriguez had a history-making day, hitting the Yankees 243rd home run of the season in the sixth inning, setting a new franchise record. He also hit his 18th career grand slam later in the same inning, and drove in a total of 7 RBI in the sixth inning, which is a new AL record and tied Mark McGwire on the all-time list. It was also the 13th consecutive season in which A-Rod had 30 HR and 100 RBI, despite missing the first month of the season due to a hip injury.

The game was not all A-Rod though, as A.J. Burnett pitched 5 innings giving up 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, and striking out 3.

Joba Chamberlain made an interesting relief appearance in the seventh inning, striking out 1 batter as he retired the side.

Mariano Rivera closed the game for his 45th save on the season.

Because Mark Teixeira did not homer in this game, he and Carlos Pena tied for the AL home run lead with 39.

The Yankees finished the season 103-59, their best record since finishing 103-58 in 2002.

Now for the most interesting thing for Yankee fans. The Tigers won 5-3 and the Twins are up 13-4 in the 9th, so it's pretty safe to say they will win. This means there will be a one game playoff in Minnesota on Tuesday night. The winner will have to play the Yankees on what will most likely be Wednesday. This is good news for the Yankees basically because this forces Verlander to pitch either Game 2 or 3. We'll keep you updated on how the rest of that series turns out.

As for now, the regular season is now over, so we are saying See Ya until the playoffs.

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GAME 160: Yankees at Rays

YANKEES (102-57)
Jeter SS
Hairston LF
Teixeira 1B
Rodriguez 3B
Swisher RF
Posada C
Cano 2B
Cabrera CF
Molina DH

Pitching: LHP CC Sabathia (19-7, 3.21)

RAYS (82-77)

Lineup TBA

Pitching: LHP David Price (9-7, 4.60)

TIME/TV: 7:38, YES.

Notes: CC Sabathia is going for his major league-leading 20th win tonight...You probably havenoticed the lack of updates and that is mainly due in large part that I just had my toughest week of the school year as far as homework is concerned, plus these games hold no meaning so it's hard for me to watch them. But don't worry we will be in full force for the playoffs, which may include a preview of the ALDS. I have to check with Jim on that because the last time I previewed a series the Yankees got swept at Fenway.

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