It started well.
The Yankees pounced on Cleveland starter C.C. Sabathia in the first when leadoff hitter Johnny Damon hooked a ball just inside the foul pole in right for a home run to give the Yanks an early 1-0 advantage.
Things degenerated quickly from there.
Chien-Ming Wang was off, Ross Ohlendorf wasn't much better and the Yanks couldn't break through with a big hit as the Indians blew the doors off the Bombers 12-3 on Thursday night to take a 1-0 lead in the best of five series. It was Cleveland's night at the Jake. Need proof? How bout this:
Asdrubal Cabrera came into the game with three homers on the year. He homered off Wang in the third -- pearls and all.
Kenny Lofton -- who must have taken a dip in the fountain of youth before the game -- went 3 for 4 with a run scored, 4 RBIs and a stolen base.
C.C. Sabathia walked only 37 guys in 241 innings this season and hadn't gone less than six innings since July 5. The Yanks worked out six walks against C.C. and forced the big lefty out of the game after throwing 114 pitches through five innings. Sabathia got the win and none of the six walks came around to score.
It ain't gonna be pretty, but let's round this thing up.
The Good:
Bobby Abreu. Abreu's RBI-double in the fifth scored Shelley Duncan and cut the Indians lead to 4-3. It was a nice piece of hitting by Bobby who went the other way against a tough lefty. Too bad that was as close as the Bombers would get. Abreu finished 1 for 2 with 2 walks and an RBI.
Johnny Damon. Who knew that Damon's first inning shot would be the only time the Yanks would lead in this contest? On a side note: TBS had no real angle on Damon's homer. You would think cameras would be positioned in key areas, say, down the lines to capture tough calls. I watched the replay at least 10 times and I still can't tell if the ball was fair or foul. Ah, well. Damon finished 1 for 4 with a walk, a run scored and the RBI.
The Bad:
Chien-Ming Wang. Wang looked uncomfortable from the get-go. He plunked Grady Sizemore to lead off the bottom of the first and even though he induced Cabrera to hit into a double play, he walked the next batter and allowed the Indians to score three runs with two outs and erase a 1-0 lead. The Yanks cut the lead to 4-3 in the top of the fifth, but The Wanger imploded in the bottom of the frame. He gave up a two-run bomb to Victor Martinez and gave up another run before Torre came with the hook. Torre may have gone out there a batter too late, but the damage had already been done. Wang's ghastly totals: 4.2 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 4 BB, 2 K, 2 HR.
Ross Ohlendorf. I was a bit surprised that the rookie made the playoff roster, but I figured that if he saw action that meant that the Yanks would be: a) deep into extra innings where it's really a battle of attrition or b) getting blown away early in the ballgame. It turned out to be option b. Ohlendorf came into the game with two outs and the Yanks down 7-3 and Kenny Loften at first. He allowed the old man to easily swipe second and things went downhill from there. When all was said and done, Ohlendorf turned a difficult situation into an impossible one. Ohlendorf's horrid night: 1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HR.
Jorge Posada. Jorgie had a magical regular season, but the first game of the post-season wasn't a good one for the Yankee catcher. Posada had two chances to break the game open with a big hit, but he struck out both times. The first opportunity came in the first inning with the Yanks up 1-0. The Bombers had runners on first and second with one out and after getting ahead 2-0, Posada went down on the next three pitches. But the killer came in the fifth. The Yanks cut the lead to 4-3 and had Sabathia on the ropes as Posada stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Once again Posada was ahead, this time 3-0, but Sabathia came back and struck him out again. Tough night. Jorgie finished 0 for 4 and left 5 runners on base.
The Ugly:
Omen? Doug Mientkiewicz was injured on Thursday when a YES cameraman tripped and fell over the Yankee first baseman's left ankle. Guh! Dougie still made it for the opening bell, but Torre pinch-hit for him with Shelley Duncan in the fifth. (By the way, Duncan had a gritty at-bat and reached on an opposite-field single.) Mienkiewicz said he isn't going to try and be a hero and will let the Yanks know if his ankle is hurting. Sometimes you just have to shake your head.
The two teams go right back at it on Friday afternoon. Andy Pettitte (15-9, 4.05 ERA) vs. Fausto Carmona (19-8, 3.06 ERA). The Yanks are asking Pettitte to be the stopper again and give the Bombers a split before they head back to the Bronx. Pettitte is 6-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 13 Game 2 starts.
Let's even it up.
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