GAME RECAP: ALCS GAME 3

The Angels beat the Yankees in walk-off fashion.

FINAL SCORE: YANKEES 4 ANGELS 5 (F11th)

SCORING PLAYS

• Top of the 1st: Derek Jeters homers to left field (NYY 1, LAA 0)
• Top of the 4th: Alex Rodriguez homers to left field (NYY 2, LAA 0)
• Top of the 5th: Johnny Damon homers to right field (NYY 3, LAA 0)
• Bottom of the 5th: Howard Kendrick homers to left field (NYY 3, LAA 1)
• Bottom of the 6th: Bobby Abreu gets a 1 out single to left field, after Torii Hunter flies out to right field Vladimir Guerrero hits a 2 out homerun on a 2-2 count to even it up at 3 (NYY 3, LAA 3)
• Bottom of the 7th: Maicer Izturis out on a sacrifice fly. Howard Kendrick scores (NYY 3, LAA 4)
• Top of the 8th: After pinch runner Brett Gardner gets tagged out stealing second, Jorge Posada homers on a shot to center field (NYY 4, LAA 4)
• Bottom of the 11th: After a Howard Kendrick single, Jeff Mathis doubles to center field. Howard Kendrick scores, game over (NYY 4, LAA 5)

STARTING PITCHING (from Yahoo Sports)

• Andy Pettite: 6 1/3 innings, 7 hits, 3 earned runs, 1 BB, 2 SO, 4.26 ERA
• Jered Weaver: 5 innings, 5 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 BB, 4 SO, 5.40 ERA

KEY PERFORMER: Jeff Mathis, the backup catcher hit 2 doubles including the walk-off hit of the game.

COMMENTARY: The Angels had to be thinking when are we going to catch a break. After the speedy Gardner gets caught steeling 2nd base for the first out of the 8th inning, Jorge Posada responds with a long home run to center field that ties the game. In the bottom of the same inning, an overzealous Bobby Abreu gets tagged out at 2nd base trying to stretch a double into a triple. Then there was the bottom of the 10th. A throwing error by Mariano Rivera puts men on 1st and 3rd with no outs and the middle of the order coming up, but the Angels are unable to take advantage and go down on consecutive groundouts to 1st baseman Mark Teixeira.

But, after David Robertson makes quick work of the first 2 hitters in the bottom of the 11th, Joe Girardi decided to consult The Dangerous Book of Managers, how to over-manage in today’s game and figures on the statistical advantage of bringing Aceves to pitch to Howard Kendrick. The rest is history, Kendrick singles on a ground ball to center field and Jeff Mathis who has been dialed in gets his 3rd double of the series to give the Angels the win. To blame this loss on Girardi’s exploits is to ignore the missed opportunities: the Yankees went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position, Teixeira who has been giving a clinic on how to play 1st base went 0 for 3 with a walk and is now batting .077 for the series, Joba Chamberlain gives up 2 hits and 1 run in a third of an inning posting an ERA of 13.50. Yet it is hard to overcome the fact that sometimes you have to ignore the numbers, as Girardi put it in his post-game conference "we have all of the matchups and all of the scouting reports. We felt that it was a better matchup for us. It didn't work." No it didn’t.