Game 1 (Final Score: 2-10, Tigers win)

Bonderman drew Johnson to start the series and pitched pretty well. He allowed base runners in every inning but two and only two runs. The team’s defense was pretty good; They helped Bonderman out by turning a pair of double plays with runners on early in the inning and the one error didn’t hurt much. Reviewing the game log, a majority of the outs (22 of 27) were recorded with groundouts or strikeouts, including double plays. The furious Yankees rally in the ninth (a double, two walks, and a wild pitch) was calmly handled by Bonderman, who definitely earned his win today.

The teams traded first inning runs before the Tigers broke the game open in the second. A pair of singles and a balk put Sheffield in a perfect position to punish the Tigers but he hit a groundout that scored Jeter from second and advanced Cano to third (1-0). Rodriguez (ARod for the rest of the series) and Matsui ended the inning quietly. Inge’s and Polanco’s back-to-back doubles tied the game up before the rest of the inning was wasted by Guillen, Ordonez, and Rodriguez (IRod for the rest of the series) (1-1). White hit a lead off single and Shelton smacked a two run homer (1-3). Monroe followed with a single, took second on Logan’s successful sacrifice, and third on Johnson’s wild pitch. Inge drew a walk and advanced on Polanco’s sac fly (1-4).

The Tigers added to their lead with liberal use of the long ball, except in the fourth when Logan pretty much killed a good inning with his double play ball after Shelton and Monroe hit a pair of singles to start (1-5). Guillen singled with one away in the fifth and Ordonez had his first home run in the Majors this year (1-7). For the curious, Ordonez is hitting .071 with one homer for $7.2 million in salary this year (Yes, I know he’s been injured).

Polanco trebled Matsui’s solo homer in the top of the sixth with his three run shot in the bottom. With two outs, Logan was hit by a pitch, stole second, and Inge walked. Polanco hit the 1-2 pitch from Proctor-ologist deep into left and put the Tigers way ahead (2-10). The lead off triple and one out walk in the seventh that were erased on Monroe’s double play didn’t much matter as the Tigers took care of business in the opener.

Game 2 (Final score: 8-4, Yankees win)

The Tigers scored a respectable number of runs and still lost because the Yankees made Percival pay with two outs left in the ninth. These things happen to good relievers every now and again against good teams so it is disappointing but not depressing to see this result. What is disappointing is that Womack and Williams combined for the deathblow that totaled four runs and neither is having a year worth remembering. A tip of the hat to Douglass who continues to look like a major league level fifth starter and kept the team in the game.

Douglass and Mussina traded scoreless innings until the fourth when ARod walked on four pitches. Matsui added a single and ARod scooted all the way over to third and scored on Posada’s fielder’s choice hit to short (1-0). Williams added a single but it was in between outs two and three so it didn’t amount to much. Polanco and Guillen led off the bottom of the fourth with two singles and Polanco scored on Ordonez’s double (1-1). After IRod made the first out, Young cleared the bases with his homer before Shelton and Monroe combined to end the inning (1-4).

The Yankees mounted an effective come back that began when ARod reached first with some help from IRod, who dropped strike three and couldn’t make the play. Matsui walked, Posada struck out, Giambi grounded out, and Douglass looked like he was going to be OK. Williams hit a single that plated both runners and squished that thought (3-4). The come back was completed with Rodney on the mound facing Sheffield. After Jeter worked a nine pitch at bat for a weak single and Cano popped out, Sheffield smacked the second pitch Rodney threw him for a double, scoring Jeter (4-4). Rodney and Walker combined to keep the Yankees from taking the lead by striking out ARod and getting Matsui to ground out.

Gordon steamrolled the Tigers in the bottom of the seventh and Farnsworth pitched an exciting eighth. With one out used, he walked Giambi (pinch runner Womack) and Williams followed with a single. Martinez pinch hit for Crosby and hit into a fielder’s choice but the lead runner stayed on. Jeter walked and Cano jumped on the first pitch he saw, sending it to short for the third out. Gordon allowed two base runners on a walk and an error in the bottom of the frame but they didn’t do anything to help.

In the top of the ninth, ARod hit a one out double and scored on Womack’s single (5-4). Matsui popped out and Posada was intentionally walked by Percival to get to Womack. With two men on, Williams hit a three run homer, paving the way to Rivera’s scoreless ninth (8-4).

Game 3 (Final Score: 1-0, Yankees win)

The rubber match went to the Yankees in stomach turning fashion. Wang was effective but not even close to dominant; I’m not sure how in the span of two games you can go from kicking around a great pitcher to being kicked around by a rookie. This game is a story of missed opportunities and another example of Robertson catching the shaft from the Detroit offense. He reminds me of a friend that goes out and has women all over him every weekend but always ends up going home with a drag queen instead (Not that there’s anything wrong with that).

In the first, Inge and Polanco led off the game with a single and a hit by pitch and Guillen, Ordonez, and IRod couldn’t get them home. Polanco hit a two out triple in the fifth and Wang convinced Guillen to strand him there. Ordonez worked a walk during a ten pitch at bat to start the sixth and IRod followed him on base, getting hit by another pitch. Young struck out and Shelton hit into a double play and no one came home. Those were the golden opportunities the Tigers wasted with Wang pitching.

Meanwhile Robertson had only three nasty situations in his nine innings of work. He allowed two singles to start the third before getting Flaherty and Jeter to end the inning. In the fourth, Cano scored the game’s only run on Sheffield’s single after his lead off double (1-0). ARod struck out and IRod gunned down Sheffield on his steal attempt so Williams’ and Matsui’s back-to-back singles were squandered when Sierra used up the last out of the inning. Giambi walked to start the fifth and Flaherty botched his bunt, letting the Tigers erase the lead runner. Jeter followed with a single but Cano and Sheffield wasted both runners.

IRod took Rivera deep to left in the bottom of the ninth- like against the White Sox -but not deep enough. His lead off extra base hit was diddled away once again by the Tigers batters and the Yankees took the series.

Permalink | Posted in 2005 Tigers