Triumph Over Texas
The Yankees are dangerous when their collective backs are up against the wall. Or perhaps a better analogy is a cornered tiger defending its young. In any case, they won convincingly last night to stave off elimination by the Texas Rangers in the fifth game of the ALCS and are now travelling to Texas for the rest of the series.
Joe Girardi was described as giving a succinct message in the pre-game pep talk — Win today, period. And the Yankees did just that. With masterful pitching by C.C. Sabathia, who made key pitches again and again, clutch hitting by staples such as Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano, and an overall professional effort, the Yankees cruised to a 7-2 triumph.
What happens next remains to be seen. But no baseball aficonado would count the Yankees out. The team is used to playoff pressure, and, after all, they are the reigning world champions. Folks like Jeter and Mariano Rivera are nothing if not cool and efficient.
They will face some obstacles, however, in the Rangers’ pitching, especially a confrontation with a relatively unbeatable Cliff Lee in game seven if they make it that far. And playing on the road during the playoffs already gives Texas an inherent edge.
