Yanks Sweep Twins To Advance To ALCS

Awesome win tonight for the Yanks. It was a little hairy there for a while. I hate to say this but Carl Pavano dominated the Yanks for most of the game. For a second there I didn't think the Yanks were going to pull it out. But then Carl Pavano remembered who he was and that was pretty much all she wrote. The Yanks are headed back to the ALCS! 3 down, 8 to go.

Andy Pettitte gets my game ball tonight. Andy once again showed that he is a huge postseason pitcher. He picked up the win tonight which ties him with John Smoltz (I think) for the most postseason wins ever. Andy pretty much matched Pavano pitch for pitch. He looked flat out nasty tonight. It's hard to believe a lot of us Yankee fans weren't overly thrilled about the team bringing him back. Right now, I really hope they bring him back next year. It was definitely smart of the Yankees to save AP for game 3. He's been so much more better on the road this year. Look for him to start game 3 in Anaheim. If the ALCS happens to go 7 games, Pettitte will probably start that game. Andy is big time. I'll take him as my game 7 starter any day of the week.

The bullpen came up big tonight. I like the trio of Joba, Hughes, and Mariano. I thought Girardi went to the pen a little early but that's just me. Joba scares me a little. I don't know why he just doesn't bring the heat. He reminds me a little of Kyle Farnsworth. He likes to throw the slider when he should bring the heat. Lucky for Joba his slider is pretty damn good. Well, most of the time it is. Hughes hasn't been as dominant lately. I don't think it's anything to worry about, but it's worth keeping an eye on. Phil caught a huge break tonight when Jeter made a sweet read and nailed Punto scurrying back to third. That was a huge out. Not as huge though as when Mo shattered Joe Mauer's bat to end the 8th. That was one of the game's highlights if you ask me. Watching Mo close out games never gets old. I wouldn't mind seeing, I don't know, 8 more times before the season is over.

A-Rod was definitely the offensive hero of the series. He hit .455 with 2 HR and 6 RBI. He always came through late too. He was a combined 0-6 in his first 2 ABs of each game and 5-5 in ABs 3 and on. Big hits in big spots. His postseason slump is definitely over. He needs to keep it going though. I think he will. He seems locked in.

The win tonight means no game 5 for me and I have no problem with that. I'd much rather see the Yankees win then to attend an elimination game. I'm going to try my damnedest to get down there for game 1 or 2 of the ALCS. The game 5 ticket was a birthday present and since the game didn't get played I can roll it into an ALCS game. I've got some shopping to do tomorrow. Hope work doesn't expect me to be do productive.

the plan now is to go to sleep and write some kind of ALDS recap tomorrow or Tuesday, and then an ALCS preview on Wednesday or Thursday, with maybe a blog or two sprinkled in here and there. Man, I just realized that we have to wait until Friday for the next Yankee game. It could be worse I guess. I could be a Red Sox fan.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie