NEW YORK - Joe Girardi’s critics all too often get on the Yankees manager for managing “by the book.” However, as the Yankees were just two outs away from having to play an elimination game on Thursday night, Girardi threw the book away. The Yankees’ manager showed that he could make the gutsy decision by pinch-hitting veteran Raul Ibanez for Alex Rodriguez, baseball’s highest paid player, with the game on the line. Because of Girardi’s bold decision, the Yankees now find themselves on the verge of an American League Division Series victory.
Ibanez, who just eight days ago allowed the Yankees to control their playoff destiny with a game-tying home run in the ninth inning and a game-winning hit in the 12th inning, did it again Wednesday as he lined a pinch-hit home run over the right field wall to tie the game at two and send it into extra innings. The Yankees bullpen made it interesting in extra innings, but ultimately kept the Orioles from scoring thanks to a few nice defensive plays from Jayson Nix and Mark Teixeira. David Robertson even got in on the fun in the top of the 12th inning when he made a sweeping tag at first base after initially failing to scoop a ground ball.
After Robertson’s interesting tag to end the top of the inning, the Yankees moved on to the bottom of the 12th inning, where Raul Ibanez would lead off for the Yankees. The Orioles elected to leave lefty specialist Brian Matusz in the game to face Ibanez and attempt to neutralize him. That plan failed, as Ibanez took the first pitch he saw – a 91 MPH cut fastball – into the second deck in right field, securing a walk-off win for the Yankees and pushing the Orioles onto the brink of elimination. For Ibanez, he becomes the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit two home runs in a postseason game with both coming in the ninth inning or later.
"We stayed after it," said Ibanez, who became the first player in postseason history to homer twice in a game he did not start. "I'm blessed to have the opportunity to come up like that. We do it together. It's about the team, and it's about winning.
When asked after the game, Girardi explained how he was able to explain to a future Hall-of-Famer such as Rodriguez that he was going to take a seat with the game on the line. "I just went to Rodriguez and I said, 'You're scuffling a little bit right now; we have got a low-ball hitter, and we've got a shorter porch in right field, than left field. Obviously Raul has been a good pinch-hitter for us, and I'm just going to take a shot.'"
Raul Ibanez was not the only person to turn in a storied performance on Wednesday night. Hiroki Kuroda turned in one of the best postseason pitching performances the Yankees have seen in recent years, allowing five hits and a walk during his outing. After allowing his only two runs on a pair of solo home runs, Kuroda permitted just Chris Davis to reach when a pitch hit him in the fifth inning as he set down eleven straight and thirteen of his last fourteen hitters faced. Kuroda left after 8.1 innings, giving way for the Yankees bullpen to shut down the Orioles offense.
Derek Jeter played a big role for the Yankees early on, as he tied the game at one when he looped a two-out triple in the third inning over the head of Orioles center fielder Adam Jones to score Russell Martin. Martin had doubled earlier in the inning before moving over to third base on a ground out by Eric Chavez. The Yankees could not do any more after Jeter’s triple as Ichiro Suzuki then flew out to Adam Jones, ending the inning and the Yankees’ first chance to take the lead. It is worth noting that Jeter did come up limping on the play, but would remain in the game until being replaced in the field by Jayson Nix in the ninth inning. Jeter stated after Wednesday's thriller that he expects to play in game four.
The Yankees and Orioles will play game four on Thursday evening, going live from the Bronx at 7:37 PM. For the Yankees, it is a chance to punch their ticket to the American League Championship Series and to face off against the winner of the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics’ series. For the Orioles, it is a chance to stave off elimination and force a series-deciding game five on Friday evening. Most notably, for Yankees starting pitcher Phil Hughes, it is a chance to earn the nickname that was once given to him as a top prospect in the Yankees system. Thursday marks Hughes’ chance to earn his nickname of Phil Franchise with a dominant, series-clinching performance.
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