It’s unsure which loss was bigger for the New York Yankees, Game 1 or Derek Jeter. Rarely anymore does a Major League basball team name a captain. If anyone, ever, in the history of baseball fit that bill, it was Derek Jeter. Last night he fractured his ankle while fielding a ground ball off the bat of Jhonny Peralta. Season over, and perhaps with his season, the Yankees hopes in the ALCS.
Time will tell whether Jeter’s replacement (most likely Eduardo Nunez) can fill the void.
Meanwhile, the Tigers are quietly celebrating their Game 1 victory, bracing for today’s 4 o’clock start in the Bronx.
In Game 2, Tigers’ Anibal Sanchez will matchip against Hiroki Kuroda
Game 2 lineups:
Tigers:
DH Delmon Young
RF Andy Dirks
SS Jhonny Peralta
2B Omar Infante
Yankees:
DH Raul Ibanez
RF Nick Swisher
SS Jayson Nix
Whether the Yankee’s can even the series on their way out of the Bronx is the question at hand, and it’s a question that hinges on the Jeter injury. One thing is for sure, both teams won’t be looking to play in another five-hour affair.
Jim Leyland was quoted after the game,
“Sometimes the weirdest things happen. If somebody had told me we’d go a little longer than normal tonight and Drew Smyly would close out the game, I’d have told them they’re crazy. But that’s what postseason baseball is.”
Lineups courtesy of MLB.com
