by Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports
DETROIT -- What's Justin Verlander going to do
next, spike the Halloween candy for the kiddies? Rob sleeping bags from
the homeless?
Set A-Rod up with a free dating service?
It was almost inhumane what Verlander did Tuesday night to the New York Yankees, in the Detroit Tigers' 2-1 victory.
It was a slow, painful, excruciating execution for the baseball world to watch.
And
now, for the first time since the 1976 World Series, the Yankees are on
the verge of losing a best-of-seven series in fewer than six games.
They
trail the Tigers 3-0 in the American League Championship Series, and of
course, the only time anyone in baseball history ever pulled off that
kind of comeback was personally witnessed by the Yankees, when the
Boston Red Sox pulled off the feat in 2004.
But the Red Sox could actually hit.
The
Yankees have scored in only two of 30 innings this series, both of
those being tthe ninth inning. They are hitting just .200 this entire
postseason, and unless they go on a barrage tonight, they will finish
with the worst batting average in a postseason in franchise history,
eclipsing their .207 average in the 1921 World Series.
The only
time they ever show signs of life these days is in the ninth inning.
This time, they even were able to do it against someone not named Jose
Valverde.
Eduardo Nunez, Derek Jeter's replacement, led off the
ninth with a homer on a marvelous eight-pitch at-bat. One batter and one
out later, Verlander was gone, and the Tigers had to trust their
bullpen.
"I guess you don't take Secretariat out in the final furlong,'' Tigers manager Jim Leyland said, "but that was it for him."
Phil
Coke, the Tigers' new closer, retired Ichiro Suzuki, who had produced
the Yankees only two hits until the ninth. But then came Mark Teixeira
with a single. Robinson Cano actually got a hit, too, snapping his
29-at-bat hitless skein, the longest in postseason history.
All of
a sudden, the Yankees had their first rally in three days, and Comerica
Park suddenly went silent. Yet, just when the Yankees looked like this
might be one of those magical nights, Coke struck out Raul Ibanez on a
curveball -- the best he has thrown all season, Leyland said.
It
left Yankees manager Joe Girardi once again scratching his head,
wondering how he can magically come up with a lineup that can actually
hit.
"I can't hit,'' Girardi said. "I wouldn't want to face Verlander, not at my age. You keep encouraging the guys.
"They overcome a lot this year, and nothing has come easy to us.''
The
biggest surprise of the night was that Verlander struck out only three
batters. Verlander blamed his command, saying he was forced at times to
throw pitches right down the middle of the plate. Of course, it didn't
matter, the Yankees couldn't hit those, either.
Now, facing
elimination, the Yankees are going with their ace, CC Sabathia, who may
plead with Girardi to scrap the DH position, and just let him hit for
himself.
Does anyone think the Yankees have a prayer now? Anyone?
"You can never take anything for granted,'' Verlander said. "We have seen some crazy things happen in this game.''
Yeah,
including the bizarre Yankees' lineup each evening, with $50 million
worth of players either benched or demoted this night.
Alex
Rodriguez, the highest-paid player in baseball history, had the
best-priced ticket in the house, watching from the bench. He was again
kept out of the lineup, with Girardi figuring that if A-Rod was hitless
in 18 at-bats with 12 strikeouts against right-handers not named
Verlander this postseason, how fair would it be watching him try to make
contact this night?
If nothing else, A-Rod had the entire game to, you know, check out the action in the stands.
Certainly,
playing the entire game would have put a crimp into A-Rod's love life.
The New York Post reported that Rodriguez was openly flirting with two
blonde women sitting near the Yankees dugout during Game 1 at Yankee
Stadium on Saturday night, seeking their phone numbers by having
autographed baseballs sent to them in the stands.
Rodriguez brushed past reporters and didn't comment before the game, and Girardi wouldn't talk about it.
"I'm
not going to comment on that," Girardi said, looking like a guy who
can't believe the Yankees will be paying Rodriguez $114 million over the
next five years.
The Yankees' offense has been so putrid that
Girardi started Brett Gardner and batted him leadoff. It's the first
time he's been in the starting lineup in six months. Right fielder Nick
Swisher and his $10.2 million salary was benched too. Nunez started at
shortstop for injured Derek Jeter. And Curtis Granderson, and his $10
million salary, was batting eighth.
Girardi dropped no hints about
making out perhaps his final lineup of the season, but A-Rod has to be
in there. If nothing else, it'll give scouts one last chance to see him.
If you can't win a World Series, a beautiful consolation prize might be
finding someone who'll trade for him.
Anyone?