The Los Angeles Angels staved off elimination from the playoffs with a gutsy 7-6 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) on Thursday.
Trailing 6-4, the Angels scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh behind RBI singles from Vladimir Guerrero and Kendry Morales to regain the lead after the powerful Yankees lineup had plundered six runs in the top half the inning.
Regular starter Jered Weaver came on in relief to pitch a scoreless eighth while Los Angeles closer Brian Fuentes survived a bases-loaded threat in the ninth with two outs before Nick Swisher popped up for the last out.
PHOTO: AFP
“It was very intense, my adrenaline was running like a Lamborghini,” Angels outfielder Torii Hunter told reporters of the last out. “We just keep scratching, that’s what we do.”
New York leads the best-of-seven series 3-2 and will be hoping to advance to a World Series match-up against the Philadelphia Phillies with a Game 6 victory at home today. The defending champion Phillies clinched the National League Championship Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers by a 4-1 margin on Wednesday.
New York looked poised to finish off the ALCS and make their first World Series appearance since 2003 after erasing a 4-0 deficit in the top of the seventh.
Mark Teixeira led the charge with a bases-clearing double for the Yankees to make it 4-3, Hideki Matsui tied the game with a single and Robinson Cano drilled a two-RBI triple to put New York two runs ahead.
However, the resilient Angels banished the memories of a humiliating 10-1 defeat in Game Four on Tuesday by fighting back in front of a raucous home crowd to send the teams back to the Big Apple.
“We’re in a situation where we know what we’re up against, where we know we have to play good baseball,” Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said. “It’s not a forgiving team over there.”
Los Angeles jumped ahead with four runs in the first inning as Hunter belted a two-RBI single before Guerrero and Morales followed with RBI hits against New York starter A.J. Burnett, who allowed six runs in six innings.
Hunter, Guerrero and Morales powered the way with two hits and two RBIs each, and catcher Jeff Mathis was 3-for-4 and ran off a club playoff-record streak of six hits in as many at-bats.
The Angels maintained their early advantage behind starter John Lackey, who struck out seven batters and worked smoothly through the New York lineup before running into trouble in the seventh.
Lackey left the game with two outs and the bases loaded before the potent Yankees got the best of the Angels bullpen.
New York Captain Derek Jeter recorded a single and has a hit in all of New York’s postseason games, while red-hot Alex Rodriguez had a double and two walks.
In what was a wild affair down the stretch as both teams used five pitchers for the game.
Phil Hughes was charged with the loss for New York, having allowed two run-scoring hits in the seventh.
“I feel like it’s resting on my shoulders,” Hughes said. “When you don’t come through and do your job ... Tonight I just couldn’t execute pitches the way that I wanted.”
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
RSS