The Yankees won last night to keep the season going. Let's keep the positivity! Here are all the October 11th wins since 1998!
2000 ALCS: Game 2
Wednesday, October 11th, 2000 - Yankee Stadium (New York City, NY)
Seattle Led Series 1-0 (Best of 7)
Winning Pitcher: Orlando Hernandez
Losing Pitcher: Arthur Rhodes
Home Runs (Seattle): None
Home Runs (New York): Derek Jeter
Coming off a Game 1 loss, the Yankees had to take advantage of the home field before heading out for up-to 3 games in Seattle. In 2000, the team was not dominating postseason series- having previously won out the ALDS against the Oakland Athletics just 3 games to 2- though, they did have one of their better pitchers for a key game pitching.
Orlando Hernandez took the bump for the New York Yankees and quickly showed why he's a great big game pitcher by striking out the side in the top of the first. For the Mariners, they sent forward John Halama, who had a much tougher first inning around a walk and error, but was able to escape without any damage thanks to a double play. This game would quickly become a pitchers battle, with the Mariners scoring first via a Mike Cameron walk and stolen base before a Stan Javier RBI single. However, Hernandez would limit the damage there and continue to hold it there through 8 innings of work. John Halama would get through 6 scoreless innings before Jose Paniagua would pitch a scoreless 7th against the Yankees.
Then, the Mariners put in Arthur Rhodes for the 8th inning. And the Yankees capitalized.
David Justice hit a lead-off double and was scored on a Bernie Williams RBI single. Two singles later, Jorge Posada brought in Bernie. Then, Paul O'Neill brought home Tino Martinez to make it a 3-0 ballgame. That would end Rhodes' night, but not the damage. Another single from Luis Sojo and then an RBI double from Jose Vizcaino plated the 4th run of the inning. Then, Chuck Knoblauch had an RBI single of his own. 5-1. The damage would end after a Derek Jeter 2-run home run to bring the score to 7-1, and the game was all but over.
The Yankees brought in Mariano Rivera, who made quick work of the Mariners in the top of the 9th inning, and the Yankees evened the series at 1 game apiece.
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The Yankees, following this win, would take the next two games (in Seattle) against the Mariners and ultimately win the ALCS in 6 games before advancing to their 3rd straight World Series. The 2000 World Seires- or the "Subway Series" featured the Yankees making quick work of the New York Mets, as they took home the series in 5 games to bring a 26th World Championship to the Bronx.
2003 ALCS: Game 3
Saturday, October 11th, 2003 - Fenway Park (Boston, MA)
Series Tied at 1-1 (Best of 7)
Winning Pitcher: Roger Clemens
Losing Pitcher: Pedro Martinez
Save: Mariano Rivera
Home Runs (New York): Derek Jeter
Home Runs (Boston): None
After dropping Game 1, at home, against the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees made sure to correct the mistake and took Game 2. This then led to a tied series going into 3 straight games at Fenway Park. On the mound for both teams came out their ace pitchers. The Yankees put forward Roger Clemens while the Red Sox put forward Pedro Martinez. If you want to talk about firepower, this is your game.
The Red Sox quickly got on the board first, hitting around Clemens with a lead-off single and follow-up double to get two runners in scoring position with no outs. Both these runners came in from a Manny Ramirez RBI single before the inning was over. However, this wasn't a problem. The Yankees of the early 2000's had fight and never seemed out of the game. So, they started chipping at the lead.
In the 2nd inning, the Yankees got to Pedro Martinez with a Karim Garcia RBI single, scoring Jorge Posada (who started off the inning with a lead-off double). In the 3rd inning, the Yankees tied up the game on a Derek Jeter solo home run. And, they didn't stop now that the game was tied. They kept battling. In the 4th inning, a lead-off walk and single preceded a Hideki Matsui grounds rule double to put another run on the board. And then, even while grounding into a double-play, the Yankees were able to score again before the inning was over.
Roger Clemens from the 2nd inning on was able to keep the Red Sox off the board, finishing the game with 6 innings pitched around 2 runs while allowing 5 hits and 1 walk with 7 strikeouts. The Red Sox were able to get on the board after Clemens was pulled, coming via a David Ortiz lead-off walk off Felix Heredia (who was then pulled from the game), a Kevin Millar single, and then a Trot Nixon run-scoring double play off of Jose Contreras. A walk and foul-out then ended the inning.
After Pedro Martinez was removed from the game (7 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 6 K), the Yankees bats were quieted by Mike Timlin (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K's) and Alan Embree (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K) from the rest of the game. Luckily, Mariano Rivera did the same against the Red Sox through the 8th and 9th innings (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K). This gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead in the ALCS.
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The Yankees and Red Sox made the 2003 ALCS a very competitive series, flip-flopping wins from Game 3 to Game 7 (Yankees won Games 3, 5, 7; Red Sox won Games 4 and 6), ultimately ending, in the 11th inning at Yankee Stadium on an Aaron Boone solo home run to send the Yankees to the World Series. We won't talk about what happened after.
2009 ALDS: Game 3
Sunday, October 11th, 2009 - Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Minneapolis, MN)
New York Led Series 2-0 (Best of 5)
Winning Pitcher: Andy Pettitte
Losing Pitcher: Carl Pavano
Save: Mariano Rivera
Home Runs (New York): Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada
Home Runs (Minnesota): None
Going into Game 3, the Yankees held the huge advantage over the Minnesota Twins. With 1 more win and up to 3 games to play, the Yankees were calm and comfortable. It also helps that the Yankees won 103 games as the Twins won just 87 during the regular season. Everybody knew the Yankees were the far superior team.
The Yankees sent Andy Pettitte to the bump and the Twins sent Carl Pavano. By name recognition alone, this would seem like a cake walk for the Yankees to take the game and the series. Especially when you consider 2009 was the first year post-Pavano for the Yankees (who saw him produce to a combined 5.00 ERA during his 4 year tenure), it was obvious the Yankees were going to win.
It was not expected that the first team to score was going to be the Twins. It was also not expected that the first run would come in the bottom of the 6th inning with a Joe Mauer RBI single off of Andy Pettitte. However, all hope was not lost.
Pavano did pitch a scoreless first 6 innings against the Yankees...and then he came out for the 7th inning. Alex Rodriguez hit a 1-out solo home run. Two batters later, Hideki Matsui then hit a 2-out solo home run. The Yankees had the lead, late. That was the end of Carl Pavano's night (7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 9 K).
Joba Chamberlain (0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K) came in to replace Andy Pettitte (6.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K) after 1 out in the 7th inning, finishing out the inning without another threat. Phil Hughes then pitched the bottom of the 8th and got into trouble (0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K) before Mariano Rivera came in to finish the inning.
For the Twins, Matt Guerrier pitched a perfect 8th inning against the Yankees, but it took a combination of 4 pitchers to get through the top of the 9th inning, which led to two runs being scored on back-to-back bases-loaded RBI singles off of Joe Nathan from Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano.
Mariano Rivera would come back out and pitch a scoreless 9th inning with 2 strikeouts (1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K) to finish the game and get the Yankees a 3-0 sweep of the Minnesota Twins in the ALDS.
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Following the 3-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins, the Yankees went on to the ALCS to play the Los Angeles Angels, who they beat in 6 games to advance to the World Series. They were matched up against the reigning World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies, and after 6 games (including an otherworldly Game 6 performance from Hideki Matsui), the Yankees won the World Series, their 27th in history.
And since 2009... crickets.