A game that seemed like a sure thing with Justin Verlander in the driver's seat suddenly turned into a nail-biter in the 9th inning on Tuesday night.
Verlander pitched 8 1/3 innings, threw 132 pitches and gave up one run -- a homer in the ninth.
Reliever Phil Coke came in to try and finish it off. The suspense built. He let two men get on base. So with runners on first and second and two outs, Coke struck out the last batter, giving the Tigers a 2-1 victory, and putting the team one game away from the World Series.
How tense did it get?
So intense, one of the TV announcers said immediately afterward: "Permission to exhale."
Yankee fans figured their team would have a tough time against Verlander, who did not disappoint. He was awesome. In three playoff games, he has pitched 24 1/3 innings, struck out 25 batters, given up two earned runs, and won all three games.
Several hours before Game 3, N.Y. Daily News writer Mark Feinsand wrote with some obvious sarcasm:
The Yankees’ offense has looked feeble during the first two games of the ALCS. What better way to break out of it than to face Justin Verlander?
The sarcasm was not lost. And as it turned out for the Yankees, the game was.
Headlines in the New York papers included: New York Post: "Dead Bat Era" and in the New York Daily News: "PANIC IN DETROIT: Yankees on brink of elimination after falling in 3-0 hole." -- A.L.
