For the third time in the last seven years, the Yankees and Tigers will meet in a postseason series. The previous two meetings (2006 and 2011) were best-of-five ALDS matchups that ultimately ended the season for New York, but hopefully the switch to the best-of-seven ALCS will reverse that history. Getting eliminated by Detroit at home in Yankee Stadium last year left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouth, something the Bombers will have a chance to erase these next few days.
The Tigers got here by defeating the upstart Athletics in five games despite only scoring 17 runs in the series. Six of those came in Game Five, which was headlined by Justin Verlander’s complete game masterpiece. Unfortunately for Detroit, that game also means Verlander will not be available until Game Three of this series. With the first two games in the Bronx and the best pitcher in the world still two games away, jumping out to a fast start in the series doesn’t just seem like a good idea, it’s imperative. Here are the lineups…
Detroit Tigers
CF Austin Jackson
2B Omar Infante
3B Miguel Cabrera
1B Prince Fielder
DH Delmon Young
SS Jhonny Peralta
LF Andy Dirks
RF Avisail Garcia
C Gerald Laird
RHP Doug Fister (10-10, 3.45)
New York Yankees
SS Derek Jeter
LF Ichiro Suzuki
2B Robinson Cano
1B Mark Teixeira
DH Raul Ibanez
3B Alex Rodriguez
RF Nick Swisher
CF Curtis Granderson
C Russell Martin
LHP Andy Pettitte (5-4, 2.87)
It’s chilly but an otherwise gorgeous day in New York, so weather won’t be a factor tonight. First pitch is scheduled for 8pm ET and can be seen on TBS. Enjoy.
Ticket Update: If you want to catch any game in this series, either in New York or Detroit, make sure you check out RAB Tickets for some sweet last minute deals.