The 2011 American League Division Series begins on Friday, September 30. The A.L. East champion New York Yankees will host the A.L. Central winners, the Detroit Tigers.
On Friday, the Tigers will send A.L. Cy Young front runner Justin Verlander (24-5, 2.40 ERA) up aganst the Yankees’ ace C.C. Sabathia (19-8, 3.00), also a Cy Young candidate. Verlander won nine of his last ten starts with a 2.82 ERA in those starts. This is his first postseason game since 2006 when he went 1-2 in three starts including two losses in the 2006 World Series. This season, though, Verlander has shown no signs of stopping and will have had five full days of rest before taking the mound. Verlander and fellow starter Doug Fister have not lost since August 14 (11-13, 2.83) and will make a formidable 1-2 punch in the Tigers’ rotation. Fister will start Game 2 on October 1 against the Yankees’ Ivan Nova (16-4, 3.70).
The Tigers also have some pop in the line up, led by first baseman Miguel Cabrera (.344, 30 HR, 105 RBI). Cabrera won the A.L. batting title, led the league in on base percentage (.448), and ended up fourth in runs scored with 111. Joining Cabrera are Victor Martinez, Jhonny Peralta, and Alex Avila, all of whom hit nearly .300 or better and drove in 82 or more runs.
Sabathia went 4-3 with a 4.06 ERA in his last ten starts and will have eight full days of rest before taking the mound. Sabathia is 7-4 in 13 postseason starts with a 4.66 ERA, and he has a World Series ring from 2009. Nova has also put up a Cy-Young contending record in his first full season, and he won seven of his last ten starts.
The Yankees also have a high-powered offense including A.L. MVP candidates Curtis Granderson (.262, 41, 119) and Robinson Cano (.302, 28, 118). First baseman Mark Texeira (.248, 39, 111) and right fielder Nick Swisher (.260, 23, 85) also give pitchers something to fear. Derek Jeter remains a catalyst, and Jorge Posada has come through down the stretch after struggling for much of the season.
In the bullpens, Mariano Rivera has had another stellar season, in which he became the all-time saves leader. He saved 44 of 49 opportunities, and he has 42 all-time postseason saves. Tigers’ closer Jose Valverde had a perfect season in saves with 49 to lead the league. Either team will feel good with a lead in the ninth inning.
Once the postseason begins, the season stats mean little. This series should be a good one , and it could go the full five games.
Sources:
New York Yankees, C.C. Sabathia, yankees.mlb.com.
Detroit Tigers, Justin Verlander, togers.mlb.com.
Yahoo! Sports, Scores and Schedules, sports.yahoo.com.
Raymond became a baseball fan at a very young age. He played baseball through high school and soon after became a varsity coach. He currently coaches Little League in Florida. Raymond previously produced radio sports talk shows and hosted a weekly baseball radio call-in show.
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