What a dramatic turn of events we've just seen. The Yankees and Twins traded zeroes in the fourth and the fifth, with 12 combined batters making 12 combined outs, but the Yankees have stormed ahead and knocked Francisco Liriano out of the game in the top of the sixth with what has been, as of now, a four-run rally.
Twins Vs. Yankees, ALDS Game 1: Yankees Knock Francisco Liriano Out With Monster Sixth
The frame began with a Nick Swisher strikeout, but Mark Teixeira followed with a double, and then Alex Rodriguez followed that with a walk, setting up Robinson Cano for an RBI single. Two batters later, Jorge Posada went the other way with a line drive just over Orlando Hudson's glove to score another run, and then Curtis Granderson got under an outside fastball and yanked it off the wall in right-center to score two more. Out came Ron Gardenhire and out came Liriano, with a 3-0 lead having been turned into a 4-3 deficit.
That key hits were delivered by Cano and Granderson is particularly notable since both are left-handed. Liriano was supposed to be able to shut these guys down, but he showed cracks in this inning, and the Yankees took advantage.
Liriano’s evening:
5.2 innings
6 hits
4 runs
3 walks
7 strikeouts
106 pitches
See More:
