Pressure put on Lee (again) in Game 3 of ALCS

This surely feels like familiar territory.

Cliff Lee on the mound for the Rangers in the postseason, with a victory becoming vitally important.

We've been down this road before in the ALDS, when Lee shut down Tampa Bay twice, including the series clincher in Game 5.

Lee will take the hill at Yankee Stadium tonight with the ALCS tied, 1-1.

I don't want to call Game 3 a must-win for the Rangers, but it has that feeling, based upon how dominant Lee has been in the postseason.

Tommy Hunter will start Game 4. He's never pitched at Yankee Stadium. He's only had one career postseason start. I'd feel much more comfortable putting Hunter on the mound with a 2-1 lead in the series. It'd be like playing with house money.

The Rangers earned a pivotal victory in Game 2 behind Colby Lewis, a 5-0 lead that we didn't lose this time and an out-for-revenge bullpen.

Now, it's on to Yankee Stadium for Games 3, 4 and 5. Surely, there are a plethora of New Yorkers who still don't respect the Rangers; who think we're lucky to be here; who think that based solely on New York's history of 27 world championships and 40 pennants, that we're going to naturally fall.

Newsflash: We have a pretty darn good team in Texas. We have the most dominant postseason pitcher in the last few years on the hill tonight. He rarely walks anyone, works at a rapid pace and has already won two games this postseason.

Let's hope he makes it three tonight.