There's a favorable aspect to the game of baseball in times of heartbreak, like when the Yankees came back for a 6-5 victory over the Rangers in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Friday in Arlington, Texas.
The next game is less than 24 hours away.
Yeah, it was rather depressing. C.J. Wilson tossed seven solid innings and the bullpen couldn't hold it. We had a 5-0 lead and couldn't hold it. We had a 5-1 lead in the eighth inning and couldn't hold it.
Series status: Yankees 1, Rangers 0.
Ouch.
It looked so promising at the beginning. Josh Hamilton broke out of his postseason slump with a three-run home run in the first inning to put Texas ahead, 3-0, with no outs. The ballpark looked more electric than I could ever recall. Fans were actually standing for the majority of the first few innings.
Then in the fourth inning, Michael Young, who also struggled in the first round of the postseason, knocked a double to score two runs and make it 5-0.
I thought to myself before the game: If Young and Hamilton, the team's No. 2 and 3 hitters, can bring their bats around, we'd have a really nice chance of winning this series.
But the bullpen didn't get the job done. The Rangers brought in four different relievers, three of whom couldn't even record an out. Not good.
The casual fan will criticize the Rangers bullpen and call it terrible, but the unit had the second-lowest ERA in the AL during the regular season. They are far from terrible. Sure, they haven't been good in the postseason, but I'm hoping for a bounceback effort from the group very soon.
A win today, when Colby Lewis takes the hill to oppose Phil Hughes, would be huge. Cliff Lee starts on Monday in Yankees Stadium against a team he's owned lately.
Amazing to think we're 0-7 all-time in playoff games at Rangers Ballpark.
Let's get that first one today.
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