2012 ALCS Pregame 4A
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GAME 4: PRE-GAME NOTES 2012 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES NEW YORK YANKEES vs. DETROIT TIGERS THURSDAY, October 18, 2012 – COMERICA PARK DETROIT leads ALCS 3-0 CEREMONIAL FIRST PITCH: Ivan Rodriguez NATIONAL ANTHEM: The Four Tops COLORS : U.S. Marine Corps Honor Guard GAME BALL DELIVERY: First Lieutenant Jason Everts of the Michigan Army National Guard from Rochester, Mich. ALCS RESULTS Date Result Winning Pitcher Losing Pitcher Save Atten. Game 1 – Sat., Oct. 13 DET 6, NYY 4 (12) Smyly Phelps --- 47,122 Game 2 – Sun., Oct. 14 DET 3, NYY 0 Sanchez Kuroda Coke 47,082 Game 3 – Tues., Oct. 16 DET 2, NYY 1 Verlander Hughes Coke 42,490 UPCOMING SCHEDULE Date/Event Pitchers Location First Pitch Thurs., Oct. 18/ Game 4 CC SABATHIA vs. MAX SCHERZER Comerica Park 4:07 p.m. EDT *Fri., Oct. 19/ Game 5 ANDY PETTITTE vs. DOUG FISTER Comerica Park TBD *Sat., Oct. 20/ Game 6 ANIBAL SANCHEZ vs. TBD Yankee Stadium 8:07 p.m. EDT *Sun., Oct. 21/ Game 7 JUSTIN VERLANDER vs. TBD Yankee Stadium 8:15 p.m. EDT *if necessary ALL GAMES BROADCAST ON TBS, MLB INTERNATIONAL AND ESPN RADIO RAIN GO AWAY: Wednesday’s rainout marked third game in the last 10 ALCS contests that has been influenced by inclement weather…Games 1 and 4 of the 2011 ALCS between the Rangers and the Tigers were both delayed by rain. 3-0 SERIES LEAD : Since the advent of the best-of-7 format in 1985, this is the fifth time in 27 ALCS that a team has taken a 3-0 lead in the series...The only team to rally from 0-3 to win the ALCS was the 2004 Red Sox…Each of the other previous three teams to go down 0-3 were swept in four games (1988 Red Sox, swept by the A’s; 1990 Red Sox, swept by the A’s; 2006 A’s, swept by the Tigers). RARE YANKEES DEFICIT: The Yankees trail in an ALCS 0-3 for first time in 10 ALCS appearances since the advent of the best- of-7 format in 1985…It is just the fourth time in 71 postseason series that the Yankees have trailed 0-3…The Bronx Bombers have previously fallen behind 0-3 in a postseason series in the: 1922 World Series against the Giants (which includes a Game 2 tie); 1963 World Series against the Dodgers; and the 1976 World Series against the Reds. GAME 3’S A LOCK IN DETROIT: In each of their six ALCS, the Tigers have won Game 3, with all six games coming at home: 3- 0 against the A’s in 1972; 1-0 against the Royals in 1984; 7-6 against the Twins in 1987; 3-0 against the A’s in 2006; 5-2 against the Rangers in 2011; and 2-1 against the Yankees in 2012…The Tigers have won five of their last six ALCS games in Detroit. STRAIGHT ZEROS : Tigers Game 3 starter JUSTIN VERLANDER ran his consecutive postseason shutout innings streak to 23 before allowing a run in the ninth inning of Game 3…Verlander’s consecutive shutout innings streak began in the second inning of Game 1 of the ALDS against the Athletics. NEW TO THE NINTH : EDUARDO NUNEZ’S ninth-inning home run in Game 3 was the first ninth-inning long ball that JUSTIN VERLANDER has surrendered in his big league career, including the regular season and postseason…Nunez was the 85 th batter that Verlander has faced in the ninth inning in his career. BELOW AVERAGE : Through eight postseason games this year, the Yankees are batting .200 (58-for-290)…The previous low- water mark for the Yankees’ first eight postseason games in a season was .207 in the 1921 World Series (vs. the Giants), which was then a best-of-9 affair…Only two Yankees teams have finished a postseason with lower batting averages: the 1962 Yankees (who defeated the Giants 4-3 in the World Series with a batting average of .199) and the 1963 Yankees (who lost to the Dodgers 0-4 in the World Series with a batting average of .171). PITCHING IN : Through eight postseason games, the Yankees’ team ERA is 2.25, which would be the 10 th -best ever for a single postseason in team history…It is the lowest mark since the team’s 1.60 ERA in New York’s five-game World Series win over the Reds in 1961. HITLESS START: ERIC CHAVEZ of the Yankees has begun the 2012 postseason without a hit in 14 at-bats, tying longest streak by a Yankee at the start of a postseason…GRAIG NETTLES of the Yankees began the 1981 postseason with 14 hitless at- bats…The MLB record for hitless at-bats at the start of a postseason is held by the Cardinals’ DAL MAXVILL, who began the 1968 postseason with 22 hitless at-bats in the World Series against the Tigers. STREAKING STARTERS: Tigers starting pitchers MAX SCHERZER, DOUG FISTER, ANIBAL SANCHEZ and JUSTIN VERLANDER ran their postseason scoreless streak to 30.1 innings before the Yankees scored a run in the ninth inning of Game 3, including 37.2 innings without allowing an earned run…Tigers starting pitchers have allowed two runs or less in all eight of their 2012 postseason games. CREDENTIAL PICKUP AND PARKING AT COMERICA PARK: Approved media credentials for the ALCS will be distributed at ticket windows A14 and A15 on Witherell Street in front of Comerica Park will be available beginning five hours prior to the first pitch of each LCS home game and continuing through the third inning…Parking passes are not available, but a limited number of spaces in parking lot 3 on Montcalm may be purchased for $30 with media ID for each game…Passes are payable by cash only and can be purchased at the guard station in front of the lot upon arrival. CC SABATHIA: CC SABATHIA will make his 19 th postseason appearance and 18 th postseason start today against the Tigers…It will be Sabathia’s third start of the 2012 postseason…In the Division Series against the Orioles, Sabathia was 2-0 with a 1.53 ERA in two starts, including a complete game four-hitter in the Yankees’ 3-1 Game 5 win…In Game 1 of the ALDS, Sabathia pitched 8.2 innings, allowed eight hits and one walk while striking out seven…In 35 career regular-season starts against the Tigers, Sabathia is 18-12 with a 4.43 ERA…In 223.2 innings pitched, Sabathia has allowed 223 hits while walking 63 and striking out 185…In three regular-season starts against the Tigers this season, Sabathia was 3-0 with a 3.32 ERA…In 21.2 innings pitched, Sabathia allowed 20 hits and five walks, striking out 20…In three career postseason appearances against Detroit – all coming in the 2011 ALDS – Sabathia had three no decisions (two of the appearances were starts) in 8.2 innings, allowing 10 hits and eight walks while striking out 11…Sabathia has faced 12 of the 14 batters on the Tigers’ postseason roster – all but ANDY DIRKS and AVISAIL GARCIA…MIGUEL CABRERA and RAMON SANTIAGO each lead Tigers batters with 38 career plate appearances vs. Sabathia, with Cabrera hitting .357 with two homers, 12 RBI and eight walks…GERALD LAIRD is hitting .417 (10-for-24) with a home run and four RBI, while PRINCE FIELDER is hitting .364 (4-for-11) with a home run and three RBI…For the 2012 season, Sabathia was 15-6 with a 3.38 ERA…In 28 starts, Sabathia pitched 200.0 innings, allowing 184 hits and 44 walks while striking out 197…Sabathia led the American League with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.48-to-1…In his career in the postseason, Sabathia is 9-4 with a 4.25 ERA in 103.2 innings, walking 49 while striking out 98…In 13 postseason games with the Yankees, Sabathia is 7-1 with a 3.09 ERA…Sabathia is tied for fifth on the Yankees’ all-time postseason wins list with ROGER CLEMENS, ALLIE REYNOLDS, RED RUFFING and DAVID WELLS. MAX SCHERZER: MAX SCHERZER will make his sixth postseason appearance and fifth postseason start today against the Yankees in Game 4…Over 21.0 postseason innings, Scherzer is 1-1 with a 4.29 ERA, allowing 18 hits and 10 walks while striking out 22…In his last start in Game 4 of the ALDS vs. the Athletics – his only start of the 2012 postseason so far – Scherzer pitched 5.1 innings, allowing three hits and one unearned run while waking one and striking out eight…He did not receive a decision in Detroit’s 4-3 loss…In two previous ALCS starts – both coming in 2011 against the Rangers – Scherzer is 0-1 with a 9.72 ERA, allowing 11 hits and five walks in 8.1 innings while walking five and striking out seven…Scherzer has pitched in two previous postseason games against the Yankees, both in the 2011 ALDS…In 7.1 innings, including one start, Scherzer is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA in the postseason against the Yankees, allowing four hits and four walks in 7.1 innings while striking out seven batters…Scherzer has started four regular-season games against the Yankees in his five-year big league career, posting a 3-1 record with a 3.42 ERA…In 23.3 innings, he has allowed 22 hits and 13 walks while striking out 25…Scherzer has faced 12 of the 13 players on the Yankees’ postseason roster in the regular season, with the only exception being EDUARDO NUNEZ…RUSSELL MARTIN has the most plate appearances against Scherzer with 19, hitting .176 (3-for-17) with one RBI…Of the Yankees with at least 10 plate appearances against Scherzer, CURTIS GRANDERSON and ICHIRO SUZUKI have the best batting average at .276 (4-for-15), and only Granderson has more than one RBI (with two) among Yankees players…ROBINSON CANO, MARK TEIXEIRA and Granderson are the only current Yankees players to homer off Scherzer…Scherzer was 16-7 with a 3.74 ERA during the regular seasons, allowing 179 hits in 187.2 innings pitched over his 32 starts…Scherzer walked 60 and struck out 231, which was the second-best total in the majors behind teammate JUSTIN VERLANDER’S 239….In 14 starts at Comerica Park during the regular season, Scherzer was 7-3 with a 3.51 ERA.