Sunday, October 14, 2012

Delmon Young Perseveres for Detroit; Jeter Out with Broken Ankle

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 13, 2012

American League

ALCS: Detroit 6 NY Yankees 4, 12 innings - Where Detroit's bullpen couldn't finish the job, Delmon Young just kept on playing, eventually getting the big hit in the 12th inning to take game of the the AL league championship over the Yankees.

The Tiger designated hitter had key hits throughout the game, singling home Miguel Cabrera with the second run of the sixth inning, putting the Tigers up, 2-0, then homering in the eighth for a 3-0 lead.

Delmon Young
Detroit added another run in the eighth for a 4-0 lead, but closer Jose Valverde gave up two-run homers to Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

After Cabrera walked ot lead off the 12th and moved to second on Prince Fielder's ground out to first, Young cracked a double to right field, scoring Cabrera with what would be the winning run.

Young was replaced for pinch-runner Don Kelly, completing a 3-for-5 effort with three RBI and a run scored. Kelly scored an insurance run for Detroit on Andy Dirks bouncer back to pitcher David Phelps, after racing to third on Jhonny Peralta's single up the middle.

It was Peralta's hit that may have turned the series in favor of Detroit, because it was on that play that the Yankees lost their captain, Derek Jeter, for the remainder of the playoffs, Jeter tumbled to glove Peralta's hopper, planted on his left foot, but fell to his stomach, flipping the ball to second baseman Robinson Cano, though Cano had no play.

Jeter writhed in pain on the ground, having broken his left ankle, the same one that's been bothering him the past couple of weeks. He was helped off the field and replaced by Jayson Nix. Jeter will not return for the Yankees this season.

Game two will start Sunday at 4:07 pm EDT at Yankee Stadium. Detroit's Anibal Sanchez faces Hiroki Kuroda for the Yanks.

National League

The NL Championship series between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants begins Sunday at 8:07 pm EDT. The series opens in San Francisco, home of the NL West champion Giants, who send Madison Bumgarner to the mound against the Cardinals' Lance Lynn.

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