Yankees-Angels Preview
GAME: New York Yankees (95-67) at Los Angeles Angels (95-67).
SERIES: AL Division Series; Game 1.
TIME: Tuesday, 8:19 p.m. EDT.
Despite having baseball's first $200 million payroll, the New York Yankees had to battle until the second-to-last day of the season to secure a playoff spot, overcoming adversity in a year in which manager Joe Torre earned the toughest of his nine AL East titles in New York.
In keeping with the theme of their season, plenty more adversity appears to await the Yankees as they take on the Los Angeles Angels in Game 1 of their AL division series at Angel Stadium.
Torre's team brought him to tears Saturday, as New York defeated Boston 8-4 to clinch the division for the eighth straight time. It marked the high point of a season that saw the Yankees get off to an 11-19 start, had their starting rotation decimated by injuries and played through intense pressure to capture a postseason berth.
''This was the best of all of them,'' Torre said of winning the division in a season which also saw speculation over whether he would retain his job if New York missed the playoffs. ''The first is always memorable. But this has to be the most special because of everything that went on this year.''
On Sunday, however, it was back to the realities of 2005 for New York, which was routed 10-1 by the Red Sox, handing home-field advantage in the first round to the Angels - one of the few teams that has given the Yankees trouble during the Torre era.
The Angels are the only team with a winning record (49-48) against New York in Torre's 10 seasons, and they'll be looking to repeat the result of the clubs' 2002 ALDS meeting, when they knocked off the Yankees in four games en route to winning the World Series.
Los Angeles' 6-4 win in the season series gave it the tiebreaker edge over New York, which had to fly across the country Sunday to get ready for the first-round series instead of a short flight home from Boston for Games 1 and 2. The Yankees went 42-39 on the road this season, compared to 53-28 at Yankee Stadium.
''I think we accomplished what we wanted to by getting guys rested and getting home field,'' Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said. ''Everything had to fall in place perfectly, and it looks like it did.''
The Yankees dropped three of four at Angel Stadium from July 21-24, and Los Angeles will send 21-game winner Bartolo Colon to the mound Tuesday. However, New York, and third baseman Alex Rodriguez in particular, may not see that as a disadvantage.
Rodriguez hit three consecutive home runs off Colon in the Yankees' 12-4 home win April 26, driving in nine runs against the right-hander with a two-run shot, a three-run homer and a grand slam. A-Rod followed that up by homering in a fourth straight at-bat against Colon in Anaheim's 6-5 home victory July 21. New York's MVP candidate is 19-for-43 (.442) lifetime against Colon with seven homers, 16 RBIs, five doubles and a triple.
While the Yankees probably have reason to feel confident against the Angels' Game 1 starter, they aren't sure what they'll get out of their own, Mike Mussina. The veteran right-hander will be making his third start since missing three weeks with a sore pitching elbow. He pitched well in his first game back, throwing six innings to beat Baltimore, but lasted only 1 2-3 innings in a 17-9 loss to the Orioles last Tuesday.
Crucial for Mussina, and all of New York's pitchers, will be to keep the speedy Angels off the basepaths, Chone Figgins in particular. Figgins hit .487 (19-for-39) against the Yankees with six stolen bases and eight runs this season.
Another key matchup in this series could be New York's powerful lineup led by Rodriguez, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui against Los Angeles' dominant late-game relief tandem of setup man Scot Shields and closer Francisco Rodriguez.
Game 2 will be Wednesday night at Angel Stadium.