Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine

October 19, 2012

ALCS: It's a Motown smash

The Tigers sweep into a second World Series in seven years, leaving the Yankees to a what-do-we-do-now offseason.

The Associated Press

DETROIT - Prince Fielder waved his arms, gleefully calling off his teammates while the crowd at Comerica Park roared.

From the moment the big first baseman signed his massive contract in January, an entire city had been waiting for a chance to celebrate like this.

After another dazzling effort by Detroit's starting pitchers and another soaring home run by Miguel Cabrera, Fielder caught the final out to send the Tigers to the World Series -- with a sweep of the New York Yankees, no less.

"There's still a long way to go but this is an awesome feeling," Fielder said.

Max Scherzer capped a stupendous stretch for Detroit's rotation, and the Tigers won their second pennant in seven years by beating the Yankees 8-1 on Thursday for a four-game sweep of the AL Championship Series.

Cabrera and Jhonny Peralta hit two-run homers in a four-run fourth inning against CC Sabathia, who was unable to prevent the Yankees from getting swept in a postseason series for the first time in 32 years.

"Yeah, we did it," Cabrera said. "It's an unbelievable feeling. Four more wins, guys. Four more wins."

Scherzer took a no-hit bid into the sixth against a starting lineup that was again without Alex Rodriguez, who flied out with two on in the sixth as a pinch hitter.

Austin Jackson added a solo shot in the seventh for Detroit, and Peralta hit another homer an inning later.

The game ended with Fielder, Detroit's $214 million acquisition, catching Jayson Nix's popup. The Tigers spilled onto the field for a celebration that began near second base and eventually moved closer to the third-base line.

General Manager Dave Dombrowski hugged Jim Leyland, who is in the final year of his contract, while the owner, Mike Ilitch, rubbed the 67-year-old manager's right shoulder.

"I've got a great bunch. We don't have one hot dog in the bunch," said Ilitch, a pizza magnate. "They're all great guys. The Tigers are something special."

Detroit won its 11th American League pennant and first since 2006. The Tigers have five days off before the World Series starts Wednesday at defending champion St. Louis or the 2010 winner, San Francisco.

After scoring in just three of the 39 innings in the series, New York headed home to face unpleasant questions about its future following a postseason of awful hitting, benched stars, and veterans showing the wear and tear of age. Rodriguez, the $275 million third baseman, was out of the starting lineup for the third time in the playoffs. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera could only watch following season-ending injuries.

The Yankees hit .188 in the postseason -- a record low for a team that played at least seven games -- and .157 in the LCS. New York went quietly in the ninth inning, with the Comerica crowd chanting "Sweep!" while the last three batters were retired in order.

Detroit outhit New York 16-2 in the finale and 46-22 in the series. The Tigers' starters are 4-1 with a 1.02 ERA in this postseason.

Without a World Series title since 1984, Detroit lost to Texas in last year's ALCS, lost slugger Victor Martinez to a season-ending knee injury in January and quickly replaced his offense by signing Fielder.

The excitement of that bold acquisition subsided a bit when the Tigers struggled to a 26-32 start in the AL Central, but they overtook the Chicago White Sox in the final 10 days of the regular season and won the division with an 88-74 record, matching the Cardinals for the fewest wins among the 10 playoff teams.

(Continued on page 2)

Tweet