The Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees open up their American League Division Series Friday night with a marquee pitching matchup inside Yankee Stadium.
Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees
Detroit won the AL Central Division title this year on Sept. 16 and has advanced to the playoffs for the 13th time in franchise history. The Tigers posted a 20-16 record against AL East opponents this year, including a 4-3 mark versus the Yankees. “A whole new season starts tomorrow for everybody,” commented Tigers manager Jim Leyland on Thursday. He hopes his bullpen continues to provide dominant performances at the tail end of games, as the unit posted a 2.35 ERA over the club’s last 51 games, limiting opposing hitters to a .208 batting average. The starting rotation also finished the season strong, posting a 3.45 ERA since Sept. 2. Detroit posted a 20-7 record in September and is 31-21 versus left-handed starters.
Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander finished the regular season with a 24-5 record and 2.40 ERA, numbers that will likely have him named the AL Cy Young Award winner during the offseason. The right-hander was truly dominating on the road, posting a 14-2 record and 2.43 ERA, holding hitters to a .187 batting average. In 10 career regular season outings versus the Yankees, Verlander has registered a 4-3 record and 3.97 ERA. He failed to record a decision in two starts against the Bronx Bombers this year. Since 2006, during CC Sabathia’s tenures with the Indians and Yankees, the two faced off nine times and Verlander won five of them.
New York finished up the regular season with the best record in the AL and coasted to an AL East crown due to the collapse of the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees received a much-needed day off on Thursday, finishing the regular season by playing 33 games in 32 days. The club finished the regular season by winning 12 of its last 15 games at Yankee Stadium, while tying Texas for the top spot in terms of home record, finishing the season with a 52-29 mark. New York was 16-12 in September and 7-15 on Fridays.
Yankees starting pitcher CC Sabathia finished the regular season with a 19-8 record and 3.00 ERA, but failed to pick up a victory in his last three starts. He led the club to a 4-2 home win over the Rays last time out, giving up two runs and seven hits over 7 1/3 innings. The left-hander was 8-3 with a 3.07 ERA in 16 home starts, issuing just 23 walks and picking up 120 strikeouts in 117 1/3 innings. In 32 career starts versus the Tigers, Sabathia has compiled a 15-12 record and 4.54 ERA. He dropped a 4-2 decision in his last start against them on May 3 in Detroit, giving up four runs and 10 hits over seven frames.
Bettors will likely back the Tigers due to their 16-5 record in Verlander’s last 21 road starts, while the Yankees are 2-6 following an off day.
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