New York Yankees edge past Baltimore Orioles 3-2 – MLB Update
New York Yankees held their nerves to prevail 3-2 against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium in New York, NY on Wednesday, October 10 in Game 3 of their five match American League Divisional Series.
Yankees secured a comfortable win in the opener but Orioles bounced back superbly in Game 2 to level the series. Manager Joe Girardi was expecting his men to regroup and fight back to restore their lead and that is exactly what they did in front of their
home crowd.
Starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda produced a magical performance as he allowed just five hits and two runs in eight plus innings to keep Orioles on the defensive. Striking-out batters at regular intervals, he made good use of his fastballs and sliders.
Relief pitchers David Robertson showed nerves of steel under pressure as he pitched two shut-out innings to help the Yankees edge past their American League East Division rivals.
"Maybe 10 years ago, I would have reacted in a much different way," A-Rod said in a post game interview.
"You have to make some decisions sometimes that are tough decisions. I just had a gut feeling," Girardi said of moving Rodriguez to the bench.
After Baltimore claimed the early 1-0 lead, Derek Jeter brought Yankees back into the contest as he tripled to deep centre in the third inning to tie the score. Raul Ibanez also played a key role in deciding the outcome of the game as he smacked a solo home-run
in the bottom of the ninth to force the game into the extra inning.
"It kind of caught me off-guard, hitting for a guy who's half-a-billionaire," Orioles’ centre fielder Adam Jones said.
"He said great job. A-Rod is a great teammate and great team player," Ibanez said with a smile on his face. "He's the first one on the top step congratulating you. It's about winning. It's about the Yankees and continuing."
Ibanez had one of the best outings of the 2012 season. Making the most of available opportunities, Ibanez hit his second home-run of the game in the 12th innings to give Yankees a memorable victory.
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