SAN FRANCISCO — Tigers’ reliever Jose Valverde might have worked his final postseason inning in Wednesday night’s Game 1.
After giving up four runs to the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALCS, Valverde was removed from the closer’s role and worked on correcting mechanical flaws.
So with the Tigers trailing the Giants by five runs in the seventh in Wednesday night’s 8-3 loss, Detroit manager Jim Leyland brought the right-hander into the game. Valverde gave up two runs and four of the five batters he faced reached base with hits.
“He wasn’t terrible. He wasn’t good,’’ Leyland said. “For whatever reason it doesn’t seem to be coming out quite right. It’s a little puzzling to be honest with you. That’s pretty much all I can say about that.’’
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The biggest name with New York ties wasn’t at AT&T Park for Game 1 last night between the Tigers and Giants.
That would be Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera, the All-Star Game MVP who batted .346 and was suspended for 50 games for using testosterone. Cabrera was eligible to return following the Giants-Reds ALDS, but the club opted to not bring the former Yankee back.
Others with Yankees or Mets ties in the World Series are Tigers Austin Jackson, Phil Coke, Octavio Dotel and Giants Xavier Nady, Angel Pagan, Marco Scutaro and George Kontos, who gave up Jhonny Peralta’s two-out homer in the ninth.
Coaches with New York ties are Dave Righetti, Roberto Kelly, Hensley Meulens of the Giants and Tom Brookens of the Tigers. Giants GM Brian Sabean worked in the Yankees’ minor league system before joining San Francisco.
Coke, a lefty reliever who was part of the Yankees’ 2009 world champions, admitted he didn’t immediately embrace the idea of not being a Yankee after being dealt to the Tigers in December of that year with Jackson for Curtis Granderson. Ian Kennedy went to Arizona in that deal.
“Some time before the 2010 season,’’ Coke answered when asked when it sunk in that he was no longer with the organization he signed with. “It was pretty tough going to spring training [with the Tigers] because the spring training before I was with those guys. It was different for me.’’
Coke helped the Tigers sweep the Yankees in the ALCS, saving two games and being on the mound for the clincher.
On April 4, as they broke camp, the Yankees informed two players they were headed elsewhere. Fan favorite Francisco Cervelli had to report to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, while Kontos, a right-handed reliever, packed his bags for the Giants, who gave backup catcher Chris Stewart to the Yankees — causing Cervelli’s demotion — in a one-for-one trade.
While Cervelli didn’t get a sniff of the big leagues until September, the 27-year-old Kontos spent two months at Triple-A Fresno before getting the call to San Francisco in June. He proceeded to record a 2.47 ERA in 44 appearances. The right-hander limited righty hitters to a .229 batting average, .267 on-base percentage and .385 slugging percentage and performed even better against lefty hitters, holding them to a .167/.246/.222 slash line.
“Unbelievable,” Kontos said, in describing his season. “I was in Triple-A pitching well. I got my opportunity to come up here, and I never really looked back. I got some confidence in me from the coaches, and ever since then, it’s just kind of been pitching off that. Going in there with confidence every outing, trying to execute pitches and getting guys out.”
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Prince Fielder attended Game 4 of the 2007 World Series at Coors Field. He flew in that day to accept the Hank Aaron Award as the National League’s best hitter and doesn’t remember anything about the game itself.
For the last time — and only time — Fielder watched a whole World Series in person, you would have to go back to 1996, when he watched his father, Cecil Fielder, help the Yankees defeat the Braves.
“I went to all of them,” said Fielder, who was 12 at the time. “It was cool.”
Father and son have experienced a strained relationship in recent years.
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Giants manager Bruce Bochy’s blueprint has Buster Posey catching as many games as the World Series lasts. What he does for a DH when the best-of-seven affair shifts to Detroit for the middle three games hasn’t been decided.
“I have a couple of options with [Aubrey] Huff and Hector Sanchez,’’ Bochy said. “ I have not named them yet and I will reserve that until we get to Detroit. I think I have a couple of other options, too. I could put Joaquin Arias at third base and DH Pablo Sandoval.’’
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Madison Bumgarner will be pitching on nine days’ rest Thursday night in Game 2 for the Giants.
“I haven’t been able to tell a difference with the longer layoff,’’ the lefty said. “It shouldn’t be a big difference with the command and stuff. There is no way to really tell until you get out there, but hopefully everything should be fine.’’
Everything hasn’t been fine for Bumgarner this postseason since he is 0-2 with an 11.25 ERA in two starts.
Tigers right-hander Doug Fister, who will match up against Bumgarner, said he is looking forward to working a World Series game in the area he is from.
“Growing up I was a Giants fan and able to come to a couple of games when I was little,’’ the native of Merced, Calif. said. “It’s always been a dream and a goal for me and now it’s happening.’’