In the Yankees’ final two wins of the ALDS, the hitter who put them ahead for good in each was Raul Ibanez.
Ibanez was a monster in the Yankees’ five-game ALDS triumph over the Orioles, continuing his incredible clutch hitting in last night’s do-or-die Game 5. The 40-year-old delivered an RBI single in the fifth inning, snapping a scoreless tie and paving the way for the Yankees’ 3-1 triumph.
Ibanez also won Game 3 almost single-handedly, thanks to his game-tying homer in the ninth inning and his game-winning homer in the 12th.
“Legendary series for Ibanez,” Russell Martin said.
Ibanez is now in the ALCS for the fourth time, and he will continue his quest for his first championship ring. He has advanced just once to the World Series, that coming in 2009 with the Phillies — when they lost to the Yankees.
Ibanez and CC Sabathia are the biggest reasons the Yankees advanced over Buck Showalter’s resilient Baltimore group. Pretty good, considering Ibanez had just nine at-bats the entire series.
“That’s [been] Raul’s whole season,” Mark Teixeira said.
Ibanez has been on a surge, particularly with his ability to come through in the clutch. On Sept. 22, he slammed a game-tying homer against the A’s in the 13th inning. On Oct. 2, he blasted a game-tying homer against the Red Sox in the ninth, then smacked the game-winning single in the 12th.
Last night, Ibanez came through in the fifth after the Yankees had no baserunners in the first four innings against Jason Hammel. Teixeira opened the inning with a single, then stole second. Ibanez then grounded a full-count slider up the middle for a 1-0 lead, and the Yankees would never trail after that.
Ibanez entered the ALDS with a career playoff average of just .231 (27-for-117), but hit .444 (4-for-9) in this series. He has struggled in the past in his three League Championship Series, hitting a combined .152 (7-for-46). Ibanez will have to try to reverse that against the Tigers, against whom he hit just .115 (3-for-26) this season.
Ibanez was asked last night if he’s going to play next season, and he dismissed the question for now.
“That’s too far ahead. The only thing I’m focusing on is tomorrow,” he said. “But first, celebrate.”