Jayson Nix filled in nearly flawlessly at shortstop for Derek Jeter, but he and Robinson Cano were unable to turn a double play that led to the Tigers’ first run in their 3-0 ALCS Game 2 win over the Yankees yesterday.
With runners on the corners and one out in the seventh, Delmon Young hit a chopper to Nix, who quickly fired to Cano at second. Cano couldn’t get the ball out of his glove with Miguel Cabrera charging at him, allowing Young to reach first safely — and Quintin Berry to score the game’s first run.
“I knew the play would be close,” Cano said. “I asked some guys who saw the replay and some said [Young] would have been safe.”
But he insisted his drop wasn’t the result of rushing.
“I just didn’t get a grip on the ball,” Cano said. “That’s the way I always turn a double play.”
“I knew it was bang-bang,” Nix said. “You never know how Delmon is running … but it was a tough ball to turn.”
Nix, replacing Jeter after the shortstop fractured his left ankle in the 12th inning of Saturday night’s loss in Game 1, made every play, but like the rest of the lineup, was dominated by Detroit pitching.
In the seventh, with the score still 1-0, Curtis Granderson was on second with two out, but Nix struck out against Tigers’ starter Anibal Sanchez.
Nix said he considered himself prepared to take over for Jeter, who is out the remainder of the postseason.
“Don’t think this situation hasn’t crossed my mind,” Nix said before he went 0-for-3. “These are things I have to consider. If certain guys go down, I’m up: If it’s Robbie, Derek or Alex [Rodriguez]. I’m obviously surprised and stunned it happened to Derek, but these are the kinds of things you have to be ready for.”
Nix, who signed with the Yankees in the offseason and began the year with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, now figures to play a key role for as long as the Yankees remain in the playoffs.
That was the message Jeter delivered to Nix before yesterday’s game.
“I talked to him [Saturday] night and he sent me a text this morning,” Nix said. “He just said good luck. He said he believes in me and a ‘Go get ‘em’ type of thing.”
And Nix fielded everything that came his way.
“We see it as just another challenge we’re up [against],” Nix said. “We’ve been through a lot this year. A lot of guys have gone down. We came through it and we played well. The Orioles put their best shot. … [and] we had injuries and stuff and we took the punches and we came through it. We’re ready for it.”