You kept staring at the field and thinking that something about the 2009 ALCS Game 1 Angels looked familiar.
And then it hit you. They resembled the 2002 and 2005 Yankees.
Those previous editions of the Yankees were eliminated in the Division Series by Angels squads that played a more aggressive style on the bases, and made the Yankees look old and slow in the field. They extended at-bats to exhaust and frustrate Yankees pitchers.
So a funny thing happened on the way to this ALCS opener: The Yankees out-Angeled the Angels. They were more alert on the bases, sharper in the field and more economical on the mound.
PHOTOS: YANKEES BEAT ANGELS TO TAKE ALCS LEAD
The Angels, meanwhile, looked like a team that wanted to be back in the warmer climes of Orange County. There were moments you wanted to give a few Angels snuggly hugs and a mug of cocoa, they appeared so discomforted by the wind and chill.
And they had to deal with human forces, namely the relentless nature of the Yankees’ lineup and the strike-throwing panache of CC Sabathia. But on top of that, this version of the Yankees was able to outplay the Angels on the bases and in the field, and all of that led to a 4-1 Game 1 triumph.
“Those [baserunning and defense] are two things that a lot of times show up in the postseason baseball, and they’re real important,” Joe Girardi said.
They were actually Yankees assets during the 162-game schedule, too. They took three out of four from the Angels in a possible September precursor, in part because they ran the bases with zeal and effectiveness.
These are no longer Jason Giambi’s Yankees. They have moved from Jurassic to juggernaut.
A strong wind blew from the outfield in, defying the Yankees’ awesome power, but the Yanks had the versatility to win their fourth straight postseason game.
Meanwhile, the Angels were neither hardy nor hearty. They appeared distracted by the cold as if they would rather be with 26 other vacationing teams than in an LCS. They committed three errors, had another ball drop between two fielders and — in general — moved as if they were actually frozen.
Shortstop Erick Aybar and left fielder Juan Rivera, in particular, apparently did not get the memo that the ALCS actually began last night. Rivera, in a bit of coincidence, was the Yankees’ left fielder in 2002 when they were ousted by the Angels.
And the Yanks should remember those previous series. They won the opener in both 2002 and 2005, and still did not advance. So there is a long way to go, though it is hard to ignore the unstoppable glow about the Yankees these days.
“We are playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Andy Pettitte said. “And could we not?”
It helps self-assurance to have an ace. Sabathia defied his poor history against the Angels by dominating the strike zone. He threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of 29 hitters. “The story tonight was CC’s command to both sides of the plate,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “He changed speeds. He really pitched a great game.”
He was helped by an error-less game behind him, and his own outstanding play on a Torii Hunter bunt in the sixth and Robinson Cano’s sprawling snare in the seventh of a Howie Kendrick grounder. Conversely, the Angels were belying their reputation with sloppiness and inattentiveness.
They did not play like the Angels. The Yankees did. That was the cold reality of Game 1.