What, the Yankees worry?
The crushing Game 5 loss on Thursday? No big deal. Memories of the 2004 ALCS collapse to the Red Sox? That was a long time ago. The Yankees’ struggles in the past against the Angels? This is a different Yankees team. Torii Hunter’s bold plan for the Angels to “shock the world” this weekend in The Bronx? Get serious.
“Coming into this series, all the talk was how they’ve dominated us over the years and how they were going to be a big problem for us,” Derek Jeter said. “And then, we’re up 3-1 and we lose one game and then people say, ‘Oh, well, we wasted an opportunity’ and ‘What’s wrong with the Yankees?’ It’s a long series. Last I checked, I think we’re in pretty good shape.”
Andy Pettitte is not surprised the ALCS is back in The Bronx. The Yankees’ scheduled starter for Game 6 tonight knew the Angels were a terrific team before the series began — and he knows they remain one now.
“This was not going to be an easy series,” Pettitte, the man poised to pitch the Yankees to their first World Series in six years, said yesterday. “I know I said all along that it was going to be a battle, and that’s what we’ve got on our hands.”
Fresh off the Angels’ comeback victory in Game 5 in Anaheim (or the Yankees’ blown opportunity, if you prefer) the two teams will square off tonight at Yankee Stadium — weather permitting. Pettitte will be opposed by fellow left-hander Joe Saunders.
The Yankees, despite blowing a two-run lead in the seventh inning of Game 5 and giving the Angels renewed confidence, publicly are certain about the series. It’s hard to blame them. They will be home for the next two games and they were baseball’s best home team this year. They’re undefeated at home in the playoffs (4-0) and even if they can’t clinch the series tonight, they will have CC Sabathia (who has been absurdly good in his three postseason starts) set to pitch again in Game 7.
“We’re still in the driver’s seat,” pitching coach Dave Eiland said. “We’re up 3-2. We’re not down 3-2.”
Nevertheless, Hunter vows his team will not go down without a fight.
“I promise you, that’s the plan . . . to shock the world,” the Angels center fielder told The Post’s Kevin Kernan during a workout yesterday in Anaheim, Calif. “We never give up.”
Jeter was amused when informed of Hunter’s promise, but said the Angel’s pledge won’t become Yankees bulletin-board fodder.
“Why would you need any extra motivation this time of the year?” Jeter asked. “I mean it might pump up the fans, but not me.
“[Hunter’s a] really good guy. But I think the fans are going to be ready for him.”
Of course, the Angels will be ready for Game 6 — and a possible Game 7 — also.
“We’re confident that we’re going to move forward and play well and get this done,” manager Mike Scioscia said.
If the Yankees win tonight, they will end any comparison with the 2004 team that squandered a 3-0 edge in the ALCS by losing four straight to the Red Sox. The Yankees will be in the World Series, set to tackle the Phillies and go for their 27th world championship. They will not have to worry about a Game 7 and they will be well rested and perfectly positioned for the Fall Classic.
But if the Yankees lose tonight, they will need to play a do-or-die Game 7 tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium, meaning there would remain a chance for their season to end without a World Series appearance — just like in 2004.
“It’s a different team,” Jeter said when asked about comparisons with that 2004 squad.
Additional reporting by
Jay Greenberg