Yankees and Angels Ride Brooms To The ALCS 4
Erick Aybar and the Angels swept the Red Sox to earn a date with the Yankees in the American League Championship Series.
With Halloween approaching, it seems only fitting that the Angels and Yankees should ride brooms into the ALCS, sweeping Minnesota and Boston respectively. Based on those performances, baseball fans are in for a postseason that is markedly different from the recent past.
The Angels, who have left the dance early in ’04, ’07, and ’08 – all to the Red Sox – finally found a way to beat the Boston bunch. Pitching turned out to be the answer for the Halos, held the sometimes potent Boston line-up to a .186 batting average as they blew past them for a berth in the ALCS.
John Lackey and Jered Weaver, combined for some impressive numbers over the first two games. A combined ERA of .062, 7.1 innings in each of their starts allowed only one single run. And while Darren Oliver’s game three performance was lack luster, the Angels put together a come-from-behind win, compliments of a timely single by Vlad Guerrero.