The New York Yankees won their second game of the American League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night at Yankee Stadium. The Bronx was wet, cold, and filled with the tension of playoff baseball, which was heightened as the exciting game went into extra innings.

The Yankees scored in the second and third inning, leaving the Angels scoreless the 5th inning when they were able to score 2 runs. After that, neither team was able to score a run until the top of the 11th inning when Chone Figgins hit a single to give the angels a 3-2 lead. Alex Rodriguez was able to tie the game in the bottom of the 11th with a home run over the right field wall.

In the bottom of the 13th inning, with 1 out and runners on first and second, Melky Cabrera hit a ground ball to the left of Maicer Izturis, the second basemen for the Angels. Izturis threw Cabrera’s grounder to try to force Robinson Cano out at second base, but his throw was wide of Angels’ short stop, Erick Aybar. The over throw let Jerry Hairston, pinch runner for the Yankees, score the winning run for the Yankees allowing them to come away with a 4-3 victory.

The Yankees have a commanding lead of 2-0 going in to game 3 of the series which is now moving to California. Get your New York Yankee Playoff Tickets now.

Joba Lifts Yankees Over Rays

Joba Chamberlain pitched like the pitcher he’s supposed to be on Wednesday night as he three-hit the Rays (6-2) while the Yankees pushed back up to a three game lead on the Red Sox in the American League East. The win was much needed as the Red Sox had lost two in a row against the A’s and the Yanks needed to capitalize on it.

Offensively, it was a bit of a slugfest for the Yankees as Robinson Cano (16, 6th inning off Garza, 0 on, 2 out), Melky Cabrera (9, 9th inning off Wheeler, 0 on, 0 out), and Mark Teixeira (26, 9th inning off Wheeler, 0 on, 2 out) all hit home runs in the game, while Derek Jeter had a triple and Hideki Matsui a double.

After Chamberlain’s departure, Mariano Rivera had a non-save opportunity in the 9th, where he gave up only one walk while striking out two.

Next up for the Yankees is a four-game series against the contending Chicago White Sox. Both of those teams will be looking for wins in order to bolster their playoff hopes. If you are a fan, you should grab some Yankees tickets and cheer on your team.

Mark Teixeira thought nothing of the hit-by pitch by the Rays’ Matt Garza in the fifth inning of last nights game. But Garza admitted to reporters in the post-game interviews that the plunking was intentional. That changed Tex’s perspective.

“That’s a suspension waiting to happen, when you admit something like that,” Teixeira said. “It’s part of the game. Whether it’s right or not, I don’t know. But it happens. It’s happened to me once or twice a year my entire career.”

Garza admitted to throwing at Teixeira in retaliation for Joba Chamberlain’s earlier pitch that sailed over Evan Longoria’s head. “I hate to be that guy, but someone had to take a stand and say, ‘You know, we’re tired of it,’” Garza told reporters. “‘You can go after our best guy. We’ll make some noise, too.’ And that’s what happened.”

Tex is no stranger to being the target of aggression. As one of the highest paid players on the team, he’s bound to be singled out from time to time. Teixeira has been hit eight times in 97 games this season, after being hit seven times in 157 games last year with the Braves and Angels.

Grab some Yankees tickets and hey, you might even see Mark Teixeira take one of the team…

When it comes to Major League baseball post season, no team is as ubiquitous as the New York Yankees. Having won more than 25 World Series titles and being THE team of the nations largest city puts continuous pressure on the Yankees to perform well and not only make the playoffs, but win – every year.

The past few seasons, expectations have been especially high since the Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2001. In addition, their farm system has produced numerous talents, while they have managed to pick up several established players while still not making the playoffs at all in 2008.

The pressure will continue to mount until they make another run. Could this be the year? Time shall tell. Grab some Yankees tickets and find out.

The New York Yankees have started the second half strong as they have taken a 2.5 game lead in the American League’s volatile Eastern division. Despite a so-so first half that saw the Red Sox sweep the Yankees in 3 series, the Yanks have been solid in the second half so far as Boston has struggled.

With seven games against the Sox in August, the Yanks will need to break their losing streak in order to stay atop the division.

Both the Yankees and the Red Sox are among America’s favorite teams and the AL East has become the premier division in the Major Leagues in the time that both of those teams have prospered.

You gotta love mid-summer baseball. Grab some Yankees ticketsnow and enjoy the show!

Jorge Posada could not start in the Yankees’ game against the Cleveland Indians. Chien-Ming Wang would have to face the team as starter. This was the team that proved that his sinker was not invincible back in the playoffs last year.

Wang, not be undone again, switched up his speed. The result—a 1-0 win for Wang the Yankees, ending a three game losing streak, putting the Yankees at an even .500 mark for the season.

Chamberlain also contributed by striking out two of the three batters. He attributed his strong play with a lot of rest in between games, preventing problems from his left hamstring which irritated him last week.

Rivera ended the game with a powerful two strikeouts, solidifying the win.

Sabathia played well against the Yankees as well, limiting the Yankees to only one run, making it a tough win for New York.

Girardi is quoted in the Daily News as saying:

“It was unbelievable. You need to win games like this, because your offense isn’t always going to score runs.”

Thankfully, the Yankee pitchers were up the challenge, keeping the Indians scoreless in a tough competition. This much needed win will reassure Yankee ticket buyers that this is a season for cheering.

What’s the reason for Yankees manager, Joe Girardi’s strange lineup last week against th Kansas City Royals.

Hideki Matsui ws put in right field. Alex Rodriguez was pushed up to third rather than acting as the usual cleanup hitter, Jorge Posada was placed as the fourth hitter. Robinson Cano was assigned as the seventh hitter rather than the sixth. Morgan Ensberg started at first base. Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi were placed on the bench.

So what’s the reason for all of this shifting? Girardi said that he was trying to readjust things to face left-handed pitcher John Bale. He also said he wanted to rest Abreu.

Whatever his reasons, the result was broke a slump by the Yankees, scoring big and making 12 hits. It was a win that the team seemed to need, preventing a malaise that could have hurt their entire early season.

Pettite also had a great game. Peter Abraham reports:

“Pettitte went 6 2/3 innings, allowing five hits with two walks and one strikeout. Pitching on the road for the first time since admitting that he used Human Growth Hormone, Pettitte received little abuse from the small crowd of 16,143 beyond a handful of fans chanting “HGH” in the second inning.”

It’s good news for a struggling team. It might encourage us New York baseball fans to be more proactive at buying Yankee tickets.

Last week’s most popular events were again dominated by the beginning of the Major League Baseball season. No surprise as this is the final scheduled season for both Yankee and Shea Stadiums in the New York area so fans are lining up to get their last glimpse of the home buildings they’ve all grown up with.

The top events were as follows:

New York Yankees Tickets vs Tampa Bay

New York Mets Tickets vs Philadelphia

Kenny Chesney Tickets

Steely Dan Tickets

Tickets to The Lion King on Broadway