Tribe 6 Yankees 4

The Cleveland Indians are headed to the American League Championship Series as they eliminated the New York Yankees three games to one. Here are my thoughts on the game and the series win:

1. Paul Byrd came through in a big way with a gritty pitching performance. He battled and kept the Yankees off balance with his guts and guile. He also proved Eric Wedge to be a genius for starting him in this big game.


2. Grady got the club started tonight with a big lead off homer and it really set the tone as the Yankees were always battling uphill tonight and in the series.


3. Rafael Perez wasn't as dominant as he has been in the past but he made some big pitches to get out of some jams. He was a big part in winning the series. Rafael Betancourt steadied the fort in the 8th with his pinpoint control. Plus, it just wouldn't of seemed right if Joe Borowski to have him pitch a 1-2-3 inning.


4. The timely hitting in this series had a huge impact on the series and had to be deflating to the Yankees. This also bodes well for us in the next series.


5. The thing that is so special about this Indians team you cant really name one or two guys who were a MVP of the series. It was a total team effort from the batting, defense, and pitching.


6. Eric Wedge and the whole coaching staff deserve a lot of credit. They had the team prepared from the first pitch of game 1. This team plays with the confidence of its manager.


7. One note on the Yankees. Joe Torre is a class act and it was very nice and touching to see him heap praise on the Indians. Mr. Torre deserves a much better fate than he is receiving from his ownership.


8. This win is so gratifying in that it shuts up the National Media who never gave us a chance in this series. I also believe the more you count this team out the harder they play.

The Indians will now head on to the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday night. The pitching match up will be CC Sabathia vs. Josh Beckett.