ANAHEIM, Calif. — Had Tuesday gone as planned for the red-splashed sellout crowd, it would have been defined by a Rally Monkey. Instead, the night began with the tail wagging the dog as Major League Baseball determined that Mariano Rivera’s spitting image on a YouTube video was a mirage.
But even that isn’t what many baseball fans are talking about at water coolers and on computers this morning.
On an evening when the Yankees won 10-1 over the Angels in Game 4, tightening their grip on the American League Championship Series by increasing the lead to 3-1, another episode of the Umpire Strikes Back broke out.
CC Sabathia worked eight masterful innings and Alex Rodriguez continued his Mr. October routine with his fifth home run this postseason. And yet, third-base umpire Tim McClelland was in the interview room before him.
“I missed two calls,” McClelland said glumly, taking no consolation in the fact that neither affected the outcome.
For Rockies fans still seething over bad calls in the division series against the Phillies, perhaps this can provide solace. It’s not just your team. It has been everyone’s team this fall.
Fortunately for baseball, McClelland’s gaffes did more to fuel conversation about expanding instant replay than help either club.
The Yankees overwhelmed the Angels, moving to within a victory of their first World Series appearance since 2003. They haven’t won a championship since 2000, but this has the feel of a title team. As always, the Yankees are well-financed, but last winter they spent more wisely. The list starts with Sabathia.
Not only did he take the Yankees’ $161 million contract, but he accepted all the responsibility that comes along with it. He has been an ace in every sense of the word, winning for the third time this postseason.
“You have a lot of confidence when he’s out there,” shortstop Derek Jeter said. “But we had to battle. They get a couple of guys on, that monkey comes out and anything can happen.”
With Sabathia suffocating the Angels, the Yankees’ lineup showed versatility lacking in the postseason. Stuck in a 3-for-34 rut with runners in scoring position in the series, the sluggers broke loose. Melky Cabrera delivered a two-run single. Rodriguez homered, tying him with Reggie Jackson on the Yankees’ all-time list for a single postseason.
Despite the largesse of CC and A-Rod, they were overshadowed by McClelland in markets not connected to these teams. In the fourth, Swisher appeared to be picked off at second base. In what smacked of a makeup call, McClelland ruled Swisher out for leaving too early on a potential sacrifice fly moments later. Replays showed McClelland was wrong.
It went from bad to worse in the fifth when Jorge Posada was trapped in a rundown. As Posada retreated to third base, catcher Mike Napoli tagged Posada and Robinson Cano, who inexplicably stopped two feet from third. McClelland ruled only Posada out.
“In my heart, I thought (Swisher) left too soon. And I thought Cano was on the base,” McClelland said. “I am just out there trying to do my job and do it the best I can. And unfortunately there was by instant replay (showing) that there were two missed calls.”
Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com
Game breakdown
Key moment: The Yankees were 3-for-34 with runners in scoring position when Melky Cabrera hit a two-run single in the fourth, bringing color to white knuckles.
Turning point: Alex Rodriguez’s two-run homer in the fifth inning deflated the Angels, creating an insurmountable deficit.
Brightest star: CC Sabathia, working on three days’ rest, allowed one run over eight innings. He’s 5-2 in his career working on short rest.
Falling star: Third-base umpire Tim McClelland. He blew two calls, on a tag play and a double play, extending the trend of horrible work by the men in blue this fall. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post
ALCS
(Best of seven; all times MDT; KDVR-31)
YANKEES VS. ANGELS
(New York leads series 3-1)
Friday: New York 4, L.A. 1
Saturday: New York 4, L.A. 3 (13)
Monday: L.A. 5, N.Y. 4 (11)
Tuesday: New York 10, L.A. 1
Thursday: at L.A., 5:57 p.m.
*Saturday: at N.Y., 2:13 p.m.
*Sunday: at N.Y., 6:20 p.m.
* if necessary
