Tigers Shut Out Yankees 6-0, Go Ahead 2-1

By Nicholas Stix

In Detroit tonight, Kenny Rogers, aka Mr. Walking-in-a-Run, pitched the game of his life for the Tigers, making the "Greatest Lineup Ever" look like a semipro team. Rogers hit the corners with 90-92 mph fastballs, and drove the Yankees to distraction with backdoor curveballs that broke late and dramatically into the strike zone, and with changeups that dipped into the dirt. In seven-and-two-thirds innings, Rogers struck out eight Yankee batters, scattering five hits.

One month away from his 42nd birthday, Rogers, a huge flop in separate New York stints with the Yankees and Mets, had a terrible postseason history, and a reputation for choking in big games and wilting late in the season. He also had had incidents of bizarre behavior in recent years, including attacking a cameraman. However, he has also had some of his finest seasons as he approached and then passed his 40th birthday. When Rogers pitched in New York, for instance, he rarely broke the 90-mph mark; tonight, the radar gun had his fastball consistently in the 91-92 mph range. This past season he went 17-8 for Detroit.

Several Yankees hitters got so frustrated with Rogers that they argued strike calls with plate umpire Alfonso Marquez -- even when the pitch in question had split the plate.

Detroit manager Jim Leyland has argued that the difference this year with Rogers is that the pitcher played much of his career with the Texas Rangers, where the lefthander would run out of gas in early August, as a result of the Texas heat. While coming north may well have helped the veteran, pitching in Detroit -- during the season and tonight -- also undoubtedly helped a player who could never handle the pressure of pitching in New York.

In a duel of over-40 lefthanders, each with over 200 lifetime victories, Rogers bested 42-year-old future Hall-of-Famer Randy Johnson. Johnson, who pitched in spite of a bulging disc and deteriorating skills, gave up five earned runs in five-and-two-thirds innings.

Johnson had suprising velocity, reaching as high as 98 mph, recalling his glory days, but was hampered by a botched throw during rundown with two out in the second inning by first baseman Jason Giambi, and by a questionable call at third base during the same inning, on a play in which rightfielder Bobby Abreu threw a strike to beat the runner, and third baseman Alex Rodriguez slapped down the tag, but the umpire ruled the runner safe. Both runners went on to score, in what became a three-run inning.

The Yankees now face elimination in the best-of-five series.