ALDS Game 2: Cleveland 2, New York 1

Now this is more what October baseball is supposed to feel like: Game 2 was a gut-wrenching emotional roller coaster that was in direct opposition to the all-out slugfest that preceded it.


Answering the call to take on the Yankees' designated stopper Andy Pettitte, Fausto Carmona pitched possibly the best game of his career so far. Save for one third inning mistake to Melky Cabrera that was promptly hit out of the yard, the Fautastic one was nearly unhittable, getting groundball out after groundball out and putting on a magnificent display of dominant pitching. It's scary to think how good Carmona has become in a year's time (and how much better he might still get).


That said, Pettite was just as good, applying a stranglehold to an Indians offense that ran wild just one day earlier. Until the eighth inning, this was starting to look disturbingly like any one of those awful games the Indians played during their post-break stretch where it took everything they had to muster even a single run to complement Carmona's awesome pitching.


The Indians finally started mounting what looked like a serious rally in the seventh, but it was too late to hit Pettite around, as he had left the game in the hands of "untouchable" rookie phenomenon Joba Chamberlain. By all rights, the game was now New York's to lose, but Mother Nature intervened an inning later, unleashing a bizarre, almost biblical plague of midges upon the playing field. The swarm of bugs changed the direction of the game as a walk and a couple of wild pitches from the distracted Chamberlain (as well as a sacrifice bunt from an otherwise scuffling Asdrubal Cabrera) finally produced a Cleveland run to tie the game.


Mariano Rivera, one of the greatest closers in all of baseball, held the Tribe at 1-1 for two innings afterward, but in the 11th inning, with the bases loaded against reliever Luis Vizcaino, The Pronk came to the plate and in suitably dramatic fashion (full count, 2 outs, bases loaded) popped a base hit up the middle to finally win the game.


Now, the series moves to New York City for Game 3. The Yankees are now backed against the proverbial wall and must win three in a row to advance to the League Championship Series. The Indians, in the meantime, need only to win one ...