Yankees advance in AL playoffs by ousting Orioles

C.C. Sabathia struck out nine in pitching a complete-game victory for the New York Yankees, who defeated Baltimore 3-1 to eliminate the Orioles from the Major League Baseball playoffs. The Yankees, 27-time World Series champions, on Friday won the series three games to two and advanced to the best-of-seven American League Championship Series against the Detroit Tigers that opens on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Sabathia pitched the first complete game for the Yankees in the playoffs since Roger Clemens in 2000 after coming within one out of doing it in an earlier victory over Baltimore in the divisional series. "I felt good early in the game, kept the pitch count down early, felt good and was able to finish the game," Sabathia said. "I was able to get the win. Hopefully I will be able to keep it going." In the clincher, the 32-year-old left-hander surrendered only four hits and allowed just one walk while giving up only one run, pitching his way out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth. "In the eighth I got a little erratic," Sabathia said. "I was able to get through it and close it out and get the win." Sabathia improved to 7-1 after his first 12 playoff starts for the Yankees, his .875 win percentage the best of any pitcher in Yankees history over their first 12 playoff starts. Former Tiger Curtis Granderson gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead in the seventh by blasting a solo homer into the right-field stands. While New York's offense has been anemic, it has provided enough scoring to win. "We're not doing all the things we want offensively but we did enough to advance," Granderson said. "We're going to enjoy it but in the short turnaround we realize we've got to come back and get after it." Granderson knows his former club will be ready to test the Yankees once again with a berth in the World Series at stake. New York went 6-4 against Detroit this season. "They are going to be excited," he said. "They're going to be energetic and they are going to be ready to play." Baltimore managed only one hit off Sabathia in the first seven innings but finally tagged him for a run in the eighth. Matt Weiters singled and Manny Machado walked ahead of Lew Ford's one-out single to left field to send Weiters home and Machado to second. Robert Andino then singled to load the bases with only one out. But Sabathia struck out Nate McLouth and induced a ground out from J.J. Hardy to end the threat. Sabathia sent down the Orioles in order in the ninth to complete the victory. The Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning when Mark Teixeira singled, stole second base and scored when Raul Ibanez singled to centerfield. New York stretched the lead in the sixth when Derek Jeter walked and scored when Japanese star Ichiro Suzuki smacked a double off the centerfield wall. Yankees manager Joe Girardi, still grieving the death of his father a week ago, decided to bench the highest-paid player in the major leagues, slumping slugger Alex Rodriguez, to try and spark some better batting. But it was the Orioles who saw their bats fall silent most of the night, ending their first playoff appearance since 1997 much earlier than they had hoped. "It's not goodbye to this group, it's 'See you later,'" said Orioles manager Buck Showalter. "This is a special group. They care about playing for their teammates and playing to a certain standard."