This was the night Justin Verlander had been waiting for ever since he struggled through October as a worn-out rookie five years ago.
Now a tireless ace for a new group of blue-collar Tigers, Verlander struck out 11 in eight gritty innings to lead Detroit past the New York Yankees 5-4 Monday night in Game 3 of their American League playoff.
And once Jose Valverde whiffed Derek Jeter with two on to end another drama-filled ninth, the Tigers were one win from the AL championship series.
"This is the first time I've been in this situation and felt good. In 2006 as a rookie, I was pretty fatigued," Verlander said. "I've worked my tail off since then, and I feel like every year I've been ready for this. And this is why I work so hard. There's no point in holding anything back now."Gardner lined a 3-2 pitch from Verlander to left-center. By the time Jackson raced over to retrieve the ball and unleashed a mediocre throw back to the infield, both runners were on their way home for a 4-all tie.
But that was it for the Yankees, and now their season rests in the hands of Burnett."I feel good about what A.J. is going to do for us tomorrow," Girardi said.NOTES: Burnett went 11-11 with a 5.15 ERA in the regular season. ... Verlander and Sabathia were the first AL pitchers to start Games 1 and 3 of a postseason series since Oakland's Dave Stewart in the earthquake-interrupted 1989 World Series against San Francisco. ... Actor Jeff Daniels, who is a big fan of Michigan sports, stood on the Detroit dugout about a half-hour before the game and played "Tiger Fan Blues 2011" for the crowd.
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