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The Cleveland Indians beat the New York Yankees 6-4 last night to advance to the American League Championship Series. This is the third year in a row when the Yankees are ousted in the first round of the playoffs.
New York pitcher Chien-Ming Wang allowed four runs to the Indians in the first two innings at the Yankee Stadium, who won the best-of-five Major League Baseball series 3-1. They will next face the Boston Red Sox for a place in the World Series.
"Playing a team like the New York Yankees and winning on the road shows a lot,'' Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "As it's been all year, it was a team effort.''
After allowing five hits and four runs and failing to get an out in the second inning, Wang was taken out. He’ at his at his second loss in the AL Division Series after leading the Yankees with 19 wins in the regular season.
For the Indians, pitcher Paul Byrd won the game as he held the Yankees, the leading scorers in the majors this season, to two runs in five innings.
"I just tried to battle, get ahead in the count and get them to hit my pitch,'' Byrd said after his second career win against the Yankees and first since 1999. “I got some big outs with guys on base.''
Future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens may have pitched his last game on Monday. The 45-year-old right hander threw just 2 1/3 innings and allowed three runs and four hits while walking two and striking one out. He eventually was taken out due to a left hamstring injury. He just had resumed playing after several injuries which kept him of the court since September 16. The most notable of those injuries was his right elbow and left hamstring.
This game may have been the last for New York manager Joe Torre as well. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner told the Record of Bergen County that is very likely that Torre won’t coach New York next year if he doesn’t lead them past the Indians.
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