Verlander Shuts Down Yankees, Tigers One Win from World Series - East Idaho News
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Verlander Shuts Down Yankees, Tigers One Win from World Series

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Getty Justin Verlander?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1350464346267Gregory Shamus/Getty Images(DETROIT) — Justin Verlander held the New York Yankees to one-run in  8.1 innings, while walking none and striking out three, as the Tigers defeated the Yankees 2-1. The Tigers now lead the best-of-seven AL Championship Series 3-0.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi sat both Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher out for the game.

“I focus on whose in the lineup that given day,” Verlander said when asked about Rodriguez and Swisher not being in the lineup. “I’ve seen a lot of teams shuffle around a lot of lineups when I’m out there, so it doesn’t really phase me if those guys are in their or not.”

“I just need to come up with a game plan to face the certain guys I’m going to face,” he continued.

The Yankees came close to coming back when shortstop Eduardo Nunez led off the ninth-inning with a home run off Verlander to cut the deficit to one. Verlander proceeded to get Brett Gardner to ground out before being taken out of the game for reliever Phil Coke.

Coke got Ichiro to ground out before allowing back-to-back singles to Mark Teixeira and Robinson Cano. But Coke rebounded and struck out Raul Ibanez to win the game.

The Tigers will get a chance to close out the series Wednesday night in Detroit. They will send Max Scherzer to the mound to oppose CC Sabathia. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m. eastern.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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