Alex Rodriguez homered in the third straight game of his outstanding postseason, Sabathia pitched eight resilient innings of five-hit ball on short rest, and the Yankees beat the Los Angeles Angels 10-1 Tuesday night to take a 3-1 lead in the American League championship series.
Rodriguez had three hits and scored three runs, while Melky Cabrera drove in four runs for the Yankees, who have built a commanding cushion in this wild series with power and pitching.
One day after the Angels handed New York its first playoff loss in an extra-inning thriller, the Yankees calmly asserted control with two early rallies before piling on five runs late.
Rodriguez has driven in at least one run in eight consecutive postseason games, tying the record shared by Lou Gehrig and Ryan Howard, who will attempt to extend his streak Wednesday night when the Phillies host the Dodgers in Game 5 of the NLCS.
Kendry Morales home run produced the Angels only run.
Left-hander Scott Kazmir threw 89 pitches in four-plus innings, allowing four runs, six hits and four walks.
The Yankees broke through against Kazmir with three in the fourth after getting the leadoff man on in each of the first three innings.
Rodriguez started the rally with a leadoff single, went to third on Jorge Posada’s double inside third base and scored one out later when second baseman Howie Kendrick fielded Cano’s grounder and made a high throw to the plate that prevented Mike Napoli from getting the tag down in time. Swisher walked and Cabrera followed with a two-run single.
The Yankees made it 5-0 in the fifth, as Teixeira chased Kazmir with a leadoff single and Rodriguez drove Jason Bulger’s second pitch to left field.
The Angels were on the wrong end of two blown calls by the umpires that inning, one by Dale Scott at second base after Swisher was clearly tagged before he could get back to the bag on a pickoff throw by Darren Oliver.
Moments later, Cabrera hit a comebacker to Oliver, who immediately threw to the plate and got Posada caught in a rundown. Napoli ran Posada back to the bag while Cano coasted into third, and the Angels’ catcher ended up tagging each runner standing off the bag — first Cano, then Posada.
But crew chief Tim McClelland ruled that only Posada was out.
The Angels, who haven’t scored in the first three innings during this series, got on the board in the fifth when Morales homered with one out on Sabathia’s 45th pitch.
