The Yankees will look to clinch their 40th pennant in their history with a win tonight over the Angels. Here are the lineups:
| Yankees lineups | Angels lineups |
| Derek Jeter SS | Chone Figgins 3B |
| Johnny Damon LF | Bobby Abreu RF |
| Mark Teixeira 1B | Torii Hunter CF |
| Alex Rodriguez 3B | Vladimir Guerrero DH |
| Hideki Matsui DH | Kendry Morales 1B |
| Robinson Cano 2B | Maicer Izturis 2B |
| Nick Swisher RF | Juan Rivera LF |
| Melky Cabrera CF | Jeff Mathis C |
| Jose Molina C | Erick Aybar |
There was some debate over who to put at the DH with Molina catching, but I think Joe Girardi made the right call to slip Matsui on that spot. This way, the Yankees won’t have either Molina or Francisco Cervelli in the lineup all game tonight.
As for the pitching matchup, the Yankees have A.J. Burnett going against John Lackey. Lackey lost a tough duel in Game 1 against CC Sabathia, but he didn’t even make it through the sixth inning, allowing 12 men on base. Burnett quietly put together another strong postseason outing in Game 2’s extra inning win.
My dad alerted me of WFAN answering questions like, “Who should the Yankees start in Game 1 of the World Series?” Folks, it ain’t over ‘til it’s over. The Angels will not slouch tonight. Burnett, Alex Rodriguez and the rest of the gang will have to earn a World Series bid.
