I can't believe I haven't been following these games! Just one thought from the one replay I was able to catch:
*Alex Rodriguez's dramatic game tying home run in the bottom of the 11th inning would not have been a home run in the old Yankee Stadium. For two reasons:
1.) That wall down the right field line would have been further out, since in the old plan it bowed like ) instead of connected straight like |.
2.) That same right field wall would have been at least two feet higher than it currently stands!!!
Maybe the Yanks would have come back to win it anyway; they do have a beast of a lineup no matter where they're playing. But when evaluating the overall strengths and weaknesses of the teams in the playoffs, it's interesting to try and figure how many Yankee wins can be accounted for by their ludicrous new ballpark alone? An extreme hitters' park can drastically affect the performance of an extremely offensive-oriented team.
It's probably not that much of a difference, but neither is there much of a difference between the Angels' 97 wins and the Yankees' 103. Especially considering that the Yankees scored only 32 more runs than the Angels all season. Not that many considering they scored 98 more runs than the Twins (the AL team with the lowest run total in the playoffs) and 275 more runs than the Mariners (the team with the lowest run total in the AL). I wouldn't count out either team just yet.
And, if the Angels came back to win it, it wouldn't be the first time the Yankees would have blown a series after going up two games to none. I'm just sayin, it's not over yet....
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