MLB Playoff Goat will point out the most dubious factor that resulted in a postseason loss on a daily basis.In a game where C.C. Sabathia threw 114 pitches and was squeezed all night by Bruce Froemming, a halfway decent start by the Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang would have gone a long way towards taking a 1-0 lead in their best of five.
Instead, Wang laid an egg and the Yanks never had a chance.
Wang has never been a great pitcher in the first inning ... he has a .272 batting average against in the first inning this season, while giving up 17 runs. The conventional wisdom has always been that it's best to get to Wang early. But with a 1-0 lead after Johnny Damon's home run, the Yankees could have really used a good first inning by Wang. And after giving up three in that frame, he gave up another in the third and four more in the fifth. His line: nine hits, four walks, and eight runs in four and two thirds. Not a line befitting a game one starter.
