Cleveland Rocks!

The New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Indians all six times the two teams battled this season. The Yankees players entered yesterday’s game with 350 games of combined postseason experience, while the Indians players—if you took away Kenny Lofton—had a combined grand total of zero playoff experience. But none of that mattered last night at Jacobs Field, where the Tribe skinned the Yankees alive, pummeling New York’s pitching in a [12-3 blowout].

Johnny Damon led off the postseason by blasting a home run off C.C. Sabathia on the fifth pitch of the game, and it look as if the Bronx Bombers’ domination of Sabathia might continue. But the burly lefthander settled down to pitch five gritty innings and escaped a potentially disastrous fifth-inning, one-out, bases-loaded jam while only surrendering one run, and the Indians gave him plenty of run support. Kenny Lofton totaled three hits and four RBIs and Cleveland smashed four home runs, as they tagged New York starter Chien-Ming Wang for eight runs in just four and two-thirds innings.

The loss put the Yankees behind 1-0 in this short, best-of-five series. The two teams [meet again tonight], with Ol’ Reliable Andy Pettite taking the hill for the Yankees and young fireballer Fausto Carmona pitching for Cleveland. No worries, though. The Indians were due, considering all Native Americans have done over the past 300 years is lose everything they’ve ever owned or been involved with. New York should get a “W” tonight.