Yankees Top Sloppy Angels 4-1

On a blustery night more suited to bobsleds than baseballs, CC Sabathia pitched eight superb innings of four-hit ball to win his second straight postseason start, and the New York Yankees took advantage of a rare sloppy game by the Angels to win the AL championship series opener 4-1.

The Angels looked like chilled Californians withering in the unseasonable wintry weather, making three errors that led to two unearned runs and allowing Hideki Matsui's infield popup to drop untouched for an RBI single. But the way Sabathia pitched, the Yankees didn't need much offense. Sabathia is 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA in his first postseason with the Yankees. He gave up a double and three singles, struck out seven and walked one, going to a three-balls count just twice. (More baseball stories.)