The 2010 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was the best-of-seven game series pitting the winners of the 2010 American League Division Series for the American League Championship. The American League wild card-winning New York Yankees faced the American League West Division champions Texas Rangers. The Rangers won the 2010 ALCS and faced the National League champion San Francisco Giants in the 2010 World Series, the franchise's first ever appearance in the World Series, but would go on to lose to the Giants in five games. The series, the 41st in league history, began October 15 and ended on October 22. The Rangers had home field advantage in the series, as the wild-card team defers home field advantage in the LDS and LCS regardless of regular-season record.
The Rangers and Yankees had met in the postseason in each of the Rangers' three previous postseason appearances; the Yankees had won all previous meetings, 3–1 in the 1996 ALDS, and 3–0 in the 1998 and 1999 ALDS.
Summary
Texas Rangers vs. New York Yankees
Game summaries
Game 1
The Yankees quickly fell behind as the Rangers got to their ace, CC Sabathia. In the first inning Josh Hamilton cracked a three-run home run to put Texas out in front. Michael Young added two more runs in the fourth with a double. Rangers starter C. J. Wilson had gone for seven strong innings, allowing only a single earned run, a solo homer by Robinson Canó.
In the eighth inning, New York left fielder Brett Gardner reached base on an infield single to lead off the top of the inning and scored on a double by Derek Jeter. Darren Oliver relieved Wilson and allowed back-to-back walks to Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira to load the bases with nobody out for Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez hit a two-RBI single, reducing the deficit to 5–4. Robinson Canó tied the game with a single and Marcus Thames followed with a single of his own to give the Yankees a 6–5 lead.
That lead would be enough, as Kerry Wood shut down the Rangers in the eighth and in the ninth Mariano Rivera secured his 42nd postseason save, his final postseason save of his career.
Game 2
Once again the Yankees starter, this time Phil Hughes, lasted only four innings. The Rangers' Elvis Andrus scored on a double steal in the bottom of the first inning. David Murphy's solo home run in the second and three straight two-out hits by Mitch Moreland, Elvis Andrus, and Michael Young made the score 3–0.
Nelson Cruz hit a lead-off double off the right field wall in the bottom of the third and advanced to third base on Ian Kinsler's sacrifice bunt. Murphy and Bengie Molina's consecutive doubles increased the lead to five.
Robinson Canó answered with a lead-off double off the center field wall in the top of the fourth. Canó advanced to third on a wild pitch. Colby Lewis struck out Nick Swisher and Jorge Posada, but surrendered an RBI single to Lance Berkman. Berkman's hard hit just passed first baseman Moreland's glove but Moreland recovered the ball and caught Berkman between first and second base.
Cruz hit another lead-off double in the bottom of the fifth and scored on Kinsler's RBI triple. Hughes was then relieved by Joba Chamberlain. Chamberlain struck out Murphy and Molina, but surrendered an RBI single to Moreland.
Canó hit a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning, but, despite having runners in scoring position the next three innings, the Yankees never scored again.
This was the Rangers' first postseason home game win, and it also snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Yankees in postseason dating back to Game 2 of the 1996 ALDS.
Game 3
Rangers ace Cliff Lee continued his postseason dominance as he pitched eight scoreless innings on 122 pitches, striking out 13 while allowing only two hits and one walk. Josh Hamilton's two-run homer in the top of the first inning gave the Rangers an early lead which they never relinquished. After the Hamilton home run, Yankees starter Andy Pettitte threw scoreless innings, while reliever Kerry Wood pitched a scoreless eighth inning.