BRONX BOMBERS FACE TEXAS RANGERS IN THE AL CHAMPIONSHIP ON FRIDAY

Sportsnet will also have opening of NL Championship Series this Saturday

TORONTO (October 13, 2010) – The New York Yankees’ quest to defend their title continues when they face the Texas Rangers in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Friday, October 15 at 8 p.m. (ET)/6 p.m. (MT) on Rogers Sportsnet East, Ontario and West channels. ** Please note, Sportsnet Ontario will join the game following the Toronto Maple Leafs broadcast.

The National League Championship Series gets underway with a great pitchers duel as Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies host Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco Giants on Saturday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m. (ET)/4:30 p.m. (PT) on the Rogers Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific channels.

Sportsnet will have all the bases covered during the playoffs as former Toronto Blue Jays catcher Greg Zaun and host Jamie Campbell will be in-studio for a half-hour preview show prior to each game of the American League Championship Series, National League Championship Series and World Series. Sportsnet Connected reporter Barry Davis will provide on-field reports from all ALCS games while reporter Craig MacEwen will do the same for the NLCS series.

Yankees are 11-2 in ALCS and seeking their 41st pennant and 28th World Series crown. Last year, the Bronx Bombers took the Championship series in six games over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, on route to winning the World Series versus the Philadelphia Phillies. Yankees went 1-4 in Texas this season. The Rangers are in ALCS for the first time in franchise history. This also marks the first time Texas has owned home-field advantage in a post-season series. Prior to their 2010 ALDS win over the Tampa Bay Rays, Texas was the only MLB team that had yet to win a postseason series, with their three previous playoff appearances (1996, 1998, and 1999) all resulting in first round losses to the Yankees.

After a historic no-hitter performance versus the Cincinnati Reds in his playoff debut, Halladay returns for the opening pitch of the NLCS. However, Halladay is 0-2 lifetime vs. the Giants with a 7.23 ERA, his highest for any opponent he’s started against at least three times. In fact, the Giants handed Halladay his first NL loss while beating the Phillies in late April. Phillies were 3-3 against the Giants during the regular season. Philadelphia has a chance to become the first NL team to win three straight pennants since the St. Louis Cardinals from 1942-44. San Francisco took the NLDS 3-1 over the Atlanta Braves. The only player to hit at least three career home runs off Lincecum is Phillies’ slugger Ryan Howard, who led the team with 31 homers this season.

For the full schedule details, please go to sportsnet.ca

For all the scores, highlights, breaking news and inside stories from MLB, tune in to Sportsnet Connected and log on to sportsnet.ca. “Sports. Your style.”

Rogers Sportsnet provides HD live-event coverage of Major League Baseball's 2010 World Series, NL and AL League Championships, MLB Divisionals and the Toronto Blue Jays.

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