Bryan Hoch / MLB.com ARLINGTON -- Marcus Thames' go-ahead RBI single capped a classic late comeback as the Yankees rallied from five runs down to defeat the Rangers, 6-5, in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series at Rangers Ballpark on Friday night. Thames' broken-bat line drive to left off Derek Holland, the fifth Texas pitcher, provided the margin of victory after New York clawed back from a five-run deficit and rebounded from being shut down by left-handed starter C.J. Wilson. The surge marked the Yankees' 10th consecutive playoff win against the Rangers, a streak dating to 1996. Teams that have won Game 1 of the ALCS have gone on to win the series 24 of the previous 40 times, and the winners of the first LCS game -- both leagues combined -- have won 52 of the 80 series. Robinson Cano was the first to the party in this one, slugging a seventh-inning homer off Wilson to break up the shutout, and New York batted around in a five-run eighth inning to take the lead as the Rangers searched in vain for assistance from their bullpen. "The difference for me this year has been that I have not chased pitches the way I was before," Cano said. "Now I look for a pitch I can drive. "We know we've got fighters, and you've got to play 27 outs against us. Hopefully, it will go the same way tomorrow." Brett Gardner started the eighth by beating out an infield single with a head-first slide, and Derek Jeter followed by lacing a run-scoring double down the left-field line on Wilson's final pitch. "You don't know where it can lead," Gardner said. "The first seven innings did not go well for us, and I just tried to get something going. I hit the ball on the right side and made a run for it. Sometimes I think I can get there faster [by diving into the bag], depending on how my body is leaning. I was close to the bag and dove, and it worked out." Darren Oliver relieved but issued walks to both Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira, and Alex Rodriguez greeted reliever Darren O'Day with a sharp single that bounced past third baseman Michael Young, driving home two runs. Cano tied the game with a run-scoring single to center off Clay Rapada before Thames, who also hit a two-run homer in the Yankees' decisive Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the Twins, came through with the go-ahead hit. The late drive took CC Sabathia off the hook from a shaky start, as the left-hander couldn't shake his rust from a long layoff and was knocked out after four innings, allowing five runs. Though Sabathia was dominant in last year's ALCS against the Angels, locking up MVP honors, the Yankees were concerned that he might be too strong on eight days' rest, having not thrown in a game situation since winning the first game of the ALDS against Minnesota. Those fears proved to be well-founded. Sabathia ran up a high pitch count quickly and exited earlier than anticipated in front of what began as a frenzied, towel-waving crowd of 50,930 at Rangers Ballpark. Seven of Sabathia's first eight pitches sailed out of the zone, and after opening the first with a walk and a hit, Sabathia hung a breaking ball that Josh Hamilton slugged to right for a three-run homer, an estimated 365-foot blast. Vladimir Guerrero followed with a shot to deep center that died just feet short of the wall for a long, loud out, but Sabathia's troubles continued, leading into a four-pitch walk to Matt Treanor that loaded the bases. Sabathia was able to escape that inning thanks to a fortunate bounce, as a wild pitch ricocheted behind the plate and came back to catcher Jorge Posada, who flipped underhand to Sabathia just in time for the hurler to slap a tag on the left shoulder of the sliding Nelson Cruz. Needing 36 pitches to get through that first inning, Sabathia settled in going into the fourth, when Texas' bats caught up. After a couple of hits, Young connected with Sabathia's 84th pitch for a two-out, two-run double, bringing home the Rangers' fourth and fifth runs. Sabathia allowed six hits, walked four and struck out three, raising his ERA to 5.83 in five postseason starts in which he has six days of rest or more. "It was an uncharacteristic start for him," Gardner said of Sabathia. "It happens. We knew the bullpen could come in and shut the door and keep it where it's at, and they did just that. We were able to come back and get five big runs in the eighth. And with Mariano [Rivera] ready to come in in the ninth, you feel pretty good." Meanwhile, Wilson was sharp, retiring the first seven Yankees and evaded trouble by stranding two men aboard in both the third and fourth innings, then inducing a double play on Jeter to end the fifth inning before Cano finally broke through with his seventh-inning homer. Joba Chamberlain hurled a scoreless fifth inning and Dustin Moseley set down the Rangers with an effective relief appearance that began in the sixth, holding the fort to allow the comeback to percolate.
