Mark Texiera hit a single. So did Robinson Cano. And down by a single run with a two outs and a 3-2 count, the Philadelphia Phillies turned Yankees savior Raul Ibanez stepped into the batters box. One devastatingly gutsy slider from Phil Coke later, the Yankees officially have their back against the wall.

The question now is simple – can the 2012 Yankees match what only the 2004 Red Sox have managed to do in the history of baseball – come back from down 0-3 in the ALCS? I doubt it, but I wouldn’t rule them out just yet. CC Sabathia will be taking the mound in game 4, and the Yankees bats just have to come alive at some point. If they manage to in time, watch out.

Last night’s game really brought three issues to light for me. The first is the issue of the Yankees’ team chemistry. New York fans have been so quick to point out the Red Sox flawed chemistry, that perhaps they haven’t spent enough time reflecting on their own team’s lack thereof. There’s no question that the Yankees clubhouse doesn’t even begin to resemble the catastrophe that was the Red Sox this past season – hell, they made the playoffs. But I think it’s been apparent for a long time now that while stockpiling loads of talent can win you a championship on occasion, it’s incredibly tough to do it without the right chemistry in the dugout and locker room. Do you think the Yankees have the chemistry that the 2004 Red Sox had? Far from it. How about the Tigers of this season? No way. If you think the Yankees are playing for each other and not simply for those fat paychecks the only thing smoking more than you is Justin Verlander’s right shoulder.

Which brings me nicely to the subject of Justin Verlander, whose 132 pitch performance last night was yet another gem. Verlander’s last two seasons represent undoubtedly the most dominating pitching we’ve seen since Pedro Martinez decided to light up the league from 1997-2003. I can rest somewhat assured knowing that if the Yankees do push this series to seven games, it will be Verlander taking the mound.

All of this makes me think back to March, when I wrote my 2012 Red Sox season preview and mused on the competitive landscape of the AL. I wrote, “The Yankees will be good. The Tigers will be awesome.” And after a season in which I heard so much about the Yankees playing so well despite so many injuries, coupled with the Tigers’ relatively lackluster performance in the regular season, this sentiment seems to be ringing true at last. Detroit is now 9-3 against the Yankees in their last 12 meetings.

At the end of the day it’s tough to match up against a team with the most dominant pitcher in baseball, a triple crown winner, and Prince Fielder thrown in, just for good measure. I had been rooting for the Nats to win it all, but I’m now solidly in camp Detroit.

Anytime a starting pitcher seriously enters the MVP conversation, the grumbling begins. I get it – pitchers have the Cy Young award, their highest honor, all to themselves. Why should they be eligible to win the MVP award as well? This point aside, how can a starting pitcher be considered the most valuable when they are only on the field every fifth day and don’t play offense in the American League?

These grumblings became much louder yesterday when Detroit’s Justin Verlander became the first starting pitcher in 25 years to win the MVP award. I wrote previously on my 2011 MVP award picks, purposely choosing a position player as the MVP while noting that I thought Verlander really should get the nod. I’m glad he did, and I for one have no problem with a pitcher winning the award. I think that Verlander was the most valuable to his team, and until the award is renamed to the Offensive Player of the Year or something similar, he’s the right pick.

There’s a million different ways I could try to quantify this argument, but in this instance I think a simple argument works best. So here it goes…

In 2011 Justin Verlander had more wins than any pitcher in two decades. He led the league in earned run average. He led the league in strikeouts. And he pitched a no-hitter. What more can you possibly do as a pitcher?

Is that not enough? What do you think?

Verlander’s season, simply put, was that good. I also have to give props to my boy Jacoby Ellsbury, who came in second in the voting with 242 points to Verlander’s 280.

With the regular season in the books, here are my 2011 Cy Young Award winners. In both leagues this was a relatively easy pick this year, so I threw in a runner up and a sleeper pick – a player you might not have expected or whose season is worthy of closer examination. Here we go…

American League

howiGit’s 2011 Cy Young Award Winner: Justin Verlander
24-5, 2.40 ERA, 251 IP, 250 SO, BAA .192, 4 CG, 2 SHO
The best pitcher in major league baseball this year, bar none. Good for Justin. Let’s hope his arm wasn’t worn out in the regular season.

Runner Up: Jered Weaver
18-8, 2.41 ERA, 235 IP, 198 SO, .212 BAA, 4 CG, 2 SHO
Dear Jered Weaver – your motion is silly as shit… I just can’t seem to get into you. I’m still not convinced that you are actually that good at pitching. But somehow major league hitters can’t seem to get hits off of you. It pisses me off.

My Sleeper Pick: Josh Beckett
13-7, 2.89 ERA, 193 IP, .211 BAA

Homer pick, homer pick, blah blah blah I know. I’ve touted Beckett’s season all year and I’m sticking by my guns; hear me out. He was 5th in the league in ERA, 4th in the league in WHIP, 3rd BAA, 2nd in the league in opponent’s slugging percentage. What does this tell me? Beckett was damn hard to get a hit against, and if you did, chances were you weren’t exactly hitting the ball hard. Let me refer you to an article I wrote earlier in the season; on July 29th: “In his four losses he’s let up an average of 3.25 runs, with the Red Sox providing him with an average of 1 measily run. Beckett has also had 7 no-decisions. In those games his average line has been 6 2/3 inning, 3 hits, and 1 earned run allowed. You kiddin’ me? Amongst those no decisions no team has ever scored more than 4 earned runs, and Beckett has 3 shutouts and an 8-inning 1 hitter.” In plain english, Beckett had a major run support problem – this season conservatively could have been 20-7. The problem? Beckett had a 2.50 ERA as late at September 16th, then faded like his Red Sox after coming back from an injury.

Final note: Damn James Shields. 11 complete games? The next best in the league was 5.

National League

howiGit’s 2011 Cy Young Award Winner: Clayton Kershaw
21-5, 2.28 ERA, 233 IP, 248 SO, .207 BAA, 5 CG, 2 SHO
A relatively quiet Cy Young Award winner, but one douzy of a season. A true breakout season, or something a little flukey?

Runner Up: Roy Halladay
19-6, 2.35 ERA, 233 IP, 220 SO, .239 BAA, 8 CG, 1 SHO
It disgusts me how similar Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay’s numbers were. In general, Halladay is hit a little softer and more often, and Cliff Lee is slightly more dominant yet streaky. I gave Halladay the nod – he won a higher percentage of his starts.

My Sleeper Pick: Ian Kennedy
21-4, 2.88 ERA, 222 IP, .227 BAA
No, this is not just because it’s Ian Kennedy. In fact this isn’t even much of a sleeper pick – I mean 21-4? Come on.

Final note: I may be jipping Cole Hamels out of the sleeper pick honor. If San Fran could hit the ball at all, Tim Lincecum or Matt Cain coulda won this thing.