"If I could choose, I really wouldn't want to play here. It's just too uncomfortable."
As the Yankees players walked back into Minute Maid Park, Luis Severino, who pitched a good game yesterday, looked at the flushed Texas fans in the stands and repeatedly shook his head, saying, "The rednecks are just too fervent. Every minute, every second of playing here is a huge test for my ears..."
As he spoke, Severino turned to look at Lin Guanglai behind him, his eyes earnest, "Lin, if possible, I hope this is our last time playing in Texas this year. Can you do it?"
The subtext behind Severino's words was his hope that Lin Guanglai, starting as the pitcher today, could win the game so that the Yankees could rewrite the series score to 2-0.
According to the league championship series' 2-3-2 home field format, if the Yankees could return to New York with a 2-0 win advantage, they would have a great chance to end the series at home, meaning they wouldn't have to return to Texas.
